Don’t buy a Roku or Fire Stick without checking this first

• Dolby Vision or HDR10+
• 4K resolution
• Wi-Fi 6
• Enough storage for your apps
• Native Dolby Atmos

Way back in the early 2010s, getting my first add-on media streamer — a Google Chromecast — was a revelation. I did own a smart TV, but like many sets of the era, its built-in apps were proprietary and not that well-supported. My Chromecast opened up a world of content and convenience, no matter that I was forced to use my phone as the interface.

There’s less incentive to buy an add-on device now that just about every TV is based on a standardized OS like Roku OS or Google TV, but it can still be a handy way of carrying apps and settings from one TV to another, or switching to your preferred operating system. You’ll want to be cautious if you’re buying a budget product like an Amazon Fire Stick or a Roku Streaming Stick, though. They deliberately cut corners to keep prices down, so insist on these specs if you want something futureproof.

Dolby Vision or HDR10+

Setting a new bar for HDR

Frequently, HDR (high dynamic range) is one of the most impressive changes for someone upgrading from an old TV. With compatible content, you’ll not only see brighter highlights and more shadow detail, but better color representation as well. HDR makes movies and shows “pop” far better than switching your TV’s Picture Mode over to Vivid. Arguably, it’s a more valuable feature than 4K or 8K resolution.

You’ll certainly get enhanced color and contrast from HDR10 over SDR, but there’s the potential for some scenes looking too bright or too dark. Dynamic metadata allows adjustments per-scene or even per-frame.

If an add-on streamer is limited to HDR10, though, you’re missing out. Why? That format relies on static metadata. You’ll certainly get enhanced color and contrast over SDR (standard dynamic range), but there’s the potential for some scenes looking too bright or too dark. Dynamic metadata allows adjustments per-scene or even per-frame.

There are two leading dynamic formats: HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. Dolby Vision is widely considered the gold standard, although you’ll pay a little extra for the privilege, since Dolby charges hardware makers a licensing fee. It’s why Samsung doesn’t support Vision on its TVs, and is even backing an upcoming standard called HDR10+ Advanced to compete with Dolby Vision 2. You won’t find either of those on a Roku or Fire Stick yet.

Speaking of support, something worth emphasizing here is that your TV has to be compatible with an HDR standard as well. You can’t add a format with a dongle, since of course your TV has to put the images onscreen.

4K resolution

The real baseline in 2026

Although I have a 4K TV in my living room, I usually stream at 1080p. Honestly, it’s fine in most circumstances. 4K subscriptions cost an arm and a leg, and I rarely notice the difference on a 65-inch set given current upscaling technologies. As I said a moment ago, I’m much more concerned about whether a TV supports HDR.

Going with a 1080p add-on will save you a few dollars, at most.

In 2026, however, it’s a little ridiculous to buy an accessory that’s limited to 1080p. 4K TVs have become cheap and ubiquitous, and going with a 1080p add-on will save you a few dollars at most. As of this writing, in fact, the price gap for Fire TV Sticks is a mere $3. There’s no sense kneecapping the usefulness of your purchase for the cost of a cup of coffee.

Perhaps most importantly, 1080p-only streamers tend to be deficient in other specs. There isn’t one with Dolby Vision or Dolby Atmos, and performance and storage are going to be sub-par. Essentially, they exist only to get the most price-conscious shoppers in the door.

Wi-Fi 6

Keep that traffic moving

I shouldn’t have to say this, but Wi-Fi 5 (a.k.a. 802.11ac) is horribly outdated. It operates exclusively on the 5GHz band, which offers enough throughput for 4K, but not the range and flexibility created by the additional 2.4GHz band you get with Wi-Fi 6. Indeed Wi-Fi 6 is more efficient overall, which counts for something given the growing demands of home networks.

You may regret Wi-Fi 5 if you want a product that’s guaranteed to perform well when you’re watching 4K HDR content with Dolby Atmos.

In industry terms, even Wi-Fi 6 is old. The first compatible products launched in 2020. Since then, Wi-Fi 6E has emerged, adding a third, ultra-fast 6GHz band. Wi-Fi 7 hit the streets in 2024. While you won’t find a cheap Wi-Fi 7 streamer yet, that could be just a year or two away.

It is acceptable to buy a Wi-Fi 5 add-on, since it’ll still work with newer routers. You may regret that, however, if you want a product that’s guaranteed to perform well when you’re watching 4K HDR content with Dolby Atmos.

Enough storage for your apps

A shifting goalpost

Media streamers don’t require a huge amount of storage space to run well. Their operating systems are stripped down, and excluding the Apple TV 4K, they can’t handle much gaming that isn’t in the cloud. Really, any Roku or Fire device you buy is intended as a portal to the music and video services you subscribe to.

I’ve never run out of space on any Roku device I’ve owned, and Roku OS has long performed better than Fire OS.

Having said that, there is such a thing as skimping. Amazon’s cheapest Fire Sticks are all equipped with 8GB, which should be enough for some customers, but leaves little breathing room once you factor in space demanded by the OS. There’s a reason why you get 16GB on the Fire TV Stick 4K Max.

Roku, meanwhile, is oddly cagey about how much storage its Streaming Sticks have. Third-party sources suggest about 4GB. That does sound even worse, yet I’ve never run out of space on any Roku device I’ve owned, and Roku OS has long performed better than Fire OS. If you need more storage than is on a Streaming Stick 4K, it’s probably time to make the leap to an Apple TV.

Native Dolby Atmos

Possibly, maybe, not necessarily

Despite writing a lot about home theater systems, I actually don’t care for Atmos that much. It’s impressive, no doubt. But as I’ve said elsewhere, many of my favorite movies predate Atmos, and the ones that don’t still sound good in stereo or “flat” surround sound. I don’t need to hear starfighters zooming overhead to enjoy Star Wars, or gunshots flying around me to enjoy Heat.

If you’ve got a quality soundbar or receiver, those products will probably handle Atmos better.

For the people who do care, native Atmos support might be a must, but only as a fallback. Even entry-level Amazon and Roku products support Dolby passthrough, so you should be good to go as long as the rest of your HDMI chain supports passthrough and your audio equipment can decode it.

Native Atmos processing helps mainly if there are passthrough compatibility issues. If you’ve got a quality soundbar or receiver, those products will probably handle Atmos better. Both Amazon and Roku offer automatic selection modes for this reason, instead of assuming that their own hardware will be superior.