If you’ve been meaning to upgrade the dongle behind your TV, this month’s sales make that an easy — and cheap — decision. Amazon’s Fire TV lineup is on heavy rotation for Cyber Monday, with the basic Fire TV Stick HD dropping under $20 and higher-end 4K models slashed as well. Couple those discounts with Amazon’s trade‑in program and you can stretch your dollar even further.
Which discounts are actually worth chasing?
The headline grabber is the Fire TV Stick HD, which has been selling for roughly $18–19 at Amazon during Cyber Monday and related sales. That’s about half its list price and only a dollar off its best historical low — a great option if you just need a simple plug‑in streamer for an HDMI-equipped HDTV. If you want more power (and 4K), Amazon ran deals on the mid- and high-tier sticks too — the 4K Select and 4K Plus have landed around $20–25, while the Fire TV Stick 4K Max has been seen in the mid-$30s.
If you’re browsing a wider set of holiday tech deals, this round of streaming-stick discounts is part of a broader slate of sales across electronics — useful context if you’re doing big seasonal shopping like laptops or other home upgrades. For a view of the wider early-Black-Friday landscape, see this roundup of early deals and shopping tips Black Friday Has Already Begun: Top Early Deals. And if you’re balancing whether to buy a different big-ticket item now or wait, recent MacBook Air price drops show how deep discounts can get on premium hardware this time of year MacBook Air Deals Deepen: M4 Drops to $799.
Trade‑ins: a small extra discount that adds up
Amazon’s trade‑in program can shave off even more. Bring in an older Fire TV Stick model — anything from the Lite and International versions to the HD stick — and Amazon will apply a modest instant discount ($3 on some qualifying swaps) and give a gift-card trade value up to a percentage of the device’s eligible price (often marketed as “up to 20%” depending on device condition and type). You can also trade in other Amazon gadgets, like an Echo Dot, to boost the overall credit. It won’t make a high‑end stick free, but combined with a sale price it can push the total cost into impulse-buy territory.
What the different sticks actually give you
Not all Fire TV Sticks are the same. The HD model is basic: Fire OS, Alexa voice search on the remote, and support for common streaming apps. Move up to the 4K Select/Plus/Max models and you get sharper picture support and snappier hardware. The 4K Max stands out with 4K, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, Dolby Atmos audio, 16GB of storage (handy for more apps and games), and faster Wi‑Fi (Wi‑Fi 6E on the Max) — and it ships with 2GB of RAM on some higher models versus 1GB on the most budget 4K variant, which translates to smoother app switching. The 4K Plus and Max also include smarter search with Alexa and additional features like Xbox Game Pass streaming support (you’ll need a controller for cloud play).
A quick practical note: if you plan to run apps that aren’t in Amazon’s app store, remember Amazon limits unofficial apps — sideloading exists but isn’t as straightforward as on some other platforms.
Practical buying advice
- Don’t pay full price. These sticks are regularly on sale; watch for flash deals.
- Combine trade‑in credits with sale prices when possible; the math can make the midrange 4K sticks a much better value than the baseline HD model.
- Pick the model that matches your TV and habits: HD for second rooms; 4K Max if you want Dolby Vision/Atmos, more storage and better Wi‑Fi.
- If you’ll use cloud gaming, factor in the cost of a game controller and an Xbox Game Pass subscription.
Streaming content-wise, plenty of free, ad-supported services (think Tubi and Pluto) let you watch a lot without new subscriptions — but if you rely on paid services, make sure the apps you use are supported on Fire TV before pulling the trigger.
If you want the cheapest, fastest route to a new streamer, grab a sale-priced Fire TV Stick HD or a discounted 4K model and trade in an old Amazon gadget. For those who want a little extra future‑proofing, the 4K Max’s extra storage and Wi‑Fi advantage make it the most compelling long-term pick in this batch.
Find the current Fire TV deals and check the latest price available on Amazon.