- Amazon announces its first mini-LED TV in its Fire TV range
- Also adds new soundbar to range called Fire TV Soundbar Plus
- Amazon Fire TV 4-Series gets a refresh too
Amazon has announced that it's adding two new products to its Fire TV range, the Amazon Fire TV Omni Mini-LED series TV and Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus. Additionally, the Amazon Fire TV 4-series is getting a refresh.
Both the Amazon Omni Mini-LED and Amazon Soundbar Plus are available starting today, November 14 – starting at $819 / £649.99 for the 55-inch TV and $249.99 / £249.99 (currently discounted to £199.99) for the new soundbar (availability and pricing for Australia are TBC).
The Omni Mini-LED series is Amazon's first foray into the competitive mini-LED TV market and joins its range of Fire TVs, including the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED series, one of the best TVs for those looking for a budget TV.
The Omni Mini-LED series is said to deliver 1,400 nits of peak brightness, which would put it in a similar range to the Hisense U7N, one of the best mini-LED TVs of 2024, and is said to have 1,344 local dimming zones for improved backlight control over standard LED and QLED models in the Fire TV range. It will also feature what Amazon calls 'Intelligent Picture Technology' which is said to combine AI and the new mini-LED backlight to optimize and analyze scenes on screen and adjust color, detail and more, as well as a light sensor, reminiscent of 'AI TVs' from the likes of Samsung.
It also has support for both Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ Adaptive, as well as support for Dolby Atmos audio and a speaker system consisting of two speakers and two subwoofers.
The Omni Mini-LED also comes with an extensive list of gaming features up there with the best gaming TVs including 144Hz refresh rate, VRR with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and ALLM in Gaming Mode, a step-up on the 60Hz refresh rate of the Omni QLED.
It will also support Amazon's list of Fire TV features such as the Ambient Experience, which displays static and dynamic art and photos when the TV enters idle mode, replacing blank screens, the Fire TV smart TV platform and Alexa voice support.
Coming soon will also be support for the Audio Streaming for Hearing Aids (ASHA) protocol which enables streaming of the TV's audio to compatible ASHA hearing-aid devices.
Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus and 4-series refresh
Amazon has also announced a new soundbar, the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus series, a step-up model on last year's Amazon Fire TV Soundbar. The new model has a 3.1 channel speaker array and supports both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, something the company's Soundbar series did not.
There's also the option to upgrade the Soundbar Plus with a new wireless subwoofer and wireless rear speakers for those looking to expand the soundbar to a home theater system like the Hisense AX5125H, a budget 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos system and one of the best soundbars around.
In the United States, the Fire TV Soundbar Plus is $249.99 on its own, but with a wireless subwoofer, it is $374.99, and with that, plus two surround sound speakers, it is $489.99.
Finally, the Amazon Fire TV 4-series will be getting a design update with a new ultra slim bezel designed to give more space to the picture on screen. Amazon will offer the 4-Series in three sizes – 43-inches for $329.99, 50-inches for $399.99, and 55-inches for $459.99.
Another competitor vying for the mini-LED crown
It's been a busy year for Amazon in the TV world, as it entered a partnership with Panasonic to bring the Fire TV smart TV platform to Panasonic's TVs as Panasonic re-entered the US market for the first time in over a decade. This brought Fire TV to elite-level TVs such as the Panasonic Z95A, one of the best OLED TVs of 2024, for the first time.
Now, Amazon has decided to enter one of the most competitive, crowded TV markets around – mini-LED TVs. An area that has been dominated by the likes of Hisense, TCL and Samsung over the past few years has seen Sony shock the TV world by opting for mini-LED in its 2024 flagship, the Sony Bravia 9.
On paper, the Amazon Omni Mini-LED isn't going to take on top-level mini-LEDs such as the Hisense U8N or TCL QM851G based on its number of dimming zones and peak brightness. Still, it sounds like it will be taking on more budget and mid-range models like the Hisense U7N and Samsung QN85D. While this would usually be a bold move considering Hisense, TCL and Samsung's dominance of the market, if anyone can do it, it's Amazon.
The Fire TV smart TV platform is a solid interface that's already widespread thanks to the inexpensive Fire TV Stick range. Also, its TVs are already very popular and it appears to have gone the right way with pricing. So, if Amazon can nail the mini-LED part, as it did a pretty good job with QLED in the Omni QLED, then we could be looking at a new powerhouse in the mini-LED market. We can't wait to get our hands on it.
Amazon is taking orders now for its Fire TV Omni Omni Mini-LED TVs in four sizes. In the United States, they cost $819.99 for a 55-inch, $1,089.99 for a 65-inch, $1,499.99 for a 75-inch, and $2,099.99 for an 85-inch.
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