There are a ton of streaming devices out there that will allow you to access your favorite movies, shows, and other media. They come in different shapes, at different price points, and they all offer different features. But if you’re looking for something that will stream 4K content to your television, supports the newest technologies like Dolby Atmos and Wi-Fi 6, and costs less than $40, there is only one option: the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max, which is on sale right now for just $35.
Why the 4K Max is Amazon’s best 4K streaming stick
I got turned off of Amazon’s Fire Sticks years ago, when I purchased one of the earlier models on Black Friday special for $20. It was painfully slow, the picture was grainy, and there was no support for any of my Apple apps. But so much has changed since then, and if you’ve had a similar experience, it may be time to give the Fire TV Stick another chance.
The 4K Max model is extremely powerful, thanks to its 1.8GHz quad-core CPU and 750MHz GPU — it’s 40% more powerful than the Fire TV Stick 4K. This means faster loading times for apps and games, more fluid navigation, and it can handle complex features like Live View Picture-in-Picture. This also allows it to support high-end features such as Dolby Vision and HDR10+ for bright, crisp colors, and Dolby Atmos for immersive, surround sound audio.
On the software side of things, the 4K Max runs on Amazon’s Fire TV OS, which can be a good or bad thing, depending on how you feel about it. I obviously prefer the Apple TV software, but at this price, with these features, I think most folks would be happy to make that compromise. Besides, the answer to can you get the media is more important than how you get the media, and the 4K Max Fire Stick supports just about every app in the stream-osphere. That includes both Apple TV+ and Apple Music, as well as all of the major platforms, and even some lesser-known apps like Freevee and Pluto TV.
It’s pretty crazy that Amazon was able to fit all of these features into a device that isn’t much bigger than a USB memory stick, and all for just $50 — let alone $35. Grab one of these — either for your main TV, a kid’s room, a spare room, or for travel — while you can at this price.