Best Fire TV Stick In 2023: Which Amazon Streaming Device Is Right For You?
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These days, anyone who enjoys watching shows, movies, and other video content on their TV screens most probably has a smart TV, a media-streaming device, or both. In most cases, having a smart TV should be enough to satiate your need to access popular services like Netflix, Hulu, and other platforms. However, adding a streaming media player to your setup certainly has its advantages.
While it's true that most smart TVs already come equipped with essential streaming apps, some TV brands may be lacking specific ones. Older TVs may not even have the streaming services that have come out in recent years. Furthermore, not all Smart TV user interfaces are created equal. Some may be hard and confusing to navigate or may come equipped with a TV remote that's not so user-friendly. Depending on what apps you try to access — especially if it's on a TV that you do not personally own, like at an accommodation you're staying at while traveling — you may experience a variety of frustrating hiccups, such as sluggish response time to full-on failure to load. To address all these concerns, it's best to have a media-streaming device of your own handy.
If you are considering getting one in 2023, Amazon's slate of plug-and-play streaming media players is a good option to explore. The Fire TV Stick is incredibly portable and easy to use on most Smart TVs, making it the ideal gadget to bring with you on your travels. It comes preloaded with the most widely used media-streaming services, and it has a built-in catalog of apps that allows you to install more if there's any need or desire to. Considering that the Fire TV Stick is an Amazon product, it's probably the best option for people who regularly enjoy content through their Prime Video subscription.
Some factors to consider when choosing a streaming device
The first thing you need to do is to evaluate your current TV and your level of satisfaction with its available features. Obviously if you do not have a Smart TV, then that is immediately a good reason for you to splurge on a media-streaming player to increase your content options. It's also worth pulling the trigger on the extra purchase if you want a better navigation experience or quicker response to remote clicks, at the very least.
Depending on which streaming device you're considering, the type of Wi-Fi your TV supports and your sound system availability (if you have one set up) may also impact your decision on which device to go for, as are the streaming services you access the most frequently. Lastly, you also can consider your budget and how much you are willing to spend for such a device.
Considering all the aforementioned factors, the Amazon Fire TV Stick is a great pick — no matter what your requirements are, there are several versions to choose from that should be adequate. If you have other Amazon devices in your home, this makes the device an even more foolproof choice because it can also be controlled using Alexa.
If you want something simple that just works
The most basic media-streaming device Amazon has to offer is the Fire TV Stick. The latest third-generation model is available for $39.99 and comes with the third-generation Alexa Voice Remote that is equipped with TV power and volume controls as well as preset app buttons for Disney+, Hulu, Netflix, and Prime Video.
Through the Fire TV Stick, you can easily stream content in full HD, and in some cases, even enjoy videos in Dolby Atmos when you have compatible audio equipment connected. It's got voice support as well and has a button that easily launches Alexa. It's got 8 GB internal storage and 1 GB memory, the standard for several of Amazon's Fire TV stick iterations. Currently, it's also the most globally reviewed Amazon media-streaming device out of the available options, which could be taken as a sign that it's also the most purchased from the lineup.
This is the best option to pick if you don't own a fancy 4K TV and just want a device that will work on most HD TV brands and models with an available HDMI input.
If you're on a budget
Hoping to buy an Amazon media-streaming device for under $30? The Fire TV Stick Lite is the most affordable option at $29.99. As the name implies, it's the "lighter" version of the Fire TV Stick not only in terms of cost but also considering its features. Unlike the Fire TV Stick, the Fire TV Stick Lite doesn't include TV power and volume controls, so you will definitely need another remote.
Fortunately, the Fire TV Stick Lite comes with the second-generation Alexa Voice Remote Lite, which means you can still control the device by pressing a button on the remote and speaking out commands. It also comes with the usual four preset app buttons.
Tech specifications-wise, there aren't a lot of differences that will make this option inferior to the regular Fire TV Stick. Both options have 8 GB internal storage and 1 GB memory and also support streaming in full HD. The only downgrades that could sway your decision to get the Fire TV Stick instead would be the audio streaming quality — The Fire TV Stick Lite does not support immersive Dolby Atmos sound and only allows HDMI passthrough of Dolby-encoded audio — and the inability to consolidate TV controls into one remote. If neither of those things bothers you greatly, the Fire TV Stick Lite is a nice entry-level device to get your media streaming going.
If you have a 4K TV
There are two Amazon media-streaming device options to choose from to enhance the features that you already have through your 4K TV. The first one is the Fire TV Stick 4K, currently priced at $49.99. It's got all the features that the baseline Fire TV Stick offers, and more. Through this device, you can view a variety of content formats in cinematic quality, including 4K Ultra HD (which you'll need a compatible 4K UHD TV for), Dolby Vision, HDR, and HDR 10+. If you have audio equipment that supports Dolby Atmos connected to your smart TV, you can enjoy select titles on various media platforms amped by immersive sound.
The remote also has an Alexa button that you can use to control the device via voice prompts. Much like the Fire Stick TV, it has dedicated buttons for four preset apps as well as TV power and volume controls, eliminating the need for the one that originally came with your TV. It is equipped with the same 8 GB internal storage as other Fire TV Sticks but has more memory at 1.5 GB.
If you happen to have a 4K TV that offers Wi-Fi 6 support as well as a Wi-Fi 6-compatible router, you may want to consider spending an extra $5 and get the Fire TV Stick 4K Max instead — it basically has everything the Fire TV Stick 4K has to offer — so that you can take advantage of the more seamless streaming afforded by the new technology. For $54.99, you get a device that's 40% more powerful through an upgraded processor and more memory at 2 GB. It currently is the best iteration of the Fire TV Stick lineup, so if you want all the bells and whistles, this is what you ought to go for.
If you want a little bit more than an Amazon Fire TV Stick
Not satisfied with Amazon's Fire TV Stick options? To date, the most powerful streaming device that Amazon has to offer is the Fire TV Cube. It's incredibly fast and is described as twice as powerful as the Fire TV Stick 4K Max. Unlike the previous Fire TV Stick options that require you to hit a button to access Alexa, the Fire TV Cube can be voice controlled completely hands-free. In addition, it's the only Amazon streaming media player so far that is equipped with an HDMI input, allowing you to directly connect your supported cable box and control live TV hands-free via Alexa or through the accompanying Fire TV Alexa Voice Remote. The Fire TV Cube can also be connected to other Alexa-enabled devices so you can quickly switch streaming between your game console, webcam, or cable box.
Apart from having Dolby Atmos audio support as well as the most excellent video streaming quality 4K has to offer — 4K UHD, Dolby Vision, HDR, and HDR 10+, to name some — it is also Wi-Fi 6E-compatible, has an additional ethernet port for directly wired network connectivity, internal storage of 16 GB, and 2 GB memory.
Considering all the major upgrades in terms of features and video-streaming quality, it shouldn't come as a surprise that the Fire TV Cube has a pretty high price tag compared to its Fire TV Stick counterparts. It currently is available on Amazon for $139.99, in case you're willing to make the investment leap.