Amazon Fire TV Cube (2nd Gen) Review
Our Verdict
Amazon 2nd Generation Fire TV Cube uses faster performance to make the Alexa-enabled Television receiver experience smoother.
For
- Speedier performance
- Alexa's cable box controls are great
- Not bad 4K HDR picture show quality
- Lively interface
Against
- Home screen can't be edited, packs ads
- Awkward Ethernet adapter
Tom's Guide Verdict
Amazon 2nd Generation Burn down TV Cube uses faster performance to make the Alexa-enabled Television feel smoother.
Pros
- +
Speedier performance
- +
Alexa'south cablevision box controls are great
- +
Smashing 4K HDR picture quality
- +
Lively interface
Cons
- -
Home screen can't exist edited, packs ads
- -
Awkward Ethernet adapter
The Fire Television Cube — Amazon's streaming box for those who pass up to cut cable — but got a sequel. Meet the $120 Burn down TV Cube (second Gen.), which is faster than e'er, even though terminal year'due south model wasn't peculiarly sluggish. The biggest improvement from last yr's model, however, is that YouTube and YouTube TV apps are finally on Fire TV devices, endmost a behemothic gap in the platform'south bachelor library of content.
That issue solved, the Fire Tv set Cube'southward merely issues are its comparatively high price and how Amazon doesn't let you edit the abode screen. But for those tired of losing the remote control, and set to manus the wheel for the TV, cablevision box and other audio equipment to Alexa, the Burn down TV Cube is one of the best streaming devices available.
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Oh, and Amazon is continuing to add to the Fire TV Cube. A recent update enabled support for external webcams, so yous can have video calls in the living room.
The Fire TV Cube's other perk over the competition (and why some may spend more for it), is that it packs in Alexa skills and tricks, and improves on them for the biggest screen in your dwelling.
Amazon Fire TV Cube (2019) specs
Video:4K, Dolby Vision and HDR, HDR10+
Audio: Dolby Atmos (via HDMI pass-through)
Processor: Hexa-core CPU
Dimensions: 3.4 x 3.4 x three.0 inches
In the box: Amazon Fire TV Cube, 2x AAA batteries, power adapter, IR extender cable, Ethernet adapter,
Smart assistant support: Amazon Alexa
All the Cube is missing is the ability to edit your dwelling-screen layout, as YouTube is finally landing on the Burn TV platform shortly (details below). Nonetheless, this tiny box is one pretty parcel, and it offers a compelling view of the futurity of TV.
Amazon Fire TV Cube (2019) review: Cost, release date
There is only 1 model of the Fire Boob tube Cube, it costs $119.99 on Amazon.
The Fire Tv Cube came out in October 2019.
Amazon Fire TV Cube (2019) Review: Blueprint
Information technology's an Echo speaker, but with corners and not curves. Yep, the Amazon Burn down TV Cube is a teeny little box (I've accidentally written Burn down Television receiver Beautiful, and wondered if that was a Freudian slip) with the buttons for volume, triggering the assistant and muting, a light-up bar to signify Alexa (blueish) or technical difficulties (orangish). Its summit is matte and sides are glossy, which makes sense because you'll touch the top more often and that surface is ameliorate at attracting fingerprints.
Identical to the original model, the Burn down Goggle box Cube measures 3.iv x 3.4 x iii.0 inches. Yeah, that's correct, it's not actually cube. I guess marketing didn't similar Fire Boob tube Box. The Apple tree Goggle box 4K (3.ix x three.9 10 i.iv inches) and Roku Ultra (4.nine ten 4.9 x 0.ix inches) are smaller overall, but wider.
The Fire Television set Cube offers ports for power, HDMI, micro USB and IR blaster. While I wish Amazon packed an Ethernet jack (for 4K/UHD content) into the back of the cube, the included micro USB-to-Ethernet adapter does the trick, however awkwardly.
Don't overlook the other pack-in: an IR blaster necessary for the Fire Television Cube to communicate with a cablevision box.
What's missing? The Roku Ultra's USB port allows playback of local media files, and while some might not accept the collection of files to warrant such a feature, a $120 streaming box should take every perk that a $100 competitor does.
Besides, I really wish Amazon would include a good HDMI cable that ensures your Cube is truly sending high-quality 4K, HDR content to your screen. Sure, y'all probably already ain an HDMI cable, but piddling things like this that would make the $120 price point feel more acceptable.
Thankfully, Amazon isn't cheaping out on a remote, packing in its Alexa-capable physical remote to ensure you've got complete control of your Cube. Its buttons feel clicky and sturdy, and superior to the touchpad control in the Apple Telly'due south Siri remote. The Roku Ultra Remote has chunkier, condom buttons that are just as pleasing to click.
Amazon Fire TV Cube (2019) Review: Interface
Every bit is the instance with the rest of Amazon's Kindle e-readers and Burn tablets, Amazon's Fire TV interface puts content, ads and Amazon's own content up front. The intention here is conspicuously to cutting down on the time spent on discovering content, and presenting shows on equal basis with channels, equally the proliferation of streaming services nosotros're thinking less and less almost where a prove is as much as which bear witness to watch (i.e. on Hulu, you can watch South Park without tuning to One-act Central).
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Navigating the Fire Television home screen, withal, can be an exercise in accepting that many things are out of your control. For starters, a giant The Walking Dead ad filled betwixt a quarter to a one-half of my Tv whenever I was most the meridian of the home screen.
A couple of times, I saw that ad turn into video when my cursor stayed on it for too long while I was click up to the section navigation row at the very top. The Roku Ultra (like all Roku devices) home screen places ads on the right side of the screen, while the Apple Television set 4K is advertisement-free.
While I understand that Amazon's cheaper devices (say, the $forty Fire Goggle box Stick) are priced to be supported past advertisements, putting them on a $120 gadget feels as wrong as when they show up on the $250 Kindle Haven. At least with the Kindle Oasis, though, you tin can pay a nominal fee to eliminate those "special offers" on the lock screen.
Next, yous detect the Contempo and Your Apps and Channels sections, which my activity slowly filled with boxes for YouTube, Succession, U.s., HBO, and Pluto Tv set. Many of these role similarly to the Continue Watching row in the Apple tree TV interface. I prefer Apple tree and Roku's interfaces, however, because you tin can drag and drop apps wherever you want, in a filigree.
Next is another sponsored row, every bit Amazon planted a set of Audible content boxes in the interface.
Below that, in that location'due south a Prime Amazon Original Series row, which is likely there considering of my Prime number membership. The post-obit row showed me the Amazon Channels my account is subscribed to, and then a total row for one of those channels, Britbox.
Then, a row for the free content on IMDb Telly. Nether that, you lot get On Now, a row showing live channels from the apps you've downloaded. The all-time part virtually this section is that it previews the content your cursor lingers over — which I adopt here than in the ads at the superlative of the screen — with audio. I saw Pluto TV's myriad of 2nd-run 'live' content, where content ranged from a documentary about Richard Pryor to the MTV dating game prove Next.
Amazon Burn down TV Cube (2019) Review: Alexa
You don't need a remote to navigate the Fire TV Cube's dwelling house screen, because y'all have Alexa. When I said "Alexa, show more," the dwelling house screen switched to a gear up of enumerated rows. This manner, y'all can say "Alexa, select five," rather than "Alexa, select Prime Amazon Original Series," a string of six words I would definitely stumble over. Since you've got more rows than space on your screen, a simple "Alexa show more" or "Alexa, scroll upwardly" scrubs upwards and downward the stacks of content.
Just as importantly, you can just command Alexa to play the evidence you lot want to see. For example, when I said, "Alexa, play Succession," and the Fire Television set Cube opened the critically-acclaimed show in the HBO Go app, and then I could start nodding my head to its excellent theme song and cease clicking through menus.
While I'm a smart home-skeptic, I've found this version of Alexa to be a reliable entertainment navigator. From searching for and downloading apps — only say "Alexa, open up HBO," followed by "Alexa, download this app" — to controlling what y'all encounter ("Alexa, pause"), the Fire Goggle box Cube's voice controls give you a pretty stiff grip on your content, without you lot having to keep a grip on your clicker.
More impressively for me is how Alexa tin as well control your not-smart home hardware. Alexa turned on my TV ("Alexa, turn on the Telly") and cablevision box, and it also switched betwixt the HDMI inputs on the TV.
Other Boob tube and cable controls include volume adjustment, and even channel pick ("Alexa, tune to MTV"), so you can lose your cable box remote too.
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Setting it all upwardly was so easy, even a smart dwelling house skeptic (similar me) could do it. The Burn down TV Cube identified the maker of my TV and cablevision box. The assistant can control select TVs, soundbars, A/5 receivers and (for those similar me, who oasis't cut the cord) cable and satellite boxes. It tin fifty-fifty switch to my PS4.
When you're navigating the menus, looking for things to scout, Alexa volition also take commands for showing a pic'southward trailer, add and remove it from your Watchlist and show you more ways to scout something. Or, if you're ready to hitting play, "Alexa, watch at present" does the trick.
Looking to switch back to the Burn TV Cube from ane of your other devices? Only say, "Alexa, show me the home screen," and you'll get switched back.
This Alexa isn't merely for bingeing shows. With a unproblematic "play Lana Del Rey" I was enjoying the luscious jam "Summertime Sadness," and enjoying well-formatted on-screen lyrics that scrolled in synchrony with the song. I fourth dimension I tried this without turning the TV on commencement, which was a mistake, every bit I didn't realize music playback is Idiot box-only. This decision is likely tied to how the Burn Television Cube is no Echo Plus when it comes to audio quality.
Alexa'south video Flash Briefings are also here, as "Alexa, play my Wink Briefing" gave me a prune from Newsy. The Alexa app gives you the pick to get other Flash Briefing content, from the likes of BBC News, the Nintendo Switch eShop and ESPN.
Once you've picked a prove to watch, Alexa can too show you different options in your neighborhood. Alexa's recommendations for "the all-time pizza near me" in Soho, wasn't exactly a dwelling house-run, though, with the assistant's top suggestions focusing on traditional Italian restaurants and leaving out iconic local favorites such as Lombardi's and Prince Street Pizza.
As I watched an episode of WWE Raw in the USA app, I was able to get the brusk-term forecast by saying "Alexa, testify me the weather condition." The forecast arrived in a graphic shown briefly on-screen before returning me to my regularly scheduled predetermined grappling.
Amazon Fire TV Cube (2019) Review: Content and apps
When last year's Burn Goggle box Cube landed on my desk, Amazon had a pretty large problem: YouTube and YouTube TV's actual apps were missing. Sure, there were web-based workarounds, merely those forced terrible experiences onto folks but trying to go on up with their apps. Fortunately, Google and Amazon came to an agreement in September 2019. Frustratingly, in that location's a risk that this result volition be replaced by a new one, every bit Burn TV isn't listed on the supported devices list for Disney Plus.
Of course, you too get the big streaming services, such as AT&T Tv Now, Hulu with Live Idiot box, PlayStation Vue and Sling TV. Amazon Channels, the company's a-la-carte TV apps, appear equally split up personalized recommendations to your home screen, one time you're signed in.
I specially enjoyed the well-designed Spotify app. Aye, Burn Idiot box certainly needs a Spotify app, for those of us who don't have a great sound system in every room.
In terms of streaming content providers outside of Prime number Video and Amazon Channels, top level services are here in full force, including On acme of that, y'all've got apps from all the major players, including CBS All Access, ESPN, HBO, NBC, Netflix and Kickoff.
The Burn Tv Cube provides access to all of the same content seen on the other Fire TV devices, including "tens of thousands of channels, apps, and Alexa skills," and more than 500,000 movies and Tv episodes.
Amazon Fire Television Cube (2019) Review: Performance
I didn't think the 2018 Fire Tv set Cube was tedious, merely the 2nd Gen Fire TV Cube shows me how incorrect I was. Armed with the stopwatch app on my iPhone, and both this year and concluding twelvemonth's Fire TV Cube (set to unlike wake-words) I saw significantly faster load times and switch times on the new model.
This is likely attributed to the new hexa-core processor (last yr's model used a quad-core fleck) in this model. Amazon's too added its Local Phonation Control technology and so the device tin process often-used commands on the device, and non need to trigger the large Alexa hive-mind in the cloud.
I saw the biggest differential when switching from a dissever HDMI input to the Fire Tv Cube (which was asleep) and opening the YouTube app (which had been force quit). The original Fire Tv Cube took an average of 28 seconds to perform this task, while the 2d Gen Burn down Television Cube completed it in 7 seconds, a quarter of the time.
I saw significantly faster load times and switch times on the new model.
I also saw a difference in switching HDMI inputs, equally the new Burn down Television Cube completed that task in 3 seconds -- nigh one-half the time of the 5.9 seconds it took the original model. Opening the Netflix app for the kickoff fourth dimension also took half as much time, with the new Burn down Tv set Cube finishing in 10.88 seconds while the older Cube took needed 21 minutes and four seconds.
I didn't see that same gap on smaller tasks, though. Alexa turned off my Goggle box in two.three seconds on the new Fire TV Cube, while information technology needed 2.viii seconds on the older model. That half-2d gap is negligible at best. I saw that same teeny difference when request the Burn down Television set Cube to play music, with the old Fire TV Cube finishing in 8.one seconds while the new model completed it in vii.six seconds.
The Fire Tv set's interface is still fast and responsive when you click around with the Alexa remote. I'd say the buttons in the Roku Ultra and Apple tree TV 4K remotes work just as fast, though the touchpad swipes in the Siri remote took a while to get used to, and provided a loftier learning curve.
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The Fire Television set Cube'due south far-field vocalization recognition, powered by eight microphones on its peak side provided acceptable listening capabilities, so you can command Alexa no matter what you lot're doing or if y'all're far abroad from the Cube. This allowed the Cube to hear me say "Alexa, pause" even every bit Michael Cole yelled "The big canis familiaris!" during Roman Reigns' entrance on an old episode of Raw.
Amazon Fire TV Cube (2019) Review: Video quality
Merely similar terminal year, the new Burn down Television Cube's support for 4K HDR video (now HDR ten+!) enables the streaming of sharp and vivid video. Equally I watched Amazon Prime Video's Proficient Omens, I saw brilliant reds of the apple and verdant greens of the flowers in Eden, besides equally rich browns in the Aziraphale'due south pilus.
The sharpness allowed me to brand out tiny details like the feathers of Crowley's ultra-white wings, the gold threads on the sleeves of his top and the blackness veins in Aziraphale's eyes. You're not going to get that quality everywhere, though. The HBO Go app streamed Succession with a slight fuzziness to it, rendering the lilliputian Roy family's clothes with a dullness that would disappoint their snobbish tastes.
Similarly, U.s.a. and YouTube apps, didn't hitting the high notes from video streamed from Amazon itself, when I streamed episodes of WWE Raw and videogamedunkey. The Apple TV 4K and Roku Ultra also offering 4K HDR video. Episodes of Fleabag and the Glow streamed merely as beautifully on those devices.
Amazon Fire Television receiver Cube (2019) Review: Search
The Burn TV Cube looks to leverage Alexa for better, smarter searching, and the results are good but flawed. When I asked Alexa to "evidence me Succession" information technology presented its master page of content nigh the HBO show, and then I could run across where I had it, and the other options for purchase.
Search results menus present you lot with the number-based selection organization, so you don't need to speak a title's whole name to activate it. And if a title isn't in your first half dozen results, "Alexa, testify me more" scrolls down to the adjacent results.
When you lot endeavor a more circuitous query, y'all might see the seams in the organisation. When I asked Alexa for 1990s movies starring Alec Baldwin, the results put 2004's Forth Came Polly as the tertiary result, well ahead of the many other 90'due south films starring the 30 Stone actor.
Search quality has as well improved over previous generations, but it's not entirely there yet. When I asked, "Alexa, show me '90s activeness movies starring Keanu Reeves," information technology presented me with activity movies featuring the star of the Matrix, but didn't filter out the 2014 shoot-em-upwardly archetype John Wick. Apple Tv, on the other hand, can handle these complex search phrases. Besides, while Amazon indexes some of the top services (Netflix, Hulu, HBO and Showtime), Roku looks through hundreds.
Not sure what you want to watch? Alexa also lets you scan by genre. if you demand a express mirth. Its results, though, are kind of odd; The Best Of Friends and Friends sit side by side, as practice the English and Castilian linguistic communication versions of the ABC sitcom The Goldbergs.
Amazon Fire Telly Cube vs Fire Boob tube Stick, Fire TV Stick 4K
$120 is a lot of money, especially compared to the affordable Fire TV Stick ($40) and Fire TV Stick 4K ($50). So, why would y'all want to spend more for the Burn TV Cube?
The major differences here are the Cube'southward faster hexa-cadre processor (both sticks feature quad-cadre chips) and how it tin command the rest of your hardware, such every bit the cable box, TV and audio bar. And then, next fourth dimension your Goggle box watching experience takes a olfactory organ-dive because you tin can't discover your remote, remember about the wonders of a TV that y'all command with your voice.
And just similar last year's model, the 8-mic array on the top gives the Fire Television receiver Cube enables far-field voice controls, something the Fire sticks don't offer.
The Fire Television receiver Cube offers Dolby Atmos audio, which the Fire Boob tube Stick 4K does and the normal Burn down TV Stick does not.
Y'all don't need the Fire TV Cube for 4K, as the $70 cheaper Fire Tv set Stick 4K matches it on resolution. Nosotros love the stick's fast navigation and solid 4K paradigm quality, but wish information technology didn't need a power adapter, as the Roku Streaming Stick+ works fine without ane.
Fire Idiot box Cube vs. the contest
The Burn Television receiver Cube and the $100 Roku Ultra (2019) and $180 Apple tree Television 4K all have vocalism commands, but practise then differently. Amazon's method breaks your reliance on the remote, while the Roku and Apple tree Goggle box identify their microphones in the remote, so you lot'll have trouble if y'all lose it.
Alexa's too a lot more capable than Siri and Roku's vocalization search. The latter are primarily used for search while Alexa can motion through the Fire TV interface, as well as control other devices and look up data.
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My favorite feature in Apple Goggle box's Siri, and 1 that the Fire Telly Cube lacks, is the capability to vocally spell out your passwords. As a proponent of long, hard-to-guess passwords, I get tired of using a clicker to movement effectually a keyboard. Fortunately, the Fire Telly, just like Roku and Apple Tv, have an app you tin can use to easily enter text.
The $120 Fire Tv Cube is much cheaper than the $180 Apple Goggle box 4K, and aside from habitation screen control, it's difficult for the latter to justify its cost. Yet the $100 Roku Ultra is even more affordable, though the additional $20 volition exist worth it for those who want more capable voice commands, peculiarly for controlling entertainment devices.
Amazon Fire Tv Cube (2019) Review: Lesser line
Alexa may exist increasingly ubiquitous (information technology's coming to glasses and earbuds too!) but the Fire Goggle box Cube makes a lot of sense. Yes, the cheaper Fire Television set sticks both offering some Alexa tricks via the their remotes, just the Cube makes the remote less necessary, and it controls your cable box, which no other streaming device offers.
And now, with an even faster processor backside the wheel, the Burn down TV Cube becomes an fifty-fifty meliorate navigator for your entertainment experiences. If only it gave us more control of its habitation screen, or packed its Ethernet adapter into the actual Cube, nosotros'd be completely sold.
For more complete command of your home screen, the Apple TV 4K is the best option, every bit it doesn't even have the ads that announced on the Roku Ultra. The Fire Tv set Cube's view of phonation-activated entertainment is superior, and makes a stiff instance for its high toll.
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Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/fire-tv-cube
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