A small box filled with multimedia entertainment; we look at Amazon’s attempt at making their version of an Apple TV, with a nifty and voice-activated remote control to go with it, in the shape of the Amazon Fire TV Cube and Amazon Fire Stick Pro.
First Impressions
The Amazon Fire TV Cube straight off the bat is a stylish-looking and surprisingly small piece of TV kit. From the box, I expected the Cube to be about the size of an average TV box, however, it was more the size of a portable speaker, with it also looking similar to a portable speaker in design.
The setup was simple and easy, with a provided basic power outlet and an HDMI cable being all that was needed. Once the batteries were added, the Amazon Fire TV Remote instantly connected to the Fire TV Cube, which made the already easy setup even easier.
You can connect the Cube to a TV or a monitor, and once it has loaded up, you can create an Amazon account or sign-in if you already have one. After you have connected to Wi-Fi, you are taken to a app selection screen, where you select any of the recommended apps such as BBC iPlayer, YouTube, Twitch and BT Sport.
Any of the apps that feature live TV add TV channels to your live TV guide, essentially giving you the experience of a normal TV guide like on Sky or Freeview, but only with channels from the selected apps. This was great as it made navigating apps and channels seamless and easy.
Design
The Amazon Fire TV Cube has a simple design, with a plain, mesh-like cover around the side and a 4-button diamond on the plastic top. The buttons are limited to 4 basic buttons; a volume up button, a volume down button, an Alexa mute button and a select button.
This makes sense as the kitted-out, Alexa equipped, voice control remote supplies all the navigation options that you could need. It even has specific app buttons like Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney+ buttons.
There is an HDMI In and an HDMI Out port, along with a USB port, Ethernet Network port, IR Extender and power port all located on the back, making them hidden when the Cube is set up on a desk or under your TV.
Performance
The interface is smooth and stylish, with 4K HDR quality, allowing you to zip from screen to screen and app to app with ease. This along with the Alexa function which allows you to do the same things simply by speaking into your remote makes the whole Fire Cube experience really easy.
Whether you are streaming a TV series on Prime Video, watching your favourite streamer on Twitch or even playing a game like Crossy Road, the quality is very high, with crisp visuals and very little lag or drop in quality.
The Cube TV is a solid addition to anyone’s TV setup, making it a multimedia hub that has apps for all members of the family, whether it be games for your kids, movie apps and TV show apps like Netflix or Channel 4, or sports apps like WWE and NFL TV, you are covered from all angles.
On the contrary, if you have a Smart TV already or an Xbox/PS5 that does all that the Amazon Fire Cube can do and more, then I don’t see why you would buy the Fire Cube. For the price of around £139.99, it is fairly pricey, but if you don’t own a Smart TV and want to essentially level up your TV experience, I’d say the Fire Cube is worth its price tag.
The Voice Control itself works well, with programmable phrases that you can say after waking up Alexa that take you here there and everywhere amongst the apps and features of the Fire Cube. You simply speak into the top of the remote and say a phrase like “Alexa, Play ‘Vikings’ on Prime Video” and bang, you’re there.
There will be times when the remote doesn’t fully pick up what you say, however most of the time it worked as advertised and smoothly. You can mute the Alexa function if you want to use the remote as a traditional remote with the normal buttons, however, I recommend giving Voice Control a go.
Conclusion
Overall, the Amazon Fire Cube TV is a very neat piece of tech that no doubt is a great option for giving your TV experience more flavour and essentially transforming your TV into a Smart TV.
The price tag of £139.99 isn’t outrageous for what you get, with 4K HDR quality and a giant range of apps. Comparing it to one of the most popular multimedia boxes like the Apple TV at £149, you get more features with the Amazon Fire Cube, although with only a £10 price difference, it is more personal preference.
Product Rating
Design: 4.5 out of 5.0 stars
Features: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Fire Stick: 4.5 out of 5.0 stars
Performance: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Value for Money: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Overall ranking: 4.6 out of 5.0 stars – 4.6-star rating
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