Amazon has been offering its own custom-built TVs for nearly two years now, complete with rich Alexa integration designed to let you get to your favorite shows — or control your entire smart home — without touching a remote. Now the company is expanding its in-house TV roster even further, with more size options for the premium Fire TV Omni QLED as well as a new 2-Series lineup that are designed to make Alexa TVs more affordable than ever.
Wondering if these new models are right for you? Here’s everything you need to know.
Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED gets new sizes
Amazon's Fire TV Omni QLED is now available in smaller, cheaper 43-inch, 50-inch and 55-inch variations, allowing you to bring home the super-smart Ambient Experience for less.
After launching last year, Amazon’s flagship Fire TV Omni QLED series is now available in even more sizes. Starting at $450, the Omni QLED’s new 43-inch, 50-inch and 55-inch options are joining the existing 65- and 75-inch models, providing more options for folks with smaller spaces (or tighter budgets).
The highest-end member of Amazon’s TV family, the Omni QLED essentially wants to be your television and smart home hub all in one. Packing what Amazon calls the Ambient Experience, this TV can double as an always-on display that can show things like calendars, reminders and image galleries at a quick glance while also allowing you to control any compatible smart home devices — like an Echo speaker or Ring video doorbell. The Omni QLED can even turn on automatically when it senses you’re in the room, but don’t worry; you can turn the feature off if that creeps you out.
In our initial Fire TV Omni QLED review, we were impressed by just how robust this TV’s smart home capabilities truly are. It’s also got a solid set of built-in speakers, if you’re not ready to spring for a soundbar just yet. However, judging it solely as a 4K QLED television, we found its picture quality to be just OK compared to competitors like LG and Samsung. We were also let down by its lack of size options, something that Amazon is finally addressing directly with this new rollout. If you already use lots of Amazon products and services and can sacrifice a bit of picture quality for sheer convenience, this is a good TV for you.
The new 43-inch, 50-inch and 55-inch Fire TV Omni QLED models are available for preorder right now from Amazon, and will be available at Best Buy starting on May 11.
The Fire TV 2-Series makes Alexa more affordable
Amazon's most affordable TV yet, the Fire TV 2-Series packs all the essentials into your choice of a 32-inch or 40-inch television.
Following in the footsteps of the Amazon Fire TV 4-Series that launched a few years back, the new 2-Series aims to make getting an Alexa-enabled TV more affordable than ever. This set starts at just $200 and comes in 32-inch (720p) and 40-inch (1080p) options, making it a good choice for those in dorm rooms, small apartments or anyone who wants to get their first smart TV without spending a ton. The 2-Series packs many of the same key features as its more expensive counterparts — including all of your essential streaming apps, HDR support and an Alexa Voice Remote — just without some of the fancier features like the Ambient Experience and immersive 4K viewing.
The takeaway
Amazon’s latest TVs are some of the company’s most affordable yet, and if you’re in the market to finally bring a smart TV home, that’s a good thing. The Fire TV Omni QLED is truly impressive as a piece of smart home tech, and its flaws are a little easier to forgive at its new, cheaper price points. And if you just need something cheap in a pinch, the simpler 2-Series looks like it’ll do the job. We’ll be putting these models through their full paces as soon as we can, so stay tuned for more.