TV Stick Buying Guide 2023: How to Buy a TV Stick

TV Sticks have become a lifesaver lately. You can use them to turn your normal TV into a smart TV or to access a vast range of OTT apps and services or even voice control your TV. Not to forget, TV Sticks are specifically designed for content streaming, so the number of OTT apps that you get access to is much higher than relying on your smart TV Operating System (OS). But, if you are new to all of this and do not know how to buy a TV Stick, or what to look for when buying a TV Stick in India, this article is for you.

Our simple, up-to-date, and detailed TV Stick buying guide is sure to answer most or all of your questions about buying a TV Stick for streaming.

1. Check if your TV Stick device is compatible with your TV

2. Check the availability of your favorite OTT apps before you buy a TV Stick

3. Do your TV Stick’s resolution and your TV’s resolution match?

4. Check features present in your TV Stick’s remote

5. Check for additional features in your TV Stick

6. Consider brand reputation

It is important that the TV Stick you are buying is compatible with your TV as well. TV sticks only require an HDMI port to connect to your television. However, it is important that you check the version of HDMI your TV Stick supports and the version of HDMI your television has. Ideally, your television should have HDMI 2.0 or higher to be compatible with most TV Sticks available in the market. Apart from this, you may also want to check if your TV streaming stick supports other devices such as projectors or not.

Also Read: All TV Sticks in India Compared (Best 4K TV Stick 2023)

Before buying a TV Stick, check if your favorite OTT apps and other apps are supported or not. Different TV Sticks come with different OTT apps and content capabilities. Some streaming sticks like Apple TV Stick has access to approx 15,000+ apps. While another popular TV stick such as Fire TV Stick has access to approx 18,000+ apps. Also, some TV Sticks come with access to Live TV channels so you can watch your favorite shows and movies live. Additionally, you can also check if the TV Stick you are buying comes with Sports channels too.

Also Read: Best & Cheap TV Stick for Live TV Channels

The next important factor to consider when buying a TV Stick is if the output of your TV Stick matches the output of your TV. For example, you shouldn’t plan on streaming 4K content on an old HD TV. If you have an old HD TV, buying a TV Stick that supports 1080p should suffice your needs. Similarly, if you have a 4K resolution TV, you should get a TV Stick that supports 4K resolution, such as Fire TV Stick 4K or Fire TV Stick 4K Max.

While the TV Stick will often work on a TV regardless of the resolution it has, buying the right TV Stick with the right resolution can help you make the most out of your buck.

Depending on the budget you have set for your TV Stick, you can expect some of these features to be present in your TV Stick remote. Some TV Stick Remotes comes with basic buttons, while some come with certain special apps buttons, headphone audio jack feature, forward/backward, rewind buttons, etc. You may or may not get all these features in your TV Stick depending on the budget you have set. Based on your requirements, you can choose which of these features are the most useful for you.

Here are the features to look for in a TV Stick Remote:

• Alexa Voice-control

• Hotkeys - buttons for Netflix, YouTube, etc

• Apps button

• Navigation buttons

• Forward/ Backwards

• Pause/Play

• Rewind

• Mute

• Headphone audio jack

Read our guide on 6 Ways to Convert a Normal TV into a Smart TV

The last important factor to consider before buying a TV Stick is to check if it has the features you require. Old TV Sticks generally do not come with abilities such as voice control, parental control, etc but if you have a slightly higher budget, you can get an Alexa-enabled smart TV Stick remote which comes extremely handy to quickly navigate, or access your favorite shows. Not just this, you can ask about the weather, set a sleep timer, and much more.

Here are the features to look for in a TV Stick:

• Parental control

• Google Assistant

• Sleep Timer

• Shockproof

• Water-resistant

• Bluetooth 5.0

• Display Mirroring

• Support for Dolby Vision, HDR10+, Dolby Atmos

• Live TV Support

• Alexa Voice Control

Explore the latest deals on TV Streaming Sticks and Players online from Amazon, Flipkart, Croma, and others. These deals are handpicked and posted by us and our expert dimers.

The amount of storage in your TV Stick you require depends on the content you wish to stream and the number of apps you wish to have. Ideally, the TV Stick you are buying should have at least 8GB Storage since a minimum of 25% of storage is supposed to be kept free for smooth functioning. On top of that, your TV Stick’s Operating System (OS) will also take up some space.

The RAM of your TV Stick also depends on the budget you have set. The more the RAM, the better and faster the experience you will have with your TV Stick. Some latest TV Sticks today come with RAM as with high 2GB RAM. However, even 1 GB RAM in a TV Stick is sufficient for most users which most TV Sticks today come with. So while buying a TV Stick, you need not worry about the RAM unless you have a very limited budget or need a TV Stick with higher RAM.

The last but not least important thing to consider before purchasing a tv stick is the brand of the TV Stick you are buying. For example, when it comes to TV Sticks, the one name that dominates the category is Fire TV Sticks by Amazon. Buying a TV Stick such as Fire TV Stick as compared to a new or local brand promises you more apps, better speed, and smooth functionality. Some of the popular TV Stick brands in India are Fire TV Stick, Roku TV Streaming Stick, Mi TV Stick, Google Chromecast Dongle, and Apple TV Stick.

All Fire TV Sticks Comparison 2023 (Lite vs 3rd Gen vs 4K vs 4K Max vs Cube)

Another minute but important detail to consider before buying a TV Stick is what wifi standard it supports. If you are buying a TV Stick from a reputed brand and a model that is recent, you do not need to worry about this as most TV Sticks today come with 5G support and some latest TV Sticks like Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max even come with Wifi-6 standard support. Buying a TV Stick with a higher standard of wifi such as Wifi-5 or Wifi-6 helps ensure you have a seamless experience.

So, this was all about sharing what things to consider when buying a TV Stick for content streaming or turning a normal TV into a smart TV. We hope this TV Stick buying guide helps you make the right choice when it comes to selecting the best TV Stick for yourself.

If you are also looking to shop some good deals on Televisions, be sure to check out our TV deals group to find the latest deals on TV and smart TVs in India:

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Also Read: TV Buying Guide: All You Need to Know When Buying a TV