There’s now the Lite, the regular Stick, the 4K and 4K Max. Four ‘stick’ models to choose between, that’s before you consider the Fire TV Cube, or any of the actual TVs that have the Fire TV interface built in.
There are 4K alternatives from Roku (the Express 4K) and Google (the Chromecast with Google TV) at roughly similar prices, but with the Max sitting right in the middle of those, how does it fare?
There’s also a picture-in-picture feature that displays the live feed from a compatible doorbell (which means Ring models) when someone presses the doorbell. Previously that was only available on the Fire TV Cube, which costs a lot more.
Features & design
Unchanged form factorNew remote controlWi-Fi 6
There are also TV controls, so you can use the remote to adjust and mute volume and turn the screen on and off without having to have your TV’s remote to hand. As it uses IR, you can also configure it to control certain soundbars and A/V receivers.
As ever, you can plug the Fire TV Stick 4K Max into an HDMI input on your TV (or soundbar) or use the included flexible cable if it’s impossible or inconvenient to attach it directly.
A power supply is included in the box (as are batteries for the remote) but if your TV, soundbar or another set-top box has a USB port that will deliver enough power, you might get away without using a power socket.
Though the 4K Max will power up from virtually any USB port, it will display a message telling you if there’s insufficient power and to use the mains adapter.
Alexa is built in, and there’s a button on the remote which you hold down while making your requests: she’s not hands-free on the Fire TV Stick 4K Max.
There’s also Bluetooth, which allows you to pair Bluetooth speakers and headphones and not have to rely solely on your TV’s speakers.
In most cases, though, performance will be exactly the same if you have a Wi-Fi 5 router.
The Max also has a bit more RAM – 2GB in total – than the Fire TV Stick 4K. Along with the faster processor, a quad-core 1.8GHz Mediatek 8696, this means the Fire TV interface is more responsive: apps load quicker and it’s smoother when scrolling through content.
Like the Fire TV Stick 4K, the Max will output 4K resolution at 60Hz and supports Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, HDR 10, HDR10+ and HLG. There is one significant difference: support for the new AV1 codec which looks like it might replace HEVC.
The Fire TV Stick 4K, which launched in 2018, has no AV1 decoder. The new format is even more efficient than HEVC and could be required to use certain apps in future, such as YouTube or if not to use them, to get specific video resolutions or HDR formats.
Finally, the 4K Max runs Android 9 underneath all the layers of FireOS. That’s only relevant because it means Netflix, for example, supports Dolby Atmos whereas it doesn’t on the 2018 model.
There’s another tiny change which is easy to miss. Like other recent Fire TV Sticks (including the Fire TV Stick Lite and 3rd gen Stick), the newer operating system means it properly supports Bluetooth speakers unlike the old Fire TV Stick 4K. That means you can use the volume buttons on the remote control to adjust the volume of a connected Bluetooth speaker, or headphones. Previously, if they didn’t have their own volume control the function was basically useless unless you could endure maximum volume all the time.
Interface & content
All major streaming servicesLots of other appsGames (including Luna)
You can have six of your favourite apps on the home screen, but to get to the rest you have to scroll to the All apps icon – it’s a shame there’s no button on the remote for this.
As mentioned, there are extra buttons on the 3rd-gen Alexa Voice Remote, which give you shortcuts to four other apps. It is possible to reprogram them, but it’s not exactly easy and their labels don’t change, making it pretty confusing if you do change the shortcuts.
Besides the streaming services on the remote control, there are many others that you can watch. These require you to download their apps from the on-board Appstore and with 8GB of storage, there’s a limit to how many apps – and games – you can install.
It’s not a limit you’re likely to hit, but it’s there.
US buyers will find quite a few of those as well as HBO Max, Peacock, Sling TV and Discovery+. The point is, every major streaming service is catered for, making the hardware fade into the background.
It’s even possible to cast from certain apps to the Fire TV Stick – it’s not Chromecast or AirPlay, but it’s useful nonetheless.
Another new button on the remote is for live TV. This replicates the Live option in the main menu, and makes more sense in the US where there’s more live content available. In the UK where I tested, despite being logged into BBC iPlayer and All4, only Channel 5 and Paramount were available in the list, and no obvious way to get BBC, ITV and Channel 4 to appear.
It’s certainly not the focus here, but for UK users at least, it’s one button you probably won’t be pressing much.
The new 1.8GHz quad-core chip is only 100MHz faster than the old one, but along with 2GB of RAM – up from 1.5GB – it allows apps to load faster and makes navigation around the interface smoother.
Netflix and Prime Video certainly launch without much delay and Fire OS is very smooth when you’re scrolling through lists of shows and films.
You can use Alexa, of course, to search for things to watch – genres such as “action movies” or specific titles like “Fast & Furious” and she’ll give you results from the various services you’ve got installed and will break them down into ‘From your subscriptions’, ‘Free to me’, ‘Free with ads’ and ‘Rent, Buy or Subscribe’ section so you know what you can watch without paying.
Sometimes the results aren’t what you would expect, but it’s still a lot faster than using the remote to labouriously key in letters.
Plus, she’s good for playback: you can say “Rewind 2 minutes” or “Next episode” which can be faster than using the app’s controls.
Beyond video, Alexa can do all the things she can do on an Echo or Fire Tablet. In other words, you can ask her general questions, get her to set timers, alarms, reminders or put cucumbers on your shopping list.
She can give you a news briefing, weather forecast and, thanks to skills, plenty more besides. Skills let her integrate with smart home devices so she can turn lights and smart plugs on and off. If you have a Ring doorbell, the video feed will appear automatically an a picture-in-picture window over whatever you’re watching.
Unfortunately that doesn’t extend to the new Blink doorbell, but for any camera or doorbell that is compatible with Alexa, you can ask her to show the feed at any time.
Price & availability
That’s more than the £40 / $40 Roku Express 4K, but the extra volume and power buttons along with the AV1 codec will make it worth the extra for many.
Again, if you have a soundbar with Dolby Atmos and watch a lot of Netflix, the 4K Max will be an advantage over the cheaper Stick 4K.
For more alternatives see our roundup of the best streaming sticks and boxes.
Verdict
You could argue that the Fire TV Stick 4K Max is only worth buying if you need the specific features it offers over the older 4K version. But you’re not really saving much money and the extra performance is well worth having even if you don’t care about Wi-Fi 6, getting Dolby Atmos from Netflix or the support for AV1.
Ultimately, it’s a great streaming device which gives you access to all the streaming services you would want at a decent price – and one that’s much less than a Fire TV Cube.
Jim has been testing and reviewing products for over 20 years. His main beats include VPN services and antivirus. He also covers smart home tech, mesh Wi-Fi and electric bikes.
