Amazon Fire Stick Review (2023) – Should You Buy It Or Not

Last Updated on 9 months by Amelia Johansson

If you are willing to buy a streaming device for your ordinary TV to convert into a Smart TV then you came to the right place. As in today’s guide, I am going to sharing with you a complete Amazon Fire Stick review as it is one of the best streaming devices available in the world.

There are several other devices also available out there and we will compare them with this device as well. Don’t forget to stick with this article till the end as after reading the whole article I am 100% sure you will understand how worth is it to buy Firestick.

Firestick Models

Amazon Firestick is classified into various models and then first was released back in 2014 that comes with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. The first generation of this device was launched in two versions in one model you get Alexa enabled remote while in the second model this feature was not available.

After this, they also released some new models as well and improved the system and add some new features as well. You can check the below table of Fire Stick models that are classified from the first generation to the latest model.

Amazon Fire Stick Review

We have listed all the available versions of Firestick above and we are not going to discuss each of them. However, we are only going to review the Fire Stick 4K that is released in 2018 and supports the 4K resolution. Other models don’t have this feature and that’s why it is quite expensive and is better than every other available out there.

What’s in the Box

When you purchase Fire TV Stick from any local shop or from the Amazon website itself you will get a box with orange colour labelled as FireTV Stick 4K along with some channels listed around the box.

However, when you open a box you will see a Fire TV Stick, an Alexa-enabled remote control, 2 AAA batteries, 1 USB cable, a 5W Power Adapter, HDMI Extender and some manuals.

The Setup process of this device is quite easy as compared to any other device and it took around 5 minutes. After this, you will be able to get your favourite applications right into the bigger screen of your TV.

To Set it up for the first time you just need to insert 2 AAA batteries into the Remote and connect Stick to the HDMI port on your TV. Then insert a USB cable on the side of the Stick and insert the second end to the Power adapter and plug it in.

Now just turn on the TV and put it into HDMI mode and then you will see the loading screen appears there. You will be then asked to pair remote and once it’s done just connect to the WiFi and then sign in with an Amazon account to get started.

If you want to learn more about it just read this Setup guide: How To Set Up Amazon Firestick Device – A Complete Beginners Guide

Interface

If we talk about the User-Interface of this streaming media player then this is way easier than any other. You will see the menu appears at the top of the Screen in which you can open Settings, Apps, Categories, Shows, Movies and even use the search box.

Now talking about the Home Screen it has a simple interface with big icons in the grid layout. In the first row on Home Screen, it shows the recently opened application that makes it easy to relaunch. Other than this if you move below it shows the list of installed apps. It also offers features to its user in which they can move any application in front of the Screen to access quickly.

You can move from the right to the left side to access the installed applications quickly. Except for this, you can open apps by pressing and holding the Home button for a few seconds. You can also uninstall applications directly from Home Screen or by going to Settings.

Once you uninstall any app you can still see its icon as these apps are saved in your cloud which makes it easier to install it later and helps a user to remember which app that has been uninstalled. You can also remove them from the list by going to the menu and then clicking Remove from Cloud. Remote.

If you keep scrolling below then you may notice the list of TV Shows and Movies and some features apps as well. These Movies or Shows can be watched only if you have an Amazon Prime account other than this these are useless and everyone considered them as advertisements for Prime Video.

Available Channels

Amazon Fire Stick is a complete cord-cutting solution as it offers various channels that can be used without having a cable connection or an antenna. The list of available channels is quite big as it offers both free and paid channels as well.

You can find some famous applications like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, and many more. All of these are paid and can be used only if you have monthly membership otherwise you cannot access its content.

But don’t as it also provides some of the applications that are completely free to use and offers a huge database of free Movies, TV Shows, Documentaries, Anime and so on. Some of the free apps include BBC iPlayer, Crunchyroll, Sony Crackle, Twitch, Pluto TV and so on.

You can find the list of best must-have apps for Firestick here: Best Apps & Channels List for Amazon Fire TV Stick

Games

Instead of just watching movies or TV shows you can do furthermore along with this streaming device. As it has thousands of free and paid games available to be downloaded. Some of the games like Flappy Bird, Sonic Hedgehog, Angry Angry Birds, and Hill Clim can be played using the remote control.

I have stuck with the flappy bird and played it for hours using my remote only but you will also find some actions, RPG, and fighter games as well. Although to play such games it requires a touch display or either you can use the Game Controller for this.

Perhaps there is a huge drawback as this device offers only 1.5GBs of RAM along with 8GB of Storage only. In this way some of the games might be laggy and installing various games can also cause storage full. However, if you keep playing games for a long time you may also face Firestick overheating issue that could damage the hardware.

If you are willing to buy a Game Controller then check out Evolved Dimensions Controller as it is compatible with Android, Firestick, Tables and other devices: Buy Evolved Dimensions Motion Wireless Bluetooth Gamepad

Free Sources

As we already know Fire Stick offers various free apps and channels for its users but the problem is those apps offer limited content. But there is a huge benefit for the users as this streaming device runs on FireTV OS which is based on Android Operating System.

In this way, there are thousands of apps available out there that offer free Movies, TV Shows, Music, Documentaries, Anime, News, Sports and almost every sort of content. However, you cannot download these apps from the app store as Amazon removed them.

But don’t get sad as there is a solution for this that is Jailbreaking after you jailbreak Firestick you can install almost every android app on this device. Jailbreaking is a process of sideloading third-party apps on FireTV that is 100% legal. You can read more about Jailbreaking by following this guide:

There are thousands of free apps available for Android but not all are compatible with Amazon Firestick. But still, you can use Cinema HD, Cyberflix, RedBox TV, Live NetTV, Mobdro, TeaTV and so on. To download these apps you can use the Downloader app.

Amazon Fire TV Stick Monthly Cost

Amazon Fire Stick 4K is a device that costs around $49.99 one-time purchase. You won’t be billed monthly or yearly or have to pay it after a while. Once you bought it you can use it for the rest of your life without paying additional money.

But just in case you want to watch Live TV or TV Shows, Movies then you may cost money as famous apps like Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, and Hulu are monthly subscriptions based. You will be billed monthly in case you want their service.

Except for this, some free apps are already available just in case you don’t want to spend more money on this device. You can download and install Pluto TV, Plex, Sony Crackle etc. Some 3rd-party apps can also be used to get more content like Kodi, Spectrum TV, TVZion, Typhoon TV etc.

Although if you consider using 3rd-party free apps then you may also require to buy a VPN service along. These apps offer content that is not legal or provides links from malicious websites that could harm your device.

I am also using Firestick 4K for 1 year and I only pay for a VPN service as I use Kodi to watch my favourite content. It protects my IP address and hides my personal information to be shown on third-party or untrusted websites.

If you are willing to buy a VPN then you should check out this guide: Cheapest VPN For Firestick Buyer Review

Are Firesticks Legal?

Streaming devices like Fire Stick, Roku, Chromecast, or Apple TV are completely legal. As it offers apps having legal content such as Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube TV etc. These types of apps either provide their own content or else shows content that they bought.

Perhaps if the user is installing any 3rd-party app after downloading from the internet and stream content from there then this could be illegal. These sorts of apps contain links from sources that don’t own a Movie, TV Show or any other content you are watching.

In this way streaming such a thing could lead to a legal problem because the piracy of Movies or anything is strictly prohibited in every country. To keep yourself secure from illegal activities make sure to only use an app that is available on the app store on that streaming device.

Try to avoid using third-party apps or else use trusted apps like Kodi. Other than this make sure to use a VPN to keep your identity hidden from the ISP providers.

Pros & Cons

No doubt everything that comes with various benefits also has some disadvantages as well. Similarly, Amazon Fire Stick 4K also comes with pros & cons. After using this device for a year I came up with 100% accurate benefits and disadvantages of buying this device.

Ok, so check out the below list of advantages and disadvantages of a FireTV Stick device:

Pros

• Convert an old TV to Smart TV.
• Offers thousands of Apps & Channels.
• Provides some games to play using a remote or a Game Controller.
• Alexa voice assistant compatibility.
• Nice & Easy User-interface.
• Comes at a cheap price.
• Provides 4K UHD resolution.
• Dolby Atmos.
• It is light in weight and small in size.
• Can carry anywhere on vacations.
• Best for Prime Video subscribers.

Cons

• Requires a fast internet connection for 4K UHD.
• Some apps are geo-restricted (you need a VPN to use them).
• Home Screen sometimes feels laggy.

Firestick VS Other Streaming Devices

Instead of Fire Stick 4K, I have also used some other streaming devices like Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast and Nvidia Shield TV Pro as well.

But without any doubt, this is one of my favourite devices of all time because of its low price and advanced features. This Amazon Firestick Review is probably nothing unless we don’t compare it with other devices.

Below is a comparison between some famous streaming devices that can help in understanding which is better. You should also check it before buying as you may get a feature that is not available in FireTV in one of these alternatives.

Roku

Just like the Fire TV Stick this device also comes with 5 different models for every sort of user. You can find options between Roku Express, Express+, Premier, Streaming Stick+ and Streaming Stick+ HE.

The flagship device is Streaming Stick+ HE which offers 4K UHD resolution and has a voice assistant-enabled remote control including a headphone jack for private watching. It comes with a Roku OS that is Linux based which means you can only install apps made only for this device.

You can download YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video and other apps but still, there are many applications that cannot be used on a Roku. If talking about the price then the Roku cost around $77.96 which is quite expensive.

Roku VS Firestick Comparison Reviews: Don’t Buy This Device

Apple TV

Now talking about another streaming media player Apple TV+, this is way more costly than others. You will get two versions of its Apple TV and Apple TV 4K. No doubt the 4K version of this device is its flagship and comes with advanced features.

It offers to stream movies in 4K HDR resolution but for this make sure you have a TV compatible with it. Apple TV 4K costs $179 for a 32GB of model while it cost around $199 if you are buying a 64GB of storage.

It has almost every sort of application like Hulu, Prime Video, Netflix, Vudu, Disney+, YouTube TV and so on. But the problem is you cannot install any third-party application as this is completely prohibited and almost impossible.

It also features a remote with voice assistant Siri which is quite better than Alexa. Other than this when purchasing this device for the first time you will get the AppleTV+ membership for 1 year that can be claimed within 90 days of purchasing date.

Chromecast

Google Chromecast is way different as compared to the Roku, Firestick 4Kor and Apple TV. It is because this device is used to cast your Mobile, Laptop or Tablet screen to the TV.

Many applications are available out there that support Chromecast so when you plug it into the TV you will be able to watch anything that supports Chromecast.

This can be also used on iPhone or the Macbook/iMac, however, you can also stream some content from the Chrome Browser to the big TV screen. Recently they launched another device called Chromecast with a TV that can be used as a streaming device.

It provides 4K UHD streaming and costs around $49.99 and it is available in fewer countries only. However, the Chromecast costs you $39.99 but remember you need to have a PC or a mobile phone to stream movies using a Chromecast so better go with the Chromecast with Google TV.

Nvidia Shield TV Pro

Nvidia is the leading company in making Graphics and they recently launched a streaming device called Nvidia Shield TV Pro. This is quite expensive as compared to any other device and also offers some features that are the same just like FireTV Stick 4K.

With this media player, you will also get the support of the Android Operating System which means the sideloading of apps is possible.

Although you can watch in 4K HDR having a Dolby Atmos surrounded audio and also has AI-enhanced upscaling. If we talk about the hardware information then Nvidia Shield TV Pro beats FireStick.

It has 3 GB of RAM along with 16GB of storage, even though you can expand the storage by using a USB Flash drive or Hard Drive. This streaming device is mostly focused on gaming whether it is android games or Consoles.

It has 2 USB Ports and an ethernet port as well, this feature is also not available in the Fire TV Stick. Perhaps as the Fire Stick costs $49.99 then this device is three-time expensive as it comes in the price range of $180.

Should I Buy Amazon Fire TV Stick?

Amazon Fire Stick could be the best choice for those who are looking for a cord-cutting solution. However, there are other streaming devices that are also available but these are not as good as this. As we already compare every device with the Fire TV you can get an idea from it.

This is way cheaper as compared to others and provides almost every feature that a user requires. As Chromecast is used to cast mobile and laptop screens to the TV screen so the Fire TV does as well. Although Chromecast with Google TV doesn’t offer free channels or has only a limited number of apps available.

Furthermore talking about the Roku then it is also expensive because they are charging $10 for a headphone jack in the remote feature. Other than this you cannot sideload 3rd-party applications which means no free source for streaming and there are few apps available as well.

In simple words, you should buy a Fire TV Stick device if you want to save some money and want the same features as well. This device is better than any other available out there no matter if it’s about features, price, channels or app availability or anything else.

Conclusion

I hope after reading the Amazon Fire Stick review you understand how worthy is this device to buy. The features and the price of this device is just amazing. Other than this they also launched a lite version for those who can’t afford to buy a Firestick 4K version. It is used to stream videos in HD or 1080p resolution and has 8GB of storage along with 1GB DDR4 Ram.

If I talk about my suggestion then I highly recommend going with the Firestick 4K model as you can stream videos in 4K HDR and can play games as well. Besides this, you can also sideload 3rd-party applications to watch free Movies, TV Shows, Anime, Sports, News and some other entertainment as well. I have been using this device for 1 year and I just fell in love with it.

If you are looking for a streaming device then just go with the Fire TV, you can buy it from any local store or from Amazon Store directly.

However, if you have any other questions regarding this review or have any suggestions please feel free to write them down below. Also, don’t forget to check the best VPN to keep your identity hidden while using any third-party app.