The 6 Best Fire TVs to Watch Amazon Prime, Netflix, Disney+, and More

If you’re looking to upgrade to a smart TV but the prices make you wince, an Amazon Fire TV might be just what you need.

Amazon Fire TVs feature native versions of Amazon’s Fire OS, which comes pre-loaded with a variety of streaming and entertainment apps like Hulu, Max, Netflix, and Prime Video—and eliminates the need for a separate streaming stick or set-top box. These panels also offer advanced Alexa voice control, and their relatively straightforward and simple interface means that Fire TVs are extremely affordable compared to other high-end smart TVs.

We examined the best Amazon’s Fire TVs to help you decide between sizes and specs.

The Best Amazon Fire TVs

• Best Overall: Amazon 55-Inch Omni Series 4K UHD Smart Fire TV
• Best Budget: Amazon 40-Inch 2-Series HD Smart Fire TV
• Best Premium: Amazon 55-Inch Omni QLED Series 4K UHD Fire TV
• Best Big Screen: Amazon 75-Inch Omni QLED Series Fire TV
• Best for Gaming: Amazon 50-Inch Omni QLED Series 4K UHD Smart Fire TV

What to Consider

Why Buy a Fire TV?

Amazon has done a great job in its Fire TVs of combining ease of use and affordability. They don’t have high-tech, premium screens, or advanced operating systems that sets from endemic TV makers like Samsung and Sony do, so that helps keep costs down. While Amazon TVs do lack some of the category’s most cutting-edge features like high refresh rates and a wide selection of ports, they’re attractive if you’re working on a budget or need just a decent screen.

Another big perk if you’ve already bought into Amazon’s Alexa ecosystem is how well these TVs work with the smart assistant. There’s a huge and diverse range of smart tech featuring Alexa compatibility right out of the box, including thermostats, smart speakers, smart lighting systems and even security systems. And because they work with Alexa, they work with these TV. For example, your Fire TV can display the view from a connected Ring doorbell camera whenever a visitor presses the chime button. It’s this clever interconnectedness of Alexa-enabled devices that makes Fire TVs really shine.

Alexa voice control also makes operating these TVs extremely easy. If you have young kids or tech-resistant older family members in your home, the voice controllers are easy to learn to use—you can search for your program easily and quickly without navigating the whole TV interface. Cheaper Fire TVs come with an Alexa-enabled remote (a press of a button activates the microphone so you can speak your request), while the higher-end lines feature a dedicated microphone on the TV itself for hands-free control. Just activate Alexa like this: “Alexa, play The Bear on Netflix.” And if you’re worried about privacy or non-stop Alexa requests, you can mute the TV microphone with a physical switch.

All of those benefits aside, we’d advise looking elsewhere if you want the very best in 4K panels. Many Fire TVs lack Dolby Vision, which brightens and deepens the colors you see on your screen, and is commonplace in most other 4K TVs. If you plan on using your TV primarily as a high-speed gaming display, look only to the Omni QLED Series, or opt for a different TV with a higher-end display and faster refresh rates.

Series

There are four Fire TV ranges:

• 2-Series: LED TVs with up to 1080p, or Full HD, resolution. These come with Alexa-enabled remote controls.
• 4-Series: The cheapest 4K Fire TVs, which come with Alexa-enabled remote controls.
• Omni Series: 4K TVs with hands-free Alexa control thanks to the integrated microphone.
• Omni QLED Series: The latest 4K Fire TVs with QLED screens for enhanced contrast and color, hands-free Alexa control, and gaming features. Some even feature adaptive lighting to match your room.

Screen Technology

Fire TVs use either LEDs or QLEDs to light their panels. LED TVs offer decent blacks and brightness, though their color gamut and motion aren’t quite as good as other panel types. QLED TVs offer improvements in almost every aspect but are more expensive than LED TVs. Additionally, all Fire TVs feature support for High Dynamic Range (HDR) technologies, which amp up the brightness and color gamut to deliver greater contrast levels and vibrancy. There’s different standards for HDR, including HDR+, HDR10, and Dolby Vision, however, the latter doesn’t feature in any Fire TV range.

Resolution

The 2-Series uses either 720p or 1080p. But unless your budget is seriously restricted, we’d advise against going for a 720p TV as clarity is often subpar, and other features will be lacking, too. The current gold standard in TV and streaming is 4K resolution, so we recommend this one where possible, especially if you plan to use this TV for several years.

Speakers

The nature of flatscreen TVs’ slim builds means they aren’t capable of delivering bass-heavy or powerful sound. Some budget Amazon Fire TVs might even struggle to offer clear audio at high volumes. If this bothers you, we recommend buying a good sound bar to go with your TV. That said, all Fire TVs feature Dolby Digital Plus as standard, which is a surround sound technology that allows for a high-fidelity audio experience.

Gaming

Considering they’re budget panels, many Fire TVs don’t hold up to gaming very well. The exception is the Omni QLED Series, which feature Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) to match refresh rates with the console for smoother gameplay and Auto Low Latency Mode, which also adds smoothness and a more immersive gaming experience. However, there’s still no 120-hertz mode in any Fire TV, so avid gamers may need to look for more dedicated gaming TVs to avoid lag.

How We Selected

We have personally tested a multitude of smart TVs over the years. In compiling this list of the best Amazon Fire TVs, we looked up expert sources, delved into dozens of customer reviews, and relied on that expertise of our own in TV technologies and advanced smart features.

For more great additions to your home entertainment setup, check out our picks for the best 4K TVs, best OLED TVs, and best 8K TVs.