The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K is now 4K Plus, which is still confusing

Sure, the original name was confusing (is 4K better or worse than 4K Select?), but just changing the name on a set of four identical tools isn’t enough. It assumes that you’re willing to do the mental gymnastics of remembering where the other “plus” products are in your respective lineup, and what that might mean for that device’s capabilities. It doesn’t solve Amazon’s biggest problem, which is that it still sells three 4K-ready chips for around $10 each. Without a clear strategy, you probably shouldn’t have introduced 4K Select in the first place.

The differences between Amazon’s 4K-ready Fire TV Sticks are small. The 4K Select includes half the RAM of the 4K Plus and 4K Max, which means navigating menus and jumping into apps will almost certainly be slower. I haven’t tested it, but I don’t think there’s much reason to buy it now, or ever, especially during the many times pricier 4K models are discounted throughout the year. You can now buy the ultra 4K Max for $34.99 with this coupon code.

It goes without saying that there’s absolutely no reason for any current or previous Fire TV Stick 4K owners to get this new device, as aside from the packaging, nothing else has changed.