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Amazon has been beaten by archnemesis Google in its own Prime Day sale.
The blockbuster 48-hour sales event sees thousands of popular products slashed in price for those with a Prime membership — or those who've signed up for a well-timed 30-day free trial of the loyalty scheme.
Amazon has cut prices across its line-up of Fire TV Stick streaming gadgets but hasn't done enough to topple rival Chromecast with Google TV when it comes to an affordable way to stream in 4K Ultra HD.
You'll need to pay £3 more to watch in 4K quality on Fire TV devices over the competitor from Google.
If you're looking for the cheapest way to binge-watch your favourite TV shows, blockbuster films, or live sports coverage in this flagship format, which boasts 4x as many pixels as standard High Definition (HD), the best option from Amazon is the Fire TV Stick 4K.
Usually £59.99, it's now available for £32.99 — a generous 45% saving on the usual price tag.
But the rival Chromecast with Google TV, which packs the same 4K Ultra HD viewing experience, has been treated to a bigger 50% discount from Amazon — cutting the cost to just £29.99 for Prime Day.
Both Fire TV Stick and Chromecast with Google TV plug into the HDMI port at the back of your television to unlock a slew of new streaming apps, catch-up services, apps, and games. Both of these devices ship with dedicated remote controls that can adjust the volume of your television and boast built-in microphones to enable voice search to find films, shows, actors, and directors with a spoken command.
Chromecast with Google TV can be used to cast from your smartphone or tablet to the big screen. You can wirelessly beam YouTube videos, Netflix episodes and entire tabs from the Chrome web browser to your telly.
Chromecast with Google TV supports 4K Ultra HD picture quality, Dolby Atmos sound, and voice controls via Google Assistant. If you have a home packed with smart home gadgets that support the Google and Nest ecosystem — or just want the cheapest price — this is a great choice
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There's no equivalent baked into the FireOS software that runs on the Fire TV Stick. However, it's possible to download third-party apps that add similar functionality from Amazon's App Store.
Amazon is offering a clever way to supercharge that discount. The US shopping giant will cut an extra 20% off the sale price if you send an old Fire TV Stick back to the company. if you have an ageing Fire TV Stick or Fire TV Cube that's starting to run a little slow and you'd like to exchange for something new, Amazon will supercharge discounts across all current Fire TV models.
Even if your existing Fire TV kit is broken — it'll still be eligible to trade-in, Amazon says.
Fire TV Stick comes equipped with Alexa. The AI can be used to control lightbulbs, smart thermostats, and compatible video doorbells from the Fire TV Stick. Chromecast with Google TV, which relies on the Google Assistant, is capable of exactly the same thing. However, you'll need to check whether any existing gadgets in your home are compatible with Alexa, Google Assistant, or both.
If you already own an Echo speaker, Ring video doorbell, or other gadgets created by Amazon, it's worth spending the extra £3 on the Fire TV Stick. However, those with Google Nest speakers, Nest doorbells, or a Google Wi-Fi router might be better off choosing the Chromecast with Google TV.
Fire TV Stick 4K offers a few hardware improvements over its Google-designed competitor, including exclusive support for Xbox Game Pass and Wi-Fi 6
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Fire TV Stick 4K has some advantages over its Chromecast competitor, like Wi-Fi 6 support. This newer standard offers speedier streaming and better juggling between dozens of devices, provided you've got a Wi-Fi router that supports the technology.
Unfortunately, BT Broadband hasn't updated its bundled Wi-Fi router to support the wireless standard, although full-fibre customers with EE, Virgin Media, and TalkTalkwill be able to take advantage of Wi-Fi 6 speeds.
Fire TV Stick 4K is compatible with Xbox Game Pass too, something that isn't true of Chromecast with Google TV, meaning you'll be able to stream blockbuster games like Call of Duty, Halo Infinite, Starfield, and Forza Horizon 5 for £1. You'll also be able to enjoy Fortnite on the service free of charge.
Fire TV Stick can be paired with a third-party controller, like the Xbox Wireless Controller, also discounted in the Prime Day sale this week, to play these PS5-quality console games.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is packed with hundreds of titles from developers including EA, Bethesda, Activision, The Coalition, Double Fine Productions, 343 Industries, id Software, and Playground Games, to name just a few
AMAZON PRESS OFFICEThe price drops to the Fire TV Stick 4K and Chromecast with Google TV are just two of thousands of blockbuster deals included in the Prime Day sale. As always with this annual site-wide sale, you'll need to be a Prime member to be able to access any of these deals.
Without Prime membership, you'll be stuck paying the full RRP for items that've been discounted in the sale. You'll also lose out on next-day delivery at no extra cost on thousands of items.
But becoming an Amazon Prime member doesn't have to cost you anything.
That's because the US shopping giant offers a 30-day free trial of its membership scheme. Sign up, then cancel immediately and you'll still be able to enjoy all of the perks of Prime membership for a month.
If you don't cancel, you'll be charged the usual £8.99 per month fee at the end of the free trial period. We've written an in-depth guide on this loyalty scheme to work out "is Amazon Prime worth it in 2024".
