Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED Series
ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The Fire TV Omni QLED Series is one of Amazon’s latest smart televisions, starting at $429 for the 50-inch.
- I tested the 65-inch model, which costs $850 and features a gorgeous image, hands-free Alexa+, and Amazon’s Ambient Experience.
- I wish it had a remote finder.
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Amazon released multiple new devices at the end of this year, including a Fire TV Omni QLED Series, which I’ve been testing for over a month now. I’ve used the 65-inch model of this smart TV as our family’s main television, and it’s been a huge upgrade from my four-year-old LG TV.
Granted, that TV was an entry-level UN7000 with 4K resolution, so it wasn’t a QLED panel by any means. It set me back $500 in 2021, but today, you can get a far superior 55-inch Omni QLED Series TV for $530.
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Although this is a testament to how much more affordable televisions have become over the past four years, I’m not sure if I would have bought a Fire TV over an LG back then — at least not until I had tested it.
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The Fire TV Omni QLED Series is the third Fire TV I’ve used; I have a 50-inch Series 4 Fire TV and a 43-inch Omni Series. I got both of these for $100 each during Amazon Prime Day sales events, so they were relatively low-risk purchases at the time. I installed that Omni Series Fire TV in my bedroom, and it proved to be far superior to my previous old Westinghouse TV, but the latest Omni QLED Series is even more impressive.
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This Fire TV’s image delivers on the promises Amazon makes for its picture quality. The image is so crisp and detailed that it outshines low-quality videos, boasting lifelike colors and HDR10+ Adaptive support.
The QLED panel produces realistically contrasts, as well as deep blacks and crisp whites, thanks to its full-array local dimming technology.
The TV has thin bezels, about a centimeter or less, to make the display the main event at all times, whether it’s in use or not. When it’s off, it features Amazon’s Ambient Experience, displaying artwork or your own images.
Making it even smarter, the Fire TV Omni QLED Series also supports Omnisense, a new technology that uses sensors to wake the display when someone enters the room. Whether or not you choose to use this is up to you.
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The TV also supports Dolby Audio for rich sounds, but you can connect external speakers and soundbars via the digital Audio Port or Bluetooth. I’ve tested mine with two HomePod minis and a Sonos Era 300, both separately and together for a fuller audio experience, and haven’t been the least bit disappointed.
As part of the Omni Series of Fire TVs, this new smart TV also features Alexa+ built-in. You can not only use Alexa hands-free to control your TV and compatible smart devices, but also to ask way more of it than you would of your typical virtual assistant. Thanks to generative AI, you can ask Alexa+ not only to find a movie for you, but to explain the theme, give you specific genre suggestions with one of the actors, and then ask it to create a recipe for a movie-time snack with what you have in your pantry.
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The only feature I wish this TV had was a way to locate the remote control, which is only available on the Alexa Voice Remote Pro, sold separately for $35. The TV comes with the Fire TV Alexa Voice Remote Enhanced, which you can also use to communicate with Alexa by pressing the microphone button; however, it doesn’t allow you to locate it when lost.
ZDNET’s buying advice
Available for $850, the latest 65-inch Omni QLED Series is the ideal choice for buyers seeking a midrange TV with a hands-free, generative AI virtual assistant that delivers a surprisingly attractive picture and snappy processing power.
The Fire TV Omni QLED Series features a quad-core processor, resulting in reliable responsiveness during navigation — It’s definitely the fastest Fire TV I have at home, including streaming devices. After using the Omni QLED Series TV for over a month, I haven’t experienced a single bug or glitch during navigation, which is something I can’t say has happened with other smart TVs and streaming devices.
