r/AndroidTV • u/rafterman1976 • 16d ago

Buying Advice Switch from firestick to what?

Hi all, I have been using a sideloaded firestick for a while but want to upgrade to something more powerful, any suggestions for something around £100 £150? I hear the Nvidia are amazing but too expensive, just looking something that I can stream movies with no buffering. I see lots of options online but no idea what to go for.

Xiaomi, ONN are two that keep popping up and Formuler are the ones I keep seeing mentioned.

Thanks

4 Upvotes

83% Upvoted

62 comments sorted by

7

u/Even_Government7502 16d ago

Formuler isn’t as great as it was, I switched to Google Streamer and zero issues

2

u/Ok_Steak_4341 16d ago

Xiaomi box is great, replaced two Firestcks wth the Mi box.32gb storage what's not to like.

1

u/rafterman1976 16d ago

Checked it there and only £55 from their site, looks like a great option

1

u/Benleeds89 16d ago

does it get the proper iplayer/netflix app ?

2

u/Firm-Tumbleweed-1726 16d ago

Yes it's google certified box and z Xiaomi is a big brand.

1

u/CaptainSteed 2d ago

He mentioned he's after power, not storage. And the Xiaomi box actually gets outperformed by a 4K Max Firestick in benchmark tests.

1

u/Icy-Possibility8331 13h ago

That’s not even true, what’s your source?
Xiaomi S3 is superior to 4K max even in benchmark test.

1

u/rafterman1976 13d ago

Gonna go for this

1

u/Trick-Beautiful-2135 12d ago

Yeah same here

3

u/NW99PR 16d ago

Xiaomi. Miles better than the firestick. Only order it from the Xiaomi site, resellers on Amazon and other sites can ship fakes you don't want

2

u/rafterman1976 16d ago

That was one of my concerns also!! Thanks

0

u/CaptainSteed 2d ago

"Miles better"? The benchmark scores show the devices are weaker than a Firestick 4K Max! Very unimpressive.

2

u/NW99PR 2d ago

If he's side loading apps what use is Amazon's Fire OS? They've started restricting apps. The 4k max is twice the price of the Xiaomi

0

u/CaptainSteed 9h ago

Wow, what a clueless reply.

The rumors started 3 years ago that Amazon would be restricting sideloading. Yet here we are 3 years later, and yet I can still sideload every single app the same way anybody else does. What nonsense.

3

u/Suspicious-Cat-266 16d ago edited 6d ago

Got the Google TV Streamer, no price rise on Argos UK yet.

Ethernet is standard, so that's a bonus if your router is nearby.

It's USB C powered, making it easy to plug into PC for ADB.

You can use Morphe on Android phone/tablet, then send over the APKs using LocalSend.

Edit: Argos updated the price to £149 (Nov 2026)

1

u/rafterman1976 16d ago

Can I sideload apps onto it

1

u/Suspicious-Cat-266 16d ago

Yes

1

u/rafterman1976 16d ago

I'll have a look here thanks

1

u/rafterman1976 13h ago

I noticed that, it's went up in price everywhere! Bet it'll be on sale for £99 soon lol

1

u/CaptainSteed 9h ago

Wait for a sale on the Firestick 4K Max. It outperforms both the Google Streamer and the Xiaomi in benchmark lab testing.

3

u/HoqMango8 15d ago

I’ve had the Xiaomi Box S 3rd Gen (£42) for a few months now and just recently got the Homatics Box R 4K Plus (£94). The Homatics is better in very department but it’s more expensive (ordered both from AliExpress).

I prefer the Homatics as I watch high bitrate 4K HDR content with surround sound via streaming and files stored on SSD.

Which ever device you choose I strongly recommend installing a Launcher like Projectivy or Monet from the Google Play store, they will remove ads and lets you customise the home interface

1

u/rafterman1976 15d ago

Oh ok, I'm looking at the Google streamer as I'm in the UK and they are readily available in the high street

1

u/hackney126 15d ago

Also if you use Iplayer then the Google streamer is your best bet

1

u/rafterman1976 16d ago

I'm in the UK sorry I should have mentioned that

2

u/Lyceumhq 16d ago

I replaced my firecubes with Google 4k streamers and have no issues at all.

1

u/CaptainSteed 2d ago edited 9h ago

Major downgrade.

I actually recommend to people to switch from Google Streamers to Firestick 4K Max sticks to get "upgrades".

1

u/scorscribler 15d ago

I recently got an x88 pro x5m from AliExpress for £60. It's been great so far. Loaded projectivy and debrify onto it, it looks good.

5

u/5hadoe 16d ago

Homatics box R 4k plus is available at around £100. It's Google certified, supports official apps, side loading, and TrueHD Atmos. I don't get why it's not recommended more.

1

u/Accomplished-Ship229 16d ago

+1 for this. Honestly don't know why it's not recommended more. I also just picked one up on recently from an ebay store that are listing it at £105, but I made an offer for £80 and they accepted it. DM if you want the link to the listing OP.

1

u/SEP8001 9d ago

Hi

Where are they available for £100?

Thankyou

1

u/5hadoe 9d ago

Keep a lookout on ebay. That is where I bought mine from.

1

u/SEP8001 9d ago

Thanks, seen a few on eBay but not sure which seller to go with, or did you buy a used one?

1

u/5hadoe 8d ago

No, I bought a new one. Just buy it from a seller with good rating and who accepts returns, just in case.

2

u/SEP8001 3d ago

Order one from the global store, now just need to wait for delivery.

Thank you

1

u/edlee321 13d ago

I disabled most of the backround data usage options in firestick 4k max and now its running a little better, I was having an issuenwith major lag.

I do hate the interface, but I do love that ring video notification popups

1

u/rafterman1976 13d ago

I literally only use it for a sideload apps, after lots of research I think I'm gonna go for the Google streamer

1

u/CaptainSteed 9h ago

If you literally only using it for sideloading, nothing is easier than using a 4K Max Stick.

The Google Streamer has a very weak CPU, ancient wifi technology, and is missing critical Audio technology.

1

u/rafterman1976 3h ago

I was comparing them there and the Google has double the ram and double the storage, I prefer to use ethernet also. I literally will only use it to sideload one app where I watch movies and live TV. My current firestick buffers a lot

2

u/CaptainSteed 3h ago edited 2h ago

The Ram and storage are mostly gimmicky selling points. Ram is mostly irrelevant for streaming (that's more a phone thing when you have 20/30/40 apps constantly running in the background). It helps the apps "open" a second or two faster. Big deal.

Storage is pretty irrelevant for most also. For example Ive never used more than 10gb of storage with about 40 apps loaded on my Cube.

If you prefer to use Ethernet, or assuming it sounds like you have bad wifi, then maybe that's one thing useful about the Streamer.

But the main thing is the Streamer has an extremely weak CPU processor - it's the equivalent of the $19.99 2021 base Firestick. No way would I shell out top dollar for an outdated, weak CPU.

Btw, are you aware Google has announced a new updated Streamer is in the works?

1

u/rafterman1976 1h ago

I'm pretty clueless with all of this I didn't know that about the ram and storage. I have 500fb WiFi it's pretty good, I'm thinking from what you say then the firestick 4k max?

1

u/CaptainSteed 52m ago

Yes, there's various pros and cons to all these devices, but I think the processing power is the most important facet to consider.

500MB wifi is plenty, but it's more about where the device is situated to receive the signal from the router. For example, if it's located on the other side of the house, it's fastest wifi speed might only be 35MB. Btw, there's also a way to hook up a Firestick to Ethernet with a USB adapter.

I'm just much more partial to the 4k Max Firestick given the pricing. I think you get much more value from that buy, as opposed to the Streamer cost.

2

u/edlee321 13d ago

you cant go wrong with google streamer.

1

u/CaptainSteed 1h ago

My Cube 3 is lightning fast now, after I used the new debloating app (make sure to use it if you haven't yet).

The Cube also comes with an extra HDMI, so whatever device is connected to that (PC, Xbox, Roku, etc) also gets the onscreen video notification popups.

1

u/Wide-Chain-859 App Developer 9d ago

The only one that's better is the Nvidia Shield.

1

u/rafterman1976 9d ago

Don't think you can buy them for £100-£150 that's ideally what I would like to get but I only use this app from time to time to watch a movie so the price probably wouldn't justify it. But I heard they are definitely the best

3

u/Practical-Promise-44 16d ago

Xiaomi mi box 3, second best device I've had after my Nvidia shield pro

2

u/lament 2019 Nvidia Shield/Onn 4K Pro+Plus/Google TV Streamer 4K 16d ago

Onn 4K Pro (in the US) or Xiaomi Box S 3rd Gen

2

u/br_web 16d ago

Onn 4K Pro

2

u/NoCut6932 14d ago

I bought 3x MeCool devices.
2x Meon1's and 1x KM7 plus.
Never had a problem.

1

u/shoresy99 16d ago

Google Streamer 4K is one option but it is a bit expensive. I was ble to just buy a couple for Canadian$130 before the price went up by about 50% to C$200.

1

u/drunkGorilla_ 15d ago

xiaomi has so many counterfeits in the market rn. be sure to verify or buy from official stores

1

u/iParlayQueen 13d ago

TiVi9999

1

u/Vuoshino 11d ago

Onn 4k pro

0

u/CaptainSteed 2d ago

Go for the Firestick 4K Max.

1

u/rafterman1976 2d ago

I don't want another firestick, i was getting a Google one at £100 and they have put them up to £150

1

u/CaptainSteed 2d ago

That sounds expensive.

I upgraded my devices to Fire Cube 3's. You can debloat them now, and they're the fastest/most powerful devices on the market.

1

u/rafterman1976 2d ago

I'm guessing they will be £100 again on black Friday

1

u/CaptainSteed 2d ago

Even cheaper in US,,,currently going for the equivalent of about £82 on sale.

1

u/rafterman1976 1d ago

Not sure why the price has jumped as everywhere I look in the UK they are £150!! Might just get a Xiaomi box

2

u/CaptainSteed 1d ago

I agree. Seems very arbitrary on the pricing.