Amazon’s Fire TV lineup is a confusing mess of names. The company just announced another round of changes, effectively renaming several devices in its streaming stick family. The current roster includes the 35 dollar Fire TV Stick HD, the 40 dollar Fire TV Stick 4K Select, the 50 dollar Fire TV Stick 4K Plus, the 60 dollar Fire TV Stick 4K Max, and the 140 dollar Fire TV Cube. This naming chaos is not new. Two of these devices were rebranded within the last year alone, leaving shoppers understandably confused about which stick to buy for upgrading an old TV. The good news is that the decision is actually quite simple. You only need to consider three of them. For most people, the clear winner is the Fire TV Stick 4K Max. Priced at 60 dollars, it represents the best balance of features and price in the Amazon ecosystem. It has remained a consistent product without confusing rebrands and packs nearly all the high-end features you could want. The 4K Max delivers 4K streaming with support for Dolby Vision and other important HDR formats, along with Dolby Atmos audio. It supports Amazon Luna and Xbox Game Pass for gaming and has decent retro gaming capabilities. It features Wi-Fi 6E support, the same as the more expensive Fire TV Cube, and comes with 16GB of storage and 2GB of memory. The only significant feature it lacks compared to the Cube is a built-in Ethernet port. The other mid-tier options only serve to muddy the waters. The 50 dollar Fire TV Stick 4K Plus is essentially a weaker version of the 4K Max. It has less storage, only Wi-Fi 6 instead of 6E, a standard Alexa Voice remote, and lacks the Fire TV ambient experience that turns your TV into a smart display. Step down further to the 40 dollar Fire TV Stick 4K Select and you lose even more. This model misses out on Dolby Vision, has less memory, and is stuck with older Wi-Fi 5. If you are going to compromise this much to save twenty dollars, you might as well go all the way to the entry-level model. That brings us to the second device worth considering, the 35 dollar Fire TV Stick HD. Its main limitation is that it only supports 1080p resolution, not 4K. For anyone with an older HD television or for those who simply do not need the highest resolution, this is the best budget streaming device on the market. It is a perfect, no-fuss upgrade for an aging TV, especially if you can snag one on sale for under twenty dollars. The third and final device to think about is the 140 dollar Fire TV Cube. This is the high-end option for a specific type of user. It includes an Ethernet port for a wired internet connection and offers hands-free Alexa control, meaning you can talk to your assistant without pressing the remote. It can also control other entertainment devices like cable boxes and game consoles, acting as a central hub for your entertainment center. So, Amazon effectively has three solid devices with clear purposes. The 35 dollar Stick HD for budget-conscious buyers, the 60 dollar 4K Max for the best all-around experience, and the 140 dollar Cube for those who want maximum control and hands-free convenience. The two middle sticks, the 4K Select and 4K Plus, only create consumer confusion. You should not have to ponder whether you need Wi-Fi 6E over Wi-Fi 6 or if a slightly different remote is worth the price difference. Most people should just buy the Fire TV Stick 4K Max. And for the best deal, wait for a major sales event like Black Friday, where it often drops to around 35 dollars. You will get a top-tier product for a budget price, making the entire confusing lineup much easier to ignore.
