Amazon's Award-winning 4K Fire TV Stick is the hottest Black Friday deal we've seen yet

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2nd Generation) video streamer

(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)

Searching for a streaming stick this Black Friday? The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2nd Generation) is the best choice for most, as it surpasses expectations in terms of picture quality at a price that won't set your wallet ablaze.

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We deemed it Award-worthy – Product of the Year no less – at its launch price of £70; though we did predict that the price would drop significantly during the annual savings event. In fact, here's exactly what we said in our full review:

Well, not only did our prediction come to fruition, but the outcome is even better than expected, as the Fire TV Stick 4K Max can now be snapped up for just £40; now that's a spicy deal.

Streaming devices may, to many, seem unnecessary in a world in which nearly every TV features a built-in smart system – but we still firmly believe they have a place in the AV world.

If you're using an older TV with an outdated operating system that no longer supports the current crop of streaming apps (we've seen Netflix drop support for a few devices in recent years), but perhaps you don't want to upgrade your TV quite yet, then this Fire TV Stick is a solid option to breathe new life into an old TV.

Furthermore, if you're not a fan of your TV's current OS – maybe you don't get on with Samsung's Tizen OS, or find LG's webOS tricky to get to grips with – then a streaming stick can bypass that entirely while offering similar functionality.

In fact, we've seen a growing list of products launch with missing streaming apps. Notably, BBC iPlayer has been missing from a handful of TVs and projectors, an irritating absence that can be easily addressed by plugging this Fire TV device into one of your TV's HDMI sockets.

We found the Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2nd Generation) to be a snappy performer when it came to interacting with the user interface. It's also well-stocked in terms of features, with support for HDR10+ and Dolby Vision HDR, as well as Dolby Atmos audio.

However, the reason we advocate for a dedicated streamer is primarily due to the performance upgrades. Having a dedicated device handle your movies and TV shows can often result in a higher quality picture over the built-in apps that come with your TV – as is certainly the case with the Fire TV Stick 4K Max.

We complimented its "sharp and engaging" picture in our full review, noting that its rich colours and smooth motion made for an ultimately impressive cinematic picture overall. Dark details are handled well, and we found the image, as a whole, to be balanced nicely.

It also sounds good. While we admit in our full review that it "it won’t blow your socks off", we find it to be more cohesive and warmer than the Google TV Streamer, which turned out to be a real let-down when it came to sound quality.

At a discounted price of just £40, the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2nd Generation) is a deal that we recommend checking out. It proves that you can treat yourself without totally busting the bank this Black Friday.

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Lewis Empson is a Senior Staff Writer on What Hi-Fi?. He was previously Gaming and Digital editor for Cardiff University's 'Quench Magazine', Lewis graduated in 2021 and has since worked on a selection of lifestyle magazines and regional newspapers. Outside of work, he enjoys gaming, gigs and regular cinema trips.

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