Amazon’s Fire Sticks are one of the most popular and affordable solutions for turning any television (with HDMI) into a smart TV or upgrading your smart TV with a convenient and easy-to-use interface. Of course, at the moment Amazon has up to four different devices. What Fire TV to buy? These are its main characteristics and recommended uses to get your purchase right.

Which Fire Tv to Buy: Features and Uses

Below you will find its main practical characteristics and for which users each Amazon Fire TV is interesting. At the end of the article you have a summary table.

Fire TV Stick Lite

The simplest and cheapest solution is the Fire Stick Lite ( 24.99 euros ), an independent device from the mobile with a remote control and a dongle format that we will connect to an HDMI port on our television.

This device is used to reproduce streaming content up to 1080p and 60 frames per second , so it is interesting if you have a television with Full HD resolution, which can be either a veteran model or the typical complementary television that you have in the bedroom or kitchen less than 40 inches. It is also compatible with HDR, HDR10 + and HLG.

Another main difference lies in its remote, which will allow us to control the device, but not the TV . Thus, we will not be able to perform tasks such as modifying the volume or turning off the TV, having to resort to the conventional control. Of course, the included remote is compatible with Alexa, so you can manipulate it by voice and ask Amazon’s voice assistant for things like searching for content or pausing playback, among others.

As for sound, it is compatible with Dolby Atmos sound, although only by pass-through via HDMI.

If your television meets these characteristics, you manage with this limited control and you do not want to spend a lot of money , it is the best option.

Fire TV Stick (2021)

Fire TV Stick (2021)

Fire TV Stick (2021)

One step above is the Fire Stick (2021) ( 39.99 euros ), which is more powerful than the previous one.

As with the Lite, it is a compact and functional dongle with a remote control that we can connect to the television and that is also limited to playback of content in Full HD 1080p resolution and is compatible with HDR, HDR10 + and HLG .

What is the main difference with the Lite model? That your remote, in addition to being able to control the device both manually and with your voice with Alexa, also allows you to control the TV thanks to the fact that it has power, mute and volume buttons . This way you avoid having to walk with two controls at the same time and the management is more agile.

It also implements differences in sound, since this 3rd generation Fire Stick (2021) is compatible with Dolby Atmos surround sound with those titles that offer it.

In summary, this model is interesting if you want a device to watch streaming content and at the same time control veteran and / or contained diagonal TVs .

Fire TV Stick 4K

The veteran Fire Stick 4K ( 59.99 euros ) maintains the form factor of the previous ones, so you connect the dongle to the HDMI of your TV to enjoy streaming content quickly and easily .

The Fire Stick 4K is compatible with content in UHD Ultra 4K and also with HDR, HDR 10, HDR10 +, HLG and Dolby Vision , that is, characteristics typical of even the most advanced and modern televisions of the moment.

With its remote you can not only control the device, but also your compatible TV, sound bar or receiver thanks to the integrated buttons for on / off, volume and mute. It is also compatible with Alexa so you can use voice commands.

This powerful and agile dongle fully supports Dolby Atmos spatial sound .

Why then buy a Fire TV 4K? It may be either because you cannot manage with the current operating system of your television, perhaps because it does not work fluently and / or its interface is not intuitive – precisely one of the strengths of Fire OS – or because the OS of your TV is it has become outdated. After all, although it is not the cheapest, it is a much more affordable investment than changing the television.

Fire TV Cube

We finish with Amazon’s most complete and advanced proposal for streaming content, the Fire TV Cube (2nd generation) ( 119.99 euros ), which is something of a hybrid between a Fire TV Stick 4K and a “smart” speaker. Echo Dot .

In this sense, it implements the main strengths of the Fire TV Stick 4K, that is, it is compatible with Ultra HD 4K content and with HDR, HDR 10, HDR10 +, HLG, Dolby Vision and with Dolby Atmos sound , so you can take advantage of of the characteristics of your television, although this is a relatively modern and ambitious model.

It is, by far, the most powerful model in the catalog at the hardware level for RAM, processor and internal storage . It also has an Ethernet socket to connect it to the home internet via cable.

An important change is aesthetic: it is no longer a compact stick to hide behind the television, but it has adopted an elegant cube shape with a glossy finish to reveal and take advantage of its characteristics as a “speaker” , since it integrates a speaker of 1.6 “40mm for which Alexa will answer us.

And is that although we can use the reliable and conservative remote control with dedicated buttons for the TV (and other devices) and Alexa, you can control it completely with your voice .

Who is this device interesting for? For those people who love technology who have a smart home and are used to voice control who also have a modern and complete television.

Fire Stick summary table

AMAZON FIRE STICK LITE AMAZON FIRE STICK FIRE TV STICK 4K ULTRA HD AMAZON FIRE CUBE
Dimensions and weight 86 x 30 x 13 mm 32 g 86 x 30 x 13 mm 32 g 99mm x 30mm x 14mm 53.6g 86.1 x 86.1 x 76.9 mm 465 g
Processor Mediatek MT8695D Quad Core 1.7Ghz IMG GE8300 GPU Mediatek MT8695D Quad Core 1.7Ghz IMG GE8300 GPU MediaTek MT8695 (4 cores at 1.7 GHz) Hexa-Core (2.2 GHz Quad-Core and 1.9 GHz Dual-Core)
GPU nd nd IMG GE8300 ARM Mali G52-MP2 (3EE), 800 MHz
Memory 1GB 1GB 1.5 GB 2 GB
Storage 8GB 8GB 8GB 16 GB
Connectivity WiFi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac, 2×2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5.0 Remote control (AAA batteries) WiFi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac, 2×2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5.0 Remote control with volume and on / off (AAA batteries) Wi-Fi 802.11ac 2X2 MIMO, Bluetooth 4.2 and BLE, optional Ethernet WiFi 802.11a / b / g / n / ac, MIMO, Bluetooth 5.0
Reproduction Up to Full HD 1080p 60 fps HDR, HDR10 + and HLG Up to Full HD 1080p 60 fps HDR, HDR10 + and HLG 2160p, 1080p and 720p up to 60 fps. Ultra HD 4K, 1080p and 720p up to 60 FPS Dolby Vision, HDR 10, HDR10 +
Sound Dolby Atmos (only pass-through via HDMI), Dolby Audio, 5.1 surround sound, 2-channel stereo, and audio signal pass-through with HDMI (up to 7.1) Dolby Audio, 5.1 surround sound, 2-channel stereo, and audio signal pass-through with HDMI (up to 7.1) Dolby Atmos, 7.1 surround sound, 2-channel stereo and audio signal pass-through with HDMI (up to 5.1). 1.6 “(40mm) Dolby Atmos speaker
Ports HDMI and microUSB output HDMI and microUSB output HDMI and microUSB output HDMI, power, micro USB, infrared Ethernet adapter
System Fire OS 7, based on Android Fire OS 7, based on Android Fire OS Fire TV OS 7 based on Android 9 Voice remote and TV Alexa control
Price 29.99 euros 39.99 euros 59.99 euros 119 euros

 

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