Following Apple's significant price hikes for Apple TV 4K, Amazon, Roku and Walmart have also raised prices on their Fire TV and Roku streaming sticks and boxes.
In late June, Apple raised prices on many of its products, with Apple TV 4K taking the biggest hit with a price increase of up to 67%. The 64GB Apple TV 4K rose from $129 to $199, while the 128GB model jumped from $149 to $249.
In late July, Roku followed by raising prices on its streaming sticks, boxes and soundbar by up to 60%. The price increases are particularly notable considering that Roku makes most of its money by monetizing users after the initial hardware sale.
Amazon Fire TV increases
This week, Amazon followed by raising prices on all Fire TV sticks as well as the Fire TV Cube by up to 43%. Like Roku, Amazon makes most of its money from Fire TV devices after the initial sale by monetizing users.
All three companies have cited rising costs, mainly related to RAM and storage chips. The 'RAMageddon' has affected a long list of consumer electronics products, including game consoles, but so far not really Smart TVs.
Also read: Smart TV makers lean on ad revenue to keep prices low
Google TV Streamer next?
Of the major streaming players, the Google TV Streamer – and perhaps the aging Nvidia Shield TV – is the only one that has not yet seen a price increase due to the memory chip crisis.
However, it may only be a matter of time, so it could be wise to buy one before a potential price hike from its current $100 price. It is available in stock from retailers such as Amazon.
Walmart's Onn brand has already raised prices on its Google TV streaming devices, in some cases by up to 100%, while inventories have also been affected by the challenges of procuring memory chips.
Google TV Streamer uses a MediaTek SoC, as do many of Amazon's Fire TV sticks. Roku primarily uses Realtek SoCs, while Walmart's Onn devices use Amlogic. Apple TV 4K uses Apple's own A15 Bionic.
Streaming player price increases
| Product | Previous Price | New Price | Increase |
|---|
| Amazon Fire TV |
| Fire TV Stick HD | $34.99 | $39.99 | +$5.00 (14.3%) |
| Fire TV Stick 4K Select | $39.99 | $49.99 | +$10.00 (25.0%) |
| Fire TV Stick 4K Plus | $49.99 | $69.99 | +$20.00 (40.0%) |
| Fire TV Stick 4K Max | $59.99 | $84.99 | +$25.00 (41.7%) |
| Fire TV Cube | $139.99 | $199.99 | +$60.00 (42.9%) |
| Roku |
| Roku Streaming Stick | $30 | $40 | +$10 (33.3%) |
| Roku Streaming Stick Plus | $40 | $60 | +$20 (50.0%) |
| Roku Streaming Stick 4K | $50 | $80 | +$30 (60.0%) |
| Roku Ultra | $100 | $150 | +$50 (50.0%) |
| Roku Streambar SE | $100 | $150 | +$50 (50.0%) |
| Apple TV 4K |
| Apple TV 4K 64GB (Wi-Fi) | $129 | $199 | +$70 (54.3%) |
| Apple TV 4K 128GB (Wi-Fi + Ethernet) | $149 | $249 | +$100 (67.1%) |
| Walmart Onn |
| Onn Full HD Streaming Stick | $14.88 | $29.98 | +$15.10 (101.5%) |
| Onn 4K Plus | $29.88 | $49.98 | +$20.10 (67.3%) |
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