Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select Review: Affordable 4K Streaming With Alexa+

The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select is Amazon’s affordable 4K streaming stick designed for users who want 4K HDR streaming, Alexa+ integration and access to major streaming services without paying for the more expensive Fire TV Stick 4K Max.

It supports 4K up to 60fps, HDR10+, HDR10 and HLG and introduces Amazon’s new Vega OS platform.

Fire TV Stick 4K Select Specs

Amazon’s developer specifications confirm 1GB RAM, 8GB storage, Wi-Fi 5 and hardware-accelerated 4K/60fps AV1 and HEVC playback.

4K Streaming

The Fire TV Stick 4K Select supports 4K Ultra HD at up to 60fps.

Supported HDR formats include:

HDR10
HDR10+
HLG

Picture quality is very good for an inexpensive streaming stick, particularly when used with an HDR10+ television.

No Dolby Vision

One important limitation is the absence of Dolby Vision.

Amazon’s official specifications list HDR10, HDR10+ and HLG for the 4K Select, but not Dolby Vision.

If you own a premium Dolby Vision TV, the more powerful Fire TV models may be a better match.

Vega OS

The 4K Select is one of the most important Fire TV releases in years because it introduces Vega OS.

Vega replaces the Android-based Fire OS platform on this model and is designed specifically for Amazon streaming devices. Amazon says it allows fast app launches while maintaining the familiar Fire TV experience.

Navigation is generally responsive, but Vega OS has an important limitation: it is a more closed platform than older Fire TV devices.

Apps must be available for Vega through Amazon’s ecosystem, and traditional Android-style sideloading is not supported on the 4K Select.

Alexa+

The Fire TV Stick 4K Select was specifically designed around Amazon’s newer Alexa+ experience.

Alexa+ can provide conversational entertainment search, recommendations and smart-home controls. Amazon also promotes features that can help users search across streaming services or locate specific content more naturally.

Voice control is available through the Alexa Voice Remote.

For fully hands-free Alexa control without pressing the remote button, Amazon lists support through a linked compatible Echo device.

Streaming Apps

The Fire TV platform provides access to major services such as:

• Prime Video
• Netflix
• YouTube
• Disney+
• Apple TV+
• Paramount+
• Pluto TV
• Tubi

Amazon says the Fire TV experience provides access to more than 1.8 million movies and shows across participating content providers. Subscription fees may apply depending on the service.

There is also a large selection of free ad-supported content.

Live TV

Fire TV integrates live television and streaming channels directly into its interface.

Amazon’s newer Fire TV experience includes live-TV discovery, personalized recommendations and a unified watchlist designed to make content easier to find across multiple services.

This makes the Stick useful for cord-cutters who combine paid streaming services with free ad-supported channels.

Performance

The Fire TV Stick 4K Select uses a quad-core Cortex-A55 processor running up to 1.7GHz with 1GB of RAM.

That is enough for normal streaming and navigation, but this is not Amazon’s highest-performance Fire TV device.

Independent testing found normal navigation reasonably smooth, although Vega OS and cloud-dependent apps can occasionally feel slower than premium streaming devices.

AV1 Support

One useful feature is hardware-accelerated AV1 decoding.

The device can decode AV1 at up to 4K/60fps, along with HEVC, H.264 and VP9.

AV1 is increasingly used by modern streaming services because it can deliver high-quality video at lower bitrates.

Wi-Fi 5

The Stick uses dual-band Wi-Fi 5 rather than Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 6E.

For normal 4K streaming, Wi-Fi 5 is usually sufficient with a strong home connection.

However, users with congested wireless networks may benefit from the faster Wi-Fi technology available on more expensive Fire TV models.

8GB Storage

The Fire TV Stick 4K Select includes 8GB of internal storage.

This is enough for major streaming apps, but users who install many apps may eventually find the storage restrictive.

Amazon does not list external storage support for this model.

Alexa Voice Remote

The included Alexa Voice Remote lets you:

Search using your voice
Control playback
Adjust compatible TV volume
Turn compatible TVs on or off
Control supported smart-home devices

Amazon also supports optional compatible Fire TV remotes, including the Alexa Voice Remote Pro.

Audio

Amazon’s developer specifications list HDMI audio passthrough support for formats including Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Atmos, DTS and DTS-HD.

However, the 4K Select does not provide the same premium Dolby-focused multimedia feature set as the more expensive Fire TV Stick 4K Plus and 4K Max.

Pros

✓ Affordable 4K streaming
✓ HDR10+ support
✓ 4K up to 60fps
✓ AV1 hardware decoding
✓ Alexa+ integration
✓ Huge streaming-app ecosystem
✓ Free and live TV options
✓ Simple setup
✓ Alexa Voice Remote included

Cons

✗ No Dolby Vision
✗ Only 1GB RAM
✗ Only 8GB storage
✗ Wi-Fi 5 instead of Wi-Fi 6
✗ Vega OS has fewer app options than older Fire OS
✗ Traditional Android app sideloading is restricted

Fire TV Stick 4K Select Rating

Picture Quality: 9.0/10
Performance: 8.3/10
Streaming Apps: 8.8/10
Alexa Features: 9.4/10
Connectivity: 8.1/10
Ease of Use: 9.2/10
Value: 9.2/10

Overall: 8.9/10

Verdict

The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select is a strong budget 4K streaming device, particularly for users already invested in Amazon Prime and Alexa.

Its biggest strengths are 4K/60fps streaming, HDR10+, Alexa+ integration, AV1 support and easy access to a huge library of streaming content.

Its biggest compromises are no Dolby Vision, only 1GB of RAM, 8GB storage and Wi-Fi 5. The newer Vega OS is also more restrictive than previous Android-based Fire TV software.

For an inexpensive way to upgrade an older 4K television with modern streaming and Alexa features, the Fire TV Stick 4K Select offers very good value.