Firestick vs Firestick Lite: The Battle of the Remotes
Amazon has recently released two new products in its Firestick lineup: the Fire TV Stick 3rd gen and the Fire TV Stick Lite. While the Fire TV Stick Lite comes at a cheaper price of $17.99, the Fire TV Stick 3rd Gen costs $27.99. So, what exactly is the difference between the Firestick Lite and Firestick? Well, it all comes down to the remote.
What's Firestick 2019?
The older Fire TV Stick 2019 variant has been discontinued and replaced by the all-new Fire TV Stick 2020 or the Fire TV Stick 3rd Gen. The older model is still available on Amazon and other third-party sites, but it's recommended to stay away from it. The 2020 Fire TV Stick offers a faster 1.7 GHz processor, Bluetooth 5.0, and Dolby Atmos support.
Firestick vs Firestick Lite – What's Different?
1. Firestick Lite Has a Remote Without Volume Buttons
The major difference between the Firestick and Firestick Lite is the remote. The Firestick Lite's remote, known as the Alexa Remote Lite, doesn't have volume buttons or a mute button. It still includes all the necessary streaming controls like Play/Pause and Next/Previous, as well as the Alexa button and a microphone.
2. Firestick Lite Supports Dolby Atmos via Passthrough
Both the Firesticks support Dolby Atmos, but there's a catch with the Firestick Lite. It only supports Dolby Atmos via HDMI passthrough. This means that if you connect the Firestick Lite directly to your TV's HDMI eARC port, you won't get Dolby Atmos. You'll need to connect the Firestick Lite to a speaker or soundbar that supports HDMI passthrough for Dolby Atmos playback. On the other hand, the Firestick 3rd Gen supports Dolby Atmos directly on any TV with an eARC port.
3. Firestick Lite Has the Same Internals
Surprisingly, the Firestick Lite and the new Firestick 3rd generation have the exact same internals. They both have a 1.7 GHz quad-core processor, an IMG GE8300 GPU, and support Bluetooth 5.0 and 5 GHz Wi-Fi.
What's Similar?
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Both Firesticks run on FireOS 9: The all-new Firesticks run on the latest Android 9.0 Pie and the updated Fire TV 7. They have a redesigned home screen that brings content from various streaming services.
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Both Firesticks support OTG: Firesticks have micro USB OTG support, allowing you to connect storage devices or an AirMouse for browsing or gaming.
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Both Firesticks support Ethernet: If you prefer a more stable and faster connection, you can connect your Firestick to Ethernet using a micro USB to Ethernet adapter.
In conclusion, if you're not concerned about TV controls on the remote, the Firestick 3rd generation is the better choice. The lack of volume buttons and a mute button on the Firestick Lite's remote can be quite annoying in day-to-day usage.
For more information and queries, feel free to leave a comment below.
Also Read: 8 Best Fitness Apps for Firestick to Turn your Living Room Into a Gym
Jim's passion for Apple products ignited in 2007 when Steve Jobs introduced the first iPhone. This was a canon event in his life. Noticing a lack of iPad-focused content that is easy to understand even for “tech-noob”, he decided to create Tabletmonkeys in 2011.
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