Amazon's new Fire TV Stick 4K Max looks a lot like the popular Fire TV Stick 4K. And since we just published our review of the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max, we thought it was time to go head-to-head with its physically identical sibling.

Aside from the remote control, the differences between the two sticks are not obvious at first glance, but if you dig into this Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max vs Fire TV Stick 4K showdown, you'll find some neat perks One of the differences between the two Fire Sticks is that the Fire TV Stick 4K Max is a more streaming device than the Fire TV Stick 4K Max. is that only one is on our list of Best Streaming Devices. But which one is it? Let's take a look.

When we wrote our review of the Fire TV Stick 4K, we never saw performance as a drawback of the streaming stick. But over time, as that model stood still and other competitors became faster, it wasn't hard to see that Amazon's UHD streaming device could be a bit faster.

Now let's see how the two compare:

The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max costs $54.99, just $5 more than the $49.99 Fire TV Stick 4K. This price is not permanent, as Amazon often puts its hardware on sale. Currently, the Fire TV Stick 4K is $33.99.

As we will explain throughout this article, you get a small perk in exchange for that extra cash. If the price difference is closer to the regular MSRP of $5, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max would win this category. At the moment, the Fire TV Stick 4K is the better value. However, that could change as Amazon's sale adjusts.

Winner Draw (depending on the day)

The Fire TV Stick 4K Max and Fire Stick 4K are identical when it comes to sound and picture for the shows and movies you watch. Therefore, it is expected that many people will choose the cheaper option.

Both sticks stream at 60 fps in 4K UHD, and both support high-end video quality Dolby Vision, HDR 10, and HDR10+ formats, which should ensure stronger and bolder colors.

The story is no different when it comes to audio output. Both 4K Fire TV sticks support the Dolby Atmos sound standard, which seems to provide a spatial audio experience where the sound of the programs you listen to surrounds you.

Therefore, both Fire TV Sticks support 7.1-channel surround sound speaker setup, 2-channel stereo, and 5.1-channel audio with HDMI audio pass-through.

Winner: tie

Now, here's where the difference comes in: Amazon claims the Fire TV Stick 4K Max is "40% more powerful," but you won't see much difference in all departments. The Fire TV Stick 4K Max's new processor has a 1.8 GHz quad-core CPU and 750 MHz GPU (the regular Fire TV Stick 4K has a 1.7 GHz quad-core CPU and 650 MHz GPU).

That said, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max does offer snappier menu navigation, which has always been my problem with Amazon devices.

To test a similar situation, I loaded the app from a new, rebooted state; Disney Plus loaded in 8.87 seconds on the Fire TV Stick 4K Max, a 34% reduction from the Fire TV Stick 4K's 13.47 second load time. The animated "Disney+" logo stuttered on the Fire TV Stick 4K and not on the Fire TV Stick 4K Max, so a stopwatch was not necessarily necessary for this test. Similarly, Netflix load times were 1.38 seconds on the Fire TV Stick 4K Max and 20 seconds on the Fire TV Stick 4K.

The YouTube app was a different story: loading time on the Fire TV Stick 4K Max was 5.64 seconds, just over a second faster than the 6.91 seconds on the regular 4K stick.

Actual content viewing was a dead heat, as we found out when we timed how long it took to start the Black Widow movie on the Disney Plus app: the retro comic with the Marvel Studios logo took 8.89 seconds on the 4K Max, and on the Fire TV 4K was displayed 8.41 seconds later on the Fire TV 4K. Since these times are so close, I'm willing to chalk this one up to a difference in how fast my finger taps the stopwatch.

Amazon also upgraded the wireless modem on the Fire TV Stick 4K Max to support Wi-Fi 6 / 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax. To see the difference, you'll need a Wi-Fi 6 router (this doesn't feel like a necessity yet, but it's something you'll get sooner or later).

Winner Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max

No matter which Fire TV device you buy, you get the same apps and interface. In other words, both the Fire TV Stick 4K Max and Fire TV Stick 4K have the same 12,700+ apps.

This includes the best streaming services such as HBO Max, Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus, Plex, Paramount Plus, etc.

Both devices also have the same version of the Fire TV OS.

Winner: draw

A week later, when I don't have these Fire Sticks in my hands and Max is still tucked away behind the TV, I'm not sure I can tell which Stick is which. As you can see above, they are both rectangular dongles of exactly the same shape and size (4.25 x 1.18 x 0.55 inches), with HDMI ports.

The only thing that distinguishes them (aside from the fine print of their respective model numbers) is their logos. The older Fire TV Stick 4K has only Amazon's "Smile Arrow" logo, while the Fire TV Stick 4K Max has a smaller version of the "smiley" and the "fire tv" brand logo above it.

Winner: tie

There is one new feature between the Fire TV Stick 4K Max and its slightly more affordable sibling.

The Fire TV Stick 4K Max can use the Live View Picture-in-Picture feature (previously exclusive to the Fire TV Cube) to view footage from home security cameras connected around the home.

Another smart home feature of the Fire TV Stick 4K Max (not yet available, but coming soon) is the ability to wirelessly connect to the best Alexa speakers for "immersive audio" (Amazon's term).

Winner Fire TV Stick 4K Max

The Alexa voice remote for the Fire TV Stick 4K Max and Fire Stick 4K are very similar, but Amazon has added five new buttons to the Max's remote. The value of these buttons may vary depending on the service used.

Cord cutters will probably like the Live TV button (right below "fast forward").

The other four buttons are dedicated app buttons you may have seen on Roku remotes; even if you don't subscribe to Hulu, Disney Plus, Netflix, or Prime Video (surprising, given that this is an Amazon device that is), there are buttons for these apps, and you cannot remap these to other programs. We think these buttons are kind of an insidious way to advertise a service (Amazon probably gets paid heavily by these companies). That said, if you use these services (and they are popular), you probably won't be offended by their presence.

Also, the Alexa button has been changed from a black button with the microphone logo to a blue button with the Alexa logo. This is not a major change, but visually the button is now more prominent.

Winner Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max

According to this scorecard, the difference between the Fire TV Stick 4K Max and the Fire TV Stick 4K is, in academic terms, A- versus A+. The original Fire TV Stick 4K is still quite good, but the 4K Max is slightly better in several respects.

The Fire TV Stick 4K Max has a speed advantage (though not as spectacular as one might expect), a few more buttons on the remote control, and a few new special features for the smart home. With a price difference of only $5 between the two, the Fire TV Stick should be the choice.

However, if Amazon were to drop the Fire TV Stick 4K to a lower price and widen the price difference between the two, you might be better off choosing the Fire TV Stick 4K. As for actually streaming shows and movies, they are comparable (unless you have a Wi-Fi 6 router).

And to those who are on the fence about upgrading. I'm not sure if the smart home camera and speaker support, a little faster speed, and a new remote control are worth the $55 when you already have a good streaming stick. The choice is yours.