A new Fire TV Stick has no fixed physical lifespan, and it may continue working after Amazon’s guaranteed support period ends. However, its usefulness can decline sooner as apps demand more power, services stop supporting older devices and newer video standards become commonplace, making replacement a practical rather than strictly necessary decision.

Amazon guarantees security updates for at least four years from purchase from Amazon, or until a model’s stated support date, whichever is later; current Fire TV Stick 4K Select and 4K Plus models are supported until at least 31 December 2030. Both support AV1 and H.265 video decoding up to 4K at 60fps, but the £10-or-so pricier 4K Plus has 2GB of RAM versus 1GB in the Select, which may better handle heavier software. Before replacing a slow stick, users should restart it, update software, clear app caches, check the network and power supply; persistent crashes, storage problems or withdrawn app support are stronger reasons to upgrade.