The Fire TV Stick 4K is here, and it’s our new favorite
The Fire TV Stick 4K is here, and it’s our new favorite
We got to try the new Fire TV Stick 4K for ourselves, and were pleasantly surprised by the results.
Cutting the cord comes with countless follow-up decisions and questions — chief among them, how to watch your favorite streaming services now that they’re your primary form of entertainment. For millions of Americans, the answer is an Amazon Fire TV streaming player; Fire TV is one of the most-used connected TV operating systems in the United States, and several of us at The Streamable own at least one Fire TV device.
But there are a lot of Fire TV devices to choose from these days, and first-time buyers might not know which one to choose if they’ve narrowed their pick down to one of the Amazon players. After getting our hands on the new Fire TV Stick 4K, however, we are ready to declare it the top device in the Amazon streaming lineup.
So, why did the Fire TV Stick 4K come out on top? We’ll explain our reasoning behind the pick and offer a side-by-side comparison of Fire TV devices to let you decide for yourself if we’re right, or if another Fire TV player might be the best fit for you.
Why the Fire TV Stick 4K is the best Fire TV device in 2026
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K
$30 for a limited time
How many devices are in the Fire TV line?
The Fire TV streaming stick line now consists of five devices, plus the higher-end Fire TV Cube that sits alongside the TV. Each comes with its own features, but in general, the more you pay, the larger the number of features you can expect to get with a Fire TV. With the release of the new Fire TV Stick 4K, Amazon revealed that it would no longer be making new models of the Fire TV Stick Select or the Fire TV Stick 4K Plus.
Check out the devices below to start comparing each one.
- Amazon Fire TV Stick HD
- Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select
- Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K
- Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Plus
- Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max
- Amazon Fire TV Cube 4K
The Fire TV operating system comes pre-installed on a large number of smart TVs, obviating the need for a connected streaming player. The company now offers several lines of in-house made Ember TVs; the Ember 2 series in 32-inch and 40-inch sizes; the Ember 4 series in 43-inch, 50-inch, and 55-inch sizes; the Ember QLED series in sizes from 50 to 75 inches; The Ember mini-LED series in sizes from 55 to 85 inches; and the Amazon Ember Artline series in 55-inch and 65-inch screens.
What are the features of the Fire TV Stick 4K?
There are a couple of welcome changes to the Fire TV Stick 4K — most notably, its new remote. Not only does the rounded bottom of the new Fire TV remote fit better in the hand, but it also offers a metallic Home button. This may not sound like a lot, but it’s a big help when using the remote without looking; the Fire TV Home button is right next to the Play/Pause button, and pressing it accidentally instead of the pause button whisks me all the way back to the home screen. Now, I can avoid that annoyance. The new Fire TV remote also finally includes a programmable button, another long-wished-for feature.
The Fire TV Stick 4K offers Ultra-High-Definition 4K streaming, as well as support for Dolby Vision and HDR10+ for the most vibrant picture quality, including brighter colors and greater contrast between light and dark for exquisite detail.
Wi-Fi 6 support ensures that, as long as your high-speed connection is steady, the Fire TV Stick 4K will maintain maximum resolution. And Dolby-encoded audio via HDMI pass-through makes every viewing session truly immersive, offering detailed dialogue and sweeping musical interludes.
The Fire TV operating system includes access to hundreds of free streaming channels from Prime Video, and also allows owners to download subscription streaming apps like Disney+, HBO Max, and Netflix, as well as live TV streamers like DIRECTV and YouTube TV.
Viewers can also enjoy features like live picture-in-picture, Alexa Home Theater, the Alexa+ voice assistant, and support for cloud gaming platforms including NVIDIA GeForce NOW. The Fire TV Stick 4K also comes with 8GB of storage, so viewers will have plenty of room for their top apps. All in all, it’s a pretty powerful device and is one of the best-reviewed devices in Amazon’s lineup for a reason.
How much does the Fire TV Stick 4K cost?
The Fire TV Stick 4K normally retails for $60, which is close to standard for streaming players with its storage and features. It’s not the cheapest 4K-enabled model in the Fire TV line; that title goes to the Fire TV Stick 4K Select, which runs $50, but may be phased out soon.
But for an extra $10, the Fire TV Stick 4K upgrades from Wi-Fi 5 to Wi-Fi 6 support and includes the upgraded Fire TV remote, which I expounded on above. The remote alone is well worth the price of an upgrade, and the stick unlocks 4K picture quality that will be more than adequate for most viewers.
So, why not go one level up to the Fire TV Stick 4K Max? For one thing, it costs $25 more and doesn’t offer video or audio quality improvements that the average viewer will notice. It does have double the storage of the Fire TV Stick 4K at 16GB, as well as Wi-Fi 6E support, but most everyday streaming users probably won’t notice the difference between Wi-Fi 6 and 6E, and 8GB of storage will be plenty of app space for most viewers.
The Fire TV Cube is really only for viewers who are absolutely obsessed with having the best viewing session possible every time they turn on the TV. At $200, it’s feature-rich, but most of its upgrades — such as an Ethernet port and hands-free voice control — would be considered luxuries by the average user.
Comparing the Fire TV Stick 4K to other models
| Fire TV streaming player | Price | Picture quality | Wi-Fi support | Dolby Atmos |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Fire TV Stick HD | $35 | HD | Wi-Fi 6 | No |
| Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select | $40 | HD, 4K, HDR10+, HLG | Wi-Fi 5 | Dolby-encoded audio (HDMI pass-through) |
| Fire TV Stick 4K | $60 | HD, 4K, HDR10+, HLG | Wi-Fi 6 | Dolby-encoded audio (HDMI pass-through) |
| Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Plus | $70 | HD, 4K, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, HLG | Wi-Fi 6 | Yes |
| Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max | $85 | HD, 4K, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, HLG | Wi-Fi 6E | Yes |
| Amazon Fire TV Cube 4K | $200 | HD, 4K, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, HLG | Wi-Fi 6E and Ethernet | Yes |
Why we chose the Fire TV Stick 4K
The Fire TV Stick 4K is one of several Fire TV players that offer UHD 4K resolution, and we think that enough streamers now provide content in 4K to make it worth a buyer’s time to upgrade from the Fire TV Stick HD.
If you don’t mind skipping the Fire TV Ambient Experience, upgrading from the Fire TV Stick 4K Select to the Fire TV Stick 4K is well worth it. Wi-Fi 6 support and the newly upgraded remote are well worth the $10 price difference, since in our view, the picture and sound quality upgrades will be notable.
We can see how some might want to spend another $25 for the Fire TV Stick 4K Max, and it was hard to choose between the two for this exercise. It’s not that the Fire TV Stick 4K Max is a bad device or a bad value; we simply think that most viewers will enjoy the Fire TV Stick 4K Plus just as much, and have $25 extra to show for it.
The only reason not to recommend the Fire TV Cube is the price. It’s undoubtedly the most feature-laden streaming player in the Fire TV lineup, but we think the everyday viewer may end up feeling as if they spent a ton of money on a device they aren’t using to the fullest if they opt for the Fire TV Cube.
Are there any drawbacks to the new Fire TV Stick 4K?
There is one thing to be aware of when considering the new Fire TV Stick 4K. The device is built on Amazon’s Vega operating system, which differs from previous versions of Fire TV in that it does not allow viewers to sideload apps onto the device. The only way to get an app on the Fire TV Stick 4K, and all new generations of Fire TV devices from now on, is to buy it from the Amazon Appstore.
That became a problem for my partner and I as we tried to use the new Fire TV Stick 4K to watch the Shudder app. The streamer’s dedicated app is apparently not yet available on Vega OS devices, leaving us only able to watch Shudder on its Prime Video channel. The trouble is, we’d have to cancel our Shudder subscription and re-subscribe through Prime Video to watch that way, and my partner specifically prefers the user experience in the standalone Shudder app.
This was slightly annoying, but isn’t enough to change The Streamable’s mind about which Fire TV device to recommend, particularly as new models of other Fire TV players will have the same problem going forward. Hopefully, Amazon will take our advice and add support for the Shudder app on Vega OS devices before long.
Where to buy the Fire TV Stick 4K
Amazon is an obvious choice for purchasing the Fire TV Stick 4K, but the device is available at other retailers, including brick-and-mortar stores. Check out the best places to shop for the Fire TV Stick 4K below:
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K
$30 for a limited time
The Fire TV Stick 4K upgrades standard television setups by offering fast Wi-Fi 6 performance, 4K HDR10+ visuals, and an easier power-over-HDMI setup without a wall adapter. It features an updated remote, a customizable Fire TV interface with access to thousands of streaming apps, and built-in Alexa+ voice intelligence for smart home controls and personalized recommendations.