Over the past year, Amazon has shaken up its Fire TV Stick lineup quite a bit. It all started when the company unveiled Vega OS, its new Linux-based operating system. Since then, Amazon has adopted a “multi-OS” approach, continuing to update Fire OS, the Android-based operating system it’s used on Fire TV devices for more than a decade, alongside Vega OS.

Earlier this year, however, Amazon announced that all future Fire TV Sticks would run Vega OS. Since then, it’s released two new models: the Fire TV Stick HD and, most recently, the Fire TV Stick 4K.

The new Fire TV Stick 4K is now Amazon’s entry-level 4K streaming stick, replacing both the 4K Select and 4K Plus in its lineup. That leaves the Fire TV Stick 4K Max as Amazon’s most powerful streaming stick and the only model that still runs Fire OS.

After spending the past few weeks testing the new Fire TV Stick 4K, I’ve been impressed by its performance, design, and new remote, but other aspects have left me scratching my head. Here’s everything you need to know about Amazon’s newest 4K streaming stick and whether it’s worth considering for your TV.

3.5/5

Brand

Amazon

What’s Included

Fire TV Stick 4K, USB power cable, All-new Fire TV remote

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi 6

Supported video

HDR10, HDR10+, HLG

Pros & Cons

• Solid 4K streaming
• New Fire TV remote
• Slim design with USB-C

• Lacks Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos support
• Doesn’t support Android apps, sideloading

Price, specs, and availability

Amazon launched its new Fire TV Stick 4K at the end of September for $60. It sits in the middle of the current Fire TV Stick lineup, with the $40 Fire TV Stick HD below it and the $85 Fire TV Stick 4K Max above it.

As its name suggests, the new model supports 4K streaming, along with HDR formats such as HDR10, HDR10+, and HLG. However, it lacks Dolby Vision support. On the audio front, it doesn’t support Dolby Atmos, but it does support Dolby-encoded audio via HDMI passthrough.

Under the hood, the Fire TV Stick 4K is powered by a MediaTek MT8698E chipset with four cores clocked at up to 1.7 GHz. It also comes with 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage, and Wi-Fi 6 connectivity.

The box includes the Fire TV Stick 4K, a USB power cord, the new Fire TV remote, and two AAA batteries.

What I liked about the Fire TV Stick 4K

Impressive redesign and solid 4K streaming

One thing that immediately impressed me about the Fire TV Stick 4K is its design. When Amazon launched the new Fire TV Stick HD earlier this year, it introduced a slimmer design with a USB-C port, and Amazon has carried both over to the Fire TV Stick 4K. Yes, that means Amazon has finally released a 4K streaming stick without a Micro-USB port.

Compared to older Fire TV Sticks, like the 4K Max, the new model is noticeably smaller, making it much easier to plug into your TV’s HDMI port. It is also far less likely to block other HDMI ports, which is a welcome change.

Another benefit of the Fire TV Stick 4K’s new design is that you no longer need to plug it into a wall outlet to power it. Instead, you can power it entirely through your TV’s USB port, which makes setup much quicker and easier.

As for performance, the Fire TV Stick 4K has been solid. I ran into only one or two instances where it felt a bit laggy, and those issues typically resolved themselves within a few seconds. For the vast majority of my time using it, things went smoothly. Navigating the home screen and switching between the streaming apps I use, such as Prime Video, Netflix, YouTube, and Apple TV, was a good experience, and I never felt like I was waiting too long for anything to load.

Picture quality has been just as impressive for 4K streaming. I didn’t run into any buffering issues or image-quality problems. I watched Slow Horses, Lanterns, The Grand Tour, plenty of YouTube videos, and a few films, including Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and Skyfall. Everything looked as sharp as it should. My main complaint about the picture quality relates to HDR, though I’ll get into that momentarily.

The last thing I want to touch on is the new Fire TV remote, which I really like. Amazon did a great job redesigning it, and I especially appreciate how much more distinct the Home button is now. There’s also a customizable Star button that you can program to launch any app you want, which is a nice touch.

What I didn’t like about the Fire TV Stick 4K

Where’s Dolby Vision?

Without a doubt, the most controversial thing about the new Fire TV Stick 4K is that it runs Vega OS instead of Fire OS. That means it doesn’t support Android apps, custom launchers, or sideloading. On the Fire TV Stick 4K’s store page, Amazon says this change was made for “enhanced security” reasons. Considering Android is a big part of what made Fire TV Sticks so popular in the first place, I think it’s a shame to lose so many of these features. It takes away a lot of the personalization that made Fire TV Sticks so appealing.

Amazon has already announced that all future Fire TV Sticks will run Vega OS, signaling the end of the Android era. It’s only a matter of time before Amazon refreshes the Fire TV Stick 4K Max, its last Android Fire Stick, with Vega OS as well.

Vega OS looks identical to Fire OS and offers the same redesigned Fire TV experience. That means the overall streaming experience is nearly identical, and it still has all the same core streaming apps, but you miss out on Android’s freedom and customization. Simply put, if you want a Fire TV Stick that still runs Android, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max remains your best bet.

The other thing I didn’t like about the Fire TV Stick 4K is its lack of Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos support. Considering it replaces the Fire TV Stick 4K Select and Fire TV Stick 4K Plus in Amazon’s lineup, it’s a shame to see both formats missing, especially since the 4K Plus supported them. My LG C5 TV supports both, so I like to use them whenever I can. I think Dolby Vision makes HDR content look much better, especially thanks to its great color depth, so its absence here is particularly disappointing.

The price of the Fire TV Stick 4K is another thing that’s a bit of a head-scratcher for me. Amazon has priced it at $60, but that seems a little high for an entry-level 4K streaming stick with no Dolby Vision or Dolby Atmos support, just 8GB of storage, and 1GB of RAM.

Especially when you consider that you can get an Onn 4K Pro that runs Google TV for that same $60 price tag. It offers 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, and support for both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. Personally, I think a $50 price tag, like the Fire TV Stick 4K Plus used to have, would have made more sense. That said, the ongoing memory shortage may have influenced Amazon’s pricing.

If you’re interested in buying the Fire TV Stick 4K, my advice would be to wait for a sale. Even when Amazon first launched it, it offered it at half price, bringing it down to just $30.

Lastly, I do want to mention Alexa+, Amazon’s AI voice assistant. It’s not that I didn’t like it, but I don’t use a voice assistant on my TV all that often. I only tried it once or twice to open apps, so I haven’t spent enough time with it to form a proper opinion. Amazon is planning a big Alexa+ update for Fire TV later this year, which should make the experience more refined. Alexa+ will get its own dedicated hub, similar to how Google integrates Gemini into Google TV. I’ll hold off on making a final judgment on Alexa+ until that update arrives.

Should you buy a Fire TV Stick 4K?

It’s great for basic 4K streaming

Ultimately, my recommendation for the Fire TV Stick 4K comes down to this: if you’re just looking for a simple 4K streaming stick to watch your favorite streaming services, and you don’t care about missing Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, or Android support, then the Fire TV Stick 4K is a great option. It’s super easy to set up and use, can be powered entirely through your TV’s USB port, delivers solid 4K streaming, and comes with a fantastic new remote. As I mentioned earlier, though, I’d recommend waiting for a sale. At $30 instead of $60, the Fire TV Stick 4K becomes a much better deal.

On the flip side, if you care about Android features and support for Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, the Fire TV Stick 4K isn’t for you. You’re much better off with something like the Fire TV Stick 4K Max, the Onn 4K Pro, or the Google TV Streamer.

3.5/5

Brand

Amazon

What’s Included

Fire TV Stick 4K, USB power cable, All-new Fire TV remote

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi 6

Supported video

HDR10, HDR10+, HLG