The invention of streaming devices changed the way how users access online content from the entertainment industry. There are so many streaming products available to stream contents online. Of those, Amazon offers two products namely Fire stick and Fire TV. Notably, there are so many who question whether Firestick and Fire TV are the same or different devices. If you are looking for the very best answer, then this page would help you out. At the end of this article, you will be able to clearly find the differences of Fire TV Vs Fire stick that is existing between the Amazon Firestick and Fire TV.
What is Fire TV?
Initially, Amazon came up with the Amazon Fire TV, a set-top box, with support for Dolby Digital Plus and 7.1 surround sound in 2014 to outpace its competitors Apple and Roku. Then came the second generation of Fire TV in 2015 with few advancements like 4K Ultra High Definition support, improved performance with hardware changes. The third generation Fire TVs hit the market on September 27, 2017, with a series of Amazon products. In October 2018, the company decided to discontinue Amazon Fire TV in favor of Firestick.
Tip-off !!
Streaming without a VPN exposes your IP address, making you vulnerable to privacy breaches and hacker attacks. Without encryption, your online activities are more susceptible to monitoring by ISPs, snoopers, and the government. Lastly, accessing geo-restricted content may be impossible without a VPN, limiting your entertainment options. Hence, it is recommended to use a VPN.
Of all the available VPNs, I recommend NordVPN if you ever want to watch the desired movies, TV shows, or sports events on your Firestick without risking your privacy. NordVPN is the fastest and best VPN service provider with global coverage. You can now avail yourself of the New Year's deal of 67% off + 3 Months Extra of NordVPN to stay anonymous.
With NordVPN on Firestick, your internet traffic gets encrypted, so your IP and identity stay anonymous. You can stream the desired content while staying away from the government and other online intruders.
What is Firestick?
The Fire Stick came to the market as soon as the Fire TVs were made available in 2014. The Firestick is a small device with an HDMI-port plug-in feature, with most of the functionalities of a larger Fire TV. The second-generation fire TV stick came in 2016 with Alexa Voice Remote. Then came the third generation Firestick or the Fire TV 3 in 2018 with 4K support and an all-new Alexa Voice Remote. If you face any difficulties while pairing your remote with Fire TV see how To Pair Firestick Remote.
Fire TV Vs Fire Stick
Firestick and Fire TV are two both different digital media players with different features. Fire TV looks more or less similar to that of a set top box while the Firestick looks like a USB flash drive with the HDMI plug-in stick attached to it. However, both the Fire TV and the Fire Stick needs to be plugged into the HDMI port of your HDTV. With both the devices, you can easily watch your favorite movies, tv shows, web-series, and more. With the Amazon account signed in, you can download and install apps on Firestick, of different genres with ease.
The biggest difference that exists between both the Firestick and Fire TV devices is the price. Apart from this, both the Firestick models will have noticeable technical differences. If you want to know which one to buy, then it is important to know more about them in detail. From the below section, you will get the differences that exist between Firestick and Fire TV including different factors like price, performance, storage, resolution, and more.
Related: Learn How To Update Firestick
1. Size & Design
Fire TV:
- Fire TV is Amazon’s digital media streaming device that looks similar to a set top box in the square shape and weighs about three ounces.
- With the latest launch, you will get the support for the 4K Ultra HD streaming and thus you will get an unlimited streaming experience.
- You will get Fire TV streaming device, Alexa voice remote, USB cable, power adapter, two AAA batteries, along with the product guide and quick start guide within the box.
- It has an improved processor performance and the Amazon Alexa remote support. Apart from Alexa support, you can even use it with Echo devices as well.
- You can just connect it to your HDTV’s HDMI port and put the power adapter on the power outlet.
Firestick:
- Amazon Firestick is also a streaming device that looks like an oversized USB flash drive and weighs about one ounce.
- Just like Fire TV, Firestick has the support for both Alexa and Echo devices.
- Inside the box, you will get Firestick device, Alexa remote, USB cable, HDMI extender, power adapter, two AAA batteries, quick start guide.
- Firestick has half the device storage than Fire TV device with a slow processor.
- When compared with Fire TV, Firestick will fit behind your HDTV in a fine way and doesn’t occupy any extra space unlike its big brother.
2. Processing Power
Fire TV:
- Performance is an important factor and Fire TV 3 with the 4k Ultra HD features the Quad-core ARM 1.5 GHz.
- It is the most powerful processor when compared with the Firestick.
- Fire TV features ARM Cortex A-7 clocks up to 1.5 GHz and has the 64-bit processor.
Firestick:
- The Firestick supports streaming in 4K Ultra HD and HDR streaming with the Quad-core 1.7GHz processor.
- As the size is smaller, Firestick processing power is little lower than the Fire TV.
- With the support of 32-bit processor, with the ARM Cortex A-7 clocks in the Firestick and it may reach a maximum of 1.3 GHz.
3. Storage & Memory
Fire TV:
- With Fire TV, you get 2GB of memory and has larger RAM than Firestick.
- It has 8GB of storage and is the same as that of the Firestick.
- Fire TV is the better option to stream as it has larger RAM and faster processor.
- No support for external storage through USB or MicroSD slot.
Firestick:
- Fire TV 3 features 1.5 GB of memory and is slightly small than Fire TV.
- It comes with the same 8GB of storage like Fire TV and thus the choice is yours.
- However, Firestick vs Fire TV speed is comparable, when it comes to the processing speed, as the Firestick lags behind Fire TV.
- No support for external storage through USB or MicroSD slot. Thus if you go for the Firestick you save 30 bucks.
4. Resolution
Fire TV:
- Fire TV has the support for the 4K resolution with HDR and thus you can watch the video stream in a much better way.
- You can easily stream 4k movies and video with the Fire TV
in the HDTV.
Firestick:
- With the latest Firestick device, you can stream 4K UHD and HDR content.
- Both the devices almost deliver nearly
same picture output without much difference.
5. Price
Fire TV:
- Due to higher memory, storage, and RAM, Fire TV is costlier than Firestick.
- It costs about $70 and thus you will be able to stream at higher resolution and with better performance.
- With more value for money, you will certainly get more advanced features as with Fire TV.
Firestick:
- Firestick is smaller in size and comfortable with nearly the same memory, storage, and processor as of the Fire TV Stick 4K.
- It costs about $40 and you save nearly $30 buying a firestick.
Fire TV Cube – The Alternative
Fire TV Cube is the better alternative as it is the mix of Fire TV 3 and Echo Dot. It uses the Quad-core ARM 4xCA53 processor with the 1.5 GHz. It has 2 GB RAM along with 16 GB storage. With higher storage than Firestick and Fire TV, the Fire TV Cube costs around $119.99 which is more than double the price of the Fire Stick. Go for Fire TV Cube if you wish to control your TV or the Firestick with your voice support. Else relax watching movie using a Fire TV 3 which will be a better option.
The Verdict
When it comes to Fire TV Vs Fire Stick, clearly, Fire TV seems to have an edge over Firestick as it hardware overtakes that of Firestick with improved speed and performance. Also, Amazon has announced that it had stopped making the Fire TVs. Thus Firestick is the future and we may expect Amazon to boast features on to it to face the competitors. Already with the latest launch Amazon Fire TV stick is loaded with features like 4K UHD, HDR, Dolby Vision and more. With the smaller size, Fire TV 3 is better as you can carry it and plug it with ease. If you are looking for
Hope this article cleared your doubts on Fire TV vs Fire stick. Is your question still not been answered? Just leave a comment below and we will revert to it.