127 - Amazon v Google: Streaming Sticks 📺📋
Alternate title: You Won't Believe What Google Did To TV Remotes
I recently bought both the Amazon Fire Stick 4K and the Chromecast with Google TV to see which one I'd use in my new house. , here are my thoughts if you are thinking of getting either of them:
To start, you don't need a streaming stick if you have a Smart TV. It essentially just changes old TVs into ones that can tap into streaming services; if you have none, it will severely reduce their usefulness.
Also, for reference, the streaming services I have access to are Netflix, Stan, Disney+, MUBI and Binge. I do not have Amazon Prime or AppleTV - so cannot comment on whether these would make these services better (they probably do).
Other than that, here are some comparisons:
Price (equal):
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Amazon Fire Stick: The Amazon Fire Stick is sold by Amazon in a number of different levels - a 'Lite' version, a standard version, and then a 4k version. Prices range between $59 to $99 when not on sale. The 4K version is $99, the subject of this review.
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Chromecast with Google TV: The Chromecast with Google TV is sold by Google, and also has a number of levels - but only the top level includes Google TV (and thus is the only subject of this sort-of review). It usually retails for $99.
Ease of setup (equal):
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Amazon Fire Stick: Simple to set up and easy to work out - it doesn't require an extra app or anything, it just works. Plug it in and let it fly - it's already connected to your Amazon account...which, kinda doesn't mean anything unless you have Prime. The remote also syncs to your actual TV (for both the Fire Stick and Google TV) - which I thought was kinda neat!
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Chromecast with Google TV: The set-up is just as easy, but it takes longer. There was a software update for the Chromecast which took a while (and I didn't really like). It also requires you to have the Google Home app to help facilitate the connection with your existing accounts. HOWEVER once it was complete, it had already preloaded a number of apps and accounts which made setting everything up easier - the Fire Stick didn't have this functionality. It may have been easier since I'm on the Android ecosystem but shrug it is what it is.
Apps (Google TV):
- Both sticks have all the apps required - any app you think of, you can likely get. The interesting difference is that Amazon seems to have their own specific Fire Stick apps from their Amazon Appstore, whereas Google TV is taking it from their App Store - optimised for Google TV. Browsing their respective stores, Google wins by a mile - access to the App Store is top tier.
Layout (Amazon Fire Stick)
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It's the carousel-type layout that was popularised by Netflix, used across both the Amazon Fire Stick and Google TV layouts. Both show your apps on the home screen, and pop up with recommendations of what you might want to watch next.
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Interestingly, Amazon shows your 'most recent' apps, whereas Google shows your 'most recently watched' shows and movies - I definitely like the Amazon way better here. Google makes it a little harder to find your apps, requiring you to jump into an extra screen to find any 'other' apps. I found out you can rearrange them (so that you don't have to jump into the extra screen), but it's more like setting up your taskbar on your computer than a dynamic update based on what you've used recently...Google, #plsfix.
Content Discovery (Google TV)
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Amazon Fire Stick: Amazon pushes Prime super hard. It might be better if you're a Prime subscriber, but I am finding it incredibly annoying to wade through the recommendations for Prime when I don't have it (and don't really plan on getting it...yet). Shouldn't it be showing me what I do have access to? Also, when you try to ask Alexa to find a show that doesn't exist on the services you currently have, she shows you what else is out there, but it takes a couple of clicks to find out that you have to rent it, or buy it, or have a trial of Paramount+ to watch it. Related movie information (genres, actors etc) come up though, which is cool!
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Chromecast with Google TV: The Google TV search functionality is fantastic. It searches through all the different ways you might be able to access a particular show, it gives you a small caption under each thumbnail that tells you where you can access it, or how much it will cost to buy / rent it if you want to watch it, as well as the RottenTomatoes score (TOP TIER FEATURE). Searching a film also pops up the cast (just like it would happen on Google), as well as different YouTube clips for the movie. It has a list of different content carousels to put in features for certain things (e.g. Margaret from David and Margaret's watchlist, or 'Currently trending movies being searched on Google'), and includes subscriptions from your YouTube account.
Remote (Amazon Fire Stick)
- Amazon Fire Stick: It looks like a remote, it has a bunch of buttons on the bottom that give you Netflix, Prime, Disney+ and AmazonMusic. The Alexa button is on top, and highlighted, the middle circular button has a very satisfying click, and the layout of the buttons is quite intuitive. Look at the bottom buttons - so colourful and distinctive! Most importantly it feels like a TV remote, just simplified to it's most important parts. Good job Amazon.
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Chromecast with Google TV: GOOGLE WHAT ARE YOU DOING. There are so many issues with this remote in such a small package - here are a few:
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The on/off button is in the bottom left, the SMALLEST of the buttons on the device. The one that you use the most, and it's in the most unintuitive spot on the remote. You idiots.
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The layout is 2 column - which, okay that's fine. But the Google Assistant is highlighted in Black and on the right - why? Closer to my thumb...but do they hate lefties?
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Can you see the volume buttons? No? It's because they're on the side like a phone. THE SIDE. LIKE. A. PHONE. Why?! Who asked for that???
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They have got YouTube and Netflix and specified buttons, but only those two? Why? And why aren't they specifically slotted somewhere else, or called out in a different colour of some sort? If you want those buttons, you'd want them to call attention to themselves. If you don't want them, then they take up a lot of real estate on the remote - either have them, or don't.
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I still haven't worked out what the bottom right button does yet, and I don't really care because I try to reduce my usage of this remote as much as possible.
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Ugh - anyway - it's serviceable, but I don't love it.
Other
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Amazon Fire Stick: A feature (?) of Amazon is that there doesn't seem to be a timeout on what you're watching; as in, you pause something and can leave it there indefinitely. The Google TV shifts to a Chromecast screen if you pause for too long (maybe to prevent burn-in?) but sometimes you just want to come straight back to something that's been paused for a bit. Not sure if this is a dealbreaker but that's been my experience!
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Chromecast with Google TV: This has an actually Chromecast built into it, which the Amazon Fire Stick does not. This was a highly required quality of life upgrade from the Fire Stick that I needed because I use it so often. I cast things from my phone a lot, though I now realise that most of the apps will already be on the Google TV. However, I just like that I have that extra functionality if I need it.
Overall
- It's the Google TV. I think I'm biased (obviously) so do your own research. Though I'm not super happy with the Google TV's remote (could you tell?), the Home screen of the Amazon Fire Stick is more annoying because I don't have Prime. As outlined above, the content discovery from Google TV shits on Amazon, so in the end, Google wins!
Chat soon :)
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