Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Review: A Trusted Choice
The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K is priced at Rs 5,999.
Amazon introduced the first Fire TV Stick in India in 2017. At the time, smart TVs were expensive, few brands manufactured them and the adoption of over-the-top (OTT) streaming platforms was relatively low. In such a market, a streaming device that could be plugged into any TV with an HDMI port to access streaming apps as well as games was a compelling proposition.
However, things have changed a lot in 2024. On the one hand, the number of OTT platforms has increased significantly, offering a wide range of exclusive content. On the other hand, smart TVs have become relatively cheaper, with many new brands entering the market and making it more accessible to the masses. According to the report “India Internet Report 2023” conducted by Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and Kantar, a massive 707 million users are on OTT platforms in India. The total number of streaming platforms has also increased to 57, according to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
This situation would seem to make third-party streaming devices less useful, but then the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K made its debut. Priced at Rs 5,999, it supports 4K resolution content (2160p) as well as HDR10+, Dolby Vision, etc. It also offers the entire Amazon Appstore library with over 12,000 apps.
Over the past two weeks, I have been using this streaming device to find out if what it has to offer is good enough in this era when it is competing not only with other streaming devices but also with the growing number of smart TVs that offer the same experience integrated into the television.
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Design and Remote Control
The basic design of the original Fire TV Stick hasn’t seen many upgrades over the years, and the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K continues that tradition. It’s a matte black rectangular device (now with curved edges) with the Fire TV logo on top and an HDMI port on the front. If you can’t easily plug in the HDMI port, an HDMI extender gives you more flexibility.
New Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K: Remote
There is a Micro-USB port on the side for power. Depending on your TV, you may be able to power the device using the USB port if it provides enough power. My TV couldn’t do that, so the charger that came in the box came in handy and allowed me to power it by plugging it into a power outlet.
The remote control has also been slightly improved over the previous Fire Stick 4K released in 2019. It now has dedicated app buttons for Prime Video, Netflix, and Amazon Music. A fourth button gives you direct access to installed apps. A Live TV button and a dedicated Alexa button have replaced the previous voice control button. The functionality is the same, but Alexa feels much better.
In a previous review, Gadgets 360 noted that at best the virtual assistant would just pop up an app if the content you searched for wasn’t from Prime Video, but now it can show title cards for Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, Jio Cinema, and YouTube (these are the apps I use a lot.) Other than that, the rest of the remote is standard.
When it comes to installation and usage, Fire TV is very easy to use. The installation process, including OS-based updates, took about 15 minutes. All you have to do is plug it into your TV, connect it to a power source, and follow the on-screen instructions. It’s a plug-and-forget device.
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K: Interface
It runs on Fire OS, and the user interface isn’t too different from the standard Android TV experience. You get the same tile-based layout and horizontal scrolling interface showcasing your shows, movies, and apps. There’s a Home, Search, and Live TV section, along with an easily accessible App Library. The Settings icon is also conveniently located at the top, and the placement makes it easier to switch between since there’s no Settings button on the remote.
Amazon also has a great recommendation algorithm that suggests content across various OTT platforms, even if you don’t have them installed. It shows your recently watched shows, Netflix recommendations, free movies and TV shows, and categories by genre. However, being an Amazon product, the content is biased. For example, only Prime Video content is shown as 4K on the home screen. For other content, you have to click on the content tile to find out more.
You can jump directly to Prime Video content from the Featured section on the home screen, but other apps require a description screen first, and Prime Video takes up the top half of the page where recommended content is displayed.
However, I watch quite a few shows and movies on Prime Video, so I’ve never found it an inconvenience. The integration makes it easy to discover new content to watch and play it instantly. If you’re not a fan of the Prime Video library, you might be better off with the Mi TV Stick or the default Android TV/Google TV.
Overall, the interface is snappy, responsive, and extremely reliable even over extended periods of use. I rarely encountered any glitches or issues.
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K: Performance
Now, let’s look at the performance. On paper, this is Amazon’s most powerful streaming device available in India. It supports up to Wi-Fi 6 (both 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz bands) and Bluetooth 5.0. It also has HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos audio support to go with 4K Ultra-HD video quality support. The device comes with 8GB of inbuilt storage.
I’ve been using the device with my Redmi Fire TV for over two weeks now and am pleased with its solid performance. Whether I was watching an episode of Shogun, enjoying the comedy drama Laapataa Ladies, or binge-watching the anime Spy x Family, the video quality was crisp and bright, with easy distinction between light and dark areas. Even dark scenes were bright and comfortable to watch. To my surprise, the OS performance on the Fire TV Stick 4K was faster than the built-in Fire OS.
However, keep in mind that 4K video support requires a fast internet connection, and an unstable or slow connection may slow down the video stream. Additionally, the overall video quality will vary depending on the TV you’re using. Needless to say, a premium TV that supports 4K will offer better visuals than one that doesn’t.
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K: Review
As I said above, the goal of this review was to understand whether the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K really has enough features to be worth buying. After using it, my answer is yes.
Even in a world where smart TVs can be had for under Rs 15,000, not all are created equal. Some have poor memory and some offer sub-par OS experiences. With many people still using older, non-smart TVs, Amazon’s streaming device fills a gap in the need to replace trusty TV hardware due to software flaws.
The Fire TV Stick 4K is a solid performer in terms of OS interface, performance, and picture quality. But beyond that, what this device really offers is reliability. I’ve experienced glitches with my Redmi Smart TV and my parents’ Sony Bravia, but I’ve never experienced even minor issues with this device. From navigating between different apps to watching shows and movies, it was a seamless experience. In my opinion, a good streaming device should be something you don’t notice while watching TV, and the Fire TV Stick 4K delivered exactly that.
If you don’t own a smart TV, or you’re annoyed that yours is a few years old and starting to slow down, the Fire TV Stick might be a good way to extend the life of your TV without compromising your viewing experience.