Amazon’s Fire TV sticks and boxes have impressed many with their convenience and affordability as a means of turning a basic TV into a smart one. Here are the very best ones we have reviewed.
The retail giant offers a variety of streaming devices at different price points to cater to different types of customers and needs. Whether you’re looking for a cheap upgrade to your TV or want to add more entertainment options to your bedroom set, Amazon has an option available. Additionally, if you want hands-free Alexa control over your home cinema equipment, Amazon also offers that feature.
You should ensure that the version you choose suits your needs, for instance there’s little reason to invest in a 4K streaming stick if your TV doesn’t support 4K resolution – and you don’t think you’ll upgrade any time soon. Similarly, you wouldn’t want to purchase an HD streamer if you have a 4K TV and subscribe to 4K streaming services.
To help you make an informed decision, our team of experts has compiled a list of the best Fire TV streamers currently on sale – all which we’ve put through their paces in a series of tests. Our reviews take into account factors such as set up, streaming quality, features, and value for money, so you can trust our buying advice.
Before you scroll down, keep in mind that a number of TVs already have Alexa smarts, so if Alexa’s ability to talk with other smart devices in your home is what you’re after, we’d suggest checking if the TV you have already supports the digital assistant. And if it’s not Alexa that you’re ultimately interested in then there are other streaming sticks available, whether they’re the platform agnostic devices from Roku or perhaps you’re invested in the Google ecosystem, in which case the Chromecast with Google TV is another option to pursue.
Best Fire TV at a glance
How we test
We use every Fire TV we review for at least a week. During that period we check to find how easy it is to set up, how intuitive its UI is and what its app selection is like.
During the test period we will see how well it performs running a variety of different content types. Where applicable this will include content mastered in various HDR standards and resolutions.
We will also monitor how stable the device’s Wi-Fi connection is and reliable its voice command functionality are where applicable.
Amazon Fire TV Cube (2022)
The best for home cinema fans
Pros
- Swift and powerful performance
- Hands-free Alexa
- Excellent AV performance
- Addition of HDMI input
- Looks better than previous models
Cons
- More expensive
- Optional Alexa Pro Remote
- Fire TV interface is too dense in current incarnation
- Super Resolution has minimal effect
In Amazon’s line-up of streaming devices, the Fire TV Cube has always stood as the most premium option available, and while we’ve loved previous iterations of the device, the third generation Cube is easily the best yet.
For starters, the revised Fire TV Cube features a friendlier design that does away with the sharp corners and edges of old by replacing them with a slightly rounded aesthetic and a fabric material that wraps around the device. The whole thing just looks a lot more welcoming and better suited for complementing your home decor.
The biggest feature of the Cube has always been its hands-free Alexa capabilities and that’s only further improved here. The sound quality is more robust to the point where Alexa’s responses are notably clearer than before. There’s even an HDMI-in port now included, so you can run additional devices like a PS5 through the Cube without issue.
Speaking of which, the process of actually watching content through the new Fire TV Cube is fantastic. With support for HDR10+, Dolby Vision, 4K streaming and more, your favourite shows and films can really pop onscreen when the Cube is running the show.
If you have a router that supports the connection, the Fire TV Cube is also compatible with Wi-Fi 6E which should give you a more stable connection than ever before, making buffering a thing of the past.
Our complaints mostly lied with the increased price of the Fire TV Cube (which was already considerably more expensive than typical Fire TV Sticks), and the dense nature of Amazon’s Fire TV interface. Still, for its relatively few problems, the third generation Fire TV Cube is currently one of the best streaming devices on the market right now.
Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Fire TV Cube (2022)
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max
The best Fire TV Stick 4K streamer
Pros
- Excellent streaming performance
- UI speed improved over older models
- Bundle of entertainment apps
- Supports all major HDR formats
- Wi-Fi 6 compatible
Cons
- Prime customers best served to get the most from it
- Some might not dig the amount of ads
- No High-res audio support
- £5 more expensive than standard Fire TV 4K
If you can’t stretch your budget to accommodate the Fire TV Cube but are after a similar level of performance and features, then your best among Amazon’s Fire TV line-up is the Fire TV Stick 4K Max.
Cumbersome name aside, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max is Amazon’s latest streamer, and the difference between it and the ‘standard’ Fire TV Stick 4K is the addition of Wi-Fi 6 (futureproofing it for next-gen routers), a faster processor, more storage and the Live Picture-in-Picture view that allows you to check your smart camera without interrupting what you’re watching.
We found the picture performance to be of similar quality to the Fire TV Cube, great colours, good detail and few issues in terms of buffering. HDR support hits the right notes with Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10 and HLG available where supported. Where the Fire TV Cube edges the 4K Max is with darker scenes where there’s less compression to be noted. Audio is also very good with Dolby Atmos support and a sound that is more nuanced and detailed than the similarly priced Roku Streaming Stick 4K. Despite the similar specification of the Roku and Amazon streamers, we feel this gives the edge to the Fire TV Stick 4K Max.
Also in the favour of the Fire TV Stick 4K is the number of apps available on the Fire TV platform, which is slightly more than what we found on the Roku. With Alexa you also get her smarts and ease of navigation, in a number of cases it’s easier to ask her to fetch something than use the remote yourself.
Like every other Fire TV streamer on this list, you’ll need to be within the Prime ecosystem to make the most of it, but if you want 4K HDR support at a realistic price, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max is one of the best options available.
Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max
Amazon Fire TV Stick with Alexa voice remote (2020)
The best option for most people
Pros
- HDR and Atmos support
- Good picture quality
- Lots of apps
- Alexa remote
- Improved interface
Cons
- HLG not available
- Fairly Prime-centric
- Limited to 1080p
If you’re looking to give your bedroom/kitchen TV a smart upgrade, we recommend most people check out Amazon’s Fire TV Stick with Alexa Remote as their first port of call.
The Fire TV Stick doesn’t boast the same breadth of features as Fire TV 4K Max as it tops out at 1080p resolution and not 4K – but for the money we found it offered great value. During testing we felt the remote was easy to grasp and use, the setup process as simple as plugging the stick into a TV’s HDMI port, connect it to the mains, sign into your Amazon account and you’re on your way to watching your favourite apps.
It shares the same selection of apps as the Cube, which are available across the Fire TV range, and it supports HDR and Atmos sound. The app selection is a key selling point with it letting the base Fire TV Stick turn everything from a gaming monitor to an old 32-inch flatscreen into a fully functioning smart TV.
If you really like the idea of talking to your TV, the remote also has Alexa support via the remote, which proved suitably accurate during our tests. We found the mics easily picked up our reviewer’s vocal commands in most instances but we did find the more expensive Chromecast with Google TV’s remote performed better during our tests, at being able to better discern vocal commands in busy environments.
The only downside is that it doesn’t feature 4K resolution support, so wouldn’t be the best fit for use with 4K TVs. If you still have an old HD TV and have even a little bit of cash spare, we’d recommend checking out our best 4K TV or best cheap TV guides to view the number of affordable Ultra HD sets on the market.
Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Amazon Fire TV Stick with Alexa voice remote
Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite
The best option for people on a budget
Pros
- Great selection of apps
- HDR10+ dynamic metadata
- HDR10+ dynamic metadata
Cons
- Only 1920 x 1080 resolution
- No volume control
- Some very capable alternatives
The Fire TV Stick Lite is the cheapest Amazon stick available, so if you just want the basics then this is the one to get.
Though it’s slightly cheaper than the Fire TV Stick with Alexa remote above, the only real difference we noticed during testing was its lack of Dolby Atmos audio, which will only be an issue if you have equipment that supports it or intend to upgrade your audio options in the future.
Outside of this the UI and app offering are the same across the board, boasting the all-new Fire TV experience that appeared in 2020, and the Fire TV stick it is limited to 1080p resolution. While we found this limits its usefulness on 4K sets where it has to rely on the TV’s upscaling to improve image sharpness considering that performance varies from TV to TV, the price is a key factor we can’t ignore.
At the moment the only device on the market that beats it on functionality is the stellar Roku Express 4K, which as the name suggests, supports the higher resolution. While we would recommend this above the Lite, and Fire TV in general, to people not completely tied to Prime, if you are mainly reliant on Prime Video then the Fire TV is undeniably better thanks to its Alexa support, a more reliable remote and generally better integration with Amazon’s ecosystem.
Reviewer: Simon Lucas
Full Review: Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite
FAQs
Based on our experience reviewing them, Fire TV sticks are a quick and easy way to turn any display into a functioning smart TV. Though the sticks push Amazon’s services front and centre, occasionally making it difficult to tell which content is free or paid for, we generally recommend them to most Prime subscribers on the hunt for a streaming stick.
Not every Fire TV stick can stream in 4K. The 3rd Gen Fire TV stick and Lite version are limited to 1080p, while the Fire TV 4K Sticks can stream at 4K resolution.
Fire OS lets you stream content from multiple services outside of Prime Video but you will need to pay a separate subscription fee to access them.
Comparison specs
You can see a comparison of all the products mentioned in this guides’ specs in the table below.
