If you’re familiar with the Fire TV Stick, there’s little to say about the design. It looks the same – albeit 23mm longer – and has the same microUSB connector for power and comes with a short HDMI extension in case your TV’s design won’t allow the Stick 4K to plug directly in to an HDMI input.
There’s built-in 802.11ac Wi-Fi but unlike the cheaper Fire TV Stick, this one has a redesigned internal antenna which is optimised for streaming 4K video. If you can’t use Wi-Fi for some reason, you’ll need to buy the optional Ethernet adapter.
Arguably the new remote is the most interesting part of the design. There’s a mic button which you hold down to talk to Alexa. That’s not new, of course, but the power and volume buttons are. These are configured during setup to control your TV or sound bar using infrared and make the remote a whole lot more useful.
HDR
Plus, the Stick 4K supports Dolby Atmos which the cheaper version does not. Of course, your TV will need to be attached to the appropriate Atmos surround-sound system if you want to hear it.
What’s on in 4K?
Asking Alexa for 4K TV shows and movies will also bring up results from Netflix, but you’ll need to pay for the top-tier subscription to access 4K Netflix.
Performance
Naturally, picture and audio quality is dependent upon various factors, but if you supply a fast internet connection and a good TV you’ll be deeply impressed with some of the content on offer. The Grand Tour, for example, looks stunning in UHD HDR.
In some of the close up shots you can see dust on dashboards, the texture on a steering wheel and smudge marks on paintwork: all things that are invisible if you watch the normal HD stream.
HDR performance is again mainly a factor of your TV, but if your TV is capable, high contrast scenes are punchy and vibrant.
We didn’t have a Dolby Atmos system to test with, but stereo audio from the Stick 4K was great.
Alexa
Alexa isn’t just useful for quickly searching for video or playing the next episode of a TV show. She has the full repertoire that you’ll find on any Alexa-equipped device but the fact you’ve got a TV screen as well means you can ask her to show the feed from your compatible security camera, doorbell, baby monitor and other devices.
Verdict
There are plenty of alternatives, but none can match its broad support for the various HDR standards the Stick supports at this price. If you want a wider choice of content, by all means choose the Roku instead, but for most people, the Stick 4K is the best-value streaming device right now.
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.
