2021 Review: Fire TV Stick 4K streaming device with Alexa Voice Remote
- allaboutfiretv
- May 23, 2021
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 24, 2021
Summary:
How much does the Fire Stick cost? Price: USD37.99
84% 5 Star ratings
Fire TV Stick 4K, 4K resolution available, TV Remote, Alexa Hands-free controls, 8GB storage
Same price as the Fire TV Stick (2021), with the addition of 4K Streaming experience
Previously, we did a review overview of the latest 2021 product of the Fire TV stick series. One of the cons for the product was that it only supported up to 1080p or HD streaming, 4k is not supported on that device. Hence, it was imperative for us to go on to the next review: released earlier in 2018, is the Fire TV Stick 4K a better buy?
Fire TV Stick 4K Reviews
With over 650,000 reviews, we have a stunning 84% of buyers giving the product 5 Star ratings, 10% 4 stars and about 5% giving it lower. That sounds like a massive amount of satisfied customers!
Major pros:
Most positive reviews were for the user-friendly and powerful remote control! If for example, the TV is set to a different TV box, pressing the "home" button on the remote control actually automatically switches the input from the other TV box to the Fire Stick. The controls on the remote, e.g. the volume control, are also intuitive and also worked well with different TVs. This function is pretty cool because the Fire Stick actually enables the Fire Stick Remote to control your TV directly, unlike normal connections where you need to use your original TV remote to switch to the controls of the HDMI-connected device.
That being said, in terms of hardware and software, the Fire TV Stick 4K and the Fire TV Stick 3rd Generation is pretty much the same. The remote for the Fire TV Stick is the same for all models except for the Fire TV Stick Lite. The main difference buyers would want to take note of is the 4K capabilities of the Fire TV Stick 4K (hence, its name). And if you own a 4K TV and would want to make full use of what you already bought, then you may want to consider the Fire TV Stick 4K just for its 4K capabilities.
Cons:
Quite a few were annoyed with the Amazon-centric options for the apps and also stream content, while some also found it difficult to actually find their own subscriptions that they paid for or the free ones. While this is a minor issue, it did cause complaints from some buyers. However, this is an Amazon OS issue, and if you are already an Amazon Prime user or are considering Amazon products, this shouldn't be an issue for you!
One thing to note is that despite having more positive ratings than the 2021 Fire TV Stick (3rd Gen) we reviewed, there were several reviews mentioning lags and malfunction in the more recent 2021 reviews for the Fire TV Stick 4K. However, that may be due to chance and looking at the massive 600,000 reviews, this should still be a minority issue.
All in all, the main differentiation of the Fire TV Stick 4K is its 4k capabilities. If your TV is fitted out for 4k, and you don't want to miss out on that experience, this could be the better choice for you. Paying a couple of bucks extra for a 4K experience that you already paid for in your 4K TV does seem like a worth it investment!
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