With the 3rd generation Fire TV Cube, Amazon is launching its best streaming player to date. You can read here how the direct competitor of the Apple TV 4K performs in the test.
Amazon Fire TV Cube (2022) im Test
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The new Fire TV Cube: Many improvements at a significantly higher price
With the 3rd generation Fire TV Cube, Amazon is presenting its best streaming player to date – and also wants to have significantly more money for it than for its predecessor. The voice control and compatibility with modern TV sets and AV receivers as well as an additional HDMI connection and the integration into the smart Alexa ecosystem are also strong selling points for anyone who simply wants more than the cheapest possible streaming platform with 4K support .
We liked that
- Many connection options
- Voice control without a remote control
- Seamless integration into the Alexa network
- All major streaming apps available
We didn’t like that
- Significantly more expensive than its predecessor
- Cannot be used without an Amazon account
- Confusing user interface
- Advertisements in Fire OS
In 2022, Amazon is treating its streaming flagship to a new coat of paint: the 3rd generation Fire TV Cube is the first new edition of the multimedia cube in three years and the manufacturer is driving both the performance and the price of the platform (160 dollars RRP) noticeably high.
This leads to a showdown between the hardware powerhouses from Amazon and Apple, who are now finally competing in a weight class: the smaller version of the new Apple TV 4K, which was released almost simultaneously, costs only a few dollars more than the starting price of around 160 dollars a whopping third more expensive Fire TV Cube.
For the additional money, however, Amazon also delivers: With additional processor power and a pleasantly large number of physical and digital connection options, the 3rd generation of the Fire TV Cube is now significantly more powerful and agile in use than its predecessor, which was also powerful could offer excellent picture quality with 4K-UHD. When unpacking the new Amazon hardware, however, there is already a first disappointment:
The new Alexa Pro remote control with freely assignable buttons that streaming fans have come to expect is not included with the 3rd generation Fire TV Cube: although there are a striking number of control options on the large remote control included in the scope of delivery, the quick selection buttons are already branded with the pre-programmed ones in-house Amazon services as well as Disney+ and Netflix and are therefore fully booked.
3rd Generation Fire TV Cube: Simply connect better
Once the 3rd generation of the Fire TV Cube, which is covered with speaker fabric, is unpacked, the connection is basically child’s play – as long as there is a free HDMI cable in the household. Despite the higher price for the Amazon platform, this is not included and must be purchased separately, freed from the cable box or removed from another device. Once both the included power supply and the HDMI connection are in place, you can continue setting up the Fire TV interface.
Because it only lights up blue: With the help of the built-in language assistant Alexa, you can control the Fire TV Cube hands-free. (Source: © Netzwelt; Photo: Richard W. Schaber)
There is no similarly elegant method for this as with the Apple TV via an iPhone, which is why access to the home WLAN must at least first be carried out using the remote control provided according to the long-winded old custom. The only way to avoid this is to connect the Fire TV Cube to the Internet via a LAN cable, if space permits.
However, everything else goes pretty quickly if you already have an Amazon account, without which, like all smart devices from the tech giant, nothing works. Once this has been conveniently activated via a QR scan, the Fire TV Cube begins largely independently to get its surface ready to go. A big plus point: If Fire TV devices are already connected to the Amazon account used, the user interface and app selection can largely be cloned from a backup – this saves a lot of setup time.
As soon as you see this screen, the rest of the setup of the Fire TV Cube runs almost automatically. (Source: © Netzwelt; Photo: Richard W. Schaber)
The new system also masters more complex setups with an AV receiver connected between the Cube and the TV set brilliantly in the test. Powering connected devices on and off is tested during the setup process, as is syncing the Alexa remote with volume controls on connected devices.
The additional HDMI input can also be used to feed in linear TV signals via the Fire TV Cube, which means that the device can rightly identify itself as the most flexible streaming box on the market, also in view of its other smart connection options in the Alexa cosmos.
The ultimate interface between entertainment and smart home
Once the Fire TV Cube has found its place in your living room and the necessary connections to the entertainment system have been completed, you can actually start enjoying yourself without any further detours. If it is the first Fire TV device for the connected Amazon account, one or the other of the streaming apps available in abundance may have to be installed – but that is actually done in no time at all.
However, it should take a while for newcomers to Fire TV before the user interface of the smart entertainment platform, which is still extremely restless, can be operated without confusion. To top it all off, advertising boards are also scattered on it – even if the navigation, thanks to the high computing power of the Fire TV Cube, guarantees an otherwise completely smooth user experience, which is a nuisance.
Find a good connection: where connections are usually left out, the 3rd generation Fire TV Cube also offers new possibilities with its additional slots. (Source: © Netzwelt; Photo: Richard W. Schaber)
While Amazon has since worked on clearer labeling for Prime Video content that comes with an additional cost, the clarity of the Fire OS user interface still lacks the tidiness of an Apple or Roku OS tvOS.
However, the 3rd generation Fire TV Cube is an almost indispensable building block for anyone who has lined their nest at home with Alexa devices and relies on a smart infrastructure from Amazon: after all, strictly speaking, there is no such thing as controlling the TV and streaming interface Remote control is no longer needed and the Cube, in particular with its additional connection options, fits into the fleet of smart and wired gadgets like an all-controlling mothership.
The remote control of the Fire TV Cube (right) is larger and better equipped than that of the Fire TV Stick 4K Max (left) – but a Pro remote control with free shortcut buttons is not included with the Fire TV Cube. (Source: © Netzwelt; Photo: Richard W. Schaber)
To give the TV sound more space, Echo devices can also be connected to a home cinema system – and if you’re too tired to continue watching, the Fire TV Cube will also turn off the lights for you and set the alarm.
The big streaming question of 2022: Fire TV Cube 3 or Apple TV 4K?
If you are now looking for a new centerpiece for the living room in the upper class of streaming boxes from 2022, you will find a lonely top duo there: The 3rd generation Fire TV Cube and the new Apple TV 4K are actually the fastest at this point in time and other most exciting multimedia platforms of the year and will probably retain this rank for a while.
The mother ship of the Alexa fleet: A home cinema system can be built relatively quickly and easily from the Fire TV Cube and Echo speakers. (Source: © Netzwelt; Photo: Richard W. Schaber)
It cannot be said in general which of the two devices is the better choice – but it is usually quite clear in individual cases: If you like the hands-free nature of a closed Alexa cosmos and would prefer to control all devices in your smart home via voice command, you will lose hardly around with the new Fire TV Cube. In contrast to the Apple TV 4K with its HDMI input, this also provides a solution for combining streaming and TV reception.
However, if you want to enjoy intoxicating head cinema with spatial audio via Apple AirPods Max or are at home in the highly interactive and convenient device network of the Apple family, you should definitely take a look at the new Apple TV 4K – in contrast to the new Fire TV Cube, it has even become cheaper . Click here for the Netzwelt test of the new Apple platform.
Amazon Fire TV Cube (2022)
No ratings yet
equipment / performance
9,0
audio / video quality
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NETZWELT may receive a commission from the retailer for links on this site. More info.
Don’t you agree? Are you looking for suitable alternatives? We have an extensive list of Amazon Fire TV Cube (2022) alternatives ready for you in our media player overview.
Amazon Fire TV Cube (2022): data sheet
Here you will find the technical data for the Amazon Fire TV Cube (2022). You can easily compare size, weight and other properties with other products.
| Typ | Streaming-Box |
| connections | HDMI in, HDMI out, IR extender, Power port, USB-A, Ethernet port |
| Internal memory | 16 GB |
| maximum resolution | 4K |
| image formats | Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+ |
| Tonformate | Dolby Atmos, 7.1 surround sound, 2-channel stereo and HDMI audio passthrough up to 5.1 |
| Netflix app available? | ✔ And |
| Amazon Prime Video app available? | ✔ And |
| Disney+ available? | ✔ And |
| receive linear television | ✔ And |
| games | ✔ And |
| Browser | ✔ And |
| remote control included? | ✔ And |
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