I always tell people who are sick of dealing with their TV interface to get a streaming stick. These are massive upgrades to your TV that make your apps run smoothly, and you don't have to be stuck with sluggish performance ever again. There are many brands to pick from, and for the most part, all of them get the job done.
The Fire TV Stick 4K Select, with its mouthful of a name, is positioned by Amazon as the fastest 4K Stick under $40, and while I don't have similar 4K sticks to compare it to, I'm not sure speed is a selling point. Performance is solid, and I imagine most people won't have a problem, especially if they have nothing to compare it to, but things do feel a bit slower than I'd have expected them to.
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select
- Brand
- Amazon
- Operating System
- Vega OS
- Resolution
- 4K, HDR10
- Ports
- HDMI
The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select is the cheapest entry point into 4K streaming.
- Cheap
- Easy to setup
- 4K and HDR10+ support
- A bit clunky
- Slow performance
- Not as feature-rich as other Fire TV Sticks
Specs, price, and availability
Amazon sells the Fire TV Stick 4K Select for $40, but you can find it for as low as $20 depending on when you're looking. As I mentioned, Amazon likes to throw out massive discounts every so often, so there's little reason to pay full price unless you're dying for an upgrade.
The 4K Select is a great entry into 4K streaming, and if you have a TV without any smart capabilities, it doesn't get much cheaper than this to get that TV online. Not only do you get 4K resolution, but you also get HDR10+ -- although there's no Dolby Vision. You have to splurge for a more expensive stick for Dolby Vision, but I think I can excuse not having it here for a stick that's so cheap. It's not like anything looks bad by any means, so it's money well spent if you're looking for something of the sort. I'm certainly not complaining.
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select
- Brand
- Amazon
- Operating System
- Vega OS
- Resolution
- 4K, HDR10
- Ports
- HDMI
- RAM/storage
- 1GB RAM/8GB storage
- Connectivity
- W-Fi 5
- Price
- $40
What I like about the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select
Cheap and affordable streaming
The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select plugs directly into your TV's HDMI port, and while it needs to be plugged into an external power source, you can easily tuck it away if you have proper cable management. From there, your Fire TV remote controls everything, and I haven't had any issues.
This stick has access to any app I can think of, and even some niche things like Ring of Honor have an app. It's also very easy to navigate through the interface using voice controls, something I've been starting to do more and more since getting my hands on Alexa+. You can also play Xbox games through the Cloud via Game Pass, which is something no other streamer can say. I wouldn't recommend buying a Fire TV Stick for this sole purpose, but it's a cool bonus.
If you're into it, you can connect a pair of Bluetooth headphones and listen directly through them if you're trying to keep it down at night. I have a surround sound setup, so that doesn't exactly describe me, but it's beneficial for people who stay up late and don't want to shake the house. The price is the main draw of this device, in my opinion. At $40, it's a very good deal, and if you can snag it for $20, it's near unbeatable.
What I don't like about the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select
Speed and performance leave something to be desired
Something that was abundantly clear upon plugging in this stick is that speed isn't the device's strong suit. It felt like the interface was snappier on my Fire TV than it was on the stick itself, which is never something you want. I'm already not the biggest fan of the Fire TV interface, and things like this don't help matters much.
Another thing is the clunkiness of the stick itself. Yes, I said you can easily hide away the cables, but that doesn't stop it from being clunky. The stick is plugged into the back of the TV, and then you have the option to add another dongle that makes it easier to connect the external power, and from that you plug it into your power strip or wall. It's not quite as simple as it could be, and it's a bit bulkier than I'd like.
In a lot of ways, the price being as low as it is covers for these problems because Amazon gives you options for more high-end features. If you want Dolby Vision, for example, you'll have to look elsewhere. I don't want to knock the 4K Select too far, but I'd much rather spend a few more bucks for the more feature-rich 4K Max. It also have just 8 GB of storage compared the 4K Max's 16 GB, but I don't thibk that's much of an issue for a streaming stick.
Should you buy the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select?
Maybe not for your main viewing area
I'm using my 4K Select in a spare bedroom, and I think that's a good place for it to be. I have an Apple TV 4K in my living room, and there's no world where this could end up being a replacement for it. However, a lot of that is because of how good the Apple TV 4K -- something to be expected considering the massive price difference.
I like the 4K Select, but I struggle to find a good reason for its existence. It's not like the price difference between it and the Max, about $20, is so wide that you'd be fine with giving up features. The 4K Max gets you both Dolby Vision and Wi-Fi 6, and that's worth the price of admission if you ask me. If you don't need those features, then I suppose it's worth saving some cash. It doesn't really get much cheaper than this, and if that's the barrier of entry to 4K streaming, then $20 is money well spent.
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select
- Brand
- Amazon
- Operating System
- Vega OS
- Resolution
- 4K, HDR10
- Ports
- HDMI