Amazon’s Fire TV range, renowned globally, now boasts four distinct streaming sticks, each with unique specifications and capabilities. With such a variety, making the right choice can seem daunting.
In late 2023, Amazon launched two updated versions of its top-end Firesticks – the Fire TV Stick 4K Max 2nd Gen (see our review) and the Fire TV Stick 4K 2nd Gen (see our review).
Then in late 2024, Amazon discontinued its two entry-level streaming sticks – the 3rd generation Amazon Fire TV Stick (see our review) and the Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite – and replaced them with one Fire TV Stick HD.
In 2025, we saw the biggest change in years, when Amazon launched the Fire TV 4K Select (See our review) – which ditches Android and uses Amazon’s new Vega OS.
So, what are the differences between these four? This is what we’re here to take a closer look at.
Amazon Fire TV Sticks: The Big Four
Amazon’s Fire TV streaming devices have been quite popular in the UK, dating back to the launch of the first Fire TV box, back in 2014 – and for good reason.
With most of the major UK streaming apps available for the Fire TV, and a friendly interface, it’s an improved replacement to the often slow-and-limited “Smart TV” interfaces. (The Fire TV’s main competition at this point are the Roku streaming devices – see my reviews here).
There are now four Amazon Fire TV sticks being officially sold in the UK: The Amazon Fire TV 4K Max (2nd Gen), the Amazon Fire TV 4K Stick (2nd Gen), the new Amazon Fire TV 4K Select, and the Amazon Fire TV HD (2024 Edition).
Then there’s also the Amazon Fire TV Cube (3rd Gen) which is a pricier product that combines the Fire TV with an Echo device (see my review of it here).
The four sticks are all quite capable, affordable, and – somewhat surprisingly – quite similar in their specs – except for the 4K Max, which is a bit higher end.
But the 4K Select stick is quite different in one aspect: it runs a totally new operating system (Vega), which means it supports a much more limited selection of apps compared to the “classic” Android OS-based Firesticks.
To help you decide – here’s a full comparison of the specs (We did not include the Fire TV Cube in this comparison, because its target audience is a bit different – and it’s pricier).
(If you’re on a phone, you can scroll the table left and right)
| Fire TV 4K Max 2nd Gen | Fire TV 4K 2nd Gen | Fire TV Stick HD | Fire TV Stick Select | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Video | 4K / 60fps | 4K / 60fps | 1080p / 60fps | 4K / 60fps |
| HDR | HDR10/+ Dolby Vision, HLG, | HDR10/+ Dolby Vision, HLG | HDR10/+, HLG | HDR10/+, HLG |
| Audio | Stereo, PCM, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Atmos | Stereo, PCM, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Atmos | Stereo, PCM, Dolby Passthrough | Stereo, PCM, Dolby Passthrough |
| CPU | MediaTek MT8696T, 2.0GHz quad-core | MediaTek MT8696D, 1.7GHz quad-core | MediaTek MT8695D, 1.7GHz quad-core | MediaTek MT8698, 1.7GHz quad-core |
| GPU | IMG PowerVR GE9215, 850 MHz | IMG PowerVR GE9215, 650 MHz | IMG GE8300 650 MHz | IMG G310v2 500 MHz |
| RAM | 2GB LPDDR4 | 2GB LPDDR4 | 1GB DDR4 | 1GB LPDDR4 |
| Storage | 16GB | 8GB | 8GB | 8GB |
| WiFi | Wi-Fi 6E Tri-band: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax | WiFi 6 Dual-band: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax | 802.11 b/g/n/ac 2×2 MIMO (WiFi 5) | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2×2 MIMO (WiFi 5) |
| Bluetooth | BT 5.2 | BT 5.2 | BT 5 | BT 5 |
| Ethernet | Optional Adapter | Optional Adapter | Optional Adapter | Optional Adapter |
| Remote | Alexa Enhanced Voice Remote | Alexa Voice Remote (3rd Gen) | Alexa Voice Remote (3rd Gen) | Alexa Voice Remote (3rd Gen) |
| OS | Fire OS 8 (Android 9) | Fire OS 8 (Android 7.1) | Fire OS 7 (Android 9) | Vega OS 1.1 |
| Price | £69.99 | £59.99 | £39.99 | £49.99 |
| BUY HERE | BUY HERE | BUY HERE | BUY HERE | |
| Fire TV Stick 4K Max | Fire TV Stick 4K | Fire TV Stick HD | Fire TV Stick Select |
As you can see, the 2nd Gen Fire TV 4K stick is not all that different from the HD one, with a slightly upgraded CPU, 2GB RAM (instead of 1GB), and of course – support for Ultra HD 4K streaming (and Dolby Vision HDR).
But the Fire TV 4K Max – especially the 2nd Gen 2023 version – has a bumped-up spec list, and double the storage (16GB instead of 8GB), so you get room for more apps and games.
And interestingly, the Fire TV Select’s specs are much more similar to those of the HD stick, which is part of the point of switching to Vega OS. Amazon says that because the new OS is leaner (unlike Android, which is quite bloated today), it can get away with weaker specs, while maintaining similar operating speeds.
The Max and 4K sticks come with the latest version of Amazon’s operating system – Fire OS 8, the HD stick has have been left behind with Fire OS 7, and the Select stick has Vega OS.
Vega OS – How Is It Different?
The main difference between the three “classic” Firesticks and the new Fire TV 4K Select is the operating system. After many years of building the Fire TV interface on top of Android, Amazon decided to build its own operating system (which is based on Linux).
It looks and behaves almost identically to the older Android operating system, so you’ll find yourself right at home.
However, there’s one major difference: Vega OS doesn’t support sideloading, so you can’t install ANY apps that aren’t available on the official Amazon App Store. While this may not interest some, many others liked the Fire TV line for its advanced ability to sideload “unofficial” apps.
The second thing to keep in mind is that every app needs to be rebuilt for Vega OS – therefore, at launch, the Select only supported around 900 apps, compared to more than 30,000 on the “classic” sticks. Most of the major broadcasters and streamers are supported, so it’s safe to assume you’ll find most of the apps you regularly use – but not all.
The Fire TV Remote
As for the remote, most of the Firesticks now come with the 3rd gen Alexa Voice Remote, which includes shortcut buttons – but the Max gets the “Enhanced” Alexa Voice Remote, which includes a few extra buttons – a new “Recent” button that lets you go easily to the last app/channel you were watching, and a “Settings” shortcut button.
In 2022, Amazon launched a “Pro” remote for Fire TV devices, with features such as backlighting and a ‘remote finder’ (see my Remote Pro review).
However, the Pro remote doesn’t come bundled with any of the Fire TV devices – and you can only buy it separately.
Which Amazon Fire TV Stick Is Best?
So, which Fire TV Stick should you buy? If this is going to be your main streaming device, for a 4K TV, then I suggest you go for either the Fire TV 4K Max or the Fire TV 4K – both of which offer superior video quality AND a faster interface, thanks to the improved CPU and RAM.
The difference between the Max and the regular 4K stick isn’t all that big – for an extra tenner, I would go for the top one – but if you can find the 4K stick (2nd Gen) with an extra discount – then it becomes the king of value-for-money.
If you already have the older version of the 4K Stick or the First Gen 4K Max stick, I won’t bother to upgrade to any of the 2nd Gen sticks – but if you’re buying a totally new one, then you might as well go for the 4K Max if you’re looking for the best Firestick.
Then again, if you’re looking to buy a second stick (for your bedroom, for example), or if you’re going to use it on an older non-4K TV, then I would go straight for the HD version, which has a more tempting price point, as long as stocks are still available.
But wait, what about the new 4K Select? Yes, it’s the cheapest 4K stick available from Amazon, so at some point, it’ll be the one to get if you want an entry-level 4K Stick. But we’re not there yet – with Vega OS still making its first steps, and with many apps still missing, I’d wait and just get the regular 4K sticks for now.
Is the Android version really only 7.1 for the FireTV Stick 4K, as per the table above? Or has it be mixed up with the HD stick, which is showing as Android 9. Seems strange.