Fire TV Stick 4K Max Streaming Media Player w/ Alexa Remote Expired

TL;DR - I am a sideloader & modder who has used Firesticks for years and years, but recently I've decided to stop buying them and wait on the next Chromecast. You may want to consider the same if you haven't yet.

Longer Version:
To this point I only have Firesticks for my streaming needs including 4k Max, 4k, and the diamond shaped one. They've been fairly good, with the 4k Max being notably better than the rest, and for a maximum of $35 per device it's tough to complain. Even though I'm happy with what I have (for now,) I'm not buying any more Amazon devices until I see what Google does with their next Chromecast. If they bump up the hardware to beat the 4k max, and especially if it competes with the 3rd gen Fire Cube, there's a good chance I'll begin replacing the Firesticks (assuming the price is right, of course.)

For anyone who likes to sideload and mod, I'd suggest considering the same, because Amazon is just getting more and more restrictive with the Firesticks. First they disabled rooting, then they disabled custom launchers, next they disabled the workaround to allow custom launchers, and most recently they've disabled the ability to assign different functions to the remote buttons. The Firesticks are also WAY behind on the Android version they're using. The Fire OS version used by the 4k Max is only based on Android 9, and the 4k (non-Max) is still stuck back on a Fire OS version that's based on Android 7.1. Meanwhile the most recent Chromecast runs Google TV based on Android 12.

Beyond the version lag, Chromecasts also come with the Play Store and Play Services natively installed, which means less screwing around with apps like Downloader, and more direct payment options for a few specific apps that a sideloader might want (ex: the host app for Eye Pea Tee Vee.)

This is pretty much the reg price now.

I use this https://a.co/d/igvQLAg
It's basically a battery that uses your TV USB to charge it. There might be cheaper versions of these on Amazon, but this is the specific one I use with this stick and it works well