The Fire TV Stick 4K Max didn’t take the podium in my guide to the Best 4K Streaming Devices. That’s why it’s taken me this long to ramble on about it to the lengths that I’ve already done with the Roku Ultra 4K, Roku Streaming Stick 4K, and Apple TV 4K.
The Fire TV device took runner-up in my test. Why would somebody take a serious look at the Amazon device, then, if I crowned it “best among the rest?” There are… reasons.
all in the alexa ecosystem
The Fire TV’s built-in Alexa voice assistant works well. For somebody who’s tied themselves into the Alexa ecosystem through Echo Show smart home hubs and devices, there’s a real value to choosing the Fire TV, as its built to integrate them in a more comprehensive way, such as controlling some TV functions on Echo Shows and bundling the TV into a single control space on your Alexa apps, alongside your other Alexa-enabled devices.
The Fire TV Stick 4K Max is slightly faster than the Roku Streaming Stick 4K. Both of these 4K streaming sticks are compatible with Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HDR10+ high-dynamic-range technologies for better video quality.
The Roku stick, though, lacks support for Dolby Atmos, a premium audio technology that enhances sound. That’s a big win in the Fire TV Stick’s column. The trade-off is that I just don’t like the remote’s too-small buttons or the user interface as much as Roku’s. Amazon blends the worst excesses of the Apple TV’s and Roku’s remotes.
It has the unimpressive ergonomics of the Apple TV remote, but without its beautifully robust and handsome aluminum build. It’s just plastic, like the Roku’s, but it lacks the Roku’s incredibly comfortable ergonomics and large, easy-to-use-without-looking buttons.
Amazon has a history of being pushy with controlling what you see and don’t see on its devices, more so than Roku, which has a relatively customizable UI, and even Apple. For example, they removed the ability to delete certain unwanted, first-party apps from the Fire TV UI.
As I wrote in my Best 4K Streaming Devices guide, “If you’re scratching your head, let me direct you to the recent past, when Amazon wedged annoying advertisements into its Echo devices.”
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