The Fire TV Omni QLED: What’s in it for you? Tests of the new 3rd Generation Fire TV cube with pre-order
The Fire TV Omni QLED is a tv that is robust in its smart home capabilities. It has a built-in set of speakers that are solid if you don’t want to invest in a soundbar just yet. However, judging it solely as a 4K QLED television, we found its picture quality to be just okay compared to competitors like LG and Samsung. We were also let down by its lack of size options, something that Amazon is finally addressing directly with this new rollout. If you already use lots of Amazon products and services and can sacrifice a bit of picture quality for sheer convenience, this is a good TV for you.
If you just want a new streamer, the new 3rd Gen Fire TV cube is now for pre-order and will be ready for pick up at the end of October. The new remote can be ordered for $34.94, with a red cover, and will be available on November 16.
Amazon Prime Early Access Sale: Two-Day Amazon Deals on Smart Displays, Smart Phones, and Smart Speakers (including a review of an Echo Show and a Smart TV)
Naturally, we wouldn’t blame you for being weary about the TV that can hear you at all times. If you want to limit presence detection to certain hours or not at all, you can do that by disabling the omni QLED’s microphone. Amazon said during its presentation on Sept. 28 that the omni QLED is smart enough to turn on in the morning while not knowing to stay off if you go out for a snack at night.
The newAlexa Voice Remote Pro could potentially solve the issue of constantly losing our TV remotes. The accessory will start to ring if you ask “Alexa, find my remote,” which should help you find it even if you are in the depths of your couch cushions. The backlit buttons make it easier to use when watching movies at night or in the dark. Other notable features include two customizable shortcut buttons that can instantly pull up your favorite streaming apps, as well as a dedicated headphone button for quickly pairing your Bluetooth headphones for when you don’t want to wake anyone in your house up. The new remote works with most Fire TV devices, with a few exceptions that include the 1st and 2nd gen Fire TV.
the holiday season is quickly approaching, and if any Amazon devices have made it onto your gift list, we have some good news. With Amazon’s Prime Early Access Sale, you can take advantage of great sales on everything from an Echo smart display to a Fire tablet during the two-day event—saving you money and allowing you to get ahead on some shopping. We’ve rounded up all the great deals on WIRED-approved gadgets below.
We’ve tested a wide range of speakers and smart displays, in addition to the ones below. You can read our Best Echo and Alexa Speakers guide for more Alexa-powered devices. If you want to explore other things, we have two guides, Best Smart Speakers and Best Smart Displays.
Use the codes listed above to see the discount at checkout. We criticized the device because it’s too small to navigate comfortably, and in our review of the Echo Show 5 we criticized it for its small screen. If you want a mini smart display that is small enough to fit on a nightstand, it is still a good option. Like the Show 8, it has a physical mute button and a camera shutter for privacy. It often fluctuates in price, but this is the lowest we’ve seen.
If you upgrade to the 10-inch smart display you’ll get better audio quality, and a screen that will follow you around when you’re on a video call or reading a recipe.
There’s a new Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) available for preorder, but Amazon hasn’t introduced a successor to its flagship smart speaker just yet. You’ll be surprised at how great this Echo sounds with its room-filling sound. It is so small you can put it anywhere you would like to talk to a robot.
This is still a great deal, even though they have dipped a lower price before. They’re easy to pair, have good sound, and you basically get Alexa right in your ear to help you with any task. It comes with a wireless charging case and multiple size options for ear tips. Just know that the noise cancellation isn’t great, and the touch controls can be triggered by sweaty hair (during workouts).
The Echo Glow Night-Light is a solid option if you’re looking to add an extra source of light to your kid’s bedroom. You can control the lamp by pairing it with another Echo device or using the Alexa app. It can be used as a sound machine, with speakers built in. This is also the best price we’ve seen yet for the Echo Glow.
The New Fire 7 and its Ambient Reality: Stores and Measuring the Interior Design of the Amazon Fire 7/Blink Outdoor Cameras
Amazon’s older Fire 7 tablet is on sale, but we don’t recommend it. The new Fire 7 is good if you don’t mind a small screen. It’s more powerful than its predecessor and has a USB-C port for charging.
The video doorbell received an honorable mention in our Best Video Doorbell Cameras collection, and we are still testing it. It’s affordable, works with Alexa, and comes in both a battery-powered or tethered version. The bundle also includes two of Blink’s outdoor cameras and will provide you with more coverage around your home.
Other stores have started offering competing deals that don’t require an Amazon Prime membership (and others likely will). Here’s a list of merchants that may be getting in on the action.
You can use it to watch TV shows and movies, and to play games, just like a regular TV. It has a decent picture with its QLED display tech. But that’s almost a second thought.
You can also choose from a few widgets to display info while in Ambient mode. These include showing your calendar, suggestions for things to watch and sticky notes, which let you post a note on the screen as a substitute for leaving a note on the fridge or counter. The TV is like a phone on a screen, you can never escape the latest info about your life.
You can set up the Ambient Experience so that it only turns on the screen when it senses someone in the room. This saves energy and it also feels kind of weird. When you walk into the room and the TV automatically turns itself on, you can’t help but feel like you’re being watched. Fortunately, you can turn off Ambient Experience if you don’t feel the need for your TV to work so hard.
It has an average image. Colors often looked flat. It had a better contrast than a TV with tech, but the dark areas overwhelmed the light. The picture quality depended on the source. While viewing the movie “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” the TV switched to a mode called dolby vision IQ, which resulted in a washed-out background and dull greens but reds were lively. The TV produced good contrast on a 4K Blu-ray version of “Blade Runner 2049,” though some of the colors seemed oversaturated.
There are plenty of adjustments you can make in settings to help overcome these issues, but I was never able to tweak the picture to make it as good as it should be.
The Hisense U7H is a Good Value for a Price: 120 Hz vs. 60 Hz Refresh Rate
The Hisense U7H is one of the better TVs in this price range. And the U7H offers 120Hz refresh rate, while the Omni QLED is only capable of 60Hz — something gamers will want to take note of.