Amazon updated its lineup of streaming devices in September 2022 and announced the 3rd generation of the Amazon Fire TV Cube, its most complete TV Box model to date. The device is nothing more than a more complete “version” of the Fire TV Stick, with more connections and features.
This new Fire TV Cube stands out for its support for Wi-Fi 6E connection and is also a great upgrade for smart homes, as it has integrated and independent Alexa, which works even without the remote control.
In summary, it is a mixture of Echo and Fire TV and brings the best of both worlds: controlling multiple devices by voice commands and accessing the most popular apps and streaming services.
I tested this device for the last few weeks, and now I bring my opinion about it, its pros and cons, and help you understand if it is worth importing it — since it is not officially available in Brazil — or if it is better to opt for options that are sold around here.
To import products from the United States that you cannot find here, just create a USCloser account. You do your shopping on gringo websites normally, and USCloser receives it for you right there in the US, in a kind of “American mailbox” created exclusively for you. Afterwards, USCloser sends the products to your home here in Brazil. It’s safe, practical and fast. follow our tutorial to register and buy in the USA saving a lot.
pros
- Alexa and Fire TV in one device
- Support for Wi-Fi 6E
- Advanced imaging features
- More physical connections
Contras
- Not officially available in Brazil
- Not recognized as a speaker by Alexa
design and construction
The Amazon Fire TV Cube is, as its name suggests, a small cube. It has a very discreet look and a very simple but assertive finish. On all sides, it is coated with a fabric that helps protect the speaker, while the base is rubberized. The top part is made of plastic.
Around the top is a small LED strip, very traditional for Amazon Echo devices. These lights indicate when Alexa is triggered or is performing a task. Still at the top, there are the settings buttons: the two volume controls, the button to lock the microphone and one to activate the digital assistant.
On the back, you can find all the connectors: the power one, the HDMI input and output, a USB for internal storage, a plug for using external controllers via infrared.
overall experience
- Processador: Octa-core 4x 2.2GHz 4x 2.0GHz
- RAM memory: 2 GB
- Storage: 16 GB
The Fire TV Cube offers a good user experience and, thanks to the powerful processor, the device is very fast to launch applications or navigate the home screen or even its settings.
An advantage of this model — compared to some brand alternatives available in Brazil — is that, in addition to 4K resolution, it has support for advanced audio and image features, such as Dolby Atmos, 7.1 surround sound, Dolby Vision and HDR10+. That way, if you already have a TV compatible with these technologies, you won’t lose sound and display quality when using this TV Box.
The overall experience is pretty good, and the variety of apps helps to have an almost complete device. I only missed one of the most popular apps among streaming services: HBO Max. Apart from it, it is possible to download the most common ones, such as Netflix, Prime Video (which is already pre-installed), Apple TV Plus, Star Plus, Disney Plus, Paramount Plus and Globoplay — which is a recent addition to the Fire OS catalog.
Only one thing bothered me during use: when I open the Appstore — the app store for Fire OS — I can’t see all available apps. When accessing the “All categories” tab, the screen is completely empty and does not load the options. This was only corrected when I changed my account to the United States, as we imported the device from there.
Anyway, this problem can be circumvented by searching for the desired app in the interface’s search tool. That way, you can simply search for what you want and download it directly without having to find it in a huge list of apps.
Compatibility with advanced image features, such as HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, is a great advantage of the Fire TV Cube, as you will not lose the image quality of your television if it is already compatible with these technologies.
— Bruno Bertonzin
connectivity
In addition to the HDMI output, to connect the device to the TV, the Fire TV Cube has some extra connections to improve the user experience. One of them is an HDMI input, which allows you to connect other external devices — such as consoles or other TV receivers — for faster navigation between various sources.
In addition, even if it supports Wi-Fi 6E, it is possible to connect to the internet via cable, for more speed and stability. This is more indicated, however, for cases where the router is not very fast or if the TV Box is too far from it.
There is also the option to connect a pendrive on the back of the device, to be used as internal storage. This makes it possible for you to listen to music or watch videos outside of streaming platforms, for example.
Remote Control
The Fire TV Cube remote control is very minimalist — very similar to the Fire TV Sticks models that we are more used to. It has keys for streaming services, which may vary by region. The unit I received, however, has shortcuts to Disney Plus, Prime Video, Netflix and Hulu — a popular service in the United States.
Other than that, there are also buttons for volume control, channel switching, navigation, home screen, recent apps, a key to trigger Alexa, among others.
Something I found interesting is that, depending on the model of your television, you can control everything directly through the Fire Cube remote, including some commands from the television itself, such as turning it on and off.
Built-in Alexa with a fully hands-free experience
Many TV Boxes or TV Sticks have an integrated digital assistant, such as Alexa or Google Assistant, but most offer this functionality via a key on the remote or if you already have an Amazon Echo or Google Nest at home.
With Fire Cube, the experience is much better, as it itself works as a kind of Amazon Echo. It has built-in microphones — there are four spread across the top of the device — to capture your voice and respond to your commands.
With this, it is possible to search and play content only with voice commands, without having to pick up the control or without depending on a second device to trigger the assistant.
However, it is important to note that, despite being very similar to an Amazon Echo, the Fire Cube does not have all the functions of one. This is because it is not recognized as a speaker in the Alexa app.
Although it has a speaker to interact with the user, it is not possible, for example, to use it to listen to music on Spotify. To do this, you need to download the app on your system and leave the TV on, to play the tracks through it. I found this a little strange, as it has a built-in speaker, but at least it still interacts with you without relying on the TV.
What I liked most about the Fire Cube was this “hybrid” model of TV Box with Amazon Echo. Completely hands-free support for Alexa helps when searching for movies and series with just voice commands, in addition to being able to control smart home items.
— Bruno Bertonzin
direct competitors
As it is a more complete TV Box model, it is a little difficult to find alternatives to the Fire Cube in the Brazilian market, but a great option — and the main competitor — is the Apple TV 4K, more specifically the model compatible with Ethernet.
The two devices have advanced features such as Dolby ATMOS, Dolby VIsion and HDR10+ and even offer extra connectivity options, such as the option to connect to the internet via cable.
The Apple model stands out for offering much larger internal storage: 128 GB against 16 GB for the Fire Cube. On the other hand, the Amazon device stands out for offering a more complete digital assistant with a completely hands-free command option, while the rival needs the remote control for this purpose.
Furthermore, both will serve equally well, with fluid navigation and a good variety of apps in the catalog.
The price range and availability is quite different. To begin with, the Apple TV 4K is officially sold in Brazil, but it costs around R$1,700. The Fire TV Cube, on the other hand, is not found here and costs about US$ 140 on the official Amazon website. In direct conversion, this comes to something around R$ 730 at the current price, without considering import taxes.
Fire TV Cube: A Complete TV Box with Alexa
If you are looking for a way to upgrade your Smart TV or even “transform” your old one into a smart model, but want to get away from traditional dongles, such as the popular TV Sticks, the Fire TV Cube is a great option.
With integrated Alexa and the “hybrid” format of Amazon Echo with TV Box, it is excellent both for watching movies and series and for controlling your smart home items with voice commands only, without relying on an extra device just for that.
The price can be a little scary: if you are going to import one, the price will probably exceed R$ 1,000, considering its official value above US$ 700 in the United States and the possible fees to bring the device to Brazil.
However, the integrated Alexa can make it worthwhile, especially if we consider that an Echo Dot — which is one of the cheapest in the line — costs almost BRL 400 and a Fire TV Stick 4K is around BRL 450.
With Fire Cube, in a single device you already get the best of both devices and still have some extra benefits, such as extra connectivity and support for Wi-Fi 6E.
To import products from the United States that you cannot find here, just create a USCloser account. You do your shopping on gringo websites normally, and USCloser receives it for you right there in the US, in a kind of “American mailbox” created exclusively for you. Afterwards, USCloser sends the products to your home here in Brazil. It’s safe, practical and fast. follow our tutorial to register and buy in the USA saving a lot.
