# Best 4K Streaming Stick 2026: 10 Ranked, and the Spec Tables That Don't Add Up Source: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/tech/best-4k-streaming-sticks Published: 2026-09-15 | Updated: 2026-09-15 | Prices checked on Amazon UK on 2026-09-15 The Xiaomi Mi TV Stick 4K is listed at 20 x 15 x 15 cm — roughly 4.5 litres — while weighing 28 g, and its network field reads 'USB' on a device that streams over Wi-Fi. The Roku Streaming Stick 4K, a 22 g dongle, is credited with 32 GB of storage. The Sumvision '4K UHD' player's own resolution row says 1080p. If you are buying a 4k streaming stick, those are the fields you are meant to trust — and on several listings they behave like marketing rather than measurement. The hardware is fine. The spec tables are not. We ranked ten of the best 4k streaming stick options on Amazon on price, the number of ratings behind each score, the storage and RAM figures, and whether the specifications on the page survive contact with each other. Where they don't, we say so. ## The ranking ### 1. Google TV Streamer (4K), 32 GB — Porcelain - Price: £99.00 | Amazon rating: 4.3 from 461 ratings - Full review: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/tech/best-4k-streaming-sticks/google-tv-streamer-4k - Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DBLWTQCT?tag=ranked10-21 The biggest memory figures here — 32 GB storage and 4 GB RAM — with 461 ratings at 4.3, but its own network field reads 'Remote'. This sits at the top because it carries the largest memory figures in the list: 32 GB of storage and 4 GB of RAM, against 8 GB on two of the sticks below. The rating record backs it up — 4.3 from 461 reviews, more than the three devices at £69.99 to £89.99 combined. However, the listing has the same habit as the rest: its Network Connectivity Technology row reads 'Remote'. A remote is not a network technology, and the device plainly streams over Wi-Fi. That is the kind of field you have to read past when you buy a 4k streaming stick. In practice it is a box, not a dongle. The dimensions read 29.9 x 9.2 x 6.5 cm and the weight 232 g, so it sits on a shelf or inside a cabinet rather than hanging behind the TV. Output is listed at 3840x2160 with Dolby Vision, and the codec list covers H.264, H.265/HEVC and VP9. Google claims a 22% faster processor and twice the memory over its previous streamer, and the remote handles voice search and smart home controls. That said, £99.00 is the joint-highest price here, and 232 g of box needs somewhere to live. If your TV is wall-mounted with no shelf, or you want something powered from the TV's own USB port, this is the wrong shape of product. Eight of its 461 ratings are one star. Pros: 32 GB storage and 4 GB RAM, the largest memory pairing in this list; 4K at 3840x2160 with Dolby Vision, plus H.264, H.265/HEVC and VP9 codecs; 4.3 average from 461 ratings, more than the £69.99–£89.99 devices combined; Voice remote also controls compatible smart home devices; 232 g box stays where you put it, with no dangling dongle Cons: £99.00, the joint-highest price of the ten; Network field lists 'Remote', which is not a connectivity type; 232 g and 29.9 cm long — a box, not a dongle; 8 of its 461 ratings are one star ### 2. Roku Streaming Stick 4K (3820EU), Black - Price: £39.99 | Amazon rating: 4.4 from 1,682 ratings - Full review: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/tech/best-4k-streaming-sticks/roku-streaming-stick-4k - Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09HMN88PC?tag=ranked10-21 The largest review base on the list at 1,682 ratings and 4.4, but a 22 g dongle credited with 32 GB of storage. This one has the strongest evidence behind it: 4.4 from 1,682 ratings, the biggest sample of the ten. Meanwhile, its own spec table contradicts itself. A 22 g dongle is credited with 32 GB of storage, and the dimensions read 14.2 x 5.8 x 15.6 cm — about 1.3 litres. Those three figures cannot all describe the same object, so treat the storage row as copy rather than measurement. In practice the stick is designed to disappear: plug it into HDMI, connect to Wi-Fi, and power it from a USB socket. Picture support covers 4K, Dolby Vision and HDR10+, the remote has TV power, mute and volume buttons, and the box is listed as working with Google Home, Alexa, Apple AirPlay and HomeKit. RAM is given as 1 GB, the smallest figure on this page. Worth noting before you buy: Roku's own first bullet says licensing limits mean most content and apps work only in the UK. If you travel with your 4k streaming device, that is a real restriction. There is also no USB port for local files, so a downloaded library stays on a laptop. Pros: 4.4 from 1,682 ratings, the largest review base here; 4K with Dolby Vision and HDR10+ listed; 22 g, and it hides behind the TV; Voice remote controls TV power, mute and volume; Listed as working with Google Home, Alexa, AirPlay and HomeKit Cons: 32 GB storage claim on a 22 g dongle does not hold up; Licensing warning limits most content to the UK; 1 GB RAM, the smallest figure in this list; No USB port, so no local file playback ### 3. Roku Streaming Stick Plus 2025, 4K HDR — Purple - Price: £38.00 | Amazon rating: 4.2 from 615 ratings - Full review: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/tech/best-4k-streaming-sticks/roku-streaming-stick-plus-2025 - Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0F9B2NRTN?tag=ranked10-21 The cheapest of the ten at £38.00 with 615 ratings at 4.2, and a weight figure that cannot be right. At £38.00 this is the cheap 4k streaming stick of the group, and the rating record is respectable: 4.2 from 615 reviews. Its spec table, though, contains the same contradiction in miniature. The weight row says 180 g while the dimensions read 9.4 x 2.1 x 1.2 cm, or about 24 cm³. An object that small weighing 180 g would come out denser than solid steel, so at least one of those two figures is wrong. In practice it is the best streaming stick for tv cabinets with tight HDMI spacing, because the 2.1 cm width is meant to avoid blocking the neighbouring port. It can run from the TV's USB socket, so no plug socket is needed, and the voice remote controls power and volume. The connectivity field lists HDMI, and the services field names Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu and Disney+. By contrast with the Roku above, this listing gives no RAM figure at all, so you cannot compare the two on memory from the page alone. Bullet one calls it 'Canada's #1 TV streaming platform' — a Canadian claim that tells a buyer here very little. Eleven of its 615 ratings are one star. Pros: £38.00, the lowest price of the ten; 4K HDR output at 3840x2160, with H.264 and H.265/HEVC codecs; Narrow 2.1 cm body avoids blocking adjacent HDMI ports; Can be powered from the TV's USB port; 4.2 from 615 ratings Cons: 180 g weight does not fit the 9.4 x 2.1 x 1.2 cm dimensions; No RAM figure published at all; 'Canada's #1' claim is not relevant to a buyer here; 11 of its 615 ratings are one star ### 4. STRONG LEAP-NOVA Streaming Stick 4K, Android 14, 32 GB - Price: £69.99 | Amazon rating: 4.1 from 114 ratings - Full review: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/tech/best-4k-streaming-sticks/strong-leap-novauk-4k-stick - Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0H1RTRKSK?tag=ranked10-21 Wi-Fi 6, Android 14 and 32 GB for £69.99, on a 240 g 'stick' with only 114 ratings behind it. The spec list is the longest here: Wi-Fi 6, Android 14, 32 GB of storage, 2 GB of RAM, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, Dolby Audio and HDMI 2.1. The catch is the evidence. The rating sits at 4.1 from just 114 reviews, and the box contents field reads 'Stick' — nothing about a power adapter or cable, which you will need on day one. As a 4k streaming stick that weighs 240 g and measures 16 x 3 x 10 cm, it is closer in mass to the 232 g Google box than to the 22 g Roku dongle. In theory that makes it less likely to hang awkwardly from a side-facing HDMI port, though it also puts more weight on the socket itself. Google TV pulls Netflix, Prime Video and YouTube into one interface, and the voice button handles search. Even so, 8 of its 114 ratings are one star — around 7% — the highest proportion of poor ratings among the better-known names on this page. If you want a proven long-term device rather than the longest feature list, look at the listings with four-figure review counts. Pros: Wi-Fi 6, Android 14 and Google TV in one device; 32 GB storage and 2 GB RAM; Dolby Vision, HDR10+, Dolby Audio and HDMI 2.1 listed; Wi-Fi 6 is a step above the Wi-Fi 5 on the £59.99 Strong stick below; 240 g body sits stable on a shelf Cons: 114 ratings only, with 8 of them at one star; Box contents list a stick and nothing else — no adapter or cable; 240 g is heavy for something called a stick; Dimensions of 16 x 3 x 10 cm are not dongle-sized ### 5. PLEIO Freely Streaming Puck, 4K HDR, 12 Months Gaming - Price: £99.00 | Amazon rating: 4.0 from 306 ratings - Full review: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/tech/best-4k-streaming-sticks/pleio-freely-streaming-puck - Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FLZ7Z498?tag=ranked10-21 The only one here with Freely live TV and a games controller, but its codec list omits H.265 for a 4K device. This is the only 4k tv stick alternative here that pulls live TV over Wi-Fi without an aerial: Freely certification covers BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, and the box includes a wireless gamepad with 12 months of cloud gaming. Storage is 32 GB and RAM is 3 GB — more memory than every other device here except the £99 Google box. In practice it is a puck rather than a dongle: the box contents list an HDMI cable, a voice remote, a gamepad and a UK plug adaptor. After the first 12 months the gaming and extra channels cost £9.99 a month, though Freely and the Google Play apps stay free without a subscription. Support is phone and email, Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm. The catch is in the codec row. It lists AVI, H.264 and MPEG-1, 2 and 4 — no H.265/HEVC and no AV1, which is what most 4K streams actually use. That may be a field error like the ones elsewhere on this page, but it is the row a buyer has to go on. Eleven of its 306 ratings are one star, and there are no weight or dimension figures published at all. Pros: Freely certified: live TV over Wi-Fi with no aerial or dish; 3 GB RAM and 32 GB storage, second only to the £99 Google box; Wireless gamepad and 12 months of cloud gaming included; Google Play gives access to Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ and more; UK-based phone and email support, Monday to Friday Cons: £99.00, the joint-highest price of the ten; Codec list has no H.265/HEVC or AV1 despite the 4K HDR claim; £9.99 a month after the first 12 months for games and extra channels; No weight or dimensions published ### 6. Xiaomi Mi TV Stick 4K (2nd Gen), 8 GB - Price: £77.99 | Amazon rating: 4.3 from 576 ratings - Full review: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/tech/best-4k-streaming-sticks/xiaomi-mi-tv-stick-4k - Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FFN6NRTZ?tag=ranked10-21 4.3 from 576 ratings, and the clearest spec-table contradiction on the page — a 4.5-litre 'stick' weighing 28 g. This is a 4k streaming stick whose network field reads 'USB' — on a device that streams over Wi-Fi. The same table gives dimensions of 20 x 15 x 15 cm and a weight of 28 g. That volume works out at about 4.5 litres; a 28 g object cannot fill it. None of that makes the hardware bad, but it does mean the specification fields are not a reliable description of what arrives. What the listing does support: 2 GB of RAM, 8 GB of storage, HDMI output at 3840x2160, and H.264 and H.265/HEVC codecs. There are only two bullets, one saying it is an original brand product and one offering a three-year warranty against manufacturing defects. At the same time, that warranty is longer than most on this page — the MECOOL offers two years, the Phantom twelve months. In practice, though, £77.99 buys 8 GB of storage. The £38 Roku stick and the £59.99 Strong stick sit at the same figure, and the £99 Google box offers four times as much. If you plan to install a lot of apps, the storage row matters more than the resolution row here. Nine of its 576 ratings are one star. Pros: 4.3 from 576 ratings, among the largest samples here; Three-year warranty against manufacturing defects; 4K output at 3840x2160 with H.264 and H.265/HEVC; 2 GB RAM matches the £69.99 and £89.99 devices; 28 g, so it hangs unnoticed behind the TV Cons: Network field reads 'USB' on a Wi-Fi streaming device; 20 x 15 x 15 cm and 28 g describe two different objects; 8 GB storage at £77.99 is dear next to the £38 alternative; Only two bullet points of product information ### 7. Phantom GD1 4K Android TV Stick, 16 GB - Price: £74.99 | Amazon rating: 4.2 from 33 ratings - Full review: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/tech/best-4k-streaming-sticks/phantom-gd1-4k-tv-stick - Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FTZL9WBQ?tag=ranked10-21 A 4.2 score built on just 33 ratings, and a spec table with no resolution row at all. The rating is 4.2, which sounds solid until you see it comes from 33 reviews — the second-thinnest evidence base in this top ten. The spec table is thinner still: there is no resolution row. The only resolution claims live in the product name and a 'Product Features' field reading '4k Support'. Worth noting, because every other device here carries a resolution field. On hardware the bullets are specific: Amlogic S905Y4-B quad-core Cortex-A55 at 2.0 GHz, 2 GB LPDDR4 RAM and 16 GB eMMC storage, dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a USB-C port. Dimensions read 15 x 15 x 2.5 cm and weight 170 g. If those figures are right, this is a flat puck rather than a dongle, despite the 'stick' in the name and a box contents field that says 'Set-top Box'. That said, 16 GB is the second-smallest storage figure here, and 33 ratings is not much to go on for a £74.99 purchase. It also lists two years of spare part availability, shorter than the three years on the Xiaomi. If you want a long track record, this is not the listing to judge from. Pros: Amlogic S905Y4-B quad-core at 2.0 GHz with 2 GB LPDDR4 RAM; 16 GB eMMC storage; Dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and USB-C listed; 170 g and 2.5 cm thick, so it lies flat; 4.2 average, though from only 33 ratings Cons: 33 ratings is a very small sample for a £74.99 device; No resolution row in the specification table; 16 GB storage is the second-smallest here; Box contents field says 'Set-top Box' while the name says stick ### 8. MECOOL MEon1 Google TV 4K Player, 32 GB - Price: £89.99 | Amazon rating: 4.0 from 26 ratings - Full review: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/tech/best-4k-streaming-sticks/mecool-meon1-google-tv-box - Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0GRCQS1MW?tag=ranked10-21 The only 4k streaming device here with an Ethernet option, plus a 2-year warranty, on 26 ratings. This is the only 4k streaming device in the ten whose connectivity row lists Ethernet alongside Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, which matters if your router sits near the TV and the wireless band is congested. It also carries 32 GB of storage, 2 GB of RAM, AV1 in the codec list and a two-year warranty — the second-longest here after the Xiaomi's three years. In practice it is a small box: 175 g, 10.5 x 2.5 x 10.5 cm, with an HDMI cable and a three-pin plug in the box. The chipset is an Amlogic S905X5M quad-core at 2.5 GHz, and MECOOL claims AI-SR upscaling of HD content to near-4K. That upscaling figure is a marketing claim, not a measured one, so judge it on the panel you own rather than the bullet. The catch is the sample size: 26 ratings at 4.0, and 12% of the rating breakdown sits at one star — the highest one-star share on this page. If you want the safety of a large review base, the Roku and Google listings have hundreds more buyers behind them. Pros: Ethernet listed alongside Wi-Fi and Bluetooth — the only wired option here; 32 GB storage and 2 GB RAM; AV1 in the codec list alongside H.264 and H.265/HEVC; Two-year warranty, HDMI cable and three-pin plug included; Amlogic S905X5M quad-core at 2.5 GHz Cons: 26 ratings only, with 12% of the breakdown at one star; AI upscaling is a claimed feature, not a measured figure; Dimensions field puts the 2.5 cm thickness between two 10.5 cm sides; A box, not something that hides behind the TV ### 9. STRONG SRT41UK 4K UHD Streaming Dongle, 8 GB - Price: £59.99 | Amazon rating: 4.5 from 25 ratings - Full review: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/tech/best-4k-streaming-sticks/strong-4k-uhd-streaming-dongle - Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0G4D5F4HF?tag=ranked10-21 The highest rating here at 4.5 — from just 25 reviews, the smallest sample of the ten. 4.5 is the best average score on this page, and it comes from 25 ratings, the smallest sample in the top ten. That is not a reason to avoid it; it is a reason to read the score as a weak signal. The rest of the table is straightforward: 2 GB RAM, 8 GB of flash storage, 44 g, and dimensions of 39 x 96 x 174 millimetres. In practice that last figure is the interesting one. A 174 mm height makes this a long object, and the fields list the numbers in an order that puts the biggest one last. The box includes a charger, a power cable and two AAA batteries — more complete than the pack contents on some listings here. The bullets claim HDR10+, Dolby Audio and Google Cast, running on Android 11 and Wi-Fi 5. By contrast with the newer devices above, Android 11 and Wi-Fi 5 are a generation behind the Android 14 and Wi-Fi 6 on the £69.99 Strong stick. Storage of 8 GB matches the cheapest devices here, and 25 ratings means very little is known about how it holds up after a year. Pros: 4.5 average, the highest score of the ten; HDR10+ and Dolby Audio claimed in the bullets; 44 g, light enough to hang from an HDMI port; Charger, power cable and two AAA batteries in the box; Google Cast built in Cons: Only 25 ratings — the smallest sample here; Android 11 and Wi-Fi 5, behind the Android 14 and Wi-Fi 6 devices above; 8 GB storage; 174 mm long, which is large for something called a dongle ### 10. Sumvision Cyclone Micro 2+ 4K UHD Media Player - Price: £43.99 | Amazon rating: 4.0 from 1,626 ratings - Full review: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/tech/best-4k-streaming-sticks/sumvision-cyclone-micro-2-plus - Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0052X04MO?tag=ranked10-21 Last because it is not a streaming stick: no Wi-Fi, and its own resolution row says 1080p. This one closes the list because it is not a 4k streaming stick and never claims to be one, whatever the 4K UHD in the name suggests. Its network connectivity row reads 'HDMI, USB' with no Wi-Fi anywhere. Its resolution row says 1080p, while the video output resolution row two lines later says 3840x2160. That contradiction sits inside one specification table. In practice it is a 4k media player for tv sets that plays files rather than streams them: two USB ports, a micro SD slot up to 1 TB, support for external drives up to 8 TB, an HEVC decoder, and signage features such as auto-start, auto-loop and video rotation. It carries 1,626 ratings at 4.0 — the second-largest sample here — from buyers using it exactly that way. Either way, if you want a streaming stick 4K HDR for Netflix, this is not it. The services field claims Netflix support on a device with no network connection, which is the same kind of field error seen across this list. Fourteen per cent of its ratings are one star, the highest share of the ten. Pros: Two USB ports, micro SD up to 1 TB and external drives up to 8 TB; HEVC decoder and adaptive upscaling built in; Metal alloy casing for heat dissipation; 1,626 ratings at 4.0, the second-largest sample here; Signage features: auto-start, auto-loop, rotation Cons: No Wi-Fi: connectivity is HDMI and USB only; Resolution row says 1080p while the video output row says 3840x2160; Netflix appears in the services field with no network connection; 14% of its ratings are one star ## Verdict For most homes the £38.00 Roku Streaming Stick Plus covers the basics — 4K HDR, a voice remote and the lowest price of the ten — while the £99 Google TV Streamer is the more capable 4k streaming stick if you want 4 GB of RAM, 32 GB of storage and smart home control; the google tv streamer vs roku stick decision is mostly £61 and whether you have a shelf. If live TV without an aerial matters, the PLEIO is the only Freely-certified option here. Crucially, if you need files from a USB drive rather than apps, no dongle here will do it and the Sumvision player is the only listing that will. Either way, buy on the memory and storage rows, not the ones that read 'Remote' or 'USB' — and note that the cheapest 4k streaming stick on this list also has the second-largest review base.