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) – which has since been renamed to Fire TV Stick 4K Plus.
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.
Then, in 2026, we got the big news: going forward, ALL new Fire TV sticks will be based on Vega OS and therefore will not support sideloading. Alongside that, Amazon launched the new version of the Fire TV Stick HD – which, as promised, is based on Vega OS.
So, what are the differences among the four currently available sticks? 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 Plus (2nd Gen), the new Amazon Fire TV 4K Select, and the Amazon Fire TV HD (2026 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 newer 4K Select and HD sticks are quite different in one aspect: they run a totally new operating system (Vega), which means they support 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 Plus | Fire TV Stick HD (2026) | 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+, Dolby Atmos | Stereo, PCM, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital+, Dolby Atmos | Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital+, Dolby Atmos, DTS, DTS-HD 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 | ARM G310 V2, 500 MHz | IMG G310v2 500 MHz |
| RAM | 2GB LPDDR4 | 2GB LPDDR4 | 1GB LPDDR4 | 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 | WiFi 6 Dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2×2 MIMO (WiFi 5) |
| Bluetooth | BT 5.2 | BT 5.2 | BT 5.3 | 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) | Vega OS 1.1 | 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 Plus | Fire TV Stick HD | Fire TV Stick Select |
As you can see, the Fire TV Stick 4K Plus is not all that different from the HD one in terms of hardware, 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 has a bumped-up spec list, and double the storage (16GB instead of 8GB), so you get room for more apps and games.
Interestingly, the Fire TV Select and the new HD stick now share almost identical specs – same OS, same GPU, same RAM. That’s very much the point of switching to Vega. Amazon says that because the new OS is leaner (unlike Android, which is quite bloated), it can get away with more modest hardware while still delivering a snappy experience.
The Max and 4K Plus run Fire OS 8 (Android-based), while both the HD and Select run Vega OS 1.1. That’s now a meaningful split in the range, and worth keeping in mind when choosing between them.
Vega OS – How Is It Different?
So the main difference between the two “classic” Firesticks and the new Fire TV 4K Select and HD sticks 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 directly 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.
That number is now up to around 3,000, so things are improving – but it’s still has a long way to go.
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 Plus – 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.
Yes, it’s a Vega OS stick, which means it has some limitations – but for a cheap stick for that extra bedroom, that should be enough for many use-cases.
But wait, what about the 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.