For the longest time, I used a Fire TV Stick 4K Max as my primary streaming device. What originally drew me to it were a few key things. First, Fire TV Sticks are incredibly easy to use and set up, and they're reliable. Second, when I got the 4K Max, it had all the core features I wanted at the time, like support for Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and Wi-Fi 6E. And third, affordability, with the Fire TV Stick 4K Max often going on sale for as low as $40.
But recently, I started to realize that while I originally thought the Fire TV Stick 4K Max was all I needed to watch shows and movies, it isn't. Much of that comes down to its form factor and its streaming capabilities.
By nature, streaming sticks like the Fire TV Stick 4K Max are limited by their size. Since they're so compact, the hardware inside is usually not as powerful as it could be, and there's no room for extra ports. So if you want to hook up an external storage device, like an SSD, to watch your own media, you can't. And Fire TV Sticks don't include Ethernet natively either, so if you want a wired internet connection for more reliable performance and faster speeds, you have to spend extra money on an adapter.
Initially, when I got my Fire TV Stick 4K Max, none of those things really mattered to me. But over the past year or so, the way I watch shows and movies has changed dramatically, and after extensively trying out other devices, I've realized that while Fire TV Sticks are undeniably convenient, the compromises they entail may no longer be worth it.
Set-top streamers are the way to go
I've enjoyed my Roku Ultra a lot more than I thought I would
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