Streaming sticks can breathe new life into an older TV, and help you get even more out of a modern one. Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4K is one most affordable around, with a snappy interface, access to a plethora of streaming apps, and the ability to control some smart home devices from your couch. The next Prime Day event doesn’t start until Tuesday, July 8th, but the streaming gadget is already on sale for $24.99 ($24.99 off) at Amazon and Best Buy, which is its lowest price of the year.
The Fire TV Stick 4K is a great device for streaming TV shows and movies from popular services like Prime Video, Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Paramount Plus, and dozens of FAST (Free Ad-Supported TV) channels in HD or 4K. It also supports Dolby Vision, HDR10 Plus, Dolby Atmos, DTS, and several other HDR and surround sound formats, letting you take full advantage of your TV, projector, or home theater’s capabilities. The Fire TV Stick 4K can do more than just stream audio and video, though; it’s also deeply integrated with Alexa and Amazon’s other services.
The included Alexa Voice Remote features a blue button near the top that triggers the voice assistant when pressed to answer your questions, adjust your TV’s volume and input, and control other Fire TV facets using your voice. Subscribers to Xbox Game Pass or Amazon Luna can also use the Fire TV Stick 4K to stream titles via the cloud from those services’ libraries, and play them using a compatible Bluetooth controller, including Microsoft’s official Xbox Wireless Gaming Controller. Streaming video games from the cloud requires a fast internet connection; however, due to the inherent latency, fast-paced games may not be as fun to play as they are when using a current-gen console or PC.
Even if you don’t take advantage of the additional gaming features, the Fire TV Stick 4K is a great buy, whether you’re catching up on the latest season of Severance or watching your favorite YouTube channel.
