One name is conspicuous by its absence from the best TVs: Amazon. Until now it's preferred to make media streamers than actual TVs, but now it has a Fire TV that's an actual TV too.
The Fire TV Omni QLED, the Fire TV 4-Series and the Fire TV 2-series are all coming to the UK this week – and because we're talking about Amazon here, they're already being discounted. Right now all the TVs are 30% off, so for example the Amazon Fire TV 43" Omni QLED is £349. The 65-inch is £699.
The 4-Series is cheaper still, at £269 for 43 inches and £379 for 55 inches. And if you don't want 4K, the entry level 2-Series is £209 for the 32 inch model and £209 for the 40 inch. That means these could well turn out to be among the best budget TVs around.
Are the Amazon Fire TV Omni, 4-Series and 2-Series any good?
They're certainly priced to sell. But the specs aren't bad either. The Omni QLEDs are clearly the top of the range options here, with screens of 43, 50, 55 and 65 inches. The displays support Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10+ Gaming and HDR10+ Adaptive as well as HDR 10 and HLG, and there are 80 dimming zones for good contrast. Naturally Alexa is built-in. There's also a Samsung The Frame-style "Ambient Experience" that you can use to turn your TV into a digital art gallery, photo viewer or widget viewer. HDMI-wise there are three HDMI 2.0 and one HDMI eARC 2.1.
The more affordable 4-Series is still 4K but drops the Dolby Vision, with support for HDR 10, HLG and Dolby Digital Plus. It's LED rather than QLED and comes in 43, 50 or 55 inches, and while it retains the built-in Alexa there's no Ambient Experience this time. As with the Omni you have 3 HDMI 2.0 and one HDMI eARC 2.1.
The 2-series seems positioned as one for the kids' room or the kitchen, with a choice of 32 or 40 inches and a fairly basic specification: 1080p HD LED with HDR10 and HLG, 2 HDMI 1.4 and one HDMI ARC.
All three series will go on sale on Amazon UK on 12 April.
