Fire TV Stick (3rd Gen) in the test: more speed and a new remote control

AMAZON FIRE TV STICK

April 14, 2021 at 12:52 pm

The Amazon Fire TV Stick will appear in a new edition in 2021. The fast 3rd generation is being expanded to include a new remote control. Is it worth buying? A test.

1. New processor ensures more speed
   

2. Design and workmanship
   

3. No other Fire TV model has a remote control like this
   

4. The Fire TV Stick 2021 has these disadvantages
   

5. Prices, availability and scope of delivery
   

6. Conclusion & alternatives

More than 100 million copies of his Fire TV Sticks hat Amazon sold worldwide. Thanks to the advertising campaign with Matthias Schweighöfer, the Streamig-Stick now even known to my mother. An honor that not many gadgets do.

With a recommended retail price of 39.99 dollars, the Fire TV Stick ranks at the lower end of the price range in the model range. in the Compared to the other Fire TV models but it currently offers a special feature: the remote control. More on that later.

Let’s take a look at the hardware first. Amazon is currently selling them more third generation of his Fire TV Stick and has completely redesigned the interior of this one. That was sorely necessary, as the last revision was from 2017.

New processor ensures more speed

Inside is now a new quad-core processor with 1.7 gigahertz, which should make the stick 50 percent more powerful than before. However, the processor is not brand new, Amazon does not officially confirm this, but according to our information it is the same processor that was released in 2018 Fire TV Stick 4K is used.

We could not measure a 50 percent increase in speed, but a clear improvement was noticeable in the Fire TV Stick’s test compared to its predecessor – especially when browsing through the offerings. The stick also starts faster and the loading time of popular apps has been significantly reduced:

Furthermore, Amazon is expanding the Fire TV Stick to include support for HDR and Dolby Atmos. But you will only notice something of this at home with the appropriate equipment.

With regard to the maximum resolution, it remains at Full HD. If you want to stream films and series in 4K, you still have to rely on the Fire TV Stick 4K.

The equipment with regard to the internal memory, which amounts to 8 gigabytes, has also remained unchanged. Amazon has improved the Bluetooth interface. The new Fire TV Stick now supports Bluetooth 5.0.

Design and workmanship

Nothing has changed in terms of dimensions and weight. The Fire TV Stick still fits easily in your trouser or jacket pocket, so it can be easily transported. Visually, the manufacturer does not move a millimeter from the design of the predecessor. This also applies to the quality of workmanship. The HDMI stick made of plastic impresses with its robust housing.

In addition to the HDMI connector, which can be extended using the supplied cable, the stick also has a microUSB connection. However, this serves exclusively as an interface for the power supply. The internal memory cannot be expanded so easily. So if you want to install a lot of apps and games, be warned. Playback of content via external storage media is also not provided for with the Fire TV Stick.

But with a trick you can still get one Connect the hard drive to the Fire TV Stick, and play your own pictures, videos and co. The Fire TV Stick, by the way, also via LAN connect to the Internet.

No other Fire TV model has a remote control like this

Initially, Amazon delivered the Fire TV Stick with the second generation of the Alexa voice remote control. The 3rd generation has been included with the streaming stick since March 2021. It has five additional buttons. These include buttons for calling directly Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ and Amazon Music as well as a button for Calling up the live TV view.

You can also use the remote control to activate the stick’s voice control. To send a voice command, you have to hold down the voice button on the remote control in response to an “Alexa” call, as he did for example Amazon Fire TV Cube is possible, your Fire TV Stick will not respond.

If you can do without the additional buttons, you should go for the cheaper one Fire TV Stick Lite to grab. This offers a remote control with fewer buttons, but is otherwise identical to the Fire TV Stick.

Photo gallery

The 15 Best Amazon Fire TV Stick Apps

The 15 Best Amazon Fire TV Stick Apps

If you have installed a certain Alexa skill, you can also use the voice remote control, for example, after the current TV program search. Do you use your Fire TV Stick in combination with one Online TV providerSo Alexa offers real added value.

Winding, starting and stopping a video are also part of Alexa’s skills on the Fire TV. Of course, as with the Amazon Echo loudspeaker, you can also order a taxi, call up the weather report or ask for news about your favorite Bundesliga club. Alexa then provides you with spoken word or illustrated information.

The Fire TV Stick 2021 has these disadvantages

Amazon has eliminated some major criticisms of its Fire TV Stick 2021, such as the mediocre performance. Furthermore, there is finally an official Sky Ticket app and the new one The user interface is much clearer. For the Installation of the Fire TV stick an Amazon account is still required. After all, you don’t have to have a Prime subscription.

Prices, availability and scope of delivery

The manufacturer calls for a price of 40 dollars for the streaming stick, which is supplied including a power supply unit, USB cable, HDMI extension and voice remote control. Also come monthly costs during use towards you, for example if you subscribe to a streaming service. The device is only available in black.

Tip: On Amazon Prime Day, the manufacturer often lowers the stick in price. It is therefore worthwhile to buy the stick on an action day.