There are a lot of streaming devices out there, between high-end boxes and cheap sticks, and on top of that, many different brands have thrown their hat into the ring. It's a lot to pick from, and I know a lot of people like to stick with what they know. This is part of the reason I think Amazon Fire TV Sticks are so popular. Amazon has built up a ton of brand recognition over the years, and it helps that the company has become entrenched in the world of TV.
I'm not a fan of the Fire TV interface
Too many ads for my liking
The big thing about the Fire TV interface is the sheer number of ads. I have to admit, I use an Apple TV 4K as my daily driver, so I get no ads whatsoever when I fire it up. Having something auto-play every time I turn on my Fire TV is a wake-up call, and it doesn't really improve as I scroll, either. Sure, I can eventually get to what I'm looking for, and it's all good from there, but I'd rather skip the ads entirely if I can.
For Amazon, that's bad news because I already have a device that gets rid of ads, and even my Roku Streaming Stick feels better to navigate than the Fire TV. Performance-wise, it's similar to a Roku stick, so I have nothing to complain about there. It's just with so many brands all fighting for my attention, I'd rather go with something that's visually pleasing over one that's annoying to me. I understand a lot of this is personal preference, and with hands-free Alexa, I often don't need to look at the interface at all. I still don't like auto-playing ads, so I'm going to naturally gravitate toward platforms that don't have that.
The Fire Stick value is unmatched
Credit is due here
The one thing I can never fault anyone for is saving money where they can. At just $35 for something that can output 4K resolution, it's really hard to pass up. On top of that, if you're fine with what the Fire TV interface has to offer, then there's pretty much nothing out there that's going to beat it. I would recommend never paying the full price for a Fire TV Stick because the sales are often enough that you don't have to do that.
Even if you end up not liking the Fire TV Stick, it's not like you dumped more than $100 into it like you would have to with an Apple TV 4K. Ultimately, any stick you pick up beats your smart TV's interface, so I'd still use one if I had no other options. Compared to Apple, the price difference is just night and day. Yes, I like my Apple TV 4K a lot more, but for the casual user, a Fire TV Stick does largely the same thing, and the price tag is far lower. It's tough to compete, and that's where I have to give Amazon credit. I just wish the user interface was a little bit better.