Fire TV Stick 4K Review – A Powerful Streaming Upgrade

After buying a OnePlus TV over a year ago, we found ourself relying less on devices like the Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV Stick. However, not all apps work seamlessly on all smart TVs. For example, Amazon Prime often gets stuck on Android TVs. Additionally, non-Android TVs might not support all the apps you need. This is where the Amazon Fire TV Stick, especially the new 4K version, proves its worth.

The Fire TV Stick 4K looks similar to its predecessors and plugs directly into your TV’s HDMI port, requiring a power source. When we tried using the TV’s USB port, it didn’t provide enough power, so we had to use the included wall charger.

Once the Fire TV Stick 4K is set up with your account — a process made easier with the Fire TV app — the enhanced picture quality becomes immediately noticeable. Powered by Dolby Vision Atmos, the HDR quality makes even the OTT app listing pages look vibrant. Colors are crisp and offer a cinema-like experience, enhancing even regular YouTube videos.

Watching “Godzilla vs. Kong” on the Fire TV Stick 4K, we noticed significant improvements compared to streaming on my OnePlus TV. The colors and contrast were markedly better without any adjustments. Audio, which can be problematic on the Prime app, was clear and balanced, eliminating the need to crank up the volume for dialogue clarity. The audio quality complements the visuals, making it great for streaming music from Amazon Music or Spotify.

The Fire TV Stick 4K comes preloaded with all major OTT apps and offers access to live TV through some of these apps. Although it’s not an Android TV setup, the Amazon store provides a comprehensive selection of apps, ensuring you don’t miss out on popular services.

Gaming on the Fire TV Stick 4K is also a plus. You can connect controllers, and many games are playable with the remote. For more complex games, a controller is recommended. The Quad-core 1.7 GHz processor handles heavy graphics efficiently, though some top-end games may struggle to load despite being listed as compatible.

Alexa integration allows you to easily search for content, download apps, or check the weather with voice commands. The upgrade to Wi-Fi 6 ensures a better connection for those with this newer standard in their homes.

One downside is the presence of ads on the Home Screen. Currently, these are just trailers, but there’s a concern that Amazon might increase monetization in this space.

Priced at Rs 5,999, the new Fire TV Stick 4K is a great option for those with older 4K TVs that lack smart features. It’s also a viable choice for anyone using a projector at home or in the office, needing a reliable streaming device.