Last Updated on 5 months by Amelia Johansson
Since many Streaming Devices are available out there that’s why choosing the right one is really difficult. If you are willing to buy a Fire TV device and looking for an answer is Firestick worth paying $50? Well! if that’s the case then you are at the right place because in today’s guide I am going to provide you with this answer.
Unlike others, I won’t judge this on my own but I will provide you with some of the things that I love about this streaming device as well as a few things that I don’t. Since I am using this device for a few years I have a great experience with this and believe me once you read this guide you will get your answer.
Although I would simply suggest you keep reading this article until the end so you don’t miss any helpful information. In case you miss then you might not be able to get the answer. Also, at the end of this article, I am also going to provide you with an explanation of if you should choose this device or not so stay with me until the end.
What is Amazon Fire Stick?
Before moving to the conclusion you first need to learn what this device is actually and how it works. It is because if you are new then you might not know about it but if you already know then you can skip this part and move further. Because this quick introduction is for those who are newbies and haven’t purchased this yet.
Ok, so Amazon Firestick is a streaming device that is used on a normal TV having an HDMI port to provide it with Smart TV features. That means using this device a user will be able to use Netflix, Hulu, and other streaming apps on their TV to enjoy their favourite shows and movies on a bigger screen.
This device runs FireOS which is based on Android which means there are thousands of apps available that works with Firestick. It comes with all sorts of paid and free applications that include YouTube TV, Prime Video, Pluto TV, Sky Go, Xfinity Stream, and several other apps.
However, it also features an Alexa-enabled voice assistant that is used to search for apps, Movies and support other commands. You can ask Alexa to open any app, rewind for a few seconds or fast forward, even though you can ask Alexa for the weather, etc. But the problem is these features are limited to some apps which means not all apps are supported by Alexa.
Check Amazon Firestick 4K Price
This is a short introduction to what is Amazon Fire Stick but if you want to learn more about it then you can check out this review guide: Amazon Fire Stick Complete Review
Is FireStick Worth It
Now after reading the above introduction I am sure you get an idea about what is a Fire TV Stick and why it is used. Although many people are confused over whether is Firestick worth it? Yes, Of course, it is worth buying because this is less expensive and one of the best streaming devices available out there.
However, there are various things that a user should know before purchasing this device and that’s why I am listing features that I like and I dislike about this device. When you read this whole review you will learn why I am considering it the best streaming device available.
If you are interested in Fire TV then you may also like the comparison between different streaming devices:
Reasons Why I Like Firestick
Coming to the first section which is why I like Firestick over different streaming services that are available out there. In this section, I am going to provide a quick review of a few things like pricing, compatibility of apps and games, performance, etc.
After reading this you will get an idea of what you are going to get with the Fire TV Stick and what things are useful. Then we will move toward the things that I didn’t like about this device.
Price
The first thing that I like about the Fire TV Stick is the price tag because the most featured and 4K supported stick only costs you around $50 which is quite amazing. As in this price range, I don’t think any other streaming device is available that provides such amazing features.
However, some people think that Chromecast is less expensive the Firestick and think it is good for them. But it is not what it looks like because Chromecast doesn’t have any sort of hardware. This is simply a device that is used to mirror the screen from a laptop, mobile, pc, and other devices.
Apps & Games Availability
The next thing that I like about this streaming stick is the availability of apps and games. Since it is an Android-based device that means thousands of free apps are available on the Amazon Store already. Unlike Roku, it doesn’t have a custom OS which lacks the availability of favourite apps and games.
However, months ago Amazon App Store lacks the most used app named YouTube and YouTube TV due for some reasons. In this way, it gets so much criticized and people were moving toward other streaming devices. But thankfully now it officially supports all Google products including YouTube TV too.
Another thing that I would like to add is here as the Fire TV Stick is also used to play some games like Flappy Bird, Temple Run, etc. Even though the feature that I loved the most is the sideloading of 3rd-party apps which most streaming devices don’t provide.
With the help of this, a user can simply download and install free apps from a different website outside Amazon Store. Using this a user will be able to get many apps to watch free Movies, TV Shows, Live TV, etc. Besides this, a user can also download and install the Kodi media player as well.
Advanced Remote Features
Let’s talk about the next thing that I love about the Firestick its advanced remote control. If you are using an old version of Fire TV then you might not get these features. It is because this advanced featured remote comes with the Firestick 4K and later devices like Fire Stick Lite and 3rd Generation.
So, this new remote now comes with Volume Control, Mute, and a Power button that was missing with older models. All of these keys are working fine and to use it a user just needs to enable HDMI-CEC on their TV. Other than this a dedicated Mic button is also available to provide you with the Alexa Voice command.
Alexa is improved a lot more than before and with the help of this, you can search for an app, ask Alexa to play your favourite movie or a TV Show and even ask for rewind and fast forward. Although to use the advanced features of Alexa you can integrate it with the Echo Dot to turn on, or off the TV, ask for the weather, and so on.
Compatibility With TVs
Since there are many streaming devices available out there it doesn’t mean that all of them are supported by each TV. But thanks to Amazon we are getting a Smart TV experience with every non-Smart TV. However, the best part is this device can also be used with the TVs having No HDMI port.
I have written a whole guide on how to use Firestick on a Non-Smart TV so make sure you check this out.
Performance
For past years Amazon is working hard to bring the new and latest technology to its Streaming Sticks. However, they now improved the performance, and the device works faster than before. The new Fire TV comes with 1.5GB of DDR4 RAM that is used for multitasking and an improved process.
Reasons Why I Didn’t like Firestick
So in the above section, we learned a few things that I really liked about this streaming stick. But now, here is the list of a few things that I didn’t like about the Fire TV Stick.
Make sure to read them to understand which things you are going to miss in this device. That’s why let’s not waste any further time and check out the reasons why I didn’t like Fire TV.
No Option for Ethernet Connection
Unlike Nvidia Shield and Google Chromecast, you are not going to get the port for Ethernet connection. In this way, you might face WiFi connection issues, poor Signals, and some other problems as well. However, Amazon is not cruel that’s why they are providing an optional Ethernet Adapter that you can buy to solve this problem.
In this way, I have listed some Ethernet adapters that are compatible with Fire TV: Best Ethernet Adapters for Firestick
User Interface of Fire TV Stick
The thing that not only I but most of the users hate is the poor user interface of this device. Since it was made by Amazon that’s why you will probably going to see too many advertisements for Amazon Prime Video. This could be a good option for those who are using its membership but not all of us are using this which makes it worst.
Conclusion
That’s it for today’s article as we learned some of the most important things on whether is Firestick worth it paying $50. I have compared the good and the bad side of this device which you can read to understand. So, if you have skipped any part of this article then don’t forget to go above and check out this article again.
Although if I talk about my opinion then I would say Fire Stick is worth the money because this helps us to stream from our favourite apps. It also comes with a feature to install 3rd-party apps that help us to watch free movies TV shows, Live TV, and some other entertainment.
Even though it supports some amazing applications like Kodi, Plex Media Server, YouTube TV, and so on. These are a few things that make it worthwhile while on the other hand things that I mentioned in the dislike section can be ignored. Or else you can follow the links provided there so you can find the solution to overcome these problems.
Also, if you are already using Fire TV then please don’t forget to share your experience here. Even though don’t forget to share your opinion on this article as if you agree with these things or not. I will be really glad to hear from you and will wait for your precious opinions and suggestions.
