Amazon’s latest Fire TV Stick 4K Select (compensated affiliate link) marks a shift in direction for the company’s streaming devices. This one runs on a completely new operating system called Vega OS, replacing the Android-based OS Fire TVs have used over the last decade. But at launch, it’s clear this is a minimally viable product, and early adopters will need to temper expectations.
Check it out in my latest video review.
As far as the product lineup goes, this device sits just above the 1080p stick and just below the full-featured Fire TV Stick 4K. For now, I’d say it’s worth paying a little extra for the latter if you want a smoother experience. The Select model still uses micro USB for power, has just one gigabyte of RAM, and supports Wi-Fi 5 instead of Wi-Fi 6. It also lacks support for Dolby Vision which is found on the other 4k sticks.
Once set up, the interface looks familiar if you’ve used a Fire TV before. Most of the big-name streaming apps are available, but not all of them are native to the device. Some, like the NFL Network, are cloud-hosted, meaning both the app and its content stream over the internet. It works, but performance can feel sluggish, even on a fast connection. Specialized apps for devices such as the Tablo or HDHomeRun aren’t available yet, and while Plex is present, it’s missing many of the features found on its Android-based counterparts.
App support overall feels limited. There are no games and no sideloading options. The experience is closer to a Roku, but with fewer apps to choose from. For basic streaming, though, Netflix, Disney+, and YouTube run well enough. The device supports basic HDR (but again not Dolby Vision), and Dolby Atmos audio works through compatible services.
Performance on YouTube was mostly solid with 4K HDR playback, though I had to manually force it into 4K60 mode. There were occasional frame drops, but nothing too disruptive.
One issue that stood out was the lack of proper 24p output for films and TV shows in all of the apps I tested. Even with the “match frame rate” option enabled, the device stayed locked at 60Hz, resulting in uneven motion that film buffs will notice.
Voice control works as expected, with Alexa handling searches and smart home commands reliably. The remote can also control basic TV and receiver functions, though support for other devices appears trimmed down compared to earlier models.
At this stage, the Fire TV Stick 4K Select and its new Vega OS feel like a work in progress. It handles core streaming tasks fine, but beyond that, the limitations add up. This isn’t the Fire TV experience power users have come to expect—it’s more locked down, less flexible, and missing key features found on cheaper models. Amazon’s long-term plan is clearly to transition its lineup to this new platform, but until app developers catch up, it’s going to feel like a step back.
For now, it works if all you need are the major streaming apps on an older TV. But as Amazon moves further away from Android, this early look suggests the future of Fire TV could be more controlled and less open than before.