- The Fire TV Stick 4K Select has lower specs, uncertain streamer support, and no Dolby Vision HDR or Dolby Audio
- The Fire TV Stick 4K has existing app support and Dolby Vision – and is on sale right now
- The Fire TV Stick 4K Max adds Dolby Atmos support and faster performance
Amazon has unveiled the Fire TV Stick 4K Select, the first of its devices to ship with Amazon’s Vega OS. So far it’s also the only one: the other new Fire TV launches are all using the previous, familiar OS.
The interface looks very similar, but where the previous operating system was based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) with an Amazon makeover, the new software is an all-new flavor of Linux. That’s good for Amazon, because it gives the firm complete control over the entire system, and apparently makes it more efficient to run. But is it good for you?
The short answer is: ummm…
The 4K Select’s list price of $39.99 / £49.99 is cheaper than the $49.99 / £59.99 of the regular Fire TV Stick 4K, though at the time of writing, you can get the pricier model for $24.99 at Amazon US and for £25.99 at Amazon UK, making the upgrade model a much better deal.
You can even get the most premium $59.99 / £69.99 Fire TV Stick 4K Max model for just $39.99 at Amazon US or for £39.99 at Amazon UK currently.
So before we even get into the specs, the existing models are definitely the better option if you’re thinking of buying right now. But if you want to know the actual listed differences between them, let’s get into those.
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select vs Fire TV Stick 4K and Max: what’s the difference?
The most important thing to know about the Fire TV Stick 4K Select is that it comes in below the existing 4K and 4K Max models. Amazon describes it as best for “essential 4K streaming”, with the existing 4K model delivering “cinematic 4K streaming” and the 4K Max “powerful 4K streaming”.
The first and I think most important difference is that the new Select has 4K with HDR10+ but it lacks both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. It can however pass Dolby-encoded audio through its HDMI port for your TV or soundbar to decode, if they support it.
The Fire TV Stick 4K has support for Dolby Vision HDR, but not for Dolby Atmos. The Fire TV Stick 4K Max adds support for Dolby Atmos on top of everything else.
The second big difference is that you can only run apps made to run on the Vega OS, and at launch, there will be some apps that aren’t available. However the key streamers are there: Amazon highlighted Prime Video, Disney+, Netflix, YouTube, HBO Max, Tubi, Pluto TV, Starz, Paramount+, and Peacock. It’s also showing support for Apple TV+ in its promo images.
Amazon Luna and Xbox cloud gaming services are promised to be support in the future, though possibly not at launch.
And while it won’t affect all users, the new Select doesn’t support sideloading: for apps it’s Amazon’s way or the highway. And that may be relevant to you if one of the apps you rely on hasn’t been remade for Vega yet: you can’t bring the Android version across.
The 4K Select lacks the picture-in-picture feature of the two other 4K models, and while Alexa+ is coming to it, we don’t know when – it’s listed as “coming soon”.
The Wi-Fi is different too. The Select has Wi-Fi 5, while the 4K has Wi-Fi 6 and the 4K Max has Wi-Fi 6E.
There’s also less RAM: 1GB in the Select to the 2GB in the Stick 4K. We can’t make a like-for-like comparison there, however, because it’s a different operating system and Amazon may well have optimized it to deliver the same speed with more modest memory.
I think if I were buying a Fire TV Stick right now I’d go for the 4K Max with its maximum set of features, and ability to sideload (and future versions may not have this).
The Fire TV Stick 4K Select – and the existing 4K and 4K Max – are on sale now from Amazon. The Select will be shipping from 15 October 2025, but is available to order now.
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