Amazon Fire TV Stick Review: Competition For Google ChromeCast!

If you’re in the market to purchase a smart TV, the Amazon Fire TV Stick can save you big bucks. You get a more-than-a-smart TV experience with Amazon Fire TV Stick.

Specs: 

1. CPU: MediaTek Quad-Core ARM 1.3 GHz processor.

2. 1080p maximum resolution, optional 4k

3. 1 GB RAM + 8 GB internal memory includes.

4. Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac

5. Bluetooth 4.1.

6. Voice Remote.

7. GPU: Mali450.

Accessories in the box: Amazon Fire TV Stick, Voice Remote, 2AAA batteries for remote, Power Adaptor, USB Cable, HDMI extender cable

Price: 70$

As much as a television set got older generations hooked to saas-bahu dramas, online video streaming is talk of the town among millenials and GenY. The way video content is being consumed in India is changing thanks to availability of streaming devices and content players’ confidence in the Indian consumer.

Amazon which is betting on Amazon Prime to drive India’s video consumption story has launched Amazon Fire TV Stick to take on the likes of Apple TV, Google Chromecast, and Amkette’s EvoTV series.

Performance:

The Amazon Fire TV Stick is a plug-and-play device that connects to your televison’s HDMI port. It is easy to set up — plug in to HDMI port; connect USB cord to power source; connect to WiFi. You can use Amazon account to log in and access content from as pre-loaded apps like Amazon Prime, Netflix, YouTube, HotStar, Eros Now, Gaana, Voot and Voot Kids.

While some apps are preloaded you would need to pay subscription to watch videos from Amazon Prime, Netflix, among others.

On the homescreen, shows, movies and videos are placed on a carousel, one below the other. Content can be scrolled through and played using the voice remote.

For example, you can scroll left or right to switch between apps, Prime TV content and movie titles. The Fire TV stick is higly responsive to key presses on the remote. There was no lag between scrolling through content or even skipping or repeating scenes while watching movies.

The remote lets you pause, play, fast forward and there is a home page button to bring get you to the homescreen. There is a voice button on top that lets you search for titles verbally — you can say names of TV shows, cast, movies, and relevant content is displayed. While the voice search worked accurately with Amazon Prime Video content, it was a hit-and-a-miss on YouTube.

Common voice search terms like a popular show didn’t fetch the desired results on YouTube. To avoid the trouble, stick to the trusted type method.

Why should you buy Amazon Fire TV Stick?

It’s nearest competitor — at least in terms of price — Google Chromecast 2 does pretty much the same job. Chromecast 2, however, relies on streaming content from you smartphone. The Fire TV stick runs independent of a smartphone.

However, almost every TV sold these days is equally capable of accessing Netflix, Amazon Video, BBC iPlayer and the many other streaming platforms, without the need for an external device. So, for any media streamer to be attractive today, let alone a lower-spec’ed dongle, it needs a differentiator: a feature that stands it apart. Something like, say, Alexa support.

That’s exactly what you get with the new version of the Amazon Fire TV Stick. It’s a media streaming device with the benefits of Alexa voice recognition and interactivity included for good measure. It is, in essence, an Amazon Echo for your telly. But is it any good?

As long as you have stable and speedy Internet connection you can enjoy content right from your television. Also, other Android TV boxes available in the market are chunk and if you opt for the pricier Apple TV you lose out on Amazon Prime Video content.

App availability on the Fire TV Stick is pretty decent — you get Netflix, Hotstar, Voot, Viu, Eros Now, and some live TV apps such as Zoom. Basically, enormous library of content at your fingertips.

If you’re in the market to purchase a smart TV, the Amazon Fire TV Stick can save you big bucks. You get a more-than-a-smart TV experience with Amazon Fire TV Stick.