Amazon shook up its Fire TV Stick lineup last month by announcing the new Vega OS-powered Fire TV Stick 4K, which replaces not just one Fire TV Stick but two.
With its launch, Amazon phased out both the Fire TV Stick 4K Select and 4K Plus, simplifying its lineup to just three models: the Fire TV Stick HD, Fire TV Stick 4K, and Fire TV Stick 4K Max.
While I like that Amazon has made its Fire TV Stick lineup less confusing, I'm more concerned about the direction the company is heading. By pushing Vega OS to the forefront and leaving Android-based Fire OS behind, Amazon risks taking away some of the freedom that has made its streaming sticks so appealing in the first place.
So, while the new lineup is certainly simpler, I'm more concerned about what comes next. Here's what's changing with Amazon's Fire TV Sticks, why I think its shift toward Vega OS could be a mistake, and what the company needs to do to get back on track.
Fire OS is on its way out for Fire Sticks
All future Fire Sticks will run Vega OS
At the end of 2025, Amazon announced Vega OS, its new Linux-based operating system, promising improved efficiency and performance. However, the biggest controversy surrounding Vega OS is that it doesn't support Android apps, sideloading, or custom launchers. Since Fire TV Sticks have run on Android-based Fire OS for over a decade, many Fire TV fans worried that Amazon…