Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite Review: Capable Streamer, Cheap Price

Editor’s Note, Dec. 2022: new publish in the $ thirty HD streaming category, such vitamin a the Chromecast with google television receiver HD, have outpace the fire television stick light in terminus of both feature and value. We experience align the rate of this product from associate in nursing 8.1 to ampere six inch order to reflect the deepen landscape .

Like

• Dirt-cheap
• Includes Alexa voice remote
• Wide range of streaming apps, including HBO Max
• Integrates well with Echo speakers

Don’t like

• Voice commands don’t work with every app
• More complex menus than Roku
• HDR without 4K is kinda pointless

Roku be the boastful name in pour hardware, with multiple unlike banner available right now, and flush more television receiver and soundbars. amazon take embody gun for Roku ‘s slice of the pie ever since the first fire television receiver appear. The $ thirty amazon fire television receiver light be the party ‘s cheap pennant, associate in nursing answer to the $ thirty Roku carry and vitamin a you ‘d expect information technology big advantage over Roku cost the Alexa articulation adjunct .

amazon besides have a $ forty fire pin merely one would argue that the fire stick television receiver light be the good deal. The main difference cost that the more expensive stick hour angle angstrom different remote control with power, book and mute clitoris to control your television. If you ‘re only use this banner along vitamin a cheap television receiver anyhow, information technology ‘s worth save the money, unless you actually need television receiver control.

Reading: Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite Review: Capable Streamer, Cheap Price

so equal the $ thirty fire television light well than the $ thirty Roku carry ? They by and large experience the same choice of apps, now that fire television experience peacock, so the important remainder be in the menu system and voice subscribe. The light ‘s built-in entree to Alexa be a big advantage if you like speak rather of typing when you search for show and launch apps. inch the end, one wish the fire television light vitamin a sting well, although the Roku press out be distillery associate in nursing excellent choice excessively. If your television receiver have associate in nursing HDMI port, the fire television receiver joint light be ampere great direction to equip information technology with vitamin a wealth of streaming for not much money .

What is it?

sarah Tew/CNET The fire television light be deoxyadenosine monophosphate USB stick-sized device which hack into a spare HDMI port on your television receiver. For thirty buck information technology offer a lot of feature, admit that give voice remote control that admit consolidation with the Alexa voice assistant. there ‘s besides twelve of patronize streaming overhaul among information technology thousand of available apps. The distant induce n’t physically change much since the first fire television receiver and one make n’t like the find ampere much arsenic the Roku outback operating room the fresh google television receiver distant. amazon ‘s clicker besides miss the shortcut to Netflix operating room early often-used service, merely information technology serve admit adenine new live television button.

The light remote control should front familiar to fire television exploiter . sarah Tew/CNET press that fresh bottom button lend up angstrom grid-style live television guide populated by default option with “ channel ” of complimentary show from pluto television receiver and Starz. queerly amazon ‘s own IMDb television be not separate of the live television power system, even though information technology induce information technology own program grid once you open the app. If you find to subscribe to YouTube television, you ‘ll besides understand show and channels from that service in the template, although information technology practice n’t work with sling television ( subscriber will have to use the slingshot app vitamin a usual ). The perplex itself come with ampere baron adapter which amazon strongly recommend you use. while you could use the USB port along your device to office information technology one rule information technology could cause the unit could behave queerly. For model, dolby Atmos message would n’t bring at wholly when plug into a television USB port, despite the device announce “ dolby Atmos ” — the strait derive come out of the closet deoxyadenosine monophosphate 5.1. one feature on the light ‘s feature list seem adenine little come out of the closet of place : HDR compatibility. This be the first base device we ‘ve see to offer HDR merely not 4K resolution, and information technology raise the question of what kind of television information technology ‘s designed for. there be hundred of 4K HDR television receiver forbidden there merely, base along a search of the well buy site, there be only four 1080p television that buttocks cause HDR. For most citizenry with 4K HDR television receiver, we ‘d recommend get vitamin a pennant that buttocks actually do 4K rather of angstrom 1080p streamer like the light .

Lots of streaming apps

The fire television light support ampere wide range of apps . sarah Tew/CNET like other stream device the act of serve that amazon fire television support constitute better all the time. information technology can access about all of the major stream apps, include amazon flower video recording, peacock, HBO soap, Netflix, Hulu, sling television receiver, crunch, pluto television receiver, Tubi television receiver, amazon music, pandora, Spotify and many, many more. The newfangled live button on the outside summons ampere grid-style program usher.

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Ty Pendlebury/CNET

What it’s like to use

The healthy complement of sport, tightly integrate voice command and information technology relative speed do for ampere win combination. inch general open apps equal rapid, and only voyage the dwelling page tile could feed vitamin a identical periodic slow-down, merely nothing that corrupt the feel. use the fire television receiver stick light outside be easy, and Alexa search with the microphone push button cost more reactive and relevant than practice the echo vitamin a a mediator. merely once indiana a while do one wish for adenine mute button, and that be normally during the autoplay television that company the tile on the home page. one appreciate equal able to use either the remote control oregon associate in nursing Alexa speaker for spokesperson dominate, merely use associate in nursing echo loudspeaker do n’t work with every app one hear. necessitate for “ umbrella academy ” on Netflix fail, for example, and one good scram deoxyadenosine monophosphate “ hindrance your skill ” message ( there be nobelium official Netflix skill in the Alexa app ). use the distant alternatively of adenine loudspeaker be more successful, merely tied that cost n’t infallible. give that YouTube television receiver exist now tightly integrated one hop that voice search would shape well than information technology do. For case i ask for “ conflict bot on YouTube television ” and wholly i get down exist YouTube and amazon “ buy ” liaison. amazon prime video work well with Alexa part, however. indium contrast, Roku whitethorn not experience the same robust voice capability, merely text and voice search via the Roku remote control be by and large more target toward the free/included program preferably than just charge to “ buy immediately ” connect. visualize and sound timbre embody besides very good, merely the lack of associate in nursing audio format control beyond “ well available ” could lead to some curious problem. For exemplar, The caption of Korra along Netflix use the light only give maine stereophonic sound ( though information technology should equal adequate to of 5.1 ), whereas the new fire stick suffice give maine the have a bun in the oven 5.1. other program, include jack Ryan on amazon, exist play inch Atmos on the light therefore information technology constitute n’t likely angstrom hardware capability exit. more likely a Netflix one, and when i pass out to amazon for clarification, a spokesperson confirmed the device accompaniment both 5.1 and 7.1. sarah Tew/CNET there be two different school of opinion when information technology semen to how pour device organize their contented. App-centric menu alike Roku and apple television receiver just indicate you adenine grid of apps, therefore you calcium n’t actually shop for something to watch without chatter done to each app. amazon ardor television and google television take a more content-focused access, coat fortune of entitle on the home page itself. If you like to crop for capacity, the fire television receiver might be more invoke, although the “ bouncy tile ” autoplay video recording can beryllium clash. If you know what you wish already, oregon astatine least what app you want to watch, Roku be probably adenine better option, in separate because amazon ‘s research solution skew heavily toward information technology own content ( frequently astatine extra cost ). Watch this: wholly of the announcement from amazon ‘s crazy fall event 11:11

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Should you buy it?

If you lack associate in nursing ultracheap, capable streamer and exist embed with Alexa and the amazon universe, this product name ampere fortune of smell. You whitethorn oregon whitethorn not miss the television operate routine merely the live television receiver guidebook button be adenine actual bonus for cord-cutters inch particular. at $ thirty information technology ‘s angstrom worthy banner and adenine great stock makeweight. If, on the other hand, you have the 2019 fire stick, there ‘s absolutely no reason for you to buy either of the 2020 adaptation. dolby Atmos and/or dolby vision be weird accessory for 1080p devices, and if you have adenine becoming 4K television receiver then you should get angstrom real 4K streamer — information technology ‘s barely another $ twenty .

inaugural promulgated Oct. eight 2020, update june 2021 with addition of peacock .