The Fire TV Cube and the Fire Stick 4K are two of the best streaming devices on the market. These devices are both great performers with similar features. However, there is one key difference that might make it an obvious choice.
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Fire TV Cube vs Fire Stick: Key Differences
There are 2 main differences when comparing the Fire TV Cube to the Fire Stick 4K. The first is Far Field Voice Control which might be the biggest reason you should choose the Fire TV Cube. The second is hardware differences that are minimal, but could be the deciding factor for you.
1 – Far Field Voice Control
Do you want to turn on your TV by voice?
Far field voice control allows you to turn your TV on or off, change the volume of the TV, change the inputs on the TV and more. You can also control your other Audio Video equipment (soundbars, DVD players, etc.) by voice with far field voice control. The Fire TV Cube is compatible with most IR enabled TVs and AV equipment.
Far Field Voice Control means hands free control without using voice control on the remote.
The Fire TV Cube allows you to control your TV by voice without using a remote.
To me, this is the single biggest reason to choose the Fire TV Cube over the Fire Stick 4K. I can walk into my basement and say “Alexa…tune to CBS” and the TV will turn on and change the channel to CBS.
You can use any connected Echo device to change the channel or control movie playback with a Fire TV. However, the Fire TV Cube is the only device that has built-in IR voice control of your TV.
Here is a quick summary of Far Field TV voice control options of Fire Stick vs Fire TV Cube.
| Fire TV Cube | Fire Stick 4K | |
| Turn On / Off TV | Yes | No |
| Volume Control | Yes | No |
| Change TV Input | Yes | No |
| Change Channel | Yes | With Connected Echo * |
| Control Playback – Play – Pause – Fast Forward – Rewind | Yes | With Connected Echo * |
* Learn how to connect your Echo Device to your Fire TV to control your TV.
Please note that both the Fire TV Cube and the Fire Stick can control your TV with the included Voice Remote.
Amazon recently released the Fire TV Blaster. If you have a compatible Fire Stick + an Echo Device + a Fire TV Blaster, then you can control your TV through voice control just like the Fire TV Cube. This is a new device with mixed reviews, but it might be an option to consider if you already have some Echo devices in your home.
2 – Hardware Differences
There are a few hardware differences between the Fire TV Cube and the Fire Stick. Overall, the Fire TV Cube has more memory and a faster processor than the Fire Stick. However, both devices perform well and quickly respond to input commands.
The Fire TV Cube also has built-in Ethernet Support. This might be important if you have the ability to directly connect your Fire TV to the internet instead of using WiFi.
Direct ethernet support is typically more reliable and faster than WiFi, but this depends on your local setup. The Fire Stick does have an optional ethernet adapter that you can purchase separately, but this will increase your overall cost for the device.
Here is a summary of the main hardware differences when comparing the Fire TV Cube vs. Fire Stick.
| Fire TV Cube | Fire Stick 4K | |
| Memory / Storage | 16GB | 8GB |
| Processor | Hexa-core | Quad-core |
| Ethernet Adapter | Included | Optional Add-on (see below) |
The Fire Stick has an optional accessory to add ethernet connectivity to the device.
Fire TV Cube and Fire Stick 4K: Video & Sound Quality
These Fire TV devices utilize some of the top technology available in video and sound quality.
Video Quality
The Fire TV Cube and the Fire Stick 4K both provide great video quality. Whichever device you choose, you have the ability to stream Ultra HD 4K video with several of the most recent HDR versions. This includes HDR, HDR 10, HDR10+, HLG and Dolby Vision.
| Fire TV Cube | Fire Stick 4K | |
| Ultra HD 4K | Yes | Yes |
| HDR | Yes | Yes |
| HDR 10 | Yes | Yes |
| HDR 10+ | Yes | Yes |
| HLG | Yes | Yes |
| Dolby Vision | Yes | Yes |
Sound Quality
The Fire Stick 4k and Fire TV Cube also offer some of the latest options in surround sound. This includes Dolby Atmos, 7.1 channel surround sound, and 2 channel stereo sound. Both devices can also pass through up to 5.1 audio with HDMI audio pass through.
| Fire TV Cube | Fire Stick 4K | |
| Dolby Atmos | Yes | Yes (Not on Netflix) |
| 7.1 Channel Surround | Yes | Yes |
| 2 Channel Stereo | Yes | Yes |
| HDMI Audio Pass Through | Yes | Yes |
Fire TV Cube vs Fire Stick 4K: Size & Design
The Fire TV Cube and the Fire Stick are obviously different in size and design.
The Fire Stick can easily be hidden behind your TV for an ultra clean look. Whereas, the Fire TV Cube will have to sit by your TV or mounted to the wall with one of the various TV mounts available.
That being said, the Fire TV Cube isn’t much bigger than an Echo Dot. The actual dimensions of the Fire TV Cube are less than 3.5” wide, tall and deep. It actually doesn’t look bad mounted to the side of a soundbar like I have in my setup at home.
Here is the Fire TV Cube mount I use. The feet of the Fire TV Cube sit nicely and securely into the mount.
Fire TV Cube and Fire Stick 4K: Voice Remote
The new Fire TV Voice Remote is included with both the Fire TV Cube and the Fire Stick.
This remotes includes an IR Blaster that allows you to control the Power, Volume and Input on most TVs. This is a great addition to the Fire TV Remote as it allows you to replace your current TV remote.
The newest Fire TV Voice Remote has a dedicated power button to turn on or off the TV. It also has dedicated volume up and volume down buttons, which was sorely missing from the first version of the remote.
Which one should I buy?
I have both devices in my home. Some rooms and TVs are better suited for the Fire TV Cube and others only need the Fire Stick 4K.
If you want built-in voice control of your TV (Power, Volume, Input) then you only have one choice: Fire TV Cube. The Fire TV Cube is also the choice for you if you want Dolby Atmos through Netflix since it doesn’t work with the Fire Stick 4K at this time.
If you don’t need hands free voice control of your TV, then you should save some money and choose the Fire TV Stick 4K. The audio and video capabilities are the same (excluding the Dolby Atmos issue on Netflix) and both devices use the newest version of the voice remote.
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P.S. Please leave a comment below to ask a question, help someone else or share your experiences. Thanks!
I am using Alexa voice and have both a Fire Stick 4k and Fire Cube. Although they have different names, Alexa appears to reserve hidden voice aliases such as Fire TV or TV for these devices. All of this means that when I say, “Alexa Turn on Fire Cube,” it responds, “you have more than one device named Fire Cube (because there is a Firestick on the same network even though it’s named Firestick), please give you devices discrete names.” In the Alexa app, I only see one iteration of Fire Cube. If I manage to turn on the Fire Cube with voice, Alexa tries to turn on the Fire Stick in another part of the house. It does not matter that I have assigned discrete echodots to the rooms where the Tv’s are located or that the fire devices have discrete names, e.g., Fire Stick and Fire Cube. I have even tried adding the room name to the name, e.g., Den Fire Cube. Still the same “more than one device detected with the name Fire Cube” error. Could it be that the Fire Cube duplication is because it is both an Echo device and a Fire TV? Does Amazon or anyone have a solution? It appears that Amazon failed to contemplate households with multiple Fire TV devices on the same network using voice?
I have multiple Fire TV devices in my house too. To be honest, every now and then this same issue pops up for me. Then randomly it goes away and everything start working correctly again. I’m curious if others have the same issue.
Jason
Great comparison! Would you say it’s worth upgrading to the Cube from a Fire TV 4K Stick purely for speed purposes? Does the cube boot up quicker and load apps noticeably quicker in your opinion?
Hi Jon,
I’m hoping that Amazon comes out with a new version soon. The speed of the navigation still leaves me wanting more.
can I use the remote from the fire stick for the fire cube
Yes…you just have to add the remote in the settings of the Fire TV cube.