Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote (includes TV controls), HD streaming device.
Positive Reviews
Positive Review – 1
Fire TV Stick 3rd Gen with 3rd Gen Alexa Voice Remote
This 3rd Generation FireTV Stick now comes with the 3rd Generation Alexa Voice Remote, allowing for more control over your applications and TV experience. This new Alexa Voice Remote 3rd Generation was recently released, and I have reviewed it already as I have been using it with my FireTV Cube.
Currently, it appears as though this FireTV Stick 3rd Gen is the only device that ships with this new remote, as the FireTV Stick Lite, FireTV Stick 4K, and FireTV Cube all are currently shipping with older remotes.
PROS:
SPEED- This is the biggest upgrade if in my opinion if you are coming from a 2nd generation device. The specs mention that this 3rd generation is “50% more powerful,” and you can definitely tell the difference in navigating menus and loading applications. This is probably the biggest reason to upgrade from Gen 2.
DOLBY ATMOS – This might not be a big deal for many people, but support for the Dolby Atmos specification is nice for audiophiles with home speaker systems that can make use of it.
REMOTE – As I mentioned in my review of this new remote, the main additions are the “Channel Guide” button, which brings up the menu to watch live TV if you have that setup; and the four App Buttons- for quickly launching Prime Video, Netflix, Disney Plus, and Hulu. The remote also allows control of your TV through power and volume buttons that are not available in the FireTV Stick Lite.
CONS:
NO 4K- This version does not support 4K video streaming, and I wouldn’t imagine that it will be supported in the future either, because there is a FireTV Stick 4K product that exists if you want that feature. That FireTV Stick 4K is still shipping with the older 2nd generation Alexa Voice Remote currently though, (the one with a TV power button but no app buttons or channel guide button), so that’s kind of disappointing.
All in all, this to me is worth the upgrade from an older FireTV Stick, mainly because of the speed difference but also the newer remote is nice to have. If 4K matters to you, you might want to wait and grab the FireTV Stick 4K version when they eventually start shipping it with the new Gen 3 remote. The Lite version doesn’t really seem like it would be worth it in most situations because for only $10 less you lose Atmos support and all of the TV controls (power, volume, channel guide, app buttons, etc)
Positive Review – 2
ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! AMAZON HAS DONE IT AGAIN!!
READ WAY BELOW! AMAZON FIRESTICK 3RD GEN BEATS OUT NVIDIA SHIELD, CHROMECAST 3RD GEN AND ROKU****
I REALLY LOVE THIS NEW DEVICE! IT IS FAST, I CAN STREAM MY OWN MOVIE APPS (CARTOON HD, TYPHOON, SYNCLAIR, FILM PLUS, NOVA, KODI, CINEMA HD) AMAZINGLY FAST!
Netflix and prime are super fast also!!! I AM GOING TO ORDER 4 MORE!! AMAZON FIRESTICK BEATS OUT APPLE TV AND CHROMECAST GOOGLE TV!!!!
4 days of heavy usage (horror movie marathon) and no rebooting, and the firestick has yet to lag or become slow. I switched from wireless to Ethernet and the same thing: no issues at all. Absolutely a fantastic device!!!
posting a weekly update.
This device is even more amazing than I first noted. I have yet to experience any slowness or lag. I use it for approximately 3 to 6 hours a day, sometimes over 6 hours. I use it for the Live tv option, and of course for YouTube, and audible, I am definitely not seeing any lag it is very speedy. With my 4k, at least once a week I had to unplug and plug it back in. NOT THIS 3RD GEN!! YOU WILL NOT REGRET THIS PURCHASE!
A bit of advice on two things:
First, the 4k firestick, while amazing as it is, is running Android 7.1, which can explain the lag between apps.
The 3rd gen runs Android 9.0, which explains the speed increase and better memory management, not to mention more security (Firesticks are super secure, just my opinion on Android from a full-time Android user). Hence, it is a better idea to get the 3rd gen.
Second, I change frequently from WiFi to Ethernet, to continue testing lagging and I have still experienced absolutely no lag. Ethernet connects at 150 Mbps, will not go higher, whereas WiFi is 540 Mbps which tells me the Firesticks are made for WiFi, which makes sense however I love the Ethernet option because I have a cable available.
All I can say is, the Firestick out beats every streaming device out there (except maybe the Nvidia shield) with reliability, speed, ease of use, connectivity. YOU ABSOLUTELY WILL NOT REGRET YOUR PURCHASE!!!!
I started experiencing lagging issues, and had to unplug and restart the Firestick, the first time in 30 days! Was hoping to make it to 45 days but 30 days, with 5 to 7 hours a day of use is pretty amazing!!
I made an error earlier on Ethernet speed with Amazon’s Ethernet adapter. The Ethernet adapter from Amazon clocks at 150 Mbps, so I bought Cable Matters Micro USB to Ethernet Adapter and .. WOW! I connect at 349 down and almost 40 up!! I have absolutely no internet lag, on or off wifi but I always prefer Ethernet when I can use it.
I managed to download and install a total of 12 applications via file link, and I still have 1.99 GB of space available. This firestick continues to amaze me!!!
Firestick once again beats out Roku, Google Chromecast Android tv, apple tv, except the Nvidia shield. You will not regret this purchase!
I decided to purchase a Nvidia shield pro so that I could compare and because I got a lot of messages stating it is the best on the market.
It was an amazing setup, the device is powerful and snappy. I compared it with the 3rd gen stick and the only three differences I noticed was the following:
More memory; shield has 3GB vs 3rd gen having 2GB
Space; shield has 12GB, can be expanded to 1TB. Firestick has 8, expandable to 512GB.
Screen; 4k is absolutely amazing. 3rd gen has 1080.
Compared with the 4k firestick, the screen is the same.
Speed is the same between shield and firesticks, and navigation is as silky smooth HOWEVER, I am noticing via Hulu, Netflix, and Disney plus on the shield, the voice was not matching up to the characters when watching movies and shows. No matter what I did: uninstall, reinstall all three apps, shut down and restarted numerous times. It is really annoying and does defeat the entirety of the device as a streaming device.
Price; Nvidia shield is $199, 2019 model with Android 9, April security…Chromecast Android tv is Android 10 with may security patch..at $49.99, 2020 model…. 3rd gen is $39.99, and prime day you can probably get it for $24.99..for a 2021 model. I will not rate Roku because you cannot sideload apps, and it is limited like apple streaming.
Winner?
AMAZON!!! AMAZON IS THE ABSOLUTE WINNER!
For the price, security patches, navigation, side installing apps, ease of use… COME ON, FOLKS! I DEBUNKED THE NVIDIA SHIELD MYTH!! I also am returning the shield because I cannot keep something that cannot handle streaming.
Positive Review – 3
Loving it so far
I gave up cable for obvious reasons. Skyrocket high cost for commercial TV, infomercials, and reality shows. All the good programming is now available on streaming. Once I finally cut the cable cord, my TV just sat there unused while I watched everything on my computer which is not always comfortable. So, I got this for when I’m in bed and am glad I did. This is my first experience and only had it for a week now and happy with it. The only gripe so far is that Peacock doesn’t have an app and absolutely can’t be seen by this device, despite the claims on the web. I’ve seen the other reviews where they post complaints and all that I can say is it works for me.
Positive Review – 4
After two dead Roku’s the Amazon Fire Stick works great!
I was desperate to find something to replace the 2 Roku’s that died. Even though the reviews for the Amazon Fire Stick were mixed I took a chance and bought one. I did not have a remote to my TV so I had to order a universal remote, set it up then I could set up the Fire Stick.
Installation was a breeze. Just follow the directions on the tv screen and be patient while it downloads new software updates. I have an older TV, not a smart TV so I had to follow the directions instead of letting the TV set it up.
After the installation was complete you get a screen with a HUGE amount of apps to add to your Home Screen. The Firestick is very easy to maneuver and everything is pretty self-explanatory. You do have to have an Amazon Prime account to log in before you can set up the channels but once again it’s very self-explanatory.
As I said before I had one older ROKU and one brand new ROKU and neither of them worked on the TV. The older one worked for a while then it stopped working. The new one worked for a day or two then died.
I can’t say for sure that the Fire Stick will work flawlessly with your TV but I am very satisfied. If I had one thing negative to say it would be regarding the remote. It’s VERY SMALL and you could misplace it very easily. But if this is the only thing to gripe about I’m extremely happy…
Positive Review – 5
Awesome Device!!
This Fire Stick is awesome! I’m a senior on a tight budget. I recently moved and hauled with me my two big-screen TVs that have been sitting for over a year because I could not find a reasonably priced cable service for the amount of TV I watch. Yet I’ve missed watching TV, and window antennas are no help in the rural area I live in. I get aggravated when I have to watch a movie on my laptop or tablet while there are two TVs sitting there. Then I found the Fire Stick on Amazon by accident and wonder why I didn’t know about it before. I never knew there was a device so cheap and easy to use with everything I need. I have a DSL connection and programs streams perfectly. I love the simple remote with just the necessary control features in a nutshell. The platform’s interface is pretty streamlined and easy to navigate, even with so many selections. Definitely an item you’ll get your money’s worth out of. I can’t imagine not liking this Stick. I would definitely buy another or three!
Negative Reviews
Negative Review – 1
After Years of FireTV, I am switching to Roku.
After the update I hate the interface for the following reasons;
1) It mixes content from 100 different subscriptions services. So I see content that is on Hulu or HBO even if I am not subscribed to them. It’s actually hard to find things that are just available on Prime for free now.
2) The IMDB video is annoying. I don’t want to watch ads but Amazon wants me to watch ads. So IMDB video is filling up my feed when I’m not interested in it.
3) Amazon moved quite a few things out of Prime Video which was free and stuck it into IMDB so I have to watch ads. This made the Amazon Prime subscription less valuable.
4) Amazon recently start rejecting non-fiction content from independent content creators. Hell, I can’t count how many bigfoot, UFO, fitness videos, and independent documentaries I watched on Prime. Now they took a good deal of this and moved it out of free for Prime and they aren’t letting people submit any new non-fiction content now.
5) I got Roku yesterday and the picture quality is actually better.
6) The Prime Video app on Roku is actually more navigable and easier to find Free for Prime content that the FireTV ecosystem.
Negative Review – 2
FireTV stick remote issue.
Am upgrading to the latest FireTv stick and hopefully it won’t nag me to death about not being able to detect my remote like my current one is doing yes it has new batteries and it still does it which started after the last update, A VERY ANNOYING FEATURE BTW, or is it a clever way to force people to upgrade? hmm, I wonder…Had to switch to the app, won’t quit nagging me about not being able to detect my remote.
Negative Review – 3
Not good for streaming TV
This fire tv stick is horrible when it comes to streaming, it constantly goes out constantly buffering, I can’t enjoy steaming my cable channels, apparently, it’s mainly designed just to watch your Amazon prime shows. I literally tried everything from restarting to uninstalling to reinstalling the app, clearing data, clearing the cache and it still doesn’t let me steam, it only works for Amazon prime shows. What a waste of money.
Negative Review – 4
Requires TV remote to Start.
The Fire Stick is not like the old one and has some quirks. I listen to music day and night, so it will bring up a message asking if I want to continue. The volume requires that I return to the TV remote for volume control. When I contacted Customer Service for the remote control the Service people tried to force me into a 2 or 3-year service contract on all of my technology equipment at very high rates and then reduced their rates. They asked what was the lowest I could pay when I told them US$7 the line went blank. These are the same people who used two firms to draft $299.99nfrom two different banks on the same day. It took 6 weeks to get the money from one bank, from which I have closed all services and insurance. They still owe me $299.99 and closed all web interfaces via major service engines. When the State AG contacted them, they claimed to have no client by my service number. But when I call, they call me by my name. Originally, Amazon Customer Service gave me the number to call regarding the installation of my first Fire Stick. A week later, they replaced my original First stick with another. I then replaced the second one with a third upgraded model. The second stick was better than the third upgraded model. I am still out of $300, cannot get proper service on my Fire Stick even though it is the upgraded model.
Negative Review – 5
Well over a Year-long problem UNRESOLVED.
I bought a new Fire-Stick – replacing an old one. At first, it seemed great – but I was using my original TV remote to turn it on and off. When I used the ON/OFF button on the Fire-Stick remote the system put itself to sleep EVERY 5 MINUTES!!! 1 hour of trying to fix it myself – and an hour with a very nice gentleman from India – it was unresolved.
I looked online and saw a bunch of posts dating back to Jan/Feb 2020 with people having the exact same problem & Amazon saying their technicians were working on it.
The thing to remember is that if I use my old TV Remote to turn it on – it stays on. Old school works better than the new. The Fire-stick remote seems to work fine on everything else.
I love Amazon, but I don’t love the 2 hours I’ve donated to trying to resolve a problem that a brand new product is having with this SLEEP issue for some 18-months.
