Indians are well sorted with the internet, thanks to attractive offers from Airtel, Reliance Jio and others, and it seems like there is going to be a boost in the use of internet-connected apps. Demand for quality entertainment content is always welcomed by providers, and with the right kind of gadgets, you can have the best experience.
Amazon has finally launched its Fire TV Stick in India to offer much-needed entertainment content to viewers. It will be sold exclusively on Amazon (obviously) and also through select retail stores, including Reliance Digital and Croma.
The USB plug-and-play media streaming device is priced at Rs3,999, which is a sound offer, but there are other deals to attract the Indian consumers.
Amazon is not alone in this race as Google has marked its territory long before the Fire TV Stick's debut in India. There's going to be tough battle between the two on which media streaming device to pick up, so here's a comparison of all the features that come with each one.
All that matters is content
Amazon Fire TV surely takes an edge on this one, but the Google Chromecast isn't too far behind. Both devices can stream the content you like from services like Netflix, Hulu, Spotify and others, so most of your content cravings are fulfilled here.
Amazon Fire TV has an advantage of supporting apps like Gaana, Hotstar, Eros Now and other applications, thanks to the forked version of Android it runs. This is basically the content Indians love as it brings a wide range of local content.
To top it off, the Fire TV Stick gives you access to Prime Video, which is something you will miss entirely on Google Chromecast.
Usability
Google Chromecast and Amazon Fire TV Stick have their own ways of streaming content. The Chromecast relies on your smartphone and doesn't really have its own UI. But you're unlikely to miss it as you will find it easy to use your Chromecast on TV via an Android smartphone.
You can simply select the content you want to play on TV and select cast on your phone. Since your Android smartphone supports Google Assistant, you can use voice commands to control what's being shown on the television.
On the other hand, Amazon Fire TV Stick has a standalone UI and comes with a dedicated remote control. Thanks to the mic in the remote, you can use voice commands to navigate, or the UI of the Fire TV Stick is pretty straight forward. You'll need to install additional apps on your Fire TV Stick for them to run on your telly, so there's 8GB storage on board.
We haven't reviewed the devices to tell you exactly what works best, but the familiarity you get using an Android smartphone on your TV sounds a lot simpler than an entirely new UI that comes with Fire TV Stick.
Which one should you buy?
It all comes down to this. Amazon Fire TV is strong in terms of content and Google Chromecast gets the job done in an easy way. We only have one way to break this tie.
If you are low on budget, Google Chromecast 2 will set you back for Rs3,399. But if you are willing to spare a few extra bucks, Amazon Fire TV for Rs3,999 along with some launch offers, isn't a bad deal at all.
After all, it is the content that you should really be looking at. Even though Google Chromecast gives you most of it, Amazon Fire TV Stick has some exclusives you cannot turn away from.
