Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max review: A powerful, affordable streamer that's also an amazing game console

The mouthful that is the Fire TV Stick 4K Max has been Amazon's flagship streaming device for several years, the latest version dating all the way back to 2023. So why review it now? Simple: Amazon just rolled out the first major Fire TV interface update in what seems like forever, with Alexa+ now in the mix for a more AI-forward experience.

Meanwhile, I feel like many streaming-stick shoppers are sleeping on the Max's surprisingly robust gaming features, which extend far beyond what's available on Google or Roku streamers. It's basically a game console without the console, supporting not only Amazon's own Luna service, but also GeForce Now and Xbox Game Pass. For anyone who's into videogames (and has the necessary subscriptions) , that adds substantial value.

Those updates and capabilities combine to make this a very tempting upgrade. But do Amazon's interface improvements go far enough? Is Alexa+ a useful TV companion? And how do the less-expensive Fire TV Stick models compare? Here's my Fire TV Stick 4K Max review.

What is the Fire TV Stick 4K Max?

For the uninitiated, this little gizmo serves up a wide assortment of streaming apps — Netflix , Hulu, Amazon's own Prime Video and so on — within Amazon's Fire TV ecosystem. Why buy such a thing if your TV already has such apps built in? If it's on the older side, its interface might be slow or limited — or maybe you just don't like the particular flavor of interface that Samsung, Vizio, LG, Roku or other smart TV vendor forced onto the screen.

This gives you a faster, more versatile alternative, with the added benefits of a smart voice-assistant (Alexa+) and the aforementioned game options. Something like this can really inject new life into an older TV .

Is the Fire TV Stick 4K Max easy to set up?

This is a very easy device to install; Amazon supplies a small but nicely detailed quick-start guide, including a QR code to scan for more help. In a nutshell, the stick plugs into one of your TV's available HDMI ports and into an AC outlet using the included cord and adapter. Amazon also supplies a short HDMI-extender cable in case your TV has recessed ports and the stick is too large to fit (which was the case with mine).

From there it's just a matter of putting the included batteries into the remote. Assuming you already have an Amazon account (which you do if bought this from Amazon and not a third party), all you need is the Fire TV app on your phone. With that in place, you scan an onscreen QR code, then follow the prompts within the app. It'll configure network settings, register your account and so on.

One final setup note: The 4K Max supports Wi-Fi 6E, allowing for the faster and more reliable streaming than devices running Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 5 or older. But to take full advantage of that you need a router (something like Amazon's own Eero Pro 6E ) that also supports it. Mine tops out at Wi-Fi 5, but in my tests, the 4K Max worked quickly and without a hiccup. In other words, 6E falls under "nice to have," but it's hardly essential.

Is the Fire TV Stick 4K Max easy to use?

I've never liked the Fire TV user interface, which I found aggressively unintuitive — a mishmash of icons, apps and movie/TV tiles, all jammed together and bereft of any logical organization.

The updated version, which is available now on the 4K Max and will roll out to other Fire TV devices in the months to come, brings some notable improvements — but still needs work.

Navigation is much better: There's now a categorical top menu for things like Movies, TV Shows, Live and Sports, plus a fly-out side menu for Games, Art & Photos, Appstore and My Stuff. This arrangement makes for a much cleaner UI overall, though I'm not sure why these two menus couldn't have been combined into one. In fact, there's a Movies and TV entry at the top of the side menu, which is odd. Clicking it just takes you back to the Home screen.

Speaking of which, when you go looking for apps and channels — Netflix, Disney+, etc. — you'll find them in a narrow, side-scrolling row — a cumbersome way to find what you want. And there's no obvious way to add, move, or remove icons. (As an experiment, I asked Alexa+ for guidance; she informed me that I should highlight an entry and then press the Menu button to see a list of options. Nope: doing that simply brings up the side menu.)

Turns out you press and hold the Select button to bring up an options menu — something I figured out only via experimentation. Nothing else worked, including a visit to the Appstore. Bottom line: app management remains a frustrating experience in the Fire TV OS. (Another function I wasn't aware of, because it wasn't explained anywhere: If you press and hold the Home button, a "shortcut panel" appears for quick access to things like audio, screen mirroring and various smart-home features, like security cameras.)

Fortunately, you can use voice commands — by way of Alexa+, natch — to work around some of the clunkier areas of the interface, like installing and running apps. To invoke her, you'll need to push a button on the Alexa Voice Remote Enhanced. I'm not sure what's "enhanced" about it, though, given that it runs on non-rechargeable AAA batteries, isn't backlit and doesn't support hands-free Alexa. The layout is a little crowded, too, though I do appreciate the four app quick-launch buttons.

What are some key Fire TV Stick 4K Max features?

The 4K Max packs some impressive hardware specs, including Dolby Atmos and Vision, 16GB of storage and the fastest processor in the Fire TV Stick lineup. The interface is fast and responsive, with silky-smooth navigation and apps that load quickly. That aspect of the user experience, at least, is very good.

In addition to everyday streaming, the 4K Max offers several features not found in competing products. Here are the highlights.

Alexa+

Alexa is no stranger to Fire TV Sticks, but Alexa+ promises a smarter, more capable TV assistant. Unfortunately, while you can now get much more specific in your movie-recommendation requests ("I'm looking for a good cry," for example, or "Show me underrated movies from 2022"), the results aren't always great.

Indeed, when I asked for underrated movies, Alexa turned up Top Gun: Maverick , The Batman and Everything Everywhere All at Once — not exactly low-profile indies. And my request for "Steven Spielberg-style movies not directed by Steven Spielberg" resulted in the decidedly non-Spielberg-ian The Terminator and The Shining .

However, she's still good at performing tasks, like showing the video feed from a doorbell camera or adjusting any smart-home lights or accessories you might have. And I particularly enjoyed asking Alexa for AI-generated screensavers, which you can do as part of the Ambient Experience (see below).

Ambient Experience

The 4K Max is currently the only Fire TV streamer that supports Ambient Experience, which is basically a fancy screensaver with lots of choices: animations, impressionist paintings, personal photos and so on. It can also overlay a clock, weather bug and various widgets.

And with Alexa+, you can take advantage of AI Art: Ask for just about any image you can think of and it'll generate it as a screensaver for you. However, the results aren't always accurate — I asked for a space battle between two starships, for example, and it gave me the ships but no battle — and this feature is apparently free only for a limited time.

Gaming

A game console without the console? The 4K Max supports cloud gaming, meaning you don't actually need an Xbox or the like. (You do, however, need fast internet and a fast router for an optimal experience.) This is pretty amazing, and in my limited testing, it worked extremely well.

For starters, the Amazon Appstore is home to games like Tetris , Trivia Crack , Jackbox Party Packs and lots more. Many of these are free; some (like the Jackbox stuff) are available for purchase. Then there's Amazon's Luna cloud gaming service , which includes access to around 50 games — including some high-profile titles — as part of your Amazon Prime subscription.

At this writing, for example, I could drop into Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris , LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean and the top-rated Indiana Jones and the Great Circle . I played them using Amazon's Luna Controller , but you can also pair an Xbox, PlayStation or Nintendo Switch controller if you already have one. There are also various casual "couch" games you can play with friends using just your phones.

The 4K Max also works with Xbox Game Pass Unlimited — again, no extra hardware required except for a controller — and GeForce Now, which links you to services like Epic Games and Steam. I don't have a Game Pass subscription, so I wasn't able to test that, but I did jump into Doom (which I own on Steam) via GeForce Now and it played very smoothly. (Note that GeForce Now can have long wait times unless you pay for priority access.)

Built-in VPN support

Like all Fire TV products, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max offers integrated support for popular VPN services via its Appstore . For those of you interested in viewing a wider array of options on streaming services like Netflix, that makes it a much more plug-and-play option than the Roku platform , which still doesn't offer VPNs in its app marketplace.

What don't we like about the Fire TV Stick 4K Max?

In addition to the handful of issues I identified above, I do have a few complaints with the streamer. For starters, I encountered a few actual bugs during testing. At one point the Settings page flat-out refused to load, instead leading me to a black screen. Later, the same thing happened with the Recents screen. Early on, the Luna gaming app failed after an update; it wouldn't load, and then wouldn't reinstall after I deleted it. I literally had to factory-reset the Fire TV Stick to get it working.

I find it irksome that if you open Amazon's own Prime Video app, you get a slightly modified version of the Fire TV interface. For novice users in particular, I could see getting confused in here: "What happened to Netflix? Where are the games?" Amazon could do a better job integrating Prime Video content into the OS.

Finally, too many ads: They're in the top carousel, the "Amazon collection" default screensaver and now in Prime Video content as well . To be fair, ads are part of the reason Amazon can sell Fire Sticks at such low prices. But I really hate seeing them, especially on the home screen.

Which Fire TV Stick should you buy?

The 4K Max is one of five streamers in the Fire TV lineup , which is kind of ludicrous. On the top end, the Fire TV Cube adds an Ethernet port and hands-free Alexa, but it's much pricier: a hefty $140.

Then you've got the HD ($34.99), Select ($39.99) and 4K Plus ($49.99), each with slightly decreasing feature sets.

I think it's worth paying a little extra for the 4K Max, which nets you speed, extra storage, faster Wi-Fi and Ambient Experience. And it gets discounted to $40 at least once a month, making for a mighty affordable streaming upgrade.

If you want to save $10, choose the Plus — but I wouldn't bother with the HD or Select. They're slower, more limited and only a few bucks cheaper.

And just viewing it in a vacuum, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max is a powerful, versatile streaming device. It's fast and reasonably easy to use, with some pretty remarkable gaming capabilities baked in. The ads are annoying, sure, but the price is hard to beat. I don't think there's another streamer that delivers so much horsepower for such a relatively small investment.

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