![]() If you already have a new smart TV that fulfils all your needs, the Fire Stick will do little to improve that. When you buy the stick, be sure it is the international version there are two available on Amazon’s site and one is UK only. It still uses micro USB for power, though, so don’t bin the old cables just yet. The 4K Max has 16GB of storage for apps and is powered by a quad core 2Ghz chip. The smart home controls will be redundant if your smart home devices don’t play nicely with Alexa. Wifi 6E compatibility won’t mean much if you don’t have similarly enabled wifi. Is there enough on the 4K Max to make it worth buying over the regular Fire Stick or 4K models? The additional storage space is nice, but many of the key features of the new Fire Stick will depend on what you already have in your home. It costs less than €100, too, which is a relatively cheap way to boost your smart TV set-up.Īmbient mode is a nice addition, although not essential, and enables you to not only turn your TV into a work of art but also turn it into a digital noticeboard of sorts. The Fire TV Stick 4K Max offers a decent array of apps from streaming services to games that you can quickly and easily add to any television. But if you have an older TV or just want a change in what is on offer – or the ability to install the apps you want – the Fire TV Stick is a relatively inexpensive way to upgrade your smart TV. When you aren’t watching something on the TV or ordering Alexa around, the new Ambient mode on the Fire TV Stick 4K Max turns your TV into a giant screen saver with widgets that will show your sticky notes, smart-home favourites, music and TV recommendations.Īll of that combined makes the new Fire TVStick a useful device to have, but is it essential? For most people, the answer is no. The Alexa integration also means you can control your smart-home devices, too, as long as they are connected to your Alexa account. It usually leads with the correct one, with some related suggestions underneath. If you want to watch the Mandalorian, for example, just press the Alexa button, ask for it and Alexa will come up with some suggestions. It does mean that you might have to punch in the PIN twice in the space of 10 seconds.Īmazon’s digital assistant, Alexa, is built in, too, so you can use voice commands to find content across the various streaming services. That will restrict purchases, app launches and enable viewing restrictions for content rated teen and above on Prime Video so you can keep small children away from unsuitable viewing material. And if you have children, there are parental controls you can enable from the outset. The device supports up to six different profiles, so you can have one for each family member. That not only opens up a whole other world of apps to users – some of which may or may not work – but it can also be a security threat, so think carefully before you go down that path. You can also side load some apps by bypassing the security settings to allow installations from unknown sources, similar to Android phones. The Alexa integration also means you can control your smart-home devices, too, as long as they are connected to your Alexa account You have 16GB to store apps, which is twice what the regular Fire TV Stick 4K offers. All the main streaming services have apps for the Fire TV Stick – Apple TV, Netflix, Paramount Plus, Now, Disney+ – alongside the news apps and games. You can add a few more apps from Amazon’s own app store to bring more content to the stick. Prime Video comes preloaded, but you aren’t tied into that. Once you are through the updates and the set-up process – which should only take a couple of minutes – it is then a matter of choosing what apps and services you want on the device. These should be done in less than 10 minutes. It’s a case of plug it in and wait for the inevitable software updates. It comes with an Alexa-enabled remote control, too, and an adapter cable if your TV set-up won’t accommodate a stick in the back of your TV. The compact stick connects to the HDMI port of your TV, and is powered by a USB cable connected to the supplied power adapter. Other than the few upgrades, the Fire TV Stick is pretty much what you would expect from the Amazon device. ![]() Amazon has thought of everything you need to get up and running in minutes and has put it in the box, even down to the batteries for the remote control.
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