Its Google TV operating system often lags like crazy due to caching issues, apps frequently fail to open, and sometimes the TV drops its internet connection entirely.
While the Fire TV Stick 4K Max isn't perfect, for the price, it's a great streaming device that fixes nearly everything wrong with my smart TV.
It might not be as flashy as the Apple TV 4K, but the Fire TV Stick 4K Max gets the job doneIt's undeniably way better than my TV's stock Google TV operating systemThe first thing I noted about the Fire TV Stick 4K Max is how responsive it is.
You can even use your Fire TV Stick 4K Max remote to control your smart home devices.
Amazon offers several other cheaper Fire TV Sticks, including the $50 Fire TV Stick 4K (it's often on sale for between $34-$35), as well as its streaming sticks that have switched to Vega OS, including the $35 Fire TV Stick HD and the $50 Fire TV Stick Select.
Since I'm the entertainment editor here at XDA, I spend a lot of time testing different streaming sticks, set-top boxes, and of course, smart TV operating systems. Of all the devices I've used over the last few months, my mid-range 55-inch Hisense U8H's Google TV OS is by far the most frustrating. At times, I'm truly amazed at how bad it is.
Its Google TV operating system often lags like crazy due to caching issues, apps frequently fail to open, and sometimes the TV drops its internet connection entirely. To put it lightly, the experience isn't great. This is why I spend most of my time using a $180 Apple TV 4K (2nd-gen) from 2021. For the purposes of this story, though, I hooked the far cheaper $40 Fire TV Stick 4K Max (it's often on sale for $40) to see if a cheaper streaming device could just as easily replace my smart TV's shoddy Google TV operating system.
While the Fire TV Stick 4K Max isn't perfect, for the price, it's a great streaming device that fixes nearly everything wrong with my smart TV.
It might not be as flashy as the Apple TV 4K, but the Fire TV Stick 4K Max gets the job done
It's undeniably way better than my TV's stock Google TV operating system
The first thing I noted about the Fire TV Stick 4K Max is how responsive it is. Whether I'm navigating Netflix's convoluted menu system, avoiding Fire OS' never-ending stream of ads (which are undeniably frustrating — it seems Jeff Bezos has no chill), or streaming content, each click of the streaming stick's remote is responded to swiftly. With my TV's Google TV operating system, it felt like I needed to clear its cache nearly once a week for it to feel this snappy. Would I prefer that Amazon cut back a bit on the ads? You bet, but for $40, you get what you pay for, is sort of how I look at it.
Speaking of remotes, I've generally found the Fire TV Stick 4K Max's remote to be more reliable than my Google TV's. Every time I pick it up, it just works, whereas with my Hisense Google TV, I sometimes need to pop the batteries in/out to get it to connect properly to my TV. At first, I thought the issue was due to the remote's batteries being almost dead, but even after a fresh battery swap, I still encountered the problem. With the Fire TV Stick 4K Max's admittedly cheap-feeling remote, this hasn't been an issue.
There are other benefits the Fire TV's remote offers, too. If you're ingrained in Amazon's Alexa ecosystem, you'll likely prefer the Fire TV Stick's voice-activated assistant over Gemini/Google Assistant. You can even use your Fire TV Stick 4K Max remote to control your smart home devices.
While this isn't a feature I take advantage of very often, since my smart home is built around Google Home, making it better suited to Gemini/Google Assistant, I found myself sometimes controlling the Hue lights in my living room with Alexa. Surprisingly, they responded a bit faster than when I did the same thing with my Google TV-powered Hisense TV or nearby Nest Audio smart speakers. Whether this feature will be useful to you depends on if you already have Alexa/Echo-compatible devices in your home.
There are even cheaper Fire TV Stick options, too
If you want to sideload apps, make sure you avoid Vega OS-powered Fire TV Sticks
You don't need to go all in and buy the Fire TV Stick 4K Max, especially if you're just trying to modernize an older TV that's starting to show its age. Amazon offers several other cheaper Fire TV Sticks, including the $50 Fire TV Stick 4K (it's often on sale for between $34-$35), as well as its streaming sticks that have switched to Vega OS, including the $35 Fire TV Stick HD and the $50 Fire TV Stick Select. While the switch to Vega OS has been controversial, it's actually a decent, surprisingly snappy operating system, especially now that more third-party streaming apps are available.
That said, if you're interested in sideloading Android apps on your Fire TV Stick, you can't do so with Vega OS. While Amazon has repeatedly said that it released Vega OS to offer a lightweight alternative to its Android-powered Fire OS, the shift probably has more to do with how easy it is to install piracy-focused apps on the former operating system. It's likely that, as Amazon continues to refresh its various streaming sticks with new hardware, we'll see Vega OS slowly eclipse Fire OS, though that will take several years.
With that in mind, if you're interested in taking advantage of the Fire TV Stick's more open nature, you'll definitely want to pick one that supports Fire OS. In my case, since my Hisense TV is already powered by Google TV, I can sideload apps on my television with ease, though I'd rather use my Fire TV Stick 4K Max for that since it allows me to avoid my televisions other issue. But if you own a webOS LG TV or a Tizen Samsung TV, you'll likely want to take advantage of this. For example, I installed Wolf Launcher on my Fire TV Stick 4K Max. It's a solid-looking, clean menu that removes all of Amazon's annoying ads.
If you're looking for a cheap way to avoid your TV's less-than-stellar OS, a Fire TV Stick gets the job done
Do I wish Fire OS featured far fewer ads? For sure. Could its remote feel at least a bit higher quality? Definitely. But for the price, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max is one of the best ways to get rid of your smart TV's laggy operating system, replacing it with a snappy user interface powered by a snappy, capable streaming stick.
