Amazon fire box vs stick – Which one is better?
Amazon makes amazing and popular streaming devices with plenty of features to boot. The Amazon fire box and stick have similar features, but they have some clear differences that separate them.
Amazon fire box is a smart video streamer that you can use as a voice-controlled universal remote for your entire system, while the Amazon fire stick uses the voice search functionality that you can use with all the apps it supports. These two Amazon fire TV streaming devices that offer the same programming and apps and also make your streaming much easier.
Table of Contents
What are the differences between the Amazon fire box and the stick?
Product |
Amazon fire box |
Amazon fire stick |
Processor |
Hexa-core processor |
Quad-core ARM 1.3 GHz processor |
Ports |
MicroUSB, HDMI, wired infrared support |
micro-USB for power and HDMI |
Picture resolution |
2160, 1080p, 720p up to 60fps |
720p and 1080p up to 60fps |
Storage |
16 GH internal |
8 GB internal |
Amazon fire box vs stick. How do they compare?
Design and size
One of the most noticeable differences between Amazon fire box and stick is their size and design. The amazon stick is a small black rectangle that measures 3.3 x 1.0 inches. The amazon fire box is a 3.4-inch square box. Both streaming devices require a constant connection to a wall power supply because your TV doesn’t have enough power from the USB port for the fire stick. They’re also very small devices that don’t require a lot of space. The amazon fire box is the only one that supports Ethernet connections so you need to buy an Ethernet adapter for the amazon stick.
The amazon fire stick is smaller than the fire box and it doesn’t occupy much space.
Remote controls
The amazon fire stick comes with a voice remote with buttons for play/pause, fast-forward, rewind, d-pad, home, confirm, back, and options. Both the fire box and fire stick have an amazon upgraded Alexa remote with the same Alexa features as the regular voice remote, but lack 4 important buttons that include power, mute, volume up, and volume down, however, for the fire box it’s built-in. This remote with automatically synch with your TV so you can use it for your entire TV system.
The amazon fire box comes with a built-in Alexa voice remote that allows you to control your entire TV system.
Alexa integration
Like all the Amazon gadgets in the market today, the Amazon fire box and stick are fully Alexa integrated. This means you can use your voice to do things like creating an impromptu playlist, check the weather, manage your shopping list, and research traffic conditions. The fire box handles the Alexa features in a better way because it’s a streaming device and also a fully integrated Alexa speaker. This means you don’t need to hold a button on your remote, you can just speak to it and give it commands. You can also use it to control your smart home gadgets from your lights, thermostat, and other smart devices. The fire stick can also do the same, but you have to first connect it to an Amazon Echo speaker.
The Amazon fire box is fully integrated with Alexa so you can use it as a streaming device and as an Alexa-enabled speaker where you just use your voice to give it commands and even control other smart devices.
Amazon fire box vs stick – A comparison review
Amazon fire box
- The fastest, most powerful Fire TV streaming device.
- From across the room, just ask Alexa to turn on the TV, dim the lights, and play your show.
The Amazon fire box is a TV streaming device that uses hands-free voice control with Alexa, voice search, and voice commands by just pressing a button on your remote and speaking into the microphone to control your TV with your voice. You can also use an Echo or another Amazon device to pair with it that will allow you to control your streaming content with your voice. The top part of the fire box has physical buttons for changing the volume, manually activating Alexa, and muting the microphones. There are also 8 pinholes for the microphones themselves. At the back are 4 connections for the HDMI, micro USB, power, and a 3.5mm jack for the infrared blaster. It doesn’t have any Ethernet ports instead you an Ethernet adapter that you connect to the micro-USB port for any wired connections.
It comes with an Alexa voice remote that will connect to the box using Bluetooth. It has a very straight forward setup process, but you need to have an Amazon account. It has a strong app selection that includes Amazon prime videos, Netflix, Plex, Apple TV, Hulu, Sling TV, Twitch, Pandora, Spotify, Amazon Music, Deezer, and Tidal, however, it lacks Now TV. This fire box is a 4K streamer that offers HDR in HDR10 and media playback capabilities. It’s a more powerful device than the fire stick because it uses a Hexa-core processor with a little more RAM instead of a quad-core chip.
Pros
- Plenty of choices for streaming 4K content
- You can also use it to control your smart home devices
- Very easy to setup
- The voice control is responsive and accurate
Cons
- Doesn’t support Google play content
- No Dolby vision
Amazon fire stick
- Our best-selling Fire TV Stick, with the 1st Gen Alexa Voice Remote.
- Enjoy tens of thousands of channels, apps, and Alexa skills with access to over 500,000 movies and TV...
Amazon Fire TV stick is a streaming device that you can use to stream from Netflix and Prime videos and also catch-up services like BBC’s iPlayer, All 4, and ITV Hub. Apart from video apps, you’ll get to enjoy Spotify, music unlimited, and even Amazon’s gaming library. This fire stick combines streaming services with the smart voice-powered features of Alexa. It’s capable of handling 4K HDR playback and comes with plenty of features like a 1.7 GHz quad-core processor, an 802.11ac wifi chip, and can link wirelessly with Echo speakers to create a home cinema system. The fire stick looks like a memory stick that you plug into the HDMI port on your TV and it comes with a simple remote that has a d-pad for navigation, playback controls, and a voice input key.
You can also opt to use the mobile app to activate Alexa for voice commands. This fire stick can stream videos, movies, and TV shows from the most popular streaming services online to your TV in 1080p HD resolution with Dolby digital sound. Apart from its quad-core processor and a new chipset, the improved wifi ensures you have more stable streaming, faster buffering, and quicker downloads. With the Alexa functions just like the Echo, you have full control of your system even your smart home devices.
Pros
- Very easy to navigate
- The Alexa voice commands work very well
- A simple and straight forward interface
- Faster and more stable streaming
Cons
- No Ethernet connection
- Search limited to Amazon content
Conclusion
The Amazon fire box and stick are streaming devices that are designed to provide great streaming content and improve your streaming experience. The fire box has an improved processor and supports voice control and Dolby vision, while the fire stick has an Alexa voice remote for hands-free Alexa support and TV control.
So which one is better Amazon fire box or stick?
The Amazon fire box is better because has better specs than the fire stick that allow for an enhanced Alexa experience and a new processor that can handle an increased number of simple requests like navigating the interface.
FAQ
Is Netflix free with a fire stick?
No, you have to subscribe to the plan. The Netflix app is available on the fire stick, but you need to connect your device to the Netflix account so you can stream videos.
Do you have to pay a monthly fee for Amazon fire TV?
There’s no monthly fee with Amazon fire stick, you just need to pay for the device.
