Amazon Fire TV Stick HD (2026) Review: Smaller, Smarter, and Still a Budget Winner

Amazon Fire TV Stick HD (2026) Review: Smaller, Smarter, and Still a Budget Winner | PCMag

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Editors' Choice 4.5 Outstanding this.$refs.template.innerHTML, onCreate: (instance) => this.tippyInstance = instance, onShow: (instance) => { this.escapeHandler = (e) => { if (e.key === 'Escape') instance.hide(); }; window.addEventListener('keydown', this.escapeHandler); }, onHide: (instance) => { if (this.escapeHandler) { window.removeEventListener('keydown', this.escapeHandler); this.escapeHandler = null; } }, onMount: (instance) => { const closeBtn = instance.popper.querySelector('[data-tooltip-close]'); if (closeBtn) closeBtn.addEventListener('click', () => instance.hide()); }, }; }, }">   What Our Ratings Mean 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies. The Bottom Line Amazon upgrades the affordable Fire TV Stick HD with a slimmer, adapter-free design, faster Wi-Fi, and smoother performance, making it an excellent media streamer for 1080p TVs. MSRP $34.99 $34.99 Save $13.00 $21 at Amazon PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing.

Pros & Cons Slim design easily fits among crowded HDMI ports Can get power directly from your TV Wi-Fi 6 Built-in Alexa Updated Fire TV interface buries your bookmarks Limited local streaming features Amazon's latest Fire TV Stick HD proves that small upgrades can make a big difference. The refreshed 1080p media streamer ditches the clutter with a slimmer, dongle-free design, draws power directly from your TV, and adds Wi-Fi 6 for smoother performance—all without raising the $34.99 price of the 2024 version. While the updated Fire TV interface doesn't entirely stick the landing, the hardware improvements and snappier performance make this one of the easiest and most affordable ways to breathe new life into an older TV, and earn the Fire TV Stick HD our Editors' Choice award for 1080p media streamers.Design: Slimmer, Cleaner, and Truly Cable-FreeThe Fire TV Stick HD measures 3.6 by 0.8 inches (LW), slightly longer but much thinner than its 3.4-by-1.2-inch (LW) predecessor. That’s less than a third of an inch wider than the stick’s HDMI plug itself. There’s no HDMI extender included, as earlier Fire TV Sticks had, but it isn’t needed when the stick itself is only as wide as the end of most HDMI cables to begin with. A USB-C port sits on one edge of the stick, another welcome upgrade from the micro USB port of previous models. (Credit: Will Greenwald) Power Upgrade: Runs Directly From Your TVThe USB-C port is used for power, which leads me to the biggest internal hardware change. The stick is designed to run on the meager electricity your TV’s USB-A port can provide, using the included 14-inch USB-A-to-USB-C cable. While many media streaming sticks can work to some extent when plugged into a TV's USB port, their performance isn’t reliable and can be prone to crashes and reboots due to power dips. The Fire TV Stick HD is only the third streamer I’ve seen designed to get power from your TV instead of a wall adapter, after the Roku Streaming Stick and Roku Streaming Stick Plus. It’s a convenient change, because with such a short cable, no extender, and no power adapter, the stick contributes almost nothing to any tangle of wires you might have behind your TV. Similar Products

Our Current Picks for The Best Media Streaming Devices for 2026 Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Plus 4.5 Outstanding $49.99 at Amazon $49 at Amazon Read Our Review