How good can a $25 streaming stick be? Walmart wants you to find out

If you don’t have a smart TV and want to stream movies or cut the cable, you’ll need a streaming device.

Streaming boxes and sticks can cost as little as $ 25 (multiple brands), or $ 179 for the 4K AppleTV, or $ 199 for the NVIDIA Shield Pro.

The streaming devices have big price differences because the features they offer vary widely.

Low-end devices mostly offer 1080p HD streaming with a simple remote control and a few simple games. High-end models will offer 4K streaming, more RAM and onboard storage, home automation hubs, and more sophisticated gaming.

The low-end differences

Priced at $ 25, there are multiple options including the Roku Express, Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite, and this week’s test target, Onn FHD Streaming Stick for $ 24.88. Onn is an exclusive Walmart brand.

The Onn Streaming Stick runs on the Android TV operating system, so it has the Google Play Store and users can add most of the video streaming apps available there.

The Android TV home screen from the Onn FHD Streaming Stick.

Of course, the top-level streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and HBO Max, Disney + and YouTube are also supported. Cable cutters can also find streaming bundle services like YouTube TV, Hulu Live, and Sling TV.

AT&T TV is not available on this device. So if you already have streaming subscriptions or want to try a few, please check if the service you want is available for this stick.

Specifications

The Onn FHD Streaming Stick measures 3.81 x 1.39 x 0.61 inches and connects directly to your TV’s HDMI port.

If the HDMI connections on your TV are in an inconvenient location, you can use the supplied HDMI extension cable to connect the stick.

The contents of the Onn FHD Streaming Stick-Box.

The streaming stick also requires a USB connection for power supply.

A word of caution: don’t lose the microUSB cable that came with your device. The microUSB port on the stick is sunk a little deeper than normal (at least mine). The cable that came with it worked, but other microUSB cables that I tried didn’t.

The stick connects to Wi-Fi 5 (both 2.4 and 5 gigahertz networks) with your home’s Wi-Fi network.

The Onn-Stick has Dolby Audio and supports full high-definition video output (1080p at 60 Hertz). The stick should automatically adjust to the best resolution for your display.

The remote control has a round click wheel with up / down / left / right buttons and simple up / down buttons for volume and channels. It has a built-in microphone so you can use the Google Assistant to find apps and shows.

There are also quick access buttons for Netflix, YouTube, Disney +, and HBOMax.

The stick has bluetooth so you can connect a game controller.

Set up

Once you’ve connected the stick to HDMI and USB for power, press the power button on the remote and you’ll see the Onn home screen, followed by a Google Android TV home screen.

You will then be guided through connecting to your Wi-Fi network and signing in with a Google account.

If you don’t have a Google account, you’ll need to set one up.

The setup wizard lists the most popular apps (Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Disney +, and a dozen or so more) and prompts you to check which ones you want to install.

As soon as the stick has installed your apps, you will be shown the Android TV home screen, which is very easy to navigate and customize.

The first time you use the home screen, you may notice a delay. This is because the stick loads the apps and downloads all updates and data for those apps.

If you want to add more apps or games, you can find them in the Google Play Store, which is located on the home screen. You can also access the Google Play Movies and TV Store to rent or purchase videos.

Chromecast integrated

You may be familiar with Google Chromecast, a small HDMI device that you plug into your TV to wirelessly cast videos from your Wi-Fi enabled devices (computer, phone, tablet) to the TV.

Onn FHD streaming stick

Google’s Chromecast is integrated into the Onn FHD Streaming Stick. Once you have it set up on your Wi-Fi network, you can send videos wirelessly from any of your devices.

So I was able to watch AT&T TV by “casting” the mobile app from a phone or tablet onto the TV. AT&T even has instructions on how to do this on its website.

Too cheap?

Why should you buy the absolute cheapest streaming stick? More powerful devices are available for a few euros more.

Onn sells a 4K Android TV Streaming Box for $ 29.99. Roku and Amazon make better sticks for $ 10-15 more.

So why buy this one?

The best use case is for TVs that cannot display 4K video.

The Onn Stick is a great choice for smaller TVs, maybe in the kitchen or child’s room, or for any TV that can only display 1080p HD.

Or you might want to buy a streaming stick to keep in a travel kit or for a vacation home.

If you only have one way to watch Netflix or Disney + and you don’t care about the high-end features in more expensive streaming devices, go for this option.

Conclusions

The Onn Streaming Stick works flawlessly for what it is – an affordable streaming device that lets you watch almost all of your favorite streaming services on any TV or monitor with HDMI.

The interface is clean and relatively fast.

The fact that you can play music through apps like Amazon Music or Spotify is nice when you have some good speakers. Playing Android TV games is a bonus too.

I’m not in the target market for this stick. I would rather spend a little more for a streaming device with a little more functions, but if you are looking for a pure Android TV experience for your 1080p display, the Onn FHD Streaming Stick does what it promises.

Advantages: Inexpensive, good remote control, quite fast navigation.

Cons: The low price means that some sacrifices are made in terms of features.

Bottom line: do your homework. If the stick works for your situation, go for it.

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