Fire Sick vs Nvidia Shield Onn and Android Boxes Nov 11, 2023 First, I’m not trying to sway anyone’s preference. I’m just providing my experience and knowledge as guidance to what is arguably the most often asked question by those new to streaming, some variation of, “Should I buy this device or that?” When I was 18 and looking to buy my first motorcycle an older, wiser rider told me not to buy the biggest, most powerful bike I could afford. Start small and spend less to learn and decide what you really want. The same applies to streaming devices. You can spend $200+ for an Nvidia Shield or start small with a $20 Onn or a Fire Stick 4K for $25-30 depending on promotions. Later if you feel you need the Shield, they’ll still be available. In the great debate, I’m on the Fire Stick side even though I admit I’ve never used any other device. Here’s why… 1. Price. I can have 2 Fire Sticks on all 3 of my TVs That’s 6 Fire Sticks for the price of 1 Nvidia Shields. 2. Having multiple Fire Sicks allows me to quickly switch between shows by simply changing the source on the TV. Although my TVs don’t support Picture-in-Picture for HDMI input, if yours does, you have that capability as well. Available memory is not a problem for me personally, using multiple Sticks allows you to distribute applications among them negating the argument that Sticks don’t have enough memory. Also, TiViMate allows recording, but recording while viewing often fails. Using a separate Stick for recording solves the problem. 3. Although it’s true that Amazon controls the Operating System on the Stick and loads up a lot of bloatware (software you don’t need or want) that has been inconsequential for me. It is largely outweighed by easy access to a plethora of free apps in the Amazon App Store and the ability restore your settings and apps from Amazon. This is tremendously helpful if you need to do a factory reset, upgrade to a later version of the Stick, or want to duplicate your setup on multiple Sticks. There are other more advanced controls available through the Amazon site which most people won’t use, but give you more control of your Sticks by restricting access and resetting remotely. I don’t think you’ll find these convences with any other streaming device. 4. I can use my TV remote to control both the Stick and TV simultaneously. This is incredibly convenient especially when switching between multiple Sticks. The Amazon Fire TV Remote smartphone app is a good alternative to the Stick remote, but it also has one outstanding feature for advanced users. You can cut and paste to the app. This won’t be of importance to you until you find yourself attempting to use the onscreen keyboard to enter long strings of text necessary to setup some applications. Onn and Shield may support some are all of these capabilities, but as of this writing it appears Onn does not allow Cut and Paste and it’s unclear to me if Shield does. 5. Portability. I’ve taken my Fire Stick traveling in multiple countries with no problem. It’s small, easily packed and if lost, stolen or damaged you’re only out about 30 bucks. Most hotels and Air BnBs have sufficient, unrestricted internet and TVs with accessible HDMI ports to plug into. Remember when traveling you’ll want to take the Fire Stick remote since the smartphone remote app has to be on the same network and the TV may not support the CEC remote sharing feature. You’ll need the Stick remote to establish a connection to the hotel network, then you can use your smartphone. You might also want to carry an extension cord. If you’re traveling outside the US and canada you might want to include a 3 prong to 2 prong electrical outlet converter as well. 6. Speed and picture quality. Nvidia proponents will say that the Stick is slower and has lower video quality. I have yet to see a real world side-by-side comparison of how this results in a better viewing experience. No question the Shield is significantly faster and has more memory, but the Stick delivers a true 4K picture without buffering (screen freezing or stuttering). Most buffering on the Stick results from an Internet, WiFi provider issue, or lack of memory. I'm able to run K O D I with several addons, TiViMate, a few other apps and several diagnostic apps with 1 gb of free memory. But, as I said earlier, you can always spread your apps across multiple Sticks. Since the Stick plays 4K without any problems, the only advantage of the Shield's speed is in non-viewing operations such as searches, navigation, file transfers and deletions. 7. Durability. The Stick was introduced 9 years ago. First gen Sticks are still functioning. My 5 year old 2nd gen is still kicking. Yes functionality, speed and memory have improved with the subsequent releases, but you could buy every upgraded version and still not have paid as much as one Shield. This is based on my 5 years of experience with the Stick. I may not be 100% accurate about the Shield or Onn, but I’m not debating or trying to change anyone’s preference.

This Fire TV Stick 4K Max is hands down the best streaming device I’ve ever used. From setup to daily use, everything is smooth, fast, and user-friendly. The inclusion of Wi-Fi 6 really makes a difference—no buffering, no lag, just crisp 4K content that loads instantly, even when other devices are connected to the network. The picture quality is outstanding. Whether I’m watching Netflix, Prime Video, or YouTube, the 4K resolution with HDR support looks sharp and vibrant. It’s like upgrading your TV without buying a new screen. One of my favorite features is the Alexa Voice Remote. It’s super responsive and makes it incredibly easy to search for shows, adjust volume, or switch inputs—all with simple voice commands. I also love that it includes TV controls, so I don’t need multiple remotes cluttering the couch anymore. What really sets it apart is the customizable interface. I can pin my favorite apps, rearrange my home screen, and get personalized recommendations. It truly feels like it’s built around my preferences. If you’re even remotely into streaming, this device is a total game-changer. It's powerful, convenient, and packed with features that make everyday entertainment feel premium. Absolutely worth every penny!

In the past, it was hard to get all your favorite streaming apps in one place or even impossible. You either had to buy a new smart DVD player with the streaming apps or an expensive smart TV that also has the streaming apps. Now you can buy a small TV stick that gets plugged into your Tv, and it has everything on it. So, I bought it, and I have to say that I’m thoroughly impressed with the Fire TV Stick 4K Max. This device stick and remote truly shows how far we have come with technology. I was hesitant to buy it at first because I wasn’t sure if it was worth the money, or if it would even work since there are some bad reviews about it. However, I will have to disagree with those bad reviews. I love this Fire TV Stick 4K Max because it lets me watch whatever I want from my favorite subscription apps, it’s now easier to find a movie or TV show with Alexa, the home screen display is easy to navigate, and the processor is so much faster. When I first review a product, the most important thing I look for is accuracy. Did the product come with everything included in the box? Is it accurate to the product's description? The answer to these questions is yes. In the box, you get: Fire TV Stick 4K Max, an Alexa voice remote, HDMI extender cable for the Fire TV Stick 4K Max, USB cable with the power adapter, 2 AAA batteries, and a quick start guide. The Fire TV Stick came in a well-packaged box, and it looks exactly like the pictures on the Fire TV Stick 4K Max product detail page on Amazon. The Fire TV Stick 4K Max has all the streaming apps that were said in the product’s description, plus many more additional apps. I know some of the other reviews said that a few of the streaming apps were not working, but that was not the case for me. All the major streaming apps are on here like: Netflix, Disney +, HBO Max, Hulu, Prime Video, YouTube, plus many more. I personally like the fact that you have to manually download each streaming app because it lets you have the streaming apps you want, and not use the GBs on streaming apps you don’t use. I’ve also noticed that the processing time for each app to open is so much faster than what I used to have. In the past, it would take up to a minute for my smart DVD player to open the streaming services, and now it only takes seconds to open. Along with all the streaming apps that I wanted; the Fire Tv Stick came with other accessories. There are a bunch of other streaming apps that are available to download in the Appstore, and I didn’t even recognize some of them. You can also download some games from their Appstore too. However, I haven’t downloaded any of them, so I can’t really say if they are any good. The Fire TV Stick 4K Max also allows you to watch live news without having to switch to the cable Tv, and these are only the main accessories. Another thing I like about the Fire Tv Stick 4K Max is the layout of the home page and the remote. On the home page, there is a small bar that lets you put 6 streaming apps you want on there, so they will be faster to find. When you’re browsing on the home page, a lot of the time a trailer or video clip will pop up on the top right corner that’s about the movie or TV show. This is nice for knowing what a movie or show is all about. The remote has 4 preset buttons for Prime Video, Netflix, Disney +, and Hulu, which makes it easier to open those apps. It was also nice to see that the volume buttons work. Since, in the past, I always had to use the cable TV remote to adjust the volume; it was a hassle to have 2 different remotes to control the TV. If you’re still not convinced, then I think the cherry on top is the Alexa button that might convince you. The Alexa voice button is very convenient, and it makes streaming the different apps so effortless. It’s now easier than ever to search for your favorite movie or TV show with just your voice; you don’t have to look through each streaming app to see who has it on-demand or look it up on your phone. With the Alexa voice button, you just have to say what you want to watch, and Alexa will find it for you to watch it. The Alexa feature on the TV also works like any other Alexa device, so it also allows you to look up news events, weather forecasts, and listen to music. This is nice for people who don’t have any other Alexa device since it’s like a built-in Alexa device for your TV. Now that you have read my review, I hope I’ve made your decision on buying the Fire TV Stick 4K Max easier. Whether you are still contemplating on buying it or not, I still think this is a great product. It is a great way to watch your movies and shows with your favorite streaming apps from one place. This little TV stick is so smart, and the Alexa voice button is a very nice feature to have. So, in conclusion, I definitely recommend buying this Fire TV Stick 4K Max.