Fire TV Stick Vs. Fire TV Stick (4K)- Is Upgrade Worthy?

If you are planning to upgrade your Fire TV Stick with recently launched 3rd generation Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K then this guide is solely made for you.

As you already own a FireTVstick device then I don’t need to explain much about it but I must introduce with the popularity of Amazon Firestick. Out of 10 media streaming devices, 8 are Amazon Fire TV Stick.

For you: How to Jailbreak a Fire TV Stick 4K (Complete Guide)

Amazon entered into the digital media streaming devices into April 2014 and now it became the most demanding streaming device in various countries. The device is running on Fire OS (developed by Amazon) and getting regular updates to fix any existing bugs and improve the UI.

Also read- How To Setup Fire TV Stick for First Time (Step By Step)

Recently, Amazon launched a new version of Firestick which supporting 4K HDR and Dolby Atmos 7.1 surround audio. If you are confused- whether you should upgrade to Amazon Firestick 4K or not, then here I’m going to explain everything in detail.

Old Fire TV Stick Vs Fire TV Stick 4K

When we compare both the Firestick on the basis of size, shape, and weight then you can’t see any major differences. But, if we dig deeper then only we can see the difference. So, here in this comparison chart, I’m going to talk about every aspect of both the devices.

Let’s start…

1- Size and Shape (Visual)

When we look at the older Amazon Fire TV Stick and then on the latest Firestick 4K then there is no difference in their shape. However, if we look at the size then the newer Fire TV i.e Fire TV 4K has got bigger in size. Though, there are big changes done in Fire TV 4K remote. The latest Fire TV remote got four additional buttons-

• Power button (OFF/ON).
• Volume up button.
• Volume down button.
• Mute button.

It means, whether you want to increase or decrease the volume, you do not need your TV remote anymore. You can control the volume by your all-new Alexa remote for Fire TV Stick 4K. Also, you can mute the sound and power off your Firestick.

2- Features

Here is the place where you need to concentrate more…

Display:

As the name suggests: Fire TV Stick 4K is an ultra HD 2160p device which supports HDR protocols. More pixels mean, more picture clarity. Older Fire TV was supporting 1080p only. But, in order to watch 4K quality videos, your TV must have a 4K display.

If your TV resolution is 1080p only then there is no need to upgrade your Fire TV Stick. Because for this you need to get a new 4K TV.

Operating System:

All of Amazon’s streaming devices are running over the Fire OS. But, it supporting all the Android apps on your TV. Basically, Android OS is an open-source project and Amazon developers customize this for Firestick devices. The latest Fire TV Stick supporting Fire OS 6 (Android 7.1 Nougat) but older Fire TV Stick is running over Fire OS 5 ( Android 5.1 Lollipop).

If you want to try the latest version of Android OS then you can upgrade your device. Because many applications are not supporting Fire OS 5 because it still running on Android 5.1 (Lollipop) framework.

RAM:

RAM is the only responsible component which really matters in multitasking and speed. The older version of Firestick has only 1GB RAM while the 3rd generation of Firestick got 2GB of RAM. Here you can see some difference in speed. I’ve tested both the devices and the latest Fire TV Stick boot time is faster than earlier. Also, you’ll feel the smoother experience while operating the latest Fire TV Stick.

Processor:

There is another difference you can see in the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K. This device is running on Amlogic S905Z while older Fire TV Stick is running on Mediatek 8127D. This upgrade in Fire TV Stick 4K is really made the device smoother and faster.

Memory and Storage:

Here is the biggest difference you’ll see. The older Fire TV has no option to insert any storage device. Means, you’ll get 8GB of storage along with the device. However, the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K also has the same memory of 8GB but there is an option to upgrade it by inserting a micro USB into the device.

Audio and Sound:

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K and Fire TV Cube are supporting Dolby Atmos sound but there is no such feature available in 2nd generating of Fire TV Stick. Also, Fire TV Stick 4K is supporting HDR 10 protocols which providing outstanding sound quality along with video clarity.

Price:

There is little difference in the price of 3rd gen Fire TV Stick and 2nd gen Fire TV Stick. The older Fire TV Stick is costing around $39 while the latest Fire TV Stick 4K is costing around $69. If you are comfortable with the pricing then choose Fire TV 4K.

Final Words

I hope you’ve got enough idea to decide- whether you should upgrade the Fire TV Stick 4K or not. The latest Fire TV Stick 4K is loaded with some great features. If you are a first-time buyer then definitely go for 3rd generation Fire TV Stick but if you already having 2nd generating Fire TV Stick and your TV is not supporting 4K resolution then it’s not worthy to upgrade.

But, if you have 4K resolution TV then I definitely recommend you to go for Fire TV 4K with HDR support.

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