Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max with USB Power Cable (eliminates the need for AC adapter)

The setup takes longer isn't smooth and is stuck on connecting a TV. Once you sign in and register it doesn't take you to the main menu it goes right into connecting controls for your TV. I have half a dozen other Firesticks and this is the first time it's done this. 🤨

The Firesticks can't control many projectors. Some with an IR remote will allow you to control volume but that's if it has an ir remote. My remote is BT on my Xgimi Aura 2 and does not have IR. Despite this lack of control over projectors why does this setup go right into TV control. 😐

So to get this working I had to plug it into my Samsung TV and finish the setup then once everything was done delete my Samsung TV so it didn't control it while I use this on my projector. Once plugged in to my projector I had to set my preferences again and disco fever it now works on my projector. 😘

This latest Firestick is a wee bit faster toggling through as for better picture quality can't really tell any difference from my first 4k max. I like the Firesticks over any other streaming sticks and have quite a few. I give this 1 star only to let the powers that be to fix the setup process and account for use with projectors. AND to show my dismay of ordering this to find it on sale at nearly half the price THE VERY NEXT DAY. 😤 Feel free to send me one for free Amazon. 😁

UPDATE: Amazon did not send me another for free 😅 despite me having bought 8 of these things. Well it's Prime Day so I gots to order another while it's on sale. Need to fill the other silicone case since I got a 2 pack 😁 These are great just the setup was wonky with a projector. 🫡

I don’t know why they would put a Directv button on there instead of Disney+ or leave it blank and assign streaming app of your choice to it. They also took off the Hulu button on this model

TV's ethernet speed is limited by their NIC card to 10/100. Wifi on TVs are not close to the Gigabit speeds most people have at home. Using this I consistently get speeds around 350 mbps with this paired to my EERO Pro 6E.
I was happy with the first one so I ordered another. But the second one's box was torn and damaged. No fault of Amazon's. Will return and replace it. But very happy with the product overall.

I bought this on a whim and at the cheapest price possible not expecting that it would work...i was wrong! I did not want to spend to buy another xbox for another tv in another room, so when i heard about this, i thought it was too good to be true, but it was not. If you have game pass, this is great! I have uploaded two screen shots of Fallout 4, the game i tested.

Pros
Easy to set up,
Links with Xbox account easily enough,
Syncing Xbox wireless controller is easy enough.

Cons
Video quality is a little rough sometimes, so if you are playing for the looks, be prepared...some quality is lost - I can steam 4k, so i was a little surprised about this but it could be because there might not be the same computing power.
Take a bit longer to load up, it appears that base software to load to gaming OS is still in beta...at least that is what comes up during the load screen.

I recommend it as a cheap and acceptable option for Xbox gaming, if you have Game Pass, without having to shell out for another Xbox. If you are a hardcore gamer, this might not be for you. Also, i am not sure if it plays all the games on Game Pass, so you might want to look into this to make sure whatever game you like, plays on this.

I recently upgraded to the latest Amazon Fire TV Stick, and I couldn't be happier with my decision. Here's why:

Quick Setup
Setting up the Fire TV Stick was a breeze. The on-screen instructions were clear and concise, and I had it up and running within minutes. All you need is an HDMI port on your TV and a stable Wi-Fi connection, and you're good to go.

Smooth Streaming
One of the standout features of this Fire TV Stick is its performance. Even while connected to my DSL via Wi-Fi, I experienced no buffering or lagging. Streaming my favorite shows and movies has never been this seamless, making my viewing experience thoroughly enjoyable.

Worthy Upgrade
If you already own an older version of the Fire TV Stick, this new model is definitely a worthy upgrade. The enhanced speed and performance make it well worth the investment. Plus, the user interface is more intuitive, making navigation easier than ever.

Overall, I highly recommend the Amazon Fire TV Stick to anyone looking for a reliable and efficient streaming device. It delivers on all fronts and enhances your entertainment experience significantly.

Everything works great on the Fire Stick 4K Max. It's fast. It's been working reliably. I'm using it with a Hisense U8K 65" TV and using it with two Echo Studios 2nd Gen and an Echo Sub in Home Theater Mode paired with the TV. Excellent! Perfect for a small to medium-sized room. We have a dedicated theater room, but this setup Is perfect for our great room where we wanted minimal equipment.

4K Content on the Fire Stick 4K Max is fantastic. Love it. Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, etc. work great.

What shocked me was that while most of the Fire TV interface looks super sharp and clean, some graphics are too low res, so they develop artifacts when upscaling. For instance, the Prime Video button on the home row has artifacts around the "prime video" text and logo. See photo. It looks like anti-aliasing gone wrong. There are also some previews that display that are also too low res, and these develop similar artifacts. If you're 10 feet from a 65" TV, you won't see them, but if you get close to the TV, it is very noticeable. I don't think this is an inherent problem with this Fire Stick. I think it is something that could easily be addressed via pushing out higher res graphics in an update to the UI.

The stick is fast, easy to install, and works well with my equipment.

Edit (again again): So after a few weeks this remote started being noisy as hell too when you press buttons, so I can only assume its a design oversight. It doesn't effect the overall usibility of the device, but man is it ANNOYING!

Edit (again):

Amazon reached out to me about taking the unit I reviewed back to take a look at it (with no contact from me asking for a return) and sent me a new one in its place. The remote in this replacement is bone quiet, with no sound at all.. so it looks like it's not the intended design of the remote. Because of this, I adjusted my rating to account for Amazon's customer service and the inclusion of a nice remote that works quietly and as intended.

Original:
I upgraded to this stick from the 1st gen 4k Max in hopes of a good performance boost, and the storage being upped quite a bit.

For the performance part, it... meh. It's good, but if you already have a 4k Max 1st Gen, I wouldn't rush to get this one if you want to upgrade for performance. However, the extra space is nice if you use it.

The extra buttons on the Remote control were a welcome change for me, however, the remote is very flimsy. Specifically the button cover. When you push a button on the remote, the back of the remote creaks. So if you turn up your volume you hear "creak... creak creak creak". If you try to watch something while someone is asleep, the remote could wake them up if you just press a button or two. I wish they would have spent a bit more time on the build quality of the remote, but other than that it works and does its job.

Overall, for the price, it's a decent stick. I'm not sure yet if it was worth me upgrading from the last 4k Max, but it's got a few extras enough that I am gonna keep it.

Update: I added a video showcasing just what noise the remote makes when you press a button (basically when you apply pressure to it). I pressed harder than usual so you could hear the noise in the video better, rather than my normal button presses because the camera wasn't picking up the noise as much.