Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED review

Value When Reviewed

From $449.99 | Mannequin reviewed $799.99

Finest Costs In the present day: Amazon Hearth TV Omni QLED

There’s an abundance of inexpensive great-quality TVs in the intervening time. The place QLED was as soon as reserved for less than probably the most premium fashions, it’s now obtainable to these on a lot smaller budgets.

And following their introduction final 12 months within the US, Amazon’s personal QLED TVs at the moment are obtainable within the UK. Nicely, the 65in mannequin is, with the smaller 55, 50 and 43in variations arriving in the beginning of June.

This, then, is Amazon’s largest, costliest TV and has probably the most options corresponding to hands-free Alexa and a lightweight sensor so it may well modify the image high quality based mostly on how a lot mild there’s in your room.

When you don’t thoughts dropping these and a few different options, Amazon’s 4-Sequence TVs are cheaper, with the 2-Sequence being even cheaper, although they’re obtainable solely in smaller sizes (32 and 40in).

Options & design

• Far-field microphones
• Mild & presence sensors
• Skinny metallic bezel

As Amazon’s flagship TV vary the Omni QLED seems to be the half. The darkish, brushed metallic body could be very slim on the highest and sides, with a thicker border on the backside. It cheats slightly as a result of the bezel has a bevel to make it look thinner than it truly is, and there’s a couple of millimetres of black border across the display screen: the pixels don’t lengthen proper to the perimeters.

Jim Martin / Foundry

Within the centre on the backside there’s a small black part which homes presence and lightweight sensors, plus a blue LED to inform you when Alexa is listening, and a crimson one which lights up if you slide the mic-mute change beneath. There’s additionally an influence button right here.

Jim Martin / Foundry

It takes just some minutes to get it out of the field and screw the 2 ft into place. In contrast to a few of TCL’s QLED TVs, there isn’t the choice to mount the ft additional inwards, so that you’ll want a TV bench a minimum of 1.5m lengthy in the event you go for the 65in mannequin.

In fact, the recognition of wall mounting means you could not want the ft in any respect, although you will want to purchase a 400x300mm VESA mount individually and fix it to your wall.

The facility cable attaches to the left hand facet, however all the opposite ports are on the right-hand facet. These embrace a trio of HDMI 2.0 inputs and a single HDMI 2.1 eARC port which you’ll most likely use to connect a sound bar.

Jim Martin / Foundry

Nevertheless, there are additionally optical and minijack audio outputs that you may use as an alternative. Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5 are inbuilt, however there’s additionally Ethernet in the event you want a wired community connection, although it is just 10/100, not Gigabit.

There are two USB 2.0 ports, one in all which you join a suitable webcam to for Alexa video calls.

Amazon features a customized cable within the field so you’ll be able to join older analogue gear however, in contrast to within the US, it doesn’t provide the IR emitter that plugs into the bottom-most port. Meaning you’ll be able to’t management AV gear except you purchase it individually for round £5.

There’s a built-in TV tuner that means that you can watch Freeview channels if you join an aerial, and the Alexa Voice distant has tiny quantity buttons so you’ll be able to key in channel numbers.

Sadly, you can not file dwell TV however the clean-looking program information lets you choose exhibits from the previous week which can be found to stream on demand.

Jim Martin / Foundry

The distant has a built-in microphone so you’ll be able to press and maintain the Alexa button to say one thing, nevertheless it’s principally redundant with the Omni QLED as a result of far-field microphones set into the highest fringe of the TV can hear your voice wherever within the room, and typically if you aren’t even in it.

Jim Martin / Foundry

It’s a disgrace Amazon doesn’t bundle a TV-specific model of the Alexa Voice Distant Professional with its costliest TVs. The Professional distant has backlit buttons and a ‘discover me’ function so you’ll be able to monitor it down when it’s misplaced between the couch cushions.

Jim Martin / Foundry

Specs & options

• Full array native dimming with 80 zones
• Help for HDR10+ Adaptive and Dolby Imaginative and prescient IQ
• Hearth TV software program & Ambient Expertise

All Omni QLED fashions besides the smallest 43in model have FALD. Meaning there’s an array of LEDs which mild up the display screen however will be dimmed or turned off to create higher distinction in particular areas of the picture. The 65in mannequin has 80 of those dimmable zones.

And because of the ambient mild sensor, brightness will be adjusted dynamically relying upon the situations in your room. Usually, everybody leaves their TV on the identical brightness regardless of whether or not it’s a brilliant, sunny afternoon or a darkish night.

Having the ability to modify brightness to compensate for ambient situations means the picture you see ought to be simply nearly as good in each of these conditions.

It additionally means the Omni QLED can help the newest HDR requirements: HDR10+ Adaptive and Dolby Imaginative and prescient IQ, which modify brightness and different settings to swimsuit the lighting in your room. And it’s good to see help for each HDR10+ and Dolby Imaginative and prescient as a result of it means extra of the content material you stream will likely be obtainable in HDR.

Proper now, although, there isn’t lots to look at in Dolby Imaginative and prescient IQ. There’s Jack Ryan and Rings Of Energy on Prime Video, and Amazon says that the TV’s mild sensor will modify brightness in line with the situations even in the event you’re watching non-IQ Dolby Imaginative and prescient video.

Jim Martin / Foundry

Finally, this actually is a TV designed for the streaming era and that’s the place the Hearth TV software program is available in. Anybody who’s used a Hearth TV Stick or Dice will likely be proper at dwelling with the easy-to-use interface.

It does promote content material Prime Video, with three of the six exhibits within the dwelling display screen carousel being from Prime Video and two from Amazon-owned Freevee. Regardless of this, and nonetheless surfaces content material from all the opposite providers you most likely wish to use corresponding to Netflix, Disney+ , BBC iPlayer, ITV X, Channel 4, YouTube and others.

Jim Martin / Foundry

There are various apps to put in, and that is one massive advantage of the recognition of the Hearth TV platform.

Jim Martin / Foundry

The deep Alexa integration means it’s potential to make use of your voice a minimum of as a lot because the distant, from turning the TV on within the first place to tuning to a specific TV channel, HDMI enter or opening a streaming service. In fact, Alexa can even discover a particular TV present or movie no matter which service it’s on, permitting you to see your choices for streaming it if it’s on a number of platforms.

Whereas watching, Alexa can pause and play, skip again 30 seconds (or nevertheless lengthy you need) or bounce to, say, 16 minutes into an episode. It’s nicely value studying these instructions as it may be a lot sooner than utilizing the distant.

And Alexa can do a lot moreover, such because the video calling talked about earlier, taking part in music from numerous providers, displaying the video feed from a suitable doorbell or digital camera, setting timers, controlling sensible lights, switches, thermostats and extra.

Usefully, there’s AirPlay help so iPhone and iPad house owners can beam photographs, movies or just mirror their machine on the massive display screen.

Ambient Expertise

Clearly borrowing inspiration from Samsung’s Ambient Mode, the Omni QLED can show art work if you’re not watching video. After a set interval of inactivity, a brief press of the distant’s energy button or just if you say “Alexa, go to Ambient” the display screen will show artwork from a group of 1500 free gallery-quality items.

You may ask Alexa to inform you about every bit but when artwork isn’t actually your factor, you’ll be able to as an alternative see photographs you’ve uploaded to Amazon Photographs.

Jim Martin / Foundry

Ambient mode can even work like an Amazon Echo Present sensible show. You may select widgets corresponding to a calendar, to-do record, climate, sports activities scores and others. These can both sit within the centre of the display screen pretty massive or as smaller containers in direction of the underside, in order that they don’t utterly obscure the photograph or art work.

From my assessments, Ambient Expertise makes use of roughly the identical quantity of energy as watching video. Nevertheless, the presence detection means the display screen will change off when no-one is detected within the room – that actually saves cash.

Movement detection will be adjusted in order that cats, canines or different pets don’t trigger the display screen to activate and you may also set Quiet Hours throughout which Ambient Expertise gained’t kick in in any respect.

In future, a software program replace will allow AI background era. You’ll be capable of ask Alexa to create a picture out of your spoken description which will be set because the background for Ambient mode. I noticed an early demo of this and it took just some seconds for the picture to look, and beforehand generated photos keep in an ‘album’ so you’ll be able to see them once more later.

Jim Martin / Foundry

Image and sound high quality

• 60Hz refresh fee
• Dolby Digital Plus audio
• 12W + 12W audio system

General, the Omni QLED is a powerful TV. It’s fairly brilliant, has good distinction and – due to these quantum dots – vibrant colors.

High quality will rely on what you’re watching, as with every TV, however the newest David Attenborough collection – Wild Isles – on iPlayer is an effective demonstration of the Omni QLED’s huge color gamut and actually exhibits off the 4K decision with immense ranges of element.

The TV is ready to present subtly totally different shades of inexperienced in bushes and grasses which are usually a problem for lesser fashions that can’t. And though it makes use of the fundamental HLG HDR, photographs displaying the solar shining by way of bushes spotlight the nice distinction.

In darkish scenes or title scenes with white textual content on a black background, there’s a little ‘haloing’ – a glow across the brilliant areas – however nothing too unhealthy. Blacks are good and deep, too, even when not fairly the very blackest potential from the very best (and costlier) OLED TVs round.

Lengthy-pressing the house button whereas watching video brings up a menu together with video and audio settings. For video, you’ll be able to change the mode, backlight brightness, the energy of native dimming and “Good HDR” which simulates HDR on non-HDR video, plus a wide range of color and readability settings together with color temperature.

Jim Martin / Foundry

These are saved per enter, and inputs embrace particular person apps in addition to HDMI.

The Omni QLED is nice at upscaling 1080p content material, with many HD channels wanting very sharp even on this 65in panel. Nevertheless, it has the alternative impact on SD channels and video, magnifying the dearth of decision and leaving you questioning the way you ever put up with standard-def even on a smaller TV.

The end on the display screen is someplace between matt and gloss. It isn’t as reflective as TVs with easy glass screens, however you’ll nonetheless wish to place it to keep away from home windows or lights reflecting in it – as you’ll be able to see from the reflections in a few of the photographs right here.

Viewing angles are good, which implies you don’t want to take a seat square-on to the display screen. In contrast to quite a lot of low cost TVs, the Omni QLED’s colors don’t look washed out in the event you’re sitting off to the facet.

Sound is simply as essential, regardless of being thought-about secondary to image high quality. Like so many skinny TVs, the Omni QLED’s audio system do let the facet down a bit. They’re loud and clear, being completely good for speech and a little bit of background music.

However though there’s some bass, it’s under no circumstances spectacular and also you’ll virtually actually wish to join a sound bar (ideally with a subwoofer) for a extra cinematic expertise with explosions and different results that you would be able to really feel.

It’s value noting that there’s help for Alexa Residence Theatre, so you need to use a pair of Echo Studios (or different fashions) together with an Echo Sub for two.1 audio that replaces the TV audio system.

Getting again to image high quality, this isn’t actually a TV for avid gamers. There’s ALLM and VRR which implies low latency and variable refresh fee. Whereas the low latency works as marketed and means there’s no perceptible delay between urgent a button in your sport controller and one thing taking place on display screen, the panel’s 60Hz refresh fee means the variable side solely adjusts from 48-60Hz. When you’re after 120Hz, you’ll must look elsewhere (and pay extra).

For extra informal gaming, the Omni QLED is totally high-quality although, and that’s the place Amazon’s Luna sport streaming service ought to enchantment. You may pair the official Luna controller with the TV and revel in all of the titles the service presents (for a subscription price, in fact).

Nevertheless, in the event you’re content material with 60Hz, you’ll be able to nonetheless hook up an Xbox One X or PS5 and most video games ought to play simply high-quality.

Amazon doesn’t record the processor used within the Omni QLED, however the Hearth TV interface wasn’t as easy or zippy as it’s on, say, the Hearth TV 4K Max. This meant ready a couple of further seconds occasionally for iPlayer or Netflix to load, and Alexa simply didn’t appear fairly as responsive as on an Echo speaker.

With a ‘G’ power effectivity ranking within the EU, the Omni QLED isn’t massively aggressive on energy consumption. The 65in mannequin is licensed to eat 111W for SDR content material and 185W for HDR. That drops to 86W and 167W respectively for the 55in.

Utilizing my very own energy meter, the 65in was drawing a median of 150W watching 4K HDR content material from BBC iPlayer. I additionally observed the TV continued to make use of 10W in standby, not the 0.5W it ought to use. This appears to be so Alexa can reply even when the TV is off.

Value & availability

Technically, the Hearth TV Omni QLED is obtainable within the UK already so lengthy you need the 65in mannequin. Sadly, it seems Amazon’s inventory offered out in the course of the pre-order part as a result of – as of mid-April – Amazon’s itemizing web page was displaying a supply dates of between July and September, after the 43, 50 and 55in sizes go on sale on 1 June 2023.

Jim Martin / Foundry

The plain place to purchase an Omni QLED is, in fact, from Amazon itself. On the time of evaluation, it value £999.99 – full worth – however Amazon is prone to low cost it when it runs its subsequent Prime Day sale and different seasonal occasions corresponding to Black Friday.

If it’s too massive or costly, then the 55in mannequin is £749.99, or £649.99 for the 50in. You’ll save one more £100 by selecting the 43in, however keep in mind this doesn’t have the zoned backlight.

Within the US, these TVs are higher worth, with the complete worth being solely $449.99 (43in), $529.99 (50in), $599.99 (55in) and $799.99 (65in) and $1099.99 (75in). And, on the time of evaluation, the 65in mannequin was discounted to $599.99 – nearly half the price of what you’d pay within the UK, and excellent discount.

The smaller sizes as much as and together with 55in are model new to the US, and go on sale on 11 Might.

The place you reside makes a giant distinction in whether or not or not an Omni QLED is sweet worth, and it’s apparent which nation will get the higher deal right here.

You must also keep in mind that Amazon presents solely a one-year guarantee on the Omni QLED, which may be a deal-breaker for some. Within the US you’ll be able to add a four-year prolonged guarantee which ranges from $74.99 for the 50in as much as $199.99 for the 75in.

There was no such possibility within the UK on the time of evaluation.

Verdict

When you occur to dwell within the US, the Omni QLED is simple to advocate, particularly if you’re particularly after a Hearth TV. It isn’t the final phrase in image high quality, however for the costs they are surely nice worth and provide quite a lot of options.

Within the UK, in the event you didn’t pre-order one and get 30%-odd off, then it’s a more durable determination. There are many inexpensive QLED TVs from Hisense and TCL, however the cheaper fashions don’t have mild sensors for HDR10+ Adaptive, nor do they normally have as many HDMI inputs.

The selection of cheaper QLED TVs with Hearth TV software program are a lot thinner on the bottom, and don’t have hands-free Alexa or Ambient Expertise. Meaning the Omni QLED is the premium alternative for die-hard Alexa followers, however in the event you can dwell with Roku or one other interface, your alternative opens up enormously.

Check out our roundup of the very best funds TVs to seek out out extra.

When you’re a gamer, you’ll most likely want to go along with a equally priced 120Hz Hisense mannequin such because the 65U7HQTUK. This was on sale at Currys for simply £769 – a really temping deal.

Specs

• Sizes: 43/50/55/65in
• Mannequin examined: 65in
• Show know-how: QLED
• Decision: 3840 x 2160 4K
• Refresh fee: 60Hz
• HDR help: Dolby Imaginative and prescient IQ, HDR10, HDR10+ Adaptive, HDR 10+ Gaming, HLG
• HDMI: x3 2.0, x1 2.1 eARC
• Tuner: Freeview Play
• OS: Hearth TV