Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select

Source

Austin Evans

Key Takeaways

• Home screen is an aggressive billboard choked with sponsored banners, autoplay trailers, and Prime promotions that cannot be disabled.
• Puny 8GB flash storage leaves barely 4.5GB usable after OS; fills up instantly with five apps and cached thumbnails, triggering low-space alerts.
• OS accumulates sluggish bloat over months of usage, causing menu navigation to stall and drop frames under normal multitasking.
• Employs an obsolete Micro-USB power cable instead of USB-C, refusing to boot reliably from standard low-wattage TV USB ports.

✅ Pros

• Bargain basement pricing during sales makes it great for old TVs
• Comprehensive support for Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and Dolby Atmos
• Convenient Alexa remote controls TV volume and power via infrared

❌ Cons

• Home launcher is a commercial billboard pushing unwanted promos
• Pitiful 8GB internal storage triggers constant cleanup warnings
• System responsiveness bogs down and stutters over time
• Relies on obsolete Micro-USB port for power delivery

📝 Verdict

"A dirt-cheap 4K streamer compromised by an ad-infested UI, anemic 8GB storage, and sluggish long-term performance."

Source

• Video: Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K 2025 "SELECT" REVIEW⁉️
• Channel: CFL-TECH | Type: Professional review | Based on: YouTube transcript

Key points

• Setup takes about 3–4 minutes, and it's smoother if you already have other Fire TV devices; it uses the familiar Fire TV UI, running Vega OS 1.1
• At US$40 it's positioned as entry-level 4K; it has only 1GB of memory, less than the Max (8GB more storage, 2GB of memory), which costs only US$20 more
• The program guide, Prime Video and Live channels run smoothly, but the remote's buttons are too "clicky," which he dislikes
• App support is currently limited, and the program guide didn't carry over after syncing, which lowers his score
• He rates it 6.5–6.8 out of 10 and suggests waiting for a Black Friday discount before buying

✅ Pros

• Works fine
• Familiar interface
• Quick setup

❌ Cons

• Limited app support
• Poor-feeling remote buttons
• List price on the high side

📝 Verdict

It works and gets the job done, but at US$40 the value isn't quite there; he suggests waiting for a price drop.

Source

• Video: Review: Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select (newest model), start streaming in 4K, AI-powered search
• Channel: Cord Cutters News | Type: Professional review | Based on: YouTube transcript

Key points

• He bought it with his own money to test; it's the first Fire TV that no longer runs Android, switching instead to Vega OS, Amazon's own Linux-based platform, while the interface looks almost the same as before
• The box includes the remote, batteries, an HDMI extender and a USB cable, so you don't need to buy accessories; scan a QR code to link your account, enter your Wi-Fi password, and you can start streaming within 5 minutes
• YouTube, the program guide and Prime Video all load quickly, and he's happy with the performance; the 4K Max performs noticeably better, but most people will barely notice the difference
• Mainstream apps such as Netflix, YouTube, Prime Video, Disney+, HBO Max and YouTube TV all work; a few niche apps aren't supported yet
• Since it's no longer Android, you can't sideload Android apps, which is a downside for people used to sideloading

✅ Pros

• Quick, simple setup
• All mainstream streaming apps work
• Smooth operation
• Complete set of accessories

❌ Cons

• Can't sideload Android apps
• Some niche apps not yet supported

📝 Verdict

It does what it says and runs reliably; he gives it two thumbs up and recommends it, and an entry-level 4K option also has more long-term value than buying only the HD version.