Welcome to the era of low-cost 4K streaming. Not only do most 4K TVs now include app and streaming service support, but dedicated 4K media streamers are becoming increasingly affordable. The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K joins them, but it completely replaces the 4K-capable Amazon Fire TV. The Fire TV Stick 4K is smaller, faster, and less expensive, and it also supports Dolby Vision and has a more advanced remote.
If you’ve used the previous Amazon Fire TV Stick, you’ll notice that the design hasn’t changed all that much. The Fire TV Stick 4K is as small and unobtrusive as ever, measuring 99mm x 30mm x 14mm and designed to plug directly into your TV’s HDMI 2.2 port. Because the stick is slightly wider than a standard HDMI cable, Amazon has included a male-to-female HDMI extender cable in case you have difficulty fitting it in.
According to Amazon, the extender cable can also be used to improve WiFi connectivity and remote control performance. The Fire TV Stick 4K’s exterior is largely the same as the previous model, with the exception that it now features the Amazon arrow logo without any text. On the inside, the Fire TV Stick still has an 802.11ac Wi-Fi chip and a 1.7GHz quad-core processor, but it now supports 4K, as well as Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. A micro-USB port on the side of the Fire TV Stick 4K is used to connect the power adaptor.
The simple user interface and responsive remote control make setting up the Fire TV Stick 4K a breeze. During setup, the Fire TV Stick must be plugged into both the mains and the HDMI port on your TV – all cables and adaptors are included. After plugging the Fire TV Stick into your TV, you’ll be prompted to set up the remote – your TV will walk you through the entire process, so you won’t have to worry about leafing through manuals.
The Fire TV Stick 4K user interface, like its predecessor, is extremely simple to use, even for those who have never used a streaming device before. Shows and apps that have been recently accessed can be found on the home screen, or you can scroll up and across to find different content and apps. Customers in the United States will also notice a new tab on their device’s interface called ‘Live TV,’ which collects all of your live channels in one place.
In addition to being simple to use, the UI is responsive and fast to load, and there is a fantastic selection of streaming apps to choose from. We tried setting up an account with Disney Life via the Fire TV Stick 4K to see how simple it is to sign up for a new service.