Amazon Fire TV (1st gen. 2014)

usability, price, design, size

reliability

89% of the reviews on Amazon.com give this product a positive rating.

Decent bass for a single speaker HDMI connection Effective virtual surround sound

Weak midrange performance Some missing instructions

“It doesn't get much simpler than the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar.”

Colourful performance (in the right mode) ; Slick Alexa integration ; Well stocked for apps ; Fire TV Ambient Experience

Feet not the most accommodating for placement ; HDR performance could use more finesse ; Rough upscaling with 480p content ; Competition is cheaper

An ambitious 4K HDR TV that doesn’t quite fulfil its potential, but puts in an entertaining performance, nonetheless. Some care needs to be taken with its picture modes, which require fiddling with to get the best image quality, but if your home is one...

Excellent Fire TV experience Great smart home hub Adequate picture performance Fun features

Lacks HDR punch Price-to-picture performance ratio is off

“A solid mid-tier TV with the best Fire TV experience yet.”

Fast performance ; Impressive list of apps, even at launch ; Voice search is convenient, fast and accurate

Voice search doesn't work within apps ; Onscreen keyboard is offensively bad ; Inconsistent gaming experience ; Carousel UI doesn't work as well on Fire TV as it does on tablets ; Many apps and games are buggy ports from other platforms

The Fire TV is a compelling proposition, so long as you're already locked into the Amazon ecosystem. It's fast, powerful and priced in line with its higher-end competition. The addition of a single game controller for $40 gives access to gaming that...

Sharp, bright and detailed picture ; Good sound, particularly for the price ; Fire OS is simple and app-packed

Seriously lacking black depth ; Smeary motion ; Pale colours

Proof once more TV quality doesn’t necessarily scale up and down in size as you might expect, the 43-inch Omni QLED isn’t a patch on its larger siblings

Fire TV offers a smooth streaming experience ; Hands-free Alexa voice control ; Great design for the money

Sound not great ; Tuner slow to change channels ; HDR performance could be better

The Fire TV Omni QLED Series offers a premium design, hands-free Alexa voice control, and the solid streaming experience of Fire TV. Coming in a range of sizes, this TV is a great all-rounder, giving easy access to all the major streaming services and...

Affordable ; Small

No integrated Fire TV support ; Aggressively sculpted, underpowered sound ; Can't be expanded with a subwoofer

The Amazon Fire TV Soundbar is an underpowered and disappointing soundbar that falls short on features and likely won't deliver better audio than your TV can on its own.

Affordable price ; Simple setup ; Good overall sound

Wireless connections limited to Bluetooth ; No expansion options ; Occasionally bloated-sounding dialogue

Amazon’s first soundbar is a basic, low-cost model that’s light on features, but relatively weighty in terms of value. Although it’s sold as part of the Fire TV product family, there’s no voice control or any wireless streaming features beyond...

Balanced, consistent picture quality ; App-packed, user-friendly OS ; Surprisingly decent gaming specs

Slightly smeary motion ; Lacks the brightness of higher-end TVs

Budget TVs are hard to get right, but the 50-inch Omni QLED succeeds where others have failed thanks to a consistent, considered performance and impressive feature set

Consistent, balanced picture performance ; Strong features for the money ; Clear sound

Slight lack of detail, particularly in shadows ; Occasionally smeary motion

While clearly not up there with flagship TVs from premium brands, the Omni QLED delivers better picture, sound and features than the price suggests