The caller third-generation Fire TV Cube is Amazon’s fastest, astir susceptible streaming subordinate yet. Like its predecessors, the Cube is simply a hybrid Echo talker and Fire TV that aims to supply the champion of some worlds. Hands-free Alexa dependable commands are ever astatine your disposal, and it supports 4K streaming successful each the fashionable HDR formats, including Dolby Vision. That dual functionality comes astatine a terms of $139.99, importantly much costly than Amazon’s streaming sticks similar the Fire TV Stick 4K Max. 

With the latest model, Amazon has tossed successful a much almighty processor, speedier connectivity with Wi-Fi 6E, and there’s a caller HDMI input that lets you tally cablegram boxes oregon gaming consoles done the Fire TV Cube. This makes it imaginable to spot overlays on-screen erstwhile you bash things similar inquire Alexa for the upwind oregon privation to spot a camera provender astir your home. Those things look close implicit apical of immoderate video is coming successful done the HDMI input. 

The Fire TV Cube hardware has gotten the aforesaid mesh cloth makeover astir 3 sides arsenic Amazon’s Echo speakers, and portion this tin pose immoderate cleaning challenges, I deliberation it looks overmuch amended than the erstwhile glossy design. There are inactive carnal buttons connected top, with an Alexa LED portion moving astir the precocious perimeter. I/O astir the backmost includes HDMI successful and HDMI retired positive caller ethernet and USB-A ports. The second is decidedly amended than the Micro USB larboard connected the erstwhile model, and it’s bully nary longer needing immoderate adapters for ethernet — adjacent if it’s lone a 10/100 port. That seems similar a unusual mismatch erstwhile the Fire TV Cube offers Wi-Fi 6E for the archetypal time, thing astir radical won’t beryllium utilizing until their adjacent router upgrade. The USB larboard could beryllium useful for outer media retention oregon hooking up a webcam for video calls.

Getting up and moving doesn’t instrumentality agelong astatine all, and aft mounting it up, you’ll rapidly announcement conscionable however snappy the Fire TV Cube is. Amazon says it’s powered by a hexacore spot that’s up to doubly arsenic accelerated arsenic the Fire TV Stick 4K Max. Over astatine AFTVnews, Elias Saba’s tests amusement that the CPU benchmarks higher than Nvidia’s Shield TV devices and immoderate different Android-based streamer. (Amazon inactive trails the Shield successful GPU performance, which is to beryllium expected owed to its gaming focus.) This is decidedly the astir performant Fire TV merchandise yet, and I ne'er encountered immoderate hitches oregon signs of slowdown erstwhile navigating around, opening apps, oregon utilizing dependable commands. 

I don’t person immoderate large qualms with Amazon’s Fire TV bundle interface these days — but for the ads, which I’ll screen shortly. But Fire TV OS is casual capable to recognize and explore. Like Google TV, Amazon bases everything connected contented recommendations alternatively of conscionable presenting you with a grid of apps. You’ll inactive privation to pin your favourite streaming apps to the shortcuts barroom for accelerated access. It’s a engaged homescreen, but the antithetic hubs (home, unrecorded TV, search, your stuff) each marque sense. I privation it were much customizable and you could fell recs from services you’re not funny in, but that’s not an option.

Having hands-free dependable controls disposable astatine each times is simply a large perk and thing that you won’t get from immoderate different streaming box. Amazon’s dependable commands connected the Fire TV person grown beauteous advanced. There are the basics similar controlling your astute location oregon utilizing dependable for elemental playback controls oregon to motorboat apps, but you tin besides efficaciously navigate the full interface by telling Alexa wherever to scroll and choosing selections by sanction oregon on-screen numbers that travel hunt results. 

The included distant gives you transmission and measurement controls, a dedicated recents fastener for pulling up your last-used apps, and the accustomed branded buttons — successful this case, for Prime Video, Netflix, Disney Plus, and Hulu. Unfortunately, determination aren’t immoderate programmable shortcut buttons, and the distant isn’t backlit. Amazon reserves those luxuries for its $34.99 Alexa Voice Remote Pro, which doesn’t (yet) travel bundled with immoderate of the company’s streamers.

I similar the distant successful astir cases, but there’s thing to beryllium said for the convenience of asking the Fire TV Cube to crook connected my TV and leap close into Sling TV if that distant is crossed the room. Some dependable requests volition enactment careless of whether the TV surface is powered on, but euphony playback volition ever usage your TV speakers oregon location theatre dependable strategy alternatively of the interior speaker. What’s little convenient is the Fire TV Cube’s deficiency of enactment for Apple AirPlay. It’s lone increasing much unusual that Fire TV televisions see this mirroring capability, but the standalone streaming devices proceed to disregard it completely. Support for Google Cast is besides absent, truthful unless you’re an Amazon Photos user, you’re near without immoderate casual method of sharing photos and videos from your telephone to the TV screen. 

I’m pleasantly amazed by however good Amazon is executing the unrecorded TV constituent of its Fire TV software. After I signed successful to Sling TV, each of that programming was shown connected the unrecorded usher screen, and I could click into thing to hop to that channel. Alexa dependable commands are besides much effectual successful this section than assistants connected platforms. I could locomotion into the country and accidental “tune to CNN” oregon “tune to ESPN connected Sling TV” and the Fire TV Cube would powerfulness connected the TV and travel done connected those requests without missing a beat.

Sometimes it’s truthful speedy astatine hopping into a transmission that there’s nary Sling TV splash surface shown beforehand, making the full acquisition consciousness much cohesive. The Apple TV can bash this with definite apps, but fashionable services similar YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV, and Sling TV aren’t supported. And tvOS lacks immoderate benignant of TV usher that integrates with these amusement options. Amazon easy wins this category. 

I’ve lone lightly experimented with the Fire TV Cube’s caller HDMI input functionality. I don’t person cablegram anymore, but other reviews accidental Alexa does a capable occupation of transmission surfing erstwhile you’ve got a cablegram container moving done the port. I’d counsel against plugging a crippled console into the HDMI in, however. Not lone is passthrough video output constricted to 60Hz — a deal-breaker for Xbox Series X and PS5 owners — but besides determination was perceptible input lag erstwhile I spent astir an hr playing my Switch done the Fire TV Cube. I spot the entreaty of getting Alexa’s ocular answers erstwhile utilizing outer devices, but this diagnostic is lone applicable for the cablegram container scenario. You don’t have to tally your cablegram container done the HDMI larboard for Alexa to power it; this tin besides beryllium achieved with the integrated IR blaster. But taking vantage of the caller passthrough enactment means you won’t beryllium hopping betwixt HDMI sources. 

Advertising crossed Fire TV OS remains mode much successful your look than I’d like. When the Cube is near idle and goes into screensaver mode, you’ll spot promoted movies and TV shows, sure, but determination are besides ads for Lexus cars. At the apical of the homescreen implicit the past fewer days, there’s been a banner advertisement for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, which doesn’t adjacent look applicable to the level extracurricular of Twitch streams. And ads are present taking up country successful the unrecorded transmission guide, which is frustrating immoderate Fire TV owners. When you’re perusing done the carousels of contented connected the homescreen, Amazon’s ain selections inactive get the lion’s stock of promotion. The second shouldn’t travel arsenic a astonishment connected the company’s ain hardware, but the dial truly needs to beryllium turned down connected the rest. It cheapens the full idiosyncratic acquisition and feels unwarranted connected a $140 product. Ads are inevitable connected $40 streaming sticks; that’s however they’re truthful affordable successful the archetypal place. But Amazon should beryllium capable to observe erstwhile customers person paid a premium for the Fire TV Cube and propulsion it back.

Aside from its improved show and amended larboard selection, the latest Fire TV Cube besides includes a caller upscaling diagnostic that Amazon calls “Super Resolution Upscaling.” This is meant to marque lower-resolution 1080p and 720p contented look person to existent 4K. But dissimilar Nvidia, Amazon isn’t utilizing immoderate AI tricks for its upscaling feature. Here are the techy details connected however it works, per Amazon spokesperson Sasha Litvakov: 

The happening is, Super Resolution Upscaling isn’t precise noticeable successful practice. There’s nary mode to easy comparison it connected and disconnected erstwhile watching content; I privation Amazon had implemented thing similar the slider connected the Shield TV arsenic a wide side-by-side objection of what this caller diagnostic is really doing. Right now, it’s bully for immoderate other clarity and sharpness, but it’s not capable to wow you. For existent 4K content, the Fire TV Cube supports Dolby Vision, HDR10 Plus, HDR10, and HLG for video formats and is besides susceptible of Dolby Atmos audio. 

The 2022 Fire TV Cube is simply a powerhouse of a streaming device, and its hands-free dependable controls are unmatched by immoderate competitors. With faster Wi-Fi and much utile larboard selection, there’s a batch to similar astir this small amusement cube. But immoderate ideas similar HDMI input intelligibly person immoderate increasing pains to overcome; input lag and a 60Hz ceiling render the passthrough diagnostic impractical for thing but cablegram boxes and Blu-ray players. The caller upscaling capabilities aren’t beardown capable to basal out. And for what feels similar the hundredth time, Amazon truly needs to commencement showing immoderate restraint with the fig of ads connected this $140 device.

It’s truly the hands-free convenience of the Fire TV Cube that makes it unsocial from different flagship players. If you can’t spot yourself regularly utilizing those dependable controls, conscionable instrumentality with a Fire TV… stick, and usage the distant for dependable commands. The caller Apple TV 4K is precise overmuch worthy considering if you privation to flight Amazon’s ad-heavy software. And Nvidia’s Shield remains a beardown performer, delivers amended upscaling, and comes with a phenomenal backlit remote.

But if you’ve got an old, slowing Fire TV successful request of replacing, the Fire TV Cube does negociate to deterioration 2 hats — astute talker and streaming gadget — rather well. And its show should clasp up for a agelong clip to come. There are inactive holes to capable similar AirPlay and / oregon Google Cast support, but acknowledgment to its galore features and sheer speed, the Cube is Amazon’s astir awesome streaming subordinate yet. Many radical tin easy get by with 1 of the company’s cheaper options, but this 1 provides the champion wide experience.

Photography by Chris Welch / The Verge