Best accessory to connect your TV (Chromecast, Amazon Fire Stick, Xiaomi Mi TV Stick)
Google’s Chromecast, Amazon’s Fire TV Stick, Xiaomi Mi Stick TV… here’s our guide to buying the best TV dongles of 2021! With these few suggestions, you can easily stream content to any TV that has an HDMI port! Follow the leader !
Contents
Our selection of the best accessories to connect your TV
These prices were updated on 02/24/2021 by All4affiliates. They are listed in ascending order and excluding delivery costs. Only the prices displayed at the merchants are valid.
Xiaomi Mi TV Stick
If you want to enjoy the benefits of Android TV without going through a TV box, purchasing the Xiaomi Mi TV Stick may be a solution. Offering the same features found on the Mi Box for a significantly more compact size this small connected dongle goes much further than what a traditional Chromecast can do.
Rather than broadcasting content from a smartphone on your TV screen, it’s all Android TV that invites you thanks to the HDMI key whose format is similar to that of Amazon’s Fire TV Stick. The Xiaomi Mi TV Stick is for you if
- You want to enjoy the benefits of Android TV without going through a Box
- You have a small budget
Chromecast 3: the all-terrain connected dongle
The Chromecast allows you to use Google Cast with your TV, to easily display content from your smartphone, Google Home or the Google Chrome browser. This dongle is forgotten behind the television. With the Chromecast, all you have to do is plug the small device’s HDMI port into the back of your TV, then the micro USB port to an AC outlet or a USB outlet on your TV, and you’re done.
Its only “problem” is that it is not autonomous : If you don’t have your phone with you, you can’t control it – unless of course you have a Google Home. On the other hand, it is available in two versions: the classic Chromecast 3, which allows you to reach 1080 in 60 fps without worries. And finally the Chromecast Ultra, which lets you go up to 4K at 60 fps. The classic Chromecast 3 costs onlyaround 40 € against 80 € for the Chromecast Ultra. The Google Chromecast is more for you if
- You just want to be able to watch video content on your TV
- You have a Google Home (not mandatory, but sublime the experience)
Amazon Fire TV Stick 2020: the alternative between the Lite and 4K variant
The Fire TV Stick (2020), ideal for streaming and controlling TV, comes with the Alexa voice remote with TV control buttons and also allows asking Alexa to find and play content but is also equipped On / Off, Volume and Mute buttons to control your viewing experience with a single remote. It therefore allows control of your TV and supports Dolby Atmos, HDR, HDR10 + and HLG technologies in Full HD resolution up to 1080p. The Fire TV Stick is more for you if
- You want to enjoy streaming
- Want to control your TV with just one remote
Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite: ideal for streaming
The Fire TV Stick Lite lets you fully enjoy your favorite content and features the built-in Amazon Alexa voice assistant as well as 8 GB of internal storage. You can easily turn on your TV and choose your content using voice control.
Very easy to configure, just plug it in behind your TV, turn it on and connect to the Internet to start using it. It has a quad-core chipset, 8 GB of storage space, a dual band WiFi ac modem and a Bluetooth 5.0 connection. It is Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital compatible. Like the Fire TV Cube, the system is compatible with many TV and VOD services. The Fire TV Stick Lite is more for you if
- Looking for simplicity
- You “consume” a lot of streaming content
- You have a small budget
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K: Alexa’s Chromecast
If you want to acquire a media dongle that supports 4K, the Amazon Fire Stick TV is a great choice. The latter allows you to view multimedia content directly on your TV. The Amazon Fire Stick TV is quite simply the most powerful streaming media player stick, with a new Wi-Fi antenna design, optimized for 4K Ultra HD streaming.
With the latter, you can easily launch and control your favorite movies and series with the new generation Alexa voice remote. The latter is equipped with buttons that allow you to start, turn off, increase or decrease the volume of your TV. It is also compatible with devices such as soundbars and compatible receiver.
Compatible with 4K Ultra HD, Dolby Vision, HDR and HDR10 + formats, the Amazon Fire 4K Fire Stick also supports the Dolby Atmos audio format on select Prime Video titles. In addition, you have the option to watch your favorite shows on Prime Video, Netflix, YouTube, Molotov, ARTE, France 24 and more (separate subscriptions may be required).
If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you get unlimited access to thousands of movies and series on Prime Video, as well as over two million ad-free titles with Prime Music. For less than 50 euros, you get the best of Amazon services. A limited-time offer not to be missed! The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K is more for you if
- You already have an Amazon Echo or Alexa-compatible speaker at home
- Looking for 4K compatibility
- You have a small budget
🤔What is a TV dongle?
To stream content to a TV (which is not a smart TV), we strongly recommend that you equip yourself with a TV dongle. Thanks to a small device that looks like a USB key, you will be able to enjoy your Netflix series, applications, or stream content directly from your smartphone to your TV. The possibilities are numerous!
🙄What can be done with a TV dongle?
As we said above, the possibilities are endless. Via a TV dongle, you can access multimedia content connected via popular streaming applications such as Ntflix, HBO, Prime Video… You also have the possibility of using Android and iOS applications if the latter ensure compatibility with your dongle TV.
💰What budget for a TV dongle?
Between 40 and 150 euros, this is the average price to acquire a TV dongle. Of course, if you choose the most expensive variant, your dongle will offer more features and will also be compatible with the latest TV broadcasting standards (4K, HD, Dolby Vision, HDR and HDR10 +…). The Amazon Fire Stick TV 4K is in our opinion one of the best TV dongles on the market and is priced in between the price range given above.
🤔What are the differences between the 3 Amazon Fire TV models?
If you don’t know which one to choose and what the differences are between them, we’ll explain them to you below to help you make up your mind.
The Fire TV Stick Lite (2020), ideal for streaming, comes with Alexa Lite voice remote control, without TV control buttons. It allows asking Alexa to find and read content. Its remote control does not have TV control buttons. It therefore does not allow you to control the on / off or the volume of your TV, sound bar or receiver. It supports Dolby Atmos (HDMI pass-through only), HDR, HDR10 + and HLG technologies in Full HD resolution up to 1080p.
The Fire TV Stick (2020), ideal for streaming and controlling TV, comes with the Alexa voice remote with TV control buttons and also allows asking Alexa to find and play content but is also equipped with On / Off, Volume and Mute buttons to control your viewing experience with just one and even remote control. It therefore allows control of your TV and supports Dolby Atmos, HDR, HDR10 + and HLG technologies in Full HD resolution up to 1080p.
The Fire TV Stick 4K Ultra HD (2018), ideal for stunning streaming in 4K Ultra HD format, comes with the Alexa voice remote control takes the same functionality as the Fire TV Stick and also supports Dolby Vision, HDR and HDR10 + technologies in resolution up to 4K Ultra HD.
