Fire TV Stick Lite vs Fire TV Stick: What’s the difference?

ANYONE who wants to add streaming to their television should take a look at Amazon’s Fire TV Stick range. But which should you buy?

We’ve compared the Fire TV Stick Lite and the Fire TV Stick: read on to find out which is best for you.

• Amazon Fire TV Stick, £44.99 – buy from Amazon
• Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite, £34.99 – buy from Amazon

The Amazon Fire TV Stick is a streaming device that plugs into the HDMI port of your televsion.

Essentially, it turns your ordinary telly into a smart TV at no great cost (by actually investing in a smart TV, for example).

It gives you access to more than just Prime Video. If you’re subscribed to Netflix, Hulu, Disney+ or HBO, you’ll have all of those services neatly tucked away in one place on your Fire Stick’s home.

That raises one great question, however. What’s the real difference between the Fire Lite and Fire Sticks?

Luckily we’ve done the boring research for you and rounded up all the important parts to make picking a stick easier.

Fire TV Stick Lite vs Fire TV Stick: Differences at a glance

The first thing you’ll notice between the two choices is the obvious price difference.

The Lite Fire Stick is £10 less than its flagship counterpart, so that raises the question – what’s missing from this variant?

With the Fire Lite, you’ll be receiving a different remote, and that’s the first noticeable difference between the two devices.

While you can use the Lite stick to navigate the Fire home screen as well as use Alexa for voice commands, it lacks the ability to control the TV, so if you need to power it on/off or mess with the volume, you’ll have to use the remote that comes with the Television.

The Fire Stick does everything that the Lite Stick does, but with the addition of being able to control your TV, you’ll only ever need one remove on hand at all times.

Fire TV Stick Lite vs Fire TV Stick: Picture and sound

Both the Fire and Lite stick display pictures at 1080p and 720p resolution and up to 60 frames per second, so you’re not missing out on better quality should you opt for the light version.

Additionally, they both support HDR and HDR10+ formats for video content, which means your TV’s settings are adjusted automatically to ensure you’re getting the best viewing experience for your movie or show – you’ll still need a TV that supports these functions.

Sound is where the classic stick begins to pull ahead as it is the only device out of the two to support Dolby Digital+ surround sound, meaning you’ll get a more movie-like experience with the classic stick rather than the Lite.

Fire TV Stick Lite vs Fire TV Stick: Price and availability

Amazon Fire Sticks are fairly easy to get your hands on as there’s a large list of retailers that stock them due to high demand.

However, it’s also worth noting that Fire Sticks often go on sale during events like Prime Day and Black Friday, so it’s always good to keep an eye out to see where you could save a few extra bucks.

• Amazon Fire TV Stick, £44.99 – buy from Amazon
• Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite, £34.99 – buy from John Lewis
• Amazon Fire TV Stick, £44.99 – buy from Curry’s
• Amazon Fire TV Stick, £44.99 – buy from Very
• Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite, £34.99 – buy from Amazon
• Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite, £34.99 – buy from Argos
• Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite, £34.99 – buy from Curry’s
• Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite, £34.99 – buy from Very

Fire TV Stick Lite vs Fire TV Stick: Features

Outside of Dolby Vision and the digital surround sound, the features are essentially the same between the two devices.

That doesn’t mean you’re not getting some great things, though.

If you’ve built an Amazon Alexa eco-system in your home and you’ve got a lot of smart tech, you’ll be pleased to know that both devices allow you to control your compatible smart home. You can ask Alexa to check the weather, dim the lights or view cameras in your home or your Ring Doorbell.

While streaming is likely to be the main feature you use, it is also capable of streaming live TV should you want to go on a little browse.

They are pretty versatile items to have since you’ll also get to make use of your music subscriptions as it also allows you to stream from Spotify and Amazon Music.

Fire TV Stick Lite vs Fire TV Stick: Design

Design-wise, there’s no difference between the two Fire sticks, and you wouldn’t know by looking at the two if you have the Lite version or the classic.

Both come with 2 AA batteries, an HDMI extender, a power adaptor, the Fire Stick and the Alexa voice remote.

Fire TV Stick Lite vs Fire TV Stick: Remotes

Both devices look exactly the same: a small and simple remote that comes with some nifty quick navigation buttons, for example, Amazon Video, Netflix Disney+ and Amazon Music, so you can go straight to your desired app without having to use the home screen.

For ease of use, the Alexa button is a light blue near the top of the remote; handily, this is also where the built-in microphone makes navigating using your voice as simple as possible.

Fire TV Stick Lite vs Fire TV Stick: Verdict

When it comes down to it, you’ll have to take your budget into account since there are a few key differences, such as surround sound and being able to control your telly; it’s up to you if these functions are worth the roughly £10 price difference.

However, if you have invested in a sound system, you’re going to want to pick up the classic version just so you can have a more immersive audio experience.

More Versus:

Amazon has expanded its creations over the past few years, venturing into more and more categories to provide affordable alternatives that compete with large-name brands, so if you’re in the market for Amazon devices, such as Echo Pops, Fire TVs, Fire Tablets, and Blink take our Amazon device deals page.

If you’re in the market for a TV, Amazon has a fantastic range of 4K televisions to choose from. However, we know that TV jargon can get a bit overwhelming, so we simplified it a bit in our Amazon Fire Omni Series vs Fire 4 Series.

If you’re more of a bookworm, you’ll benefit more from having a browse through our Amazon Fire vs Kindle tablet explainer to see what the best options for your e-books are.