Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Review: A Reliable Choice

Amazon launched its first Fire TV Stick in India in 2017. At the time, smart TVs were expensive, fewer brands were making them, and the adoption of over-the-top (OTT) streaming platforms was relatively low. In such a market, a streaming device that could be connected to any TV with an HDMI port and access not only streaming apps but also gaming was a lucrative proposition.

However, in 2024, the situation has changed significantly. On the one hand, the number of OTT platforms has increased tremendously and offers a wide range of exclusive content. On the other hand, smart TVs have become relatively cheaper and many new brands have entered the market, making them more accessible to the masses. According to the Internet in India Report 2023, conducted by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and Kantar, as many as 707 million users in India use OTT platforms. According to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the total number of streaming platforms has also increased to 57.

In such conditions, where it would seem that the usefulness of an external streaming device could be reduced, the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K debuted. Priced at Rs. 5,999, the device supports 4K (2160p) content along with HDR10+, Dolby Vision and more. It also offers the entire Amazon Appstore library with over 12,000 apps.

I’ve been using a streaming device for the past two weeks to find out if what it offers is enough to be relevant in a time when it’s competing not only from other streaming devices, but also from the growing number of smart TVs offering the same experience integrated with TV. So let’s get to the brass tacks.

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K design and remote control

The basic design of the first-generation Fire TV Stick hasn’t seen many improvements over the years, and the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K continues the tradition. You get the same matte black rectangular device (which now has curved edges) with the Fire TV logo on the top and an HDMI port on the front. If connecting the HDMI port is not easy, an HDMI extender provides additional flexibility.

New Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K remote control

There is a Micro-USB port on the side for power. Some TVs can power the device using the USB port if it provides enough power. Mine didn’t, so the included charger came in handy and I managed to power it up by plugging it into a power source.

The remote also features minor improvements over the previous Fire Stick 4K that launched in 2019. Now includes dedicated app buttons for Prime Video, Netflix and Amazon Music. The fourth button takes you directly to your installed applications. A live TV button and a dedicated Alexa button replace the older voice control button. The functionality remains the same; however, I believe Alexa is much more capable.

In a previous review, Gadgets 360 stated that if the content you were searching for wasn’t from Prime Video, the virtual assistant would, at best, just pop up in the app. However, now it can display the title card of Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, Jio Cinema and YouTube (these were the apps I used a lot). Other than that, the rest of the remote is pretty standard.

In terms of installation and use, Fire TV is very easy to use. The installation process, including all OS updates, took me about 15 minutes. Just plug it into your TV, plug it into a power source, and follow the on-screen instructions. It’s a plug-and-forget device.

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K interface

The user interface, running on Fire OS, isn’t drastically different from the standard Android TV experience. You get the same tile-based layout and horizontal scrolling interface to showcase shows, movies, and apps. There are Home, Find and Live TV sections, plus an easy-to-access app library. The Settings icon is also conveniently placed on the top, and since the remote doesn’t have a Settings button, its placement makes it easy to switch between functions.

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K interface

Amazon also has a good recommendation algorithm that suggests content from various OTT platforms even if you haven’t installed them. You’ll see recently watched shows, Netflix recommendations, free movies and TV shows, and genre categories. However, since it is an Amazon product, its content has some biases. For example, only Prime Video content is marked as 4K on the home screen. In other cases, you will have to click on the content tile and check the details.

You can also directly jump to Prime Video content from the recommendations section on the home screen, but with any other app, you’ll see the description screen first. Additionally, Prime Video dominates the top half of the page where featured content is displayed.

However, I didn’t find this to be an inconvenience as I watch a lot of shows and movies on Prime Video. The integration helped me discover newer content to watch and allowed me to quickly replay it. For those who aren’t fans of the Prime Video library, Mi TV Stick or the default Android TV/Google TV will be a better option.

Overall, the interface is slick, responsive, and quite reliable even with extended use. I rarely encountered any errors or problems.

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Performance

Now let’s get to the performance. On paper, this is Amazon’s most powerful streaming device available in India. It supports Wi-Fi 6 (both 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz bands) and Bluetooth 5.0. It also supports HDR10+ audio, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos to go along with 4K Ultra-HD video quality support. The device offers a built-in memory of 8 GB.

IPL 2024 final using Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K

I have been using this device for over two weeks on my Redmi Fire TV and I am pleased with its consistent performance. Whether I was catching up on episodes of Shogun, watching the comedy-drama Laapataa Ladies, or watching the anime Spy x Family, the video quality was crisp and bright, and the lighter and darker areas could be distinguished very easily. Even the darker scenes were well lit and made for pleasant viewing. Surprisingly, the Fire TV Stick 4K’s operating system performance was faster than my built-in Fire OS.

However, please note that 4K video support will require a faster Internet connection, and the video stream may struggle if the connection is not stable or slow. Moreover, the overall video quality depends on the TV you are using. It goes without saying that a premium TV with 4K support will present a better picture than a TV without it.

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Verdict

As mentioned above, my goal in this review was to understand whether the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K really offers enough to make the device a worthwhile and necessary purchase. After extensive use, my answer is yes.

Even in a world where smart TVs can be found for less than Rs. 15,000, not all are built equally. Some people have poor memory, while others are affected by poor operating system performance. With many people still using old and unlubricated TVs, Amazon’s streaming box fills the gap of having to replace reliable TV hardware in the event of software deficiencies.

Fire TV Stick 4K offers solid performance thanks to its OS interface, performance and image quality. But more than that, it really offers reliability. While I have experienced glitches with my Redmi smart TV and even my parents’ Sony Bravia, I have never faced even a minor problem with it. From navigating through various apps to watching shows and movies, everything was seamless. A good streaming device, in my opinion, should be unnoticeable while watching TV, and the Fire TV Stick 4K did just that.

If you don’t own a Smart TV, or you’re struggling with a several-year-old Smart TV that’s started to slow down, the Fire TV Stick may be a good way to extend the life of your TV without compromising your viewing experience.

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