Amazon Fire TV Omni Series review: An acceptably affordable Alexa TV
The Amazon Fire TV Omni Series sits somewhere at the low end ofsmart TVs, but this doesn’t mean Amazon’s Omni TV sets aren’t worthwhile. As a matter of fact, what you get for your money is going to be hard to beat, as these smart TVs are running Amazon’s Fire OS, which means Alexa is built-in, offering a wide selection of voice commands to keep you hands-free as you watch your favorite shows and movies.
The Omni Series is made up of a selection of 4K devices, ranging from 43-inch, 50-inch, 55-inch, 65-inch (the set reviewed in this article), and a 75-inch set. These models offer HDR10, along with HLG, and Dolby Digital Plus (plus, the 65/75-inch models offer Dolby Vision), wrapped up in a slim package that’s incredibly affordable, especially when the units are on sale (which they often are). So if you’re in the market for a smart TV or are looking to stay within Amazon’s ecosystem, even though Amazon’s Omni TVs are incredibly cheap, offering a forked version of Android, don’t be fooled into thinking they won’t perform, as these smart TVs punch well above their weight, making them an excellent option for just about anyone, especially the cash-conscious.
Amazon Fire TV Omni Series
Amazon’s Omni smart TV line has set itself up as an excellent entry point for smart TV enthusiasts, similar to its Kindle tablet and e-reader lines. These are affordable TVs that won’t break the bank while offering all of the smart TV features one would expect, like hands-free controls through Alexa, as well as a plethora of Android apps to dial in your streaming services to your particular needs.
Design, hardware, what’s in the box
The Amazon Fire TV Omni Series, at first, looks like any other TV. However, there’s a silver accent below the screen that blends into the feet that sit along the outer edge. This means you’ll need a wide stand to fit these TVs, thanks to that foot placement (versus a centered foot placement), which should only really be an issue for the 65/75-inch units as they are pretty wide. There’s also a chamfered line of silver that runs along the outer edge of the TV that ties into the silver bottom and feet, which results in a pleasing design that stands out if you look close enough. There is a slight bezel surrounding the screen before it meets with the plastic casing, but it’s pretty thin, about a quarter of an inch wide. All in all, it’s an unassuming device, but it offers a slight touch of flair with silver accents, so you won’t confuse it with something cheaper.
Of course, all the action is in the rear, where the ports sit. There are three HDMI 2.0 ports, and one HDMI 2.1 with eARC (which offers better bandwidth and speed), along with an ethernet port, a USB 2.0 port, an IR emitter jack (there’s a dongle included that plugs into this, useful for controlling other devices by IR), a headphone jack, and an optical in for audio. While I’d love to see a few more HDMI ports in the mix, what’s available should be plenty enough for most users. All of these ports sit on the right side when facing the TV screen, so that’s where you’ll want to keep your devices like gaming consoles and Blu-ray players to easily plug them in. Conversely, the power plug for the TV sits in the rear on the left, which is a little annoying for the 65-inch TV, as I need power outlets to power my peripherals on the right side, as well as the left since that’s where the TV power cord is located. Or you can use a surge protector and have tons of cords running every which way behind the TV, which is also annoying. While it isn’t uncommon for a power cord to sit on the opposite side of the ports for many TVs, I’m not a fan as cable management is a pain.
Oh, and since this is a smart TV running Alexa, voice controls are a thing, which means a mic is built-in. What’s nice is that Amazon is privacy conscious. So it has included a physical button to electronically turn off the mic for those that prefer a TV that isn’t always listening. If you’ve got an Echo speaker in the living room to control video playback, you may move it someplace else and just rely on the TV.
A physical remote control is included and looks similar to most smart TV remotes. You get all of the primary controls you’d expect, like volume and channel buttons, with a circular d-pad that surrounds an action button in the center. Most of the typical Android controls are here, too, with a home button and back button, though there is no overview. What’s nice is that there’s a settings button right on the remote, which makes up for the lack of a physical button to change inputs. You also get a few shortcuts for the more popular streaming services, like Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Netflix, and Disney+. Plus, there’s a blue Alexa button up top to quickly bark out a few voice commands. Still, since the remote control is pretty barebones compared to thefull-featured remotes of yesteryear, you will have to dip into the TV’s settings to perform simple actions like changing the TV’s input.
As for what’s in the box, you get everything you’d expect. The TV, a remote, an instruction booklet, and the IR dongle are all there, along with a power cord, and that’s about it. I can say the packaging was top-notch, with styrofoam protecting the TV, and the easy way you can slide the box off the TV is pretty unique as it’s precut at the bottom to make this easier. Taking the TV out was a pleasure, a first for me, as it’s usually a pain to slide the TV out of the box while laying it on the floor. In amazon’s case, you just lift the box, and you’re off to the races, which is a nice touch.
The Omni line is on the cheap end of TV prices, so the 60Hz LED screen isn’t going to blow you away, especially at ~330nits. Sure, you get HDR10, and the 65/75-inch models do offer Dolby Vision HDR, though I can’t say either of these features stand out all that much. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like the picture is awful or anything, but this is no OLED TV, that’s for sure. The blacks are a little washed out (simple the nature of LED, but there is software to help with this), and since this is a 60Hz TV, the response times aren’t the best. You can game on the TV just fine, but if you’re looking into competitive play with the lowest response times possible, you’ll be better off with something that supports higher framerates. But hey, for the price, especially if you snag one on sale, these TVs are perfectly fine for watching movies in dark rooms, and TV shows at any time of the day. At the very least, the screen handles reflections pretty well.
Out of the box, the default picture quality is pretty bad, and doesn’t take advantage of the TV’s higher brightness settings. So you will have to tweak these settings to your preferences if you’re looking to get the most out of the Omni line. Contrast and blacks can look a lot better than what’s provided with the defaults by using the built-in game mode while cranking the backlight to 100 with adaptive brightness turned off, making the overall image much clearer and even.
What’s nice is that you have your pick of sizes, from 43-inch, 50-inch, 55-inch, 65-inch, and 75-inches. So there’s no shortage of screens to choose from, whether you need a TV for the living room or a bedroom. Each model offers standard VESA mount holes, so you may also slap these suckers on a wall rather than place them on a stand.
Something to keep in mind is that if you plan to watch a lot of streamed content directly through the Fire OS Android apps, like Hulu or Netflix, if you’re not paying for the tiers that offer 4K streaming, I can say most 1080p streamed content looks blurry on the Omni TV. The upscaling with the Omni line isn’t very good, especially in comparison to something like the Shield TV and its incredible up-conversion tech. Moving back and forth between the two for the same tiers of streaming services was night and day. Luckily, if you prefer blu-rays, those look phenomenal, even at 1080p. So it all comes down to the source material and how clear/crisp it is, to begin with.
Software and performance
The Omni line is built on Fire OS, a fork of Android that Amazon uses on its Android tablets and TVs. This means the Omnis are smart TVs, running a forked version of Android in the background, which is how you get features like Alexa voice commands built right in. You also get Android app support, though Google services are absent, which means most Google apps are nowhere to be found (don’t worry, YouTube is here), including Play Movies. Sure, there are workarounds, you couldsideload the appor sync your movie purchases to Movies Anywhere, but it’s still a hindrance if the majority of your digital content is within Google’s ecosystem and not Amazon’s.
As for the interface of Fire OS on large screens, it’s not bad. There’s a top row that houses your installed apps, like Hulu and Netflix, so you may jump into these shortcuts easily. Below this, you’ll find shortcuts to your recently watched shows and recently used apps, which is also convenient. Still, much like Android/Google TV, there’s a top banner that takes up half the screen that basically serves up ads, but at least these are ads for Amazon content like new movies on Prime, unlike the ads Google shoves in everyone’s face with Android/Google TVfor services you may not even be subscribed to.
Seeing that these are smart TVs, you’re going to spend a lot of time in the settings since the remote is pretty barebones. You can pull up the TV’s settings from the remote anytime you wish, which is convenient since you’ll be in and out there when you’re first setting up your TV, apps, and inputs, and this even works across different inputs, say for your blu-ray player, this way you can dial in the picture settings for that specific input. While I’m a little split on this feature, since there are no global image settings to set everything across the board in one go, I suppose it is nice that each app and each input gets its own settings. Still, this is cumbersome, and if you ever wipe the TV’s settings, you’ll have to do this all over again for each and every app and input. More or less, you’ll become very familiar with the TV’s image settings within the first few days, for good or bad. You’ll also have to dip into the settings every time you want to change the input, but at least the input options are at the top of the settings to change them quickly.
Amazon offers its own game streaming service thatgoes by the name Luna, and the app is pre-installed on the TV. If you’re a Prime member, you get access to a rotation of free games, which you can easily jump into. Basically, Omni TVs also serve as game streaming devices, and I have confirmed that Luna works well over a 5GHz network. However, I did have to jump through a few hoops to get it working, as Amazon’s hardware does not recognize some 5GHz bands, and so I had to go into my router settings to turn off DFS channels for the TV to finally recognize my 5GHz network (since Luna had complained about the speed of my 2.4GHz connection when opening the app for the first time). This is along-running problemthat DFS channels aren’t recognized by Amazon devices/apps, so it’s something to be aware of since streaming is very dependent on the speed of your network. So for a smart TV designed for ease of use, this hindrance is odd to see and should have been squashed ages ago, yet it still exists.
Now, as far as performance goes, I wasn’t expecting much, as smart TVs tend to be underpowered compared to standalone streaming boxes, and yet Fire OS flies. Navigating the UI is responsive, and apps open swiftly. At no point did I notice any slowdown when navigating the TV; everything was smooth and worked as expected. I also confirmed that the speakers are pretty good right before I hooked up my soundbar. They are plenty loud enough for large rooms, and while a little tinny, they are fine enough for those that don’t plan to connect the TV to a soundbar or audio system. So from a performance perspective, don’t let the low price fool you, Omni TVs are plenty performant.
Should you buy it?
Yes. Even though I’ve hit on a few sours points above, like the low nits and iffy 5GHz support, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better smart TV for the prices Amazon is selling the Omni line. Plus,Prime Day is almost here, guaranteeing these cheap TVs will soon be even cheaper, which means you should be able to pick one up without spending too much. This is where Amazon equipment excels, by hitting the appropriate price point to appeal to the masses while offering all of the features one would expect from something that costs twice as much.
The Amazon Fire TV Omni performs admirably and offers all of the smart features one would expect, including voice commands, with a UI that’s easy to navigate. Heck, with a little bit of tinkering, the image is pretty good for the price. Sure, you only get 60Hz, so the refresh rate isn’t the best for high-end gaming, but since you can stream games throughLuna, I’d say the TV is more for part-time gamers that play casually. After all, Luna includes aJackbox games subscription pack, and party games that are perfect for gatherings that take place around a TV.
At this moment, the 65-inch model I’ve tested for this reviewis currently on sale for $500, which is crazy low for a 4K smart TV. Heck, the 43-inch model is $300, perfect for a bedroom without breaking the bank. These TVs are a steal, and you may even find more savings once Prime Day hits, which means these are definitely TVs to keep an eye on over the next month. So if you’re in the market for something cheap but don’t want to compromise on performance or quality, the Amazon Fire TV Omni Series is a great entry point into a 4K smart TV.
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Q: How does the Amazon Fire TV Omni Series compare to the TCL 6-series
TheTCL 6-series is great for regular video media as well as games, making it an excellent choice if you’re looking for something a step above the Amazon Fire TV Omni line. You get high framerate support, a QLED screen, and Google TV built-in, offering a smart TV experience with voice commands, plus you get access to the Play Store, something Amazon doesn’t offer despite Fire OS being built on Android. While the TCL 6-series TVs are slightly more expensive than Amazon’s offerings, what you get in return is easily worthy of the sub $1k pricing. So if you play a lot of games on your TV or are simply looking for an Android TV to keep within Google’s ecosystem, the TCL 6-series is awell-reviewed linethat won’t break the bank while offering the typical features you’d expect from costlier TV sets.
Q: How does the Amazon Fire TV Omni Series compare to the Toshiba C350 Series
The Omni line aren’t the only Fire TVs out there. Toshiba offers the C350 Series, ranging from 43-inches to 75-inches, and much like Amazon’s Omni line, these Toshiba Fire TVs offer cheap pricing with a host of smart TV features Alexa is known for. So if you’re looking to buy into a Fire TV, and are also looking to pick up a trusted brand from a well-known manufacturer like Toshiba, the C350 Series is the perfect place to start. Just keep in mind that the unit is a rebrand from Hisense, though Toshiba stands behind the product, so you’ll receive Toshiba’s support. Pricing between the C350 Series and the Omni Series are fairly comparable, along with features like 60Hz 4K LCD screens packing HDR10, so keep an eye out for sales if you’re looking to snag the best deal. Still, even at retail pricing, the C350 Series is incredibly affordable for a 4K smart TV.
And go straight to gaming nirvana
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Expanded dark theme is here
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