Enjoy all your streaming needs with the Amazon Fire TV Stick. (Photo: Amazon)(Photo: Amazon)
You don’t need to buy a new TV to upgrade your home theater experience. These days all you need is a great streaming stick to grant you access to a world of entertainment — for a steal. Right now, the cost is even friendlier, thanks to a well-timed sale at Amazon on its premiere Fire TV Stick 4K Max, just $35 (was $55) for Prime members. It's a great way to watch your favorite Christmas movies and get ready for the Ball Drop on New Years.
Are your apps eating up more space than your Fire TV Stick can handle? The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max is your fix. With its quad-core processor, you can even play Xbox games like Forza Motorsport, Starfield and Palworld — no console needed.
"I had become exasperated trying to get by using a 'smart' Sony Bravia TV for all my streaming services. It sort of worked, but didn't work well. Slow, cumbersome, and prone to freezing up," complained one five-star reviewer. "Overall, [this Fire Stick is] a better experience than I had dared to hope for. So far, so good."
Since its release, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max has garnered a huge amount of praise from Amazon shoppers, earning over 79,000 five-star reviews. One of the most recent reviews is from a family who "decided to purchase a second stick for our home instead of moving the one we had from TV to TV. This new one is much better than the old one. Voice recognition is great. Power button powers down the Stick and TV and you can control the TV volume with it. We liked this new one so much we purchased another one to replace the old one that was having some struggles."
Shoppers are in love with its "faster streaming" and WiFi, saying it "makes working between menus faster and there are fewer pauses in the program you are watching." Another shopper says: "This one does not disappoint, faster, dedicated Netflix and Prime buttons and flawless streaming."
If you're considering cancelling your cable subscription, Amazon customers report this is a great way to go: "I had paid extra for HBO and Showtime from the cable company and after the 81 episodes of The Sopranos still found myself searching more than watching. Decided to try Fire Stick ... Cancelled HBO and Showtime and now have hundreds of movies to pick from every night. Many free apps with Fire TV.. Watch out cable companies. I am close to cutting the cable and just keeping internet."
This customer actually did make the leap to a cable-free lifestyle, saying "I am very happy with the Fire Stick and remote, I have cut the cable and I am not going back. It took a while to figure it out and find my channels but was well worth the effort."
Ultimately, shoppers agree that this is a great step up from their old TV setup. "I save so much money not buying a new TV and just upgrading to this Fire Stick," says a five-star shopper. "Highly recommend. It is fast and much more user-friendly than older versions."
And you can save even more money if you grab it on sale right now. Makes a great stocking stuffer!
The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.
If you have Amazon Prime, you’ll get free shipping, of course. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up for your free 30-day trial here. (And by the way, those without Prime still get free shipping on orders of $25 or more.)
We’ve got your holiday shopping list covered with fantastic gift ideas for everyone on your list. You’ll find expert picks on the best tech gifts on Engadget, the best gift ideas for car lovers at Autoblog, gifts for the young (and young at heart) at In the Know, and picks for just about everyone else on your list (moms, dads, teens, nurses, you name it!) in Yahoo’s holiday gift ideas section. On AOL, you'll find for gift ideas for seniors shopping for moms, dads, teens and toddlers.