Amazon has announced a refreshed Fire TV range that will replace its award-winning Omni QLED Series – one of our favourite budget TVs – with a redesigned model promising significant performance upgrades.
The new Omni QLED Series brings notable improvements over its predecessor, which earned five stars in our review of the 50-inch model.
According to Amazon, the updated displays are 60 per cent brighter than the previous generation, while the number of local dimming-zones has been doubled to deliver improved contrast with brighter whites and deeper blacks.
An upgraded processor also makes the new models 40 per cent faster than before.
The Omni QLED Series will be available in sizes from 50 inches to 65 inches, starting at $480 / £650. Australian prices have yet to be confirmed at the time of writing.
The original Omni QLED impressed us with its surprisingly considered picture quality, natural colour balance, and strong feature set for the money.
We found it delivered authentically cinematic entertainment that worked well within its means, avoiding the common budget-TV pitfall of attempting feats beyond its capabilities.
Amazon has retained key features from the previous generation while adding new functionality.
Dolby Vision and HDR10+ Adaptive support continues, alongside the OmniSense technology that automatically turns the TV on when you enter the room, and powers it down when you leave to save energy.
Interactive Art now responds dynamically to your movements, while the display automatically adjusts colours based on your room's lighting conditions. Hands-free Alexa voice control also remains integrated into the TV.
Overall, it sounds like a welcome improvement, but specification and claimed performance improvements tell only part of the story.
We'll reserve final judgement on whether the new Omni QLED can match or surpass its award-winning predecessor until we have put it through our rigorous review process.
Given that the 50-inch original model impressed us with its balanced picture quality, natural colours, and authentic cinematic delivery for the money, the bar is set fairly high – but the promised 60 per cent brightness increase and doubled local-dimming zones sound encouraging on paper.
Alongside the Omni QLED, Amazon has also announced redesigned 2-Series and 4-Series models.
The 2-Series delivers HD resolution while the 4-Series offers 4K, with both featuring ultra-thin bezels and a new quad-core processor that Amazon claims makes them 30 per cent faster than their predecessors.
OmniSense technology has been brought to these more affordable models for the first time, and a new Dialogue Boost feature allows you to increase voice volume without raising background noise.
The 2-Series starts at $160 / £250, while the 4-Series begins at $330 / £430, with sizes ranging from 32 inches to 55 inches.
It's worth noting that Amazon's Omni Mini LED range remains the company's flagship TV line-up.
We tested the 55-inch Omni Mini LED and found it delivered surprisingly punchy HDR performance with its 512 local dimming zones and Mini LED backlighting, though it fell slightly short of perfection due to some colour inconsistency and motion softness.
Amazon has also introduced the Fire TV Stick 4K Select – its most affordable 4K streaming device to date, priced at $40 / £50.
The new stick supports vibrant 4K picture quality with HDR10+ and features faster app launches thanks to a new, more responsive operating system.
It will work with popular streaming services and is set to support Xbox Gaming and Luna cloud gaming platforms soon.
Amazon has also introduced new Fire TV software features designed to improve content discovery.
A Continue Watching row on the home screen acts as a personal bookmark across all your current shows, allowing you to jump back in or access new episodes directly.
A unified watchlist also now lets you save content from any streaming service to a single list, rather than juggling separate watchlists across different apps.
The new Omni QLED, 2-Series, and 4-Series TVs are listed as “coming soon”, while the Fire TV Stick 4K Select is available for pre-order now and will begin shipping from mid-October.
MORE:
Read our Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED QL50F601 review
Check out our Amazon Fire TV Omni Mini LED review
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