Amazon is saying goodbye to the Fire TV Stick 4K (in name only)

Summary

• Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4K is getting a new name to help differentiate it from the new Fire TV Stick 4K Select.
• Possible new names being speculated for it are the Fire TV Stick 4K Plus or 4K Pro.
• The Fire TV Stick 4K has 2GB of RAM, Wi-Fi 6, Dolby Atmos and Vision support, while the 4K Select only has 1GB of RAM, Wi-Fi 5, and lacks Dolby Vision and Atmos.

At its fall hardware event last week, Amazon introduced the Fire TV Stick 4K Select, the latest addition to its streaming stick lineup, which launches on October 15 for $40. However, based on the name of the Fire TV 4K Select, it’s somewhat confusing to tell if it’s actually an improvement over the existing Fire TV Stick 4K.

While the 4K Max remains the superior Fire TV Stick and the best choice for premium performance and features, the difference between the 4K Select and 4K is less obvious. By Amazon adding ‘Select’ to the name, it may give the impression that the 4K Select is superior to the Fire TV Stick 4K. However, that’s not the case, as the 4K actually features better hardware.

Amazon has created a naming conundrum for its Fire TV Stick lineup by introducing the Fire TV 4K Select, and it appears the company has already recognized this issue too. In a statement to The Verge, Amazon said it will be renaming the Fire TV Stick 4K “in the coming weeks” in order “to help customers differentiate” it from the 4K Select.

• Brand

  Amazon

  Operating System

  Vega OS

  RAM/storage

  1GB RAM/8GB storage

  Connectivity

  W-Fi 5

  Resolution

  4K, HDR10

  Ports

  HDMI

• 

  Brand

  Amazon

  Operating System

  Fire OS

  RAM/storage

  1GB RAM/8GB storage

  Connectivity

  Wi-Fi 6

  Resolution

  4K, Dolby Vision, HDR10

What will Amazon rename the Fire TV Stick 4K?

The Fire TV Stick 4K has more RAM and faster W-Fi than the 4K Select

With Amazon confirming it is going to introduce a new name for the Fire TV Stick 4K, the big question now is what the new name will be. There is some speculation that it could be the Fire TV Stick 4K Plus or 4K Pro (via AFTV News). Personally, I think the 4K Plus would make more sense, as it makes it clearer that it’s better than the 4K Select, but not as good as the 4K Max.

As for what the actual differences are between the 4K Select and 4K, it’s actually quite a long list. First and foremost, the Fire TV Stick 4K Select runs Amazon’s new Linux-based operating system called Vega OS, while the regular Fire TV Stick 4K runs Fire OS, the Android-based operating system Amazon has been using on its Fire TV lineup for well over a decade.

Amazon has been working on Vega OS for some time, and it appears that the 4K Select serves as a testing ground for it before Amazon releases other Fire TV Stick models with the same operating system. At its fall hardware event, Amazon said that it’s the “fastest streaming stick under $40.” In a press release, Amazon claims apps launch “remarkably fast” on the Fire TV Stick 4K Select, and that “the performance comes from our new operating system, Vega, which is responsive and highly efficient.”

…the hardware of the Fire TV Stick 4K Select isn’t much to brag about. It only has 1GB of RAM, Wi-Fi 5, and no support for Dolby Vision or Dolby Atmos.

However, while Vega OS may be a headlining feature, the hardware of the Fire TV Stick 4K Select isn’t much to brag about. It only has 1GB of RAM, Wi-Fi 5, and no support for Dolby Vision or Dolby Atmos. On the other hand, the Fire TV Stick 4K has 2GB of RAM, Wi-Fi 6, and support for Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.

The pricing situation here is also interesting. While the Fire TV Select is priced at $40 and the 4K at $50, the Fire TV Stick 4K is almost always on sale, and you can easily get it for 50 percent off, at $25. If you’re interested in getting the Fire TV Stick 4K Select, I would hold off. While it launches on October 15, with Black Friday around the corner, I would be surprised if Amazon didn’t heavily discount it shortly after launch. Otherwise, the 4K and 4K Max remain the better buy for the time being, and at the time of writing, both are already on sale ahead of Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days sales event.

I have no doubt that Amazon will release Vega OS versions of the Fire TV Stick 4K and 4K Max, but reportedly a lot of apps still need to be developed for Vega OS, and some apps may be streamed from the cloud for now (via Lowpass). It seems to me that the Fire TV Stick 4K Select is more of a testbed for Vega OS, and once it’s more developed, Amazon will launch new versions of the Fire TV Stick 4K and 4K Max. However, it may still be a while before that happens. In the meantime, Amazon said the new name for the Fire TV Stick 4K will be introduced “in the coming weeks,” so we’ll likely find out what it is shortly after the launch of the Fire TV Stick 4K Select.