Skip to content
Tech News
← Back to articles

Amazon is taking away your 4K Prime Video — unless you pay more

read original get Amazon Fire TV Stick → more articles
Why This Matters

Amazon is significantly increasing the cost for ad-free Prime Video, rebranding it as Prime Video Ultra and making 4K UHD content, including Dolby Atmos, exclusive to this tier. This shift highlights the growing trend of streaming platforms monetizing premium features and content, impacting consumers who seek high-quality viewing experiences. It underscores the ongoing evolution of subscription models in the streaming industry, balancing content quality with pricing strategies.

Key Takeaways

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

TL;DR Amazon is rebranding ad-free Prime Video as Prime Video Ultra and raising pricing from $3 to $5 a month.

4K UHD video and Dolby Atmos sound will only be available to Ultra subscribers

The new pricing structure takes effect on April 10.

It wasn’t even that long ago when Amazon Prime Video was still the rare example of a video streaming platform that hadn’t succumbed to the temptation of shoving ads down everyone’s throats. But by 2024, Bezos and company just couldn’t resist any longer, and sullied their once-innocent platform with a $3/month upsell to avoid ads. Now it’s 2026, and since everything keeps getting worse, it’s going to cost you even more to not sit through ads on Prime Video.

Don’t want to miss the best from Android Authority? Set us as a favorite source in Google Discover to never miss our latest exclusive reports, expert analysis, and much more.

to never miss our latest exclusive reports, expert analysis, and much more. You can also set us as a preferred source in Google Search by clicking the button below.

Amazon shares that it’s rebranding its ad-free service as Prime Video Ultra, and that’s going to run you an extra $5/month on top of your existing Amazon Prime membership. The new pricing takes effect in just over a month, on April 10.

As if to add insult to injury, not only is ad-free Prime Video going to cost you more, but Amazon is locking access to 4K UHD video behind the same paywall. That includes Dolby Atmos, too, but on the plus side, Amazon’s raising limits on concurrent streams to 4 for regular Prime Video, and 5 for Ultra.

If you want to keep enjoying 4K Prime Video content, you can either start paying that extra $5 a month, or take advantage of the “deal” Amazon is offering to commit to a year of Ultra for $46. Because clearly, poor, suffering Amazon needs your money more than you do.

... continue reading