I stopped using my Fire Stick and this $30 gadget ensures I’m never going back

I have slowly, but surely, transformed all of my TVs into smart TVs. This includes the TVs that already have smart TV functionality, but the one I’m most impressed with is my decade-old Samsung TV. It’s probably over a decade old at this point, but it’s running as well as ever, thanks to a streaming stick. While this TV was manufactured before the advent of smart TVs and streaming services being household names, that doesn’t mean it’s not up to the task.

I snagged an Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max to use on this TV, and it worked wonders. The downside was that my TV wasn’t able to take full advantage of the stick considering it’s just 1080p. That’s not a big deal, but it did mean my Amazon stick was overkill, and I could work with something less feature-rich. That’s where the Roku Streaming Stick came into play, and it ended up retiring my Amazon Fire TV Stick despite it being the weaker of the two. It certainly wasn’t my intention, but I don’t plan on going back to the Fire TV Stick any time soon, barring the purchase of another TV.

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Something I’ve realized after dabbling in the Roku, Apple, and Amazon ecosystems is that Amazon is my least favorite. There’s nothing that can compete with Apple on any level thanks to its lack of ads, but I don’t want to plug in an Apple TV 4K to my ancient TV. I also use the Apple TV in my living room, so I’m not going to buy a second one for the basement, either.

This left a streaming stick as my next best choice, and I initially went with the Fire TV Stick. I picked up the 4K Max since it was on sale, and it worked fine for what I asked of it. The major downside was the Amazon UI didn’t feel as intuitive as Roku’s, and I felt the ads were a bit overkill when compared to the Roku — although Roku is no saint, either. I use a Roku Ultra in my bedroom every night, so I’m very familiar with how everything works. The Fire TV Stick was my first introduction to the Amazon ecosystem, and I just never vibed with how it worked. I know it’s different for everybody, but I’m a much bigger fan of the way Roku looks and acts. Amazon’s UI never felt user-friendly to me, and Roku feels a lot more streamlined.

There are some other ways my Roku Streaming Stick comes ahead outside of looks, too. The big thing for me is not having to plug the stick itself into the wall. The new Roku Streaming Stick is powered directly by the TV, and in my basement, where I just have a pair of 2-prong outlets, so it’s not like I have a lot of versatility there. Luckily, I don’t have to clog up the outlets because the only thing that needs to be plugged in is the TV. This is the first generation of Roku sticks to provide that feature, and it’s a welcome one for me.

Aside from that, the apps I use are the same between the two. It comes down to personal preference, and for me, it’s the Roku Streaming Stick that is the winner. I’ll find a new home for my Fire TV Stick someday, but in the meantime, it’s going to collect dust unplugged in my basement.

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It’s interesting to look at all the streaming stick options available and think about the sheer number of companies that have skin in the game. It’s easy to just pick a name you recognize and go from there, because honestly, most of them perform the same. I do wonder how much of an issue it becomes for people who aren’t as informed, though.

Moving away from just the brands, and it still gets confusing if you look into just Roku. There’s the Streaming Stick, Streaming Stick Plus, and Streaming Stick 4K, and that’s if we’re ignoring the Roku Express line. For my use, the Streaming Stick works perfectly, but I don’t want somebody to buy it for their 4K TV and think it’s the best choice there. It’ll work, but that’s a situation where my dusty Fire TV Stick 4K Max would do the job better.

I’m already getting to a point where I have too many streaming sticks, and years from now, I might struggle to even know what I have since the sticks themselves don’t have the names on them. If I don’t keep the original box, I just have a stick that I have to plug into my TV to know what it is.

I believe I have a unique situation where the Roku Streaming Stick is perfect for my 1080p TV, a TV resolution that’s becoming rarer with each passing day. I assume many people would want to splurge and spend a few extra dollars to pick up a 4K stick where I could’ve saved money by knowing I didn’t need anything to go beyond 1080p. It’s futureproof in a sense where you can eventually upgrade your TV and reap the benefits of 4K without having to buy a new product. I don’t think I’ll have a 4K TV in my basement any time soon, so the Roku Streaming Stick will continue to work for me. I do wonder what the market is for a 1080p stick in 2025 as 4K TVs become the norm, but I’m glad that it exists to suit my niche needs.

As my Fire Stick sits there, it’s not going to undergo any sort of wear and tear from daily use, so in theory it should work as good as new for when I need it again. Hopefully 8K TVs aren’t widespread by then. For the time being, I’m going to do my best to stay informed about what’s in the pipeline and make my decisions from there. Unfortunately, not everybody stays on top of things like that, so hopefully they can find the streaming stick that’s right for them.

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