Streaming · Review
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select
Cheap 4K - but it lives inside Amazon's walled garden, and for some people that's a dealbreaker.
No BS summary
The cheapest way into 4K on a Fire stick, and for someone who only ever opens the big-name apps it's perfectly fine - quick, lean, does the job. The catch is the operating system: this is a Vega OS stick, which means roughly 3,000 approved apps and zero sideloading. If your setup needs anything that isn't in Amazon's store, this stick simply can't run it. Know which camp you're in before you buy.
Score: 6/10
Kudos for
- Cheapest 4K HDR stick Amazon makes
- Lean, quick interface
- VPN support now works (NordVPN, IPVanish)
Dropped the ball
- Vega OS - no sideloading at all
- Locked to Amazon's ~3,000-app list
- Not a main device for anyone who tinkers
The same on every Fire TV · skip if you've read it before
Fire OS vs Vega OS: the one rule that decides everything
Amazon's Fire TV range splits across two operating systems, and it matters more than the price. Fire OS (the 4K Plus and 4K Max) is Android-based and allows sideloading - installing apps from outside Amazon's store, like Kodi, Jellyfin or emulators. Vega OS (the cheaper 4K Select and HD) is locked to about 3,000 approved apps with no sideloading at all. If anything in your setup lives outside Amazon's store, a Vega OS device can't run it - we flag which side each model sits on in the verdict above.
So the Select isn't a worse version of the Plus - it's a different proposition. Lovely if you live inside the official app store, useless the moment you step outside it.
The remote
I judge every streamer's remote on one thing: can you grab it off the arm of the sofa at 11pm and hit the right button without a light on? The Select's remote is the basic Alexa one - no backlight, no finder, no surprises. It does the job and nothing more. Same half-pass as the rest of the Fire family. And the usual bugbear: the hardwired app-shortcut buttons (Netflix, Prime and the like) are far too easy to knock by accident and bump you clean out of whatever is playing - some people love the one-press access, I would happily bin them.
Who should buy this
The bedroom-and-guest-room stick. If you only ever use the big streaming apps and want cheap 4K on a second telly, the Select is genuinely fine and the price is right. The VPN support is a welcome bonus if you want a little privacy.
Who should skip it
Anyone who sideloads anything, or who thinks they might want to later. This is not a main device for tinkerers. Spend a little more on the 4K Plus and you'll never hit the wall the Select builds around you.
What's missing
One thing, and it's the obvious one: the Plus's Fire OS and its sideloading. Give the Select the freedom to install what it likes and it'd be the bargain of the range instead of the compromise.
Specs at a glance
| Resolution | 4K Ultra HD, HDR10+ |
|---|---|
| Operating system | Vega OS (no sideloading) |
| Apps | ~3,000 approved apps, Amazon store only |
| VPN | Supported (NordVPN, IPVanish) |
| Remote | Alexa Voice Remote (basic) |
Where to buy
Pick your country. We may earn a small commission on some links once our affiliate programmes are approved - you pay the same.
| UK | Amazon UK · Currys |
|---|---|
| US | Amazon US · Best Buy |
| CA | Amazon CA · Best Buy CA |
Links go live as each affiliate programme is approved.
Final word
A good cheap stick for the right person and a frustrating one for the wrong person - and the only thing that decides which is whether you'll ever want an app Amazon doesn't stock. If you're not sure, that uncertainty is your answer: get the Plus.