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Amazon launches Fire TVs with £300 off when you pre-order
The Fire TV Omni QLED releases next month, as well as the 4-series and the 2-series
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Forget Fire TV streaming sticks, Amazon is finally launching a series of full-size televisions in the UK, making it the first time the company has made any sort of own-brand telly available outside the US and Canada.
Amazon says televisions are its fastest-growing segment when it comes to its Fire TV business, and the company is hoping the TVs will make as big a splash across the pond as they’ve done in North America.
The Fire TVs include the premium Omni QLED smart TV, which starts at just £549.99 and comes with a host of smart Alexa features, while the mid-range Fire TV 4-Series starts at £429.99 and an all-new entry-level budget Fire TV 2-Series starts at £299.99.
All the televisions can be pre-ordered in the UK now, ahead of the Amazon Spring Sale next week, with huge savings to be had on tech, TVs, laptops and its own-brand products. But, as part of its launch, Amazon is running an introductory offer on all three models of the Fire TV, with a discount of up to £300 on the flagship 65in set.
The Independent got a first look at the new TV sets. Here’s everything you need to know and where you can pre-order each model.
Amazon Fire omni QLED TV, 65in: Was £999.99, now £699, Amazon.co.uk
Amazon’s flagship Fire Omni QLED TV is set to launch in the UK this April. The 4K telly, which initially came in 65in as standard in the US, will now additionally come in smaller 55in, 45in and 43in sizes.
It supports HDR 10+, HDR 10+ Adaptive and HLG, as well as Dolby Vision IQ and full-array local dimming of up to 80 zones. There’s also an ambient light sensor, used to change the contrast and brightness levels depending on the room’s lighting.
Those are all fairly run of the mill flagship specs, but the more interesting and exciting bits of the TV are in its smart Alexa-based features. It has the same user interface as any Fire TV device, so you get access to all your usual apps and streaming services, smart home products, sticky notes, calendars and support for Alexa routines.
It also features far-field microphones, so you can talk to Alexa as if it were an Echo device, with music playable from any platform, even if the screen is turned off, making it even more like a gigantic Echo. Like many of its products, Amazon wants the Omni QLED to fade into the background of your home. And that’s even more evident with its flagship TV.
For starters, it features presence sensors, so the TV turns off when you leave the room. You can even adjust the boundary of the sensor so it only turns off when you aren’t in view of the screen, for instance, helping to conserve energy.
Just like Samsung’s The Frame TVs, it features dynamic art that can be displayed when you aren’t streaming content, based on temperature, time of day, proximity and weather. There are also more than 1,700 gallery-quality backgrounds to choose from.
The most intriguing feature, however, isn’t available just yet. As well as gallery photos and dynamic images, Amazon has also introduced a feature that will allow you to generate backgrounds using generative AI, the topic of the moment. During the demo, we saw the Northern Lights placed over Big Ben and a medieval castle placed on the moon. It was incredible. We aren’t likely to see this feature until later this year, however.
The 65in model of the Amazon Fire Omni QLED TV will be available to pre-order starting today with a £300 discount. It will ship on 12 April. The smaller sizes will be available at a later date.
Amazon Fire TV 4-series: Was £429.99, now £269, Amazon.co.uk
The Amazon Fire TV 4-series is the company’s mid-range TV. It’s a 4K set, but has fewer smart features when compared with the Omni QLED. It supports HDR 10, HLG and Dolby Digital Plus, but doesn’t have far-field microphones for hands-free Alexa support.
It does, however, come with the Fire TV Alexa Voice Remote, so you can control the TV and ask questions by holding down the microphone on the remote. It also supports Alexa skills, your smart home devices and has a host of streaming services. There are three HDMI ports on the rear and an eARC if you want to hook up a soundbar.
It comes in 43in, 50in and 55in sizes. If you pre-order the TV today, you can save 37 per cent, bringing the 43in model down to just £269.
Amazon Fire TV 2-series, 32in: Was £249.99, now £169, Amazon.co.uk
Lastly, the newest TV in the range – the Amazon Fire 2-series. The most affordable TV out of the lot, is an HD TV that features a fairly disappointing 720px resolution, though it does support HDR 10, HLG and Dolby Digital Audio.
You get a Fire TV Alexa Voice Remote in the box, so you can control all of your smart home devices, see live sport scores and navigate to streaming content. It features the same powerful Fire TV user interface, with its host of apps and streaming platforms. There are two HDMI ports on the rear, as well as an ARC port for any external speakers.
It comes in either 32in or 40in sizes. If you pre-order the 32in TV today, you will save 32 per cent, taking it down to just £169. While the TV seems fairly basic, it’s extremely affordable, especially with the discount, and would make a great TV for secondary rooms.
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