Between streaming boxes, built-in apps on your smart TV, game consoles or casting from your phone, there are endless ways to watch new and classic shows from the comfort of your living room. Upgrading your home theater setup can be a daunting task with so many options at your fingertips. Are you loyal to the Google ecosystem? Do you want to go third party and choose your Roku device? Any hope you can find a PS5 before the holidays?
Amazon is hoping that the onslaught of sales and continued Prime exclusives will convince buyers to pick up a Fire TV device this year. Joining the ever-growing lineup this year, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max is a product name that promises to take your streaming experience to the next level for just $5 more than the original 4K model. The Max offers better performance, faster connectivity, and Amazon’s latest UI redesign, but whether that’s enough to set it apart from the competition is still a serious question.
Amazon’s latest streaming sticks are perfect for those already deeply invested in the ecosystem, but others may want to look elsewhere.
- Brand: Amazon
- Operating System: Fire OS 7 (based on Android 9)
- Solution: 4K@60Hz
- Port: HDMI 2.1 ARC output, Micro USB for power only
- RAM/Storage: 2GB/8GB
- Connectivity: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax; 2.4 and 5 GHz, Bluetooth 5.0, 10/100 Mbps Ethernet (adapter required)
- Size: 99mm x 30mm x 14mm, 48.4g
- Price: $54.99
- CPU: Quad-core 1.8GHz MediaTek MT8696
- GPU: IMG Power VRGE 9215
- Performance is faster than ever, and apps never reload when you switch back and forth.
- All subscription services under the sun are on Fire TV.
- Excellent video and audio quality.
- It’s only $5 more expensive than the original 4K model.
- The interface is full of ads and can be relatively difficult to navigate.
- Remote now includes dedicated shortcuts for services you can’t use.
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max
Design, hardware and components
These days, you’ve seen it all on a streaming stick. Aside from Nvidia’s tube-shaped Shield TV and Google’s signature pick, there isn’t much design variety for the latest Chromecast. To be honest, there is nothing wrong with sticking something behind the television to make it look as simple and practical as possible.
Like the rest of the streaming stick lineup, Amazon’s latest Fire TV Stick is a simple plastic rectangle with an HDMI connector protruding from one end and a microUSB port in the middle. We’ve forgiven the company for sticking with micro USB in the past. After all, who cares if the streaming stick’s power cable is interchangeable with the rest of the gadget? But to be honest, my teeth started to last longer.
USB-C might not seem like a useful improvement, but the Fire TV Stick Max could benefit from a hub that supports Ethernet and…