Amazon Fire TV 4-Series review

You’re spoiled for selection with price range TVs these days. There are such a lot of to decide on between and even if you need an enormous TV, you may have one – should you’re ready to make some compromises.

Amazon’s Hearth TV 4-Sequence vary is available in 43, 50 and 55in fashions and has the Hearth TV interface – from the corporate’s well-liked Hearth TV Sticks – and Alexa inbuilt.

Though it’s a step up from the 2-Sequence, that’s primarily due to the display screen sizes: don’t let the naming idiot you that these are mid-range TVs: they’re primary fashions within the nice scheme of issues.

However does having Hearth TV and Alexa make the 4-Sequence an excellent purchase? Learn on to seek out out.

Design & construct

• Plastic body and ft
• Choice to wall mount
• Alexa through microphone on distant management

Once you get the Hearth TV 4-Sequence out of its field you discover how light-weight it’s. That’s partly as a result of it’s pretty skinny but additionally as a result of it’s clad in plastic and has shiny black plastic ft.

4 screws is all it takes to connect them to the bottom of the TV should you’re placing it on a TV bench moderately than wall mounting it. The ft are 980mm aside, so your bench must be at the least that lengthy.

The removable energy cable plugs into the left-hand facet (when wanting on the TV from the entrance) and all different ports are on the appropriate.

The bezel isn’t too thick, and has the identical gloss black end because the ft.

Specs & options

• Normal LED backlight
• Assist for HDR10, HLG
• Hearth TV software program

For what’s in any other case a comparatively primary mannequin, it’s good to see a quartet of HDMI inputs, and with the identical specs because the Omni QLED – three HDMI 2.0 and one HDMI 2.1 eARC.

Jim Martin / Foundry

You get a breakout cable within the field with composite video and stereo RCA audio connectors for previous tools, however Amazon doesn’t provide the IR extender cable for controlling AV containers in cupboards. That’s £14.99 / $14.99. Nonetheless, it’s possible you’ll not want it should you tools is out within the open.

The 4K panel runs at 60Hz, which could be sufficient for some individuals however players wanting to attach a 4K console will virtually definitely desire to go for a TV that goes as much as 120Hz. That stated, with Amazon’s Luna gaming service inbuilt, the 4-Sequence is ok for extra informal players and you may pair the official Luna controller through Bluetooth.

Bluetooth can be used to pair headphones, audio system, listening to aids and different units. There was no audio lag in any respect utilizing Amazon’s Echo Buds 2, however should you do have points, you may modify the Bluetooth audio delay within the settings.

Simply observe that you could’t have the TV audio system on similtaneously utilizing Bluetooth audio.

In contrast to the dearer Omni QLED there’s no ambient mild sensor or presence sensor so the 4-Sequence can’t modify brightness in accordance with the lighting in your room, nor can it flip off if no-one’s round to observe it. This additionally means it doesn’t assist Dolby Imaginative and prescient IQ – it doesn’t assist Dolby Imaginative and prescient in any respect: simply HDR10 and HLG.

Jim Martin / Foundry

There are not any built-in farfield microphones so you must use Alexa through the distant by urgent the Alexa button: there’s no hands-free possibility right here.

Jim Martin / Foundry

The opposite options lacking from the 4-Sequence that you simply’ll discover on the Omni QLED are the choice to attach a webcam for Alexa calling and Ambient Expertise. Nonetheless, there’s nonetheless the standard Hearth TV screensaver the place you may see good inventory pictures, or your individual pictures which might be saved on Amazon Pictures.

After all, the attraction right here is that the 4-Sequence makes use of Amazon’s Hearth TV interface. That is designed primarily for streaming content material and advertises reveals on Prime Video and Freevee (each owned by Amazon), which some individuals discover a bit annoying. Plus, there are precise adverts, as you may see under.

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Nonetheless, Hearth TV is straightforward to make use of and there are installable apps for Netflix, BBC iPlayer, ITV X, Channel 4, Disney+, UK TV Play and a great deal of different well-liked providers. Surprisingly, although, My5 – Channel 5’s streaming service – was “unavailable” on the time of evaluation. I requested Amazon if this was a brief drawback earlier than publishing this evaluation, however am nonetheless ready for a response.

Jim Martin / Foundry

When you already personal a Hearth TV Stick, you may select to have the 4-Sequence set every thing up as you’ve gotten on that. This implies apps might be put in robotically, although you’ll nonetheless should signal into all of them once more, which is the irritating a part of getting a brand new TV. Hopefully Amazon can resolve that individual gripe.

The interface can lag fairly badly and the 4-Sequence doesn’t really feel as responsive as even a primary third-gen Hearth TV Stick.

Reside TV on UK fashions comes from a built-in Freeview Play tuner and the programme information is good and clear. You’ll be able to’t file something, regardless of the USB ports which you’d suppose could be for a USB thumb drive.

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Actually, there are two regardless of Amazon’s web site stating there is only one, and also you can join a USB drive and use the Media Participant enter to see pictures and watch any movies saved on it: a lot of the well-liked codecs are supported.

Jim Martin / Foundry

Plus, just like the Omni QLED, there’s correct AirPlay assist so you may beam movies and pictures out of your iPhone and iPad to the Hearth TV and see them on the large display screen. The standard AirPlay restrictions apply, so some apps gained’t allow you to watch video over AirPlay, corresponding to Channel 4 and Sky Go.

Image and sound high quality

• 60Hz refresh price
• Dolby Digital Plus audio
• 8W + 8W audio system

General, image high quality is sweet however unexceptional. If that is your first 4K TV, you’ll be pleased with the readability when watching 4K Netflix, Amazon Prime or wildlife reveals from BBC iPlayer.

Colors are nice however don’t pop like they do on QLED fashions. They’re solely nice, although, so long as you’re sat square-on to the display screen. Transfer off centre they usually rapidly begin to fade and look noticeably washed out should you’re watching off to both facet.

Jim Martin / Foundry

The highest brightness of 300 nits is comparatively low, and moderately dismal for an HDR TV. Though the Hearth TV 4-Sequence helps 4k HDR within the HDR10 and HLG codecs, you’ll be arduous pressed to note the distinction. Actually you want double the brightness (or extra) for highlights to essentially shine.

Because the 4-Sequence doesn’t have full array native dimming, there’s additionally a definite lack of deep, inky blacks.

The display screen isn’t too reflective, however it’s greatest to keep away from place the TV dealing with a window because the low brightness means it could actually’t overcome the reflections through the day.

Jim Martin / Foundry

As with the Omni QLED, image settings are saved per enter, so you may (and must) modify these settings for digital TV, streaming media and the HDMI inputs individually. By default Motion Smoothing is ready pretty excessive and it’s one thing you’ll wish to cut back or flip off utterly, particularly should you’re watching films. However it’s nice for sports activities because it smooths out any judder between frames.

Jim Martin / Foundry

There are numerous presets you may play with for every enter that modify these settings to what Amazon considers essentially the most appropriate. There’s Normal, which is likely one of the brightest, Film Shiny, Film Darkish, Vivid, Sport, Pure and Eco (which is the dimmest).

Sound from the twin 8W audio system is fairly skinny however par for the course. When you care about sound high quality, join a good sound bar to the HDMIU eARC enter. The Hearth TV can management plenty of sound bars this fashion with none further setup, that means you may modify quantity utilizing the Hearth TV distant.

Worth & availability

The Hearth TV 4-Sequence vary begins at £429.99 / $369.99 for the 43in, £499.99 / $449.99 for the 50in and £549.99 / $519.99 for the range-topping 55in.

You should buy all of them from Amazon, after all. See the 4-Series in the UK, and should you’re within the US, you’ll discover them here on Amazon.com.

Just like the Omni QLED, the 4-Sequence has a paltry one-year guarantee as commonplace. Within the US, although, you may pay further for a complete of 4 years’ cowl, from $40 for the smallest dimension to $70 for the most important.

This selection isn’t but accessible within the UK the place, as you’ll have seen, the TVs price fairly a bit greater than within the US.

On the time of evaluation, Amazon was providing some hefty reductions within the US with round a 3rd off all sizes and as much as 14% off within the UK.

Because it launched the 4-Sequence Amazon has run pretty common reductions, so should you don’t want a TV instantly, it may be effectively value ready for considered one of these gross sales.

There are, naturally, many alternate options should you’re not set on an Amazon-branded Hearth TV with different producers corresponding to JVC, Hisense, Toshiba and Pioneer all making their very own TVs which have Hearth TV and Alexa inbuilt.

The Hisense U6, for instance, is a QLED mannequin accessible in 50- and 58in variations. Once we checked, the smaller of those was on sale on Amazon for simply $339.99, making it a a lot better possibility for individuals who need higher picture high quality than the 4-Sequence can present.

That isn’t accessible within the UK, however TCL’s 50CF630K is, one other price range QLED TV that was solely £359 from Amazon on the time of evaluation.

For extra choices, together with TVs with out the Hearth TV interface, check out our roundup of the perfect price range TVs. Or, if cash isn’t any object, we’ve additionally chosen the perfect TVs.

Verdict

At full worth, the Hearth TV 4-Sequence is tough to suggest. Sure it has the Hearth TV interface and Alexa, however you may have higher image high quality should you store round on the similar worth.

On the discounted costs, which might seemingly be had often, they’re higher worth, particularly within the US for individuals who aren’t after the final word in high quality.

For telly addicts within the UK, the upper costs are harder to abdomen, and the reductions aren’t as beneficiant. If the comfort of getting a Hearth TV Stick successfully inbuilt appeals and also you don’t thoughts that Alexa isn’t hands-free, you could be completely joyful.

However should you care about picture high quality, need correct HDR and are joyful to pay extra, then you need to most likely have a look at the Omni QLED vary – or elsewhere.