How do you choose the best Fire TV Stick? (Image: Amazon)
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One of Amazon’s greatest devices is . This dinky dongle is an easy upgrade for your TV, whether you have an older telly or just want an easy route to accessing Alexa for searching and control.
Affordable, often discounted – and always popular – the most common problem with the Fire TV Stick is deciding which model to buy. I’m a technology expert and I’ve used the Fire TV Stick extensively, as well as running Fire TVs in my own home. I’m going to help you choose the best model for you, as well as keep an eye on the best prices out there.
And there are in the run-up to Christmas.
Which is the best Fire TV Stick?
The best Fire TV Stick is the Fire TV Stick 4K Max. It’s Amazon’s top streaming stick, it’s the most capable, offering a couple of advantages over the other models in the range. If you’re after the best, then this is the model you want. There’s currently a great deal on this model, , so you can get the Fire TV Stick 4K Max for just £44.99 right now.
It offers 4K HDR, with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos support, for top-notch quality, along with fast Wi-Fi 6E support. It’s also the most powerful, so it’s a little zippier around the interface.
Amazon’s top Fire TV Stick, the 4K Max offers Wi-Fi 6E for faster streaming, more storage, an Alexa Voice Remote Enhanced and the best experience of all the streaming sticks.
But it’s not that simple: if you have a smaller TV or older Wi-Fi connection with no plans to upgrade – or you just don’t have the spare cash – then other Fire TV Sticks will offer much the same experience for a little less money, as I’ll explain.
The Fire TV Stick 4K Max is Amazon’s best streamer. (Image: Express)
What is the Fire TV Stick?
Amazon launched the first Fire TV device in 2014, designed to challenge the likes of Apple TV in offering streaming services on your TV. In 2015 it added Alexa, allowing for voice controls and in 2016, the .
It’s a compact device that plugs into the HDMI socket on the back of your TV, connects to your home Wi-Fi and allows you to stream all the entertainment you can imagine. It offers all the UK’s catch-up services, premium services like Netflix, Disney+ and Apple TV+, as well as Amazon’s own service, Amazon Video – and many more.
Beyond that, some Fire TV Stick models will let you hook up an Xbox controller to play Xbox games, view your Ring Video Doorbell and a whole lot more.
The downside of Fire TV devices is that they contain adverts and sometimes these will be played through the homescreen on your TV.
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Alexa Voice Remote makes control really easy. (Image: Express)
Best Fire TV Stick to buy 2024
I’m going to run through each of the Fire TV Stick models and tell you what’s good about it, what it lacks compared to the others and what that model is best for. Amazon shuffled its Fire TV Sticks around in 2024, dropping the entry-level model and renaming some of the mid-level models, but I’m going to explain everything.
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max: Best Fire TV Stick overall
What we love
- Performance for the price
- Nippy navigation
What we don’t
- Fire TV Stick 4K is basically the same for less
- Remote not backlit
Amazon’s top Fire TV Stick, the 4K Max offers Wi-Fi 6E for faster streaming, more storage, an Alexa Voice Remote Enhanced and the best experience of all the streaming sticks.
Amazon’s best Fire Stick, the 4K Max is the most powerful, so it’s a little faster around the interface than the of the other Fire TV Sticks. This is combined with advanced Wi-Fi 6E support, meaning it will connect to more advanced Wi-Fi networks. This delivers a faster and more stable connection, but be aware you’ll need a Wi-Fi network that supports it, .
The user interface for the Fire TV Stick 4K Max is the same as other Fire TV Sticks, but it has access to Xbox Cloud gaming, as well as offering Amazon’s Ambient TV mode which shows wallpapers and widgets when not watching a programme. It will also let you view connected smart cameras right there on your TV when someone comes to the door.
It supports 4K HDR content, with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, as long as you have a compatible television.
Amazon Fire TV Stick HD: Best value Fire TV Stick
What we love
- Still offers HDR
- Affordability
What we don’t
- Limited quality
- No Dolby Atmos
The Fire TV Stick HD offers 1080p streaming at a great price, but doesn’t have all the features of the top Fire TV Stick models.
The misses out on that 4K tag, so it will only stream content at 1080p resolution, or Full HD as it’s sometimes called. That means there’s a little less detail, but if you don’t have a 4K TV, then that won’t matter to you. That makes the Fire TV Stick HD ideal for smaller TVs or perhaps a bedroom TV.
While the interface is the same, still supporting Alexa through the remote, this supports older Wi-Fi 5 and has less memory than the 4K devices, so it’s slightly slower. It also lacks some of the more advanced functions, but still offers access to all the main streaming services.
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K: Best 4K Fire TV Stick on a budget
What we love
- Same quality as 4K Max for cheaper
- Remote a little basic
What we don’t
- Lacks Wi-Fi 6E
- No Ambient TV experience
The Fire TV Stick 4K offers much the same experience as the MAx model, but is a little slower, with lower-spec Wi-Fi and no Ambient experience. It’s cheaper though.
I’m not going to lie: the Fire TV Stick 4K and the Fire TV Stick 4K Max are very close in what they offer. But the non-Max 4K version is a little cheaper because it misses out on a couple of features. It doesn’t have the Ambient experience or the advanced Wi-Fi. It also has half the storage space of the 4K Max.
But it still supports 4K HDR content with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, as well as supporting all the same streaming services, including Xbox cloud gaming, as will show your smart home cameras. It also doesn’t have the same remote, lacking a couple of the buttons. However, it’s .
Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite: Best cheap Fire TV Stick
What we love
- Really cheap
- All streaming services offered
What we don’t
- It’s been discontinued
- Basic functions only
The Fire TV Stick Lite has been discontinued, but it’s still available at some retailers. It’s the cheapest route to Fire TV, but offers limited quality and features.
The Fire TV Stick Lite has actually been dropped from Amazon’s selection, but for a long time, this was the entry-level device and the model to choose if you just wanted the cheapest Fire TV Stick. It offers 1080p streaming and still has all the streaming services, but comes with a more basic remote.
It still does Alexa through the remote and the interface is the same. The problem is that you can’t buy it from Amazon any more. Fortunately, it’s , so if you want the very cheapest option, then it’s still available.
Amazon Fire TV Cube: Best Fire TV device for home cinema
What we love
- Handsfree Alexa control
- HDMI input to connect other devices
What we don’t
- It’s very expensive
- Controls don’t work with all brands
The Fire TV Cube is the most advanced Fire TV device, offering handsfree Alexa, HMDI control, Ethernet and IR control over other devices. It’s much more expensive as a result.
The Fire TV Cube is designed as a set-top box. The big advantage it offers is handsfree Alexa voice control. All other Fire TV Stick devices need you to press the button on the device, but this one you can just talk to.
The Fire TV Cube also has an Ethernet port on the back, so you can wire this into your network and for those with dodgy Wi-Fi that could give you a better result. As well as an HDMI input, meaning you can connect and control another device through it – like your Sky box. You can also buy an IR blaster for it to control other devices remotely.
It’s also really powerful, offering an experience that’s even faster than the Fire Stick 4K Max, with fast internet, Xbox and everything else. But it’s more than twice the price, so it’s only really suitable for those wanting the ultimate home cinema experience.
Best Fire TV Remote: Alexa Voice Remote Pro
The Voice Remote Pro will enhance your Fire TV experience, with a more premium feel, additional controls and a headphone button.
You don’t have to stick the remote that came with your Fire TV Stick. Amazon also offers an upgraded remote. The is a higher-quality build and offers additional buttons, with backlighting. Best of all is a headphone button, which you can tap to connect your headphones to your Fire TV Stick for private listening.
If you use your Fire TV Stick all the time, this updated remote makes a great treat for yourself or a gift for someone else.
Of course there are alternatives to the Fire TV Stick: Roku offers a full range of devices – – that gives you access to all the streaming services, but they lack the smart home control and the convenience that Alexa offers.
Or there’s Apple TV 4K (), which is an accomplished streaming device and integrates nicely with your Apple devices and services, but it is a lot more expensive.