Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2021
***EDIT 05/31/2021 - READ WAY BELOW! AMAZON FIRESTICK 3RD GEN BEATS OUT NVIDIA SHIELD, CHROMECAST 3RD GEN AND ROKU****
I REALLY LOVE THIS NEW DEVICE! IT IS FAST, I CAN STREAM MY OWN MOVIE APPS (CARTOON HD, TYPHOON, SYNCLAIR, FILM PLUS, NOVA, KODI, CINEMA HD) AMAZINGLY FAST!
Netflix and prime is super fast also!!! I AM GOING TO ORDER 4 MORE!! AMAZON FIRESTICK BEATS OUT APPLE TV AND CHROMCAST GOOGLE TV!!!!
Edit 05/03/2021: 4 days of heavy usage (horror movie marathon) and no rebooting, and the firestick has yet to lag or become slow. I switched from wireless to Ethernet and same thing: no issues at all. Absolutely a fantastic device!!!
Edit 05/10/2021: posting a weekly update.
This device is even more amazing than I first noted. I have yet to experience any slowness or lag. I use it approximately 3 to 6 hours a day, sometimes over 6 hours. I use it for the Live tv option, and of course for YouTube, and audible, I am definitely not seeing any lag it is very speedy. With my 4k, at least once a week I had to unplug and plug it back in. NOT THIS 3RD GEN!! YOU WILL NOT REGRET THIS PURCHASE!
A bit of advice on two things:
First, the 4k firetick, while amazing as it is, is running Android 7.1, which can explain the lag between apps.
The 3rd gen runs Android 9.0, which explains the speed increase and better memory management, not to mention more secure (Firesticks are super secure, just my opinion on Android from a full time Android user). Hence, it is a better idea to get the 3rd gen.
Second, I change frequently from WiFi to Ethernet, to continue testing lagging and I have still experienced absolutely no lag. Ethernet connects at 150 Mbps, will not go higher, where as WiFi is 540 Mbps which tells me the Firesticks are made for WiFi, which makes sense however I love the Ethernet option because I have a cable available.
All I can say is, the Firestick outbeats every streaming device out there (except maybe the Nvidia shield) with reliability, speed, ease of use, connectivity. YOU ABSOLUTELY WILL NOT REGRET YOUR PURCHASE!!!!
EDIT 05/19: I started experiencing lagging issues, and had to unplug and restart the Firestick, first time in 30 days! Was hoping to make it to 45 days but 30 days, with 5 to 7 hours a day of use is pretty amazing!!
I made an error earlier on Ethernet speed with Amazon's Ethernet adapter. The Ethernet adapter from Amazon clocks at 150 Mbps, so I bought Cable Matters Micro USB to Ethernet Adapter and .. WOW! I connect at 349 down and almost 40 up!! I have absolutely no internet lag, on or off wifi but I always prefer Ethernet when I can use it.
I managed to download and install a total of 12 applications via filelinked, and I still have 1.99 gb of space available. This firetick continues to amaze me!!!
Firestick once again beats out Roku, Google Chromecast Android tv, apple tv, except the Nvidia shield. You will not regret this purchase!
Edit 05/31/2021:
I decided to purchase a Nvidia shield pro, so that I could compare and because I got a lot of messages stating it is the best on the market.
It was ana amazing setup, the device is powerful, and snappy. I compared it with the 3rd gen stick and the only three differences I noticed was the following:
More memory; shield has 3gb vs 3rd gen having 2gb
Space; shield has 12gb, can be expanded to 1tb. Firestick has 8, expandable to 512gb.
Screen; 4k is absolutely amazing. 3rd gen has 1080.
Compared with he 4k firestick, the screen is the same.
Speed is the same between shield and firesticks, and navigation is as silky smooth HOWEVER, I am noticing via Hulu, Netflix and Disney plus on shield, the voice was not matching up to the characters when watching movies and shows. No matter what I did: uninstall, reinstall all three apps, shut down and restarted numerous times. It is really annoying and does defeat the entirety of the device as a streaming device.
Price; Nvidia shield is $199, 2019 model with Android 9, April security...Chromecast Android tv is Android 10 with may security patch..at $49.99, 2020 model.... 3rd gen is $39.99 and prime day you can probably get it for $24.99..for a 2021 model. I will not rate Roku because you cannot sideload apps, and it is limited like apple streaming.
Winner?
AMAZON!!! AMAZON IS THE ABSOLUTE WINNER!
For price, security patches, navigation, side installing apps, ease of use... COME ON FOLKS! I DEBUNKED THE NVIDIA SHIELD MYTH!! I also am returning the shield because I cannot keep something that cannot handle streaming.
Note: Nvidia shield is amazing for gaming, and absolutely beats out all streaming devices. This is just streaming applications that I have reviewed and an issue with!
