money Review: The First Amazon Fire QLED Series Is a Satisfying Upgrade (and It’s 25% Off)
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Pricing was without a doubt the strongest asset of the Amazon Fire TV Omni Series when I reviewed it last year. While pricing is a huge determining factor for some when shopping for the best TVs, its performance was a little underwhelming in the picture department. Frankly, it was ultra-affordable, but lacked the visual flare of top contenders in the space.
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Enter the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED Series, which breaks ground as a premium TV for Amazon. Leveraging Quantum Dot technology, it’s supposedly better at delivering vivid colors and contrast to make it a formidable contender in the big league brands. I’ve spent over a week testing it out and just let me say that it lives up to the hype.
Better yet, Amazon is giving it a 25% discount for a limited time to make this mid-range offering worthy as one of the best 65-inch TVs under $1,000 out there.
Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED Series: At a Glance
Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED Series 65-inch
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The Verdict: SPY’s Tech Editor John Velasco tested the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED Series. Previously, he reviewed the first Amazon Omni TV series after its release in 2021. Overall, the new Omni QLED Series is a satisfying upgrade.
Pros
Vastly improved image performance
Vivid color reproduction
Aggressive price point
Speedy and instantaneous response
Cons
Audio quality could use more bass
Inconveniently positioned HDMI connections
Specs:
Dimensions: 57.1 x 33.4 x 3.2-inches
Weight: 45.4 lbs without stand
Screen Size: 65-inches
Resolution: 4K UHD 3,840 x 2,160
HDR Format: HDR10, HLG, HDR10+ Adaptive, Dolby Vision IQ
Refresh Rate: 60 Hz
HDMI Ports: 3 HDMI 2.0 + 1 HDMI 2.1 with eARC
Audio: 12W + 12W speakers
Included in the Box
Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED Series
Fire TV Alexa Voice Remote
2 AAA batteries
IR emitter cable
TV stand
Design: A Slightly More Premium Aesthetic
Amazon didn’t change the recipe from its previous TV. The Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED Series still features a mostly tough plastic casing with minimal bezels around the screen. In fact, it measures at under half an inch at its skinniest towards the top while the back panel that conceals its power connectors and ports balloons up to 3.2-inches.
The silver-colored bottom bezel sprinkles in a premium aesthetic and tastefully distinguishes it from the standard Omni Series, but otherwise, it’s overall a modern, slick-looking TV ready for the living room. All of its HDMI ports and audio connectors are situated on the right side of the TV, which can cause some cables to stick out. I would’ve preferred for them to be in the middle of the TV. That way, it would be easier to tuck cables from view if it’s wall-mounted.
Vastly Improved Image Quality
For this review, I tested the 65-inch version of the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED Series, which puts out a native resolution of 4K UHD (3840 x 2160 pixels). Needless to say, the details are plentiful and rich, just like the standard Fire TV Omni Series.
Where it truly sets itself apart is its superior clarity, vivid colors, and better viewing angles. Most notably, I managed to get a reading of 740 lux at sustained peak brightness, which puts it on par with premium TVs like the LG C2 OLED TV. Colors get a substantial boost, too, thanks in part to Quantum Dot Technology. And when playing supported HDR content, I really love the striking range it offers by evening out the exposure in the shadows and highlights.
Seriously, it’s a night and day difference against the standard Omni Series. Furthermore, the improved contrast ratio eliminates the milky gray tone I saw with the Omni Series previously, resulting in a truer, more realistic rendition of black. Gone too are the pesky distortion elements around the display, thanks to how its full array of local dimming does a much better job of evening out the light throughout the panel.
More Meaningful Features
Underneath it all, the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED Series is running the same Fire TV OS experience you’ll find in any other Fire TV out there. It’s speedy and fast with navigating around the interface, with access to all of my favorite streaming services. In addition to using the Alexa voice remote to command Alexa, the built-in mics of the TV effectively give Alexa access without the need for the remote — giving it the same functions as an Alexa-powered smart speaker.
Amazon takes the Fire TV Omni QLED Series further by including a presence sensor. This single addition greatly adds more functionality for several reasons. First and foremost, it can now sense if someone is in the room watching TV or not. The sensor automatically launched the Fire TV Ambient Experience after five minutes of me and everyone else leaving the room. Yes, it’ll continue to draw power, but you can modify the settings to turn off the screen entirely. I opted to set a Do Not Disturb time frame, so it would still run the Ambient Experience throughout the day, but turn off completely for bedtime.
Think of it much like a screen saver, but with useful widgets that provide informative details, like the weather outside, access to your smart home devices, and even sticky notes. I really love how the experience can mimic the look of artwork on a wall, thanks to its adaptive brightness and realistic colors. Aside from static elements, there’s a handful of other animated options that give it a dynamic look.
Secondly, I’m really excited to see how the presence sensor could improve home security. At the moment, the sensor is strictly used to detect movement and launch its Ambient Experience when there’s none. However, I was told that the sensor could be accessed in the future for routines such as automatically turning on the lights when someone enters the room or sending a notification to my phone. The new Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) with Clock can already do this, so I hope Amazon can do the same with the Fire TV Omni QLED Series.
Our Verdict: Is the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED Series Worth It?
So, should you buy the new Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED Series TV? We say yes.
Amazon’s pushing harder to become a serious player with its Fire TV Omni QLED series. With an MSRP of $800 for the 65-inch model and $1,100 for the 75-inch, it’s priced just right to space it out against its lower-cost siblings in the standard Fire TV Omni Series.
Right now, however, it’s sporting a sub-$600 cost that makes it a compelling offering for the price. Even though some of its contemporaries, like the Hisense U7H, may offer attractive 120 Hz refresh rates, I didn’t mind the 60 Hz offering of the Fire TV Omni QLED Series.
Overall, you’ll be satisfied by the marked improvements and enhanced features of this Fire TV.
Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED Series 65-inch
Buy Now On Amazon
Buy Now On Amazon
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