Amazon Fire TV stick 4K
The smartest video streamer you can buy
As well as being a formidable streamer of 4K HDR content, Amazon’s latest video streamer can also play the role of voice-operated universal remote control. That might not sound terribly exciting, but bear with us.
Measuring roughly 8cm cubed, it’s a pretty small device but has a satisfying weight (465g) and solid build. The matt top panel houses buttons for changing volume, disabling the integrated microphones and invoking Alexa when disabled. The front top edge is a blue light-strip that springs into life when you interact with Alexa or while the box is processing a request.
On the rear, there are four connections: HDMI, micro-usb, power and an infrared socket for the IR repeater that comes in the box. Amazon suggests that the Cube is placed within your line of sight and with its own line of sight to your TV and other kit. That’s because the Fire TV Cube wants to control your whole system.
A substantial system
The set-up process is simple and remarkably effective and in no time at all we have a substantial system (the Fire TV Cube, Sky Q, a 4K Blu-ray player and PS4 Pro all running into a Yamaha AVR and out to a Samsung TV) responding to voice commands.
Say “Alexa, switch to satellite” and your Sky box is switched on and your TV and amplifier flicked to the correct inputs. Issue orders such as “Alexa, tune to BBC One” and it will change channels. “Alexa, go to Home Screen”, meanwhile, returns you to the Fire TV Cube’s input on your system. Having always found the Logitech Harmony universal remote Alexa skill frustrating to use, we’re glad to find that it is effective and reliable.
The Fire TV Cube also does everything an Echo device can, such as checking the weather, ordering things from Amazon, playing music and checking facts from the internet. While the voice control is an excellent differentiator for the Amazon
Fire TV Cube, it’s not reason enough to buy it over a competitor such as the Apple TV 4K. It still needs to be a capable video streamer.
It certainly looks the part. The app selection is strong – Amazon Prime Video and Netflix are on board. All four of the UK’S major catch-up apps are here, and music streaming is catered for by Spotify, Tidal, Deezer and Amazon Music. Since launch, the Apple TV app has been added, too, giving access to the new Apple TV+ streaming service and the biggest library of pay-as-you-go 4K movies available anywhere.
The Fire TV Cube is, of course, a 4K streamer, and it offers HDR in HDR10, HLG, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision formats. The Apple TV 4K, by comparison, doesn’t support HDR10+. Right now, that’s not a big deal as there’s not much HDR10+ content to get excited about, but it could be a consideration in future.
Impressive delivery
We play series two of Jack Ryan on Amazon Prime Video and are impressed by the Fire TV Cube’s delivery. It is a sophisticated device that’s in the same league as the excellent Apple TV 4K.
This is a performance with plenty of Hdr-enhanced punch, but also effortlessly natural and balanced. Skin tones are spot-on, with organic warmth and strong detail levels. We’re not talking 4K Blu-ray levels of nuance and subtlety, but for a reasonably priced streamer, it’s a mature performance.
The Apple TV 4K is slightly sharper too, as well as a better handler of motion – it’s a touch crisper and smoother in its delivery of panning shots. But the Apple TV 4K is more expensive than the Amazon Fire TV Cube, so you’d expect it to be better. The fact that it’s not a night-and-day comparison confirms that Amazon has done a good job here.
We play music through the Fire TV Cube and are instantly engaged. In stereo, this is a punchy and attacking delivery that the Apple TV 4K can’t match. There’s a verve and vigour, a crispness, that grabs the attention.
For detail and clarity, this is among the best streamers out there, though the comparative richness and weight of the Apple TV 4K has its own rewards.
We expected the Fire TV Cube to be a decent video streamer, but to find it’s also an effective voice-controlled universal remote is a bonus. Even without Alexa controlling your system, the Fire TV Cube is a very good video streamer. Ultimately, the Apple TV 4K offers a better picture performance, but the Cube isn’t far behind. Given its lower price, that’s very impressive indeed.