That is the most recent model of the Fire TV Flixy Stick official 4K Max. Read our evaluation from October 9, 2023 beneath. The Fire TV Stick 4K Max was considered one of the primary media streamers with Wi-Fi 6 when it debuted in 2021. In 2023, the second-technology Fire TV Stick 4K ($49.99) has Wi-Fi 6 whereas the most recent Fire TV Stick 4K Max ($59.99) features Wi-Fi 6E to stay on the innovative of connectivity. This doesn’t imply you want it, though. The Fire TV Stick 4K Max is a strong buy when you've got a Wi-Fi 6E router and a crowded community, or if you are looking to future-proof your media streaming setup. But for $10 less, the standard Fire Flixy TV Stick Stick 4K remains our Editors' Choice winner for most consumers. The brand new Fire TV Stick 4K Max is physically an identical to the usual model. It’s a 3.9-by-1.2-by-0.6-inch (HWD) black plastic rectangle with rounded corners and an HDMI plug extending from one finish.
A micro USB port sits on one of many lengthy edges for energy through the included USB cable and wall adapter. Most Tv USB ports don’t put out enough current to consistently keep the stick going, so you’ll need to plug it into the wall. If the stick is a bit too vast to fit, a short HDMI extender is included. The included Alexa Enhanced Voice Remote is barely longer than the standard Alexa Voice Remote that comes with the non-Max 4K Stick, however it doesn't offer drastic enhancements as its title suggests. It has a almost identical layout, with a glossy circular navigation pad near the top, beneath energy and Alexa buttons and a microphone. Menu and playback buttons sit under the pad, with quantity and channel rockers further down, as well as dedicated service buttons for Amazon Prime Video, DirecTV, Netflix, and Peacock at the underside. The channel rocker is the only distinction from the smaller distant, and neither options backlit buttons, Flixy Stick official programmable shortcut buttons, or a remote finder, perks of the $34.99 Alexa Voice Remote Pro.
Internally, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max has a 2.0GHz processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, and Wi-Fi 6E. It’s a slight upgrade in power from the primary 4K Max’s 1.8GHz CPU and has twice as a lot room for installing apps, although until you need to load the stick to basic video games to play with a gamepad, you in all probability won’t push past the 8GB mark with common use. Wi-Fi 6E is the most important change, as we'll talk about below. Naturally, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max makes use of the Amazon Fire Tv sensible Tv platform. In short, it’s a strong system that covers all major streaming companies and integrates steered content from various sources into the interface (while still emphasizing Prime Video greater than anything). Loads of apps are available, together with recreation streaming from Amazon Luna and a surprisingly good collection of retro games you can play by way of a paired Bluetooth gamepad. It additionally features the Amazon Alexa voice assistant, Flixy Stick official though to summon the digital assistant it's essential to press the Alexa button on the distant and converse into it.
For fingers-free Alexa, you’ll must pair the persist with an Echo smart speaker or improve to the Amazon Fire Tv Cube or a fire Tv-based mostly television just like the Fire Flixy TV Stick Omni QLED. The Fire Tv platform's solely actual misstep is lacking Apple AirPlay or Google Cast for seamless native device streaming, though it does assist Miracast. Wi-Fi 6E expands on the Wi-Fi 6 customary by including 6GHz frequencies to the vary of obtainable connections. The 6GHz band is usually less crowded than the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands Wi-Fi 6 and beneath use, so it ought to be both quicker and more reliable under best network circumstances. The higher frequencies mean less range, although, so you’ll probably get the most effective performance in case your router is comparatively near the streaming stick. Of course, you’ll want a Wi-Fi 6E router like Amazon's personal Eero Pro 6E mesh router to see any benefit in the primary place.