THE BEST DEALS OF THE DAY
One minute review
Amazon's announcement that it would create its own TV series came as a surprise, but the company has clearly done its homework. Amazon Omni TV offers a bright and colorful 4K/HDR display with a smart platform and Alexa integration for one low price.
While we consider the Omni TV to be more of a budget model in line with the TCL 4 and Vizio V series, it performs much closer to a mid-range model with its above-average brightness and color saturation. However, contrast is still a weak point and you might notice some issues with the display's lighting uniformity, as we did with our review sample.
For gamers, the native 60Hz panel refresh rate and single HDMI 2.1 port will likely, and rightly so, be the deciding factors. But smart home enthusiasts may find some joy in having a TV with Alexa that can control doorbell cameras and smart lights.
It's not going to challenge an LG OLED or Samsung QLED for better picture quality, but if you want a competent budget display with practical features, the Amazon Omni TV offers an experience well above its price.
- Amazon Fire TV 65" Omni Series on Amazon for €599.99
Price and Availability
Amazon Omni TV launched in 2021 and comes in five different sizes, ranging from 43 inches to 75 inches.
In terms of pricing, the Omni TV's list price starts at €400 for the 43-inch model, however it can often be found for less than €300. A 4K TV for less than €300? It is exciting in itself.
Upgrading to the 65-inch (€600) and 75-inch (€899) versions will bring Dolby Vision support to the table. As both remain at the native 60Hz refresh rate, don't expect any improvement in motion processing.
Integrated
Aesthetically, Amazon isn't trying to do anything fancy with the Omni TV. The 43-, 50-, and 55-inch models have a black bezel on all sides and black U-shaped feet that support the TV near the outer edges, while the 65- and 75-inch variants have a silver bezel on the edge . silver bottom and feet.
All models have a built-in microphone for Alexa located at the bottom of the screen. It turns on when it hears the wake word (for most people it's "Alexa") and you can talk to it just like any other Echo device.
Flip the TV back over and you'll find a decent number of ports to choose from. There are three standard HDMI 2.0a ports and one HDMI 2.1 eARC port that you can use to connect a sound bar. Obviously it would be better to have more HDMI 2.1 ports, but that doesn't really matter considering it's only a 60Hz TV.
In terms of panel design, you are looking at a direct lit LED-LCD display. The lack of local dimming hurts everything, as it's something even Vizio includes in its entry-level TVs; we will cover all the implications of this in the performance section.
Inside the box you'll find a plastic remote that can also be used for voice commands if you're sitting further away from the TV or want to walk to another room for a minute while giving the TV some commands, like changing the music.
In terms of design, everything is pretty here. That all changes when he starts talking about the Omni TV's feature set and performance.
Features
Features are a bit of a mixed bag for the Amazon Omni TV. On the one hand, it's highly beneficial to get a smart TV with Alexa voice recognition for a pittance, but on the other hand, you miss out on a number of niceties like Dolby Vision. Also, some of the advertised features, such as Casting, do not always work smoothly and may take a few tries to get them to work.
Let's start with the good points. Setup is incredibly simple, especially if you already have an Amazon account. You'll just need to enter some Wi-Fi information and sign in to your Amazon account to link the TV, then you're done. You'll also get the new Fire TV UI right out of the box. It's clean and simple to understand, as well as putting content first.
Of course, most of this content will lean heavily in favor of Amazon's own service, but it's nice to see a row of recommendations front and center.
Although based on Android, Fire TV is definitely a different beast from Android TV and the new Google TV that the company launched two years ago. Ads are a bit more frequent on Fire TV, and the entire ecosystem feels a bit more confined to Amazon devices.
The latter isn't too bad, though, especially if you're using Amazon's other smart home devices. Being able to use the built-in Alexa to turn off the porch light at the end of the night or turn on the front door camera when a package is delivered are two useful features. Other TVs promise this level of integration, but because Amazon already has information from your smart home devices in the Alexa app, you can talk to the TV like you would any other Echo device in your home. It is extremely convenient.
The other benefit of having Alexa built in is that you'll be able to control the TV without picking up the remote. For us, it was often as simple as turning the TV on with our voice, switching the TV to HDMI 1 that the Xbox Series X was connected to, and then turning the TV off with our voice when we were done for the day, no remote. necessary check.
In terms of connecting the TV to other apps, we had some hits and some misses. Connecting to YouTube via Casting has always been hit and miss (mostly lost), but we had no problem getting Spotify Connect to work after installing the Spotify app on the TV.
Image quality
When it comes to image quality, the Amazon Omni is a surprising star among some of its dimmer, less colorful rivals. Even in its normal out-of-the-box configuration without calibration, Omni TV dazzles with its bright reflections and deep colors. This makes most HDR games and movies absolutely phenomenal.
Obviously, this TV was designed for 4K HDR content, so that's where things look better. Playing games on Xbox Series X and PS5 is fantastic, even if it can't run at 120Hz. Colors from shows like Chef's Table and The Witcher (both available in 4K HDR on Netflix) pop across the screen in vibrant hues.
That said, while colors and maximum luminance are well above their weight here, contrast isn't the TV's best strength. On gray screens, it's easy to see where there are uniformity issues with the Omni TV's direct backlighting with some LED patches shining brighter than others. This can result in poor black levels when viewing a night or space scene.
Plus, motion processing is flawless right out of the box, with no obvious artifacts in any of the content we looked at – you don't always get the smoothest response when watching fast-paced footage like a Formula 1 race or football match. in TV.
You should also watch out for scaling issues. While the Omni TV does a decent job of taking 1080p content and upscaling it to fit the 4K screen, it's not perfect. You won't see any grain, but you might see a slightly softer image than on a mid-range model.
Honestly, all of these issues should give you pause, but for TVs in this price range, these issues are usually much worse. With that in mind, Amazon's first release is, from our point of view, a success in terms of image quality.
audio performance
With two downward-firing 8W speakers, don't expect much from the Amazon Omni TV in terms of exceptional audio quality. Dialogue was often quite difficult to hear unless the audio was cranked up to 40 or 50 and the balance never seemed quite right no matter what audio preset or volume level we chose.
Equally bad, the sound reproduction is rather flat. Again, that's not uncommon for a TV in this price range, but it does mean movies and music pack a bit less punch than they would on a higher-end model.
Of course, you can solve this problem by adding a soundbar, but as far as we know, you can't pass the TV through a Dolby Atmos signal. You'll have to stick with Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 sound instead of a 7.1.2 soundbar.
That said, Amazon has a trick up its sleeve to help make things a bit better for beginning home audio enthusiasts. It allows you to use an Amazon Echo device as a surround speaker.
The setup for this isn't all that intuitive (you need to go into the Alexa app and then tap the plus symbol to add a new home theater group), but once that's done, you can channel sound away from the TV's speakers for up to two Echo or Echo Studio devices and a subwoofer. This will greatly improve sound quality and is worth looking into, especially if you have extra Amazon Echo speakers lying around.
Should you buy the Amazon Fire TV Omni series?
Buy it if...
You want a budget 4K HDR TV with a good set of features
The Amazon Omni TV doesn't do everything, but at this price it does most things better than the competition. It's rare to find a TV this good in this range, and the Omni TV easily rivals some of the leaders in the budget category.
You are tied to the Amazon hardware ecosystem
It's not a necessity, but you'll get more out of Amazon Omni TV if you're already tied into Amazon's hardware ecosystem. Being able to check your Ring cameras from your TV and use Amazon Echos as surround speakers aren't essential features, but they are perks that Amazon users will appreciate.
You always lose the remote
It's hard to use your voice for everything (navigating settings is even better with a remote), but for people who often misplace their remote, Amazon Omni TV's built-in Alexa is a godsend. Being able to change the input and volume without reaching for a remote can save you valuable time, and you'll quickly discover that you can perform most of your daily tasks without ever...