Most of the TVs available in the market right now are SmartTV. If you are planning to buy a 4K non-smart TV, good luck with that because you will hardly find a 4K non-smart TV.
SmartTVs are definitely getting better but still, it lacks from the software side. Sluggish UI, unnecessary bloatware, limited access to apps, and expensive price tags are some of the reasons why SmartTV lacks.
On the other hand, we have streaming devices like Firestick, Roku, Apple TV, and Nvidia Shield that give you an outstanding streaming experience on any tv. Among all of that, Firestick is a sweet spot. It is cheap, powerful, extremely portable, and supports every TV with an HDMI port.
So, if you are planning to get a Smart TV, stop right there because you are going to see some of the reasons that make Firestick better than a Smart TV in many ways.
1. App Compatibility
Unlike SmartTVs that only support what’s available on their App Store. You can install any kind of android app on Firestick even if it is not available on Amazon App Store. Not everyone uses paid subscriptions for entertainment. There are students and families that cannot afford such apps. There are apps like Cinema HD APK that offer amazing movie & tv shows streaming for free but Smart TV straight off denies installing streaming apps. On the contrary, Firestick does support such apps. So, along with Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+ and other apps, you can also install apps outside from App Store.
2. Portability
Can you travel with your SmartTV? No! But firestick can travels with you. If you are someone who travels for work or for any other reason, you can take your entertainment with you. Simply connect your firestick with TV in your hotel room or AirBnB and there you have all the movies, TV shows, LIVE TV Channels with you. You can easily carry in your handbag.
3. Cost
The cheapest 32-inch Smart TV will cost you at least $150 and if you go for 43 inch 4K TV, it comes to a rock bottom price of at least $300. Do you know how much firestick costs? Just $39. You can connect it to your old tv with an HDMI port and there you have your smart tv in front of you. During Holiday Season sales or Prime Day Sale, you can even get discounts on firesticks. If you want better performance and features, you can also consider FireTV which is also cheaper than the cheapest Smart TV.
4. User Interface
We have different operating systems for different smart TVs and all are slow and sluggish. You simply cannot enjoy the experience. There are a lot of bloatwares, slow processors and limited inbuilt storage that makes it slow. On the other hand, Firestick uses FireTV OS which is based on Android. On top of that, we have a dedicated processor, and GPU and it comes with almost zero bloatware that make the user interface much better when compared to Smart TVs. Moreover, we also get Alexa voice commands feature on Amazon Firestick remote that you can use open apps, playing music, checking weather and to integrate with other Alexa devices in your home.
Firestick better than SmartTV? – What Do You Think
So there you have a clear picture of what is better and why. If you don’t want to spend more and want a big screen for movies, tv shows, get a big size non-smart TV and get a firestick. You can get the best firestick for 15% of the cost of a cheapest smart tv.
Along with apps available on App Store, you can also install apps outside app store, firestick is portable and cheap but if you really want a smart tv, get LG C1 or Sony’s Android TV for best user-interface and experience. They are hefty expensive but Smart TV are meant to be expensive.