Fire TV Cube, with AI-powered Fire TV Search, Hands-free streaming device with Alexa, Wi-Fi 6E, 4K Ultra HD

Picked up the Fire TV Cube and it’s been great so far. It’s fast, responsive, and the voice control works really well. Nice having hands-free Alexa and everything in one place. Easy to set up and a big upgrade from older streaming devices. Would buy again.

I own 2 Fire TV Cubes 2nd Gen, 1 Fire TV Cube 1st gen, 1 Fire TV Max, 3 Fire TV 4K Sticks, 1 Omni Fire TV and 1 Insignia Fire TV. To say that I am invested in the Fire TV Echo System is an understatement. I can state that the Fire TV Cube 3rd Gen is by far the best of the Fire TV's sold by Amazon. I replaced one of my 2nd Gen Fire TV Cubes and the set up was super easy with integration to my Wifi and downloading of already owned apps a breeze. (setting up the passwords for all the apps continues to be a pain and took a long time to do). The aesthetics of this Fire TV is the best of the lot, it looks really premium. The interface is the same as the others however, the speed of navigation is fantastic. It is really fast making it a real joy to use. The Wifi 6E is supported however I can't tell the difference in the speed, but I can tell you that application buffering is really almost non existent. I have a T-Mobile 5G Gateway that averages 306 Mbs and supports wifi 6E, so perhaps that does make a difference. I have this cube attached to an LG 4K 65 inch TV and use a Yamaha 800 sound bar (attached via an optical cable). My Fire TV also controls a Sony DVD player, and Sony Playstation. I can switch between all HDMI inputs with no problem by voice. I do think that the 3rd gen cube produces a better sound quality through my Yamaha sound bar since it does support a wider range of output. Alexa works flawlessly as well, so no complaints. . So my net net is 1) Really fast performance, 2) better sound quality, 3) looks like a premium streaming device with the cloth enclosure, 4) very nice upgraded remote, 5) Alexa works great at controlling my TV and Sound Bar, 6) Integrated IN and OUT HDMI connectivity ports (which I don't use). My only negative is that one of the hot key's on the remote is Direct TV, which I would never use and would love to be able to change it. Also for the price, Amazon should have included the premium remote (backlit) with this Fire TV. I would recommend this Fire TV Cube 3rd Gen for your main viewing area over all other Fire TVs. I would buy this on sale vs. the list price. I was able to purchase this Cube for $119 plus my trade in. In my book speed is king and this Fire TV will not disappoint you. I am confident that I will be using this Fire TV for the next 5 years minimum.

4/1/24 - Amazon Fire TV Cube, Hands-free streaming device with Alexa, Wi-Fi 6E, 4K Ultra HD I've owned several different platforms for digital TV, including the old NVidia boxes. Technically speaking the NVidia boxes were exceptional with great, extensive flexibility, but if you want a box to streamline TV viewing without going through searching multiple data sources, upgrading apps and downloading TV shows & movies, Amazon's Fire TV Cube is a great way to do that. Amazon streamlines all of those processes I mentioned so that all you have to do is select the TV show or movie you want to watch, hit Play and it's playing. I still have my NVidia boxes, if I want to tinker, but, in all honesty, ever since I bought my first Fire TV Cube in 2019, they've been gathering dust. I received a FireStick for Christmas a couple of years ago. I used it in the kitchen. Last summer, I was watching "1883" in the living room when dinnertime rolled around. With the FireStick, I was unable to download the App to watch it. So, I decided to buy a new Fire TV Cube so I could put my old cube in the kitchen. That way, I could avoid the limitations of the FireStick. (I could have added added memory to the FireStick, but I figured it would be beneficial to have a 2nd Cube around, just in case one failed.) Going from one Cube to the other was pretty much seamless. There are very minor differences, that you might notice if you look closely. With the Fire Cube, you can buy subscriptions to other TV Sources through Amazon Prime, like MAX (formerly HBO MAX.) or you can subscribe directly with the sources, download their apps and watch TV shows & movies outside of the the Amazon Prime app. Amazon makes he entire process consistent and intuitive. I'm not particularly fond of the hold that big IT sources have on different entities in the IT world, however, Amazon products have been operationally consistent, technically reliable and their prices are very reasonable. If I have issues, I don't hesitate to call their customer service department. Amazon's Customer Service is still exceptional. For the reasons specified, I highly recommend the Fire Tv Cube. From a critical IT perspective, it's one of the best devices on the market for IT-based digital TV.

So.. I managed to get all 5 TV's switched to fire TV cube Gen3. The cube itself seems well made and has some nice heft to it. In my home I have the top of the line orbi 6e wifi mesh and therefore I do not require an ethernet connection. At some point I may connect one of these boxes to ethernet but I suspect that will create problems with my echo studio home theatre configurations. The good: Fast and responsive operation. Quick boot up Good mic that detects commands well. Plays all content with some minor issues that I will get to. The ability to include fire tv command in routines is helpful.. although far too limited. I was able to use routines to overcome some of the limitations and oversights in the software. E.g. not having a sufficient list of equipment names to choose from when setting up equipment as I talk about further down. The dissappointing.. Equipment control has a ways to go (key points) 1. Powering on and off your equipment is not usually a problem.. you can use the remote or your voice and say turn on TV.. Alexa fire tv cube turns on all necessary equipment including tv.. soundbar.. receiver etc, and switches devices to the correct input... that is where the good ends.. 2. Try asking fire tv cube to play a song or watch a show while all of you equipment is off.. she will wake up and turn on maybe one of your necessary devices... but leave everything else off making that functionality useless. I have 5 of these cube.. some of them will only turn on the TV.. some the receiver.. and one of them actually turns on both for some inexplicable reason but does not take you to the app or content requested and instead leaves you stuck at the profile window. At least of 4 of my setups I can confirm that when Alexa is asked to play content she can only power on devices that are directly connected with an HDMI cable. Not a huge issue i guess... stupidly you have to issue 2 commands.. Alexa turn on tv followed by Alexa play music by AC/DC.. surely a simple code fix could address this. 3. Gets out of sync.. it will not power on or off a piece of equipment properly.. and then the power state of your entire home theatre setup is out of sync.. you ask alexa to "turn on tv" because your receiver didn't power on with last command and she will turn on your receiver but then shutoff tv.. 4. You are limited to only a handful of names for your equipment that have been pre selected by Amazon developers.. so if you have a pc connected go your home theatre as I do.. you are out of luck.. you will need to give it a name from the limited options on the list of devices. I chose Game Console. This is just dumb and users should be able to choose names for their devices. A pc is a pretty common device to have on the big screen..come on Amazon!! The frustrating but not terribly bad. 1. I have 2 of my fire TV cubes connected each with an echo studio stereo pair with echo sub.. Amazon calls this configurative a "Home Theatre Group". The sound quality is good. Problem is that sometimes you cannot get the sound to work..I believe it is related to using the Home Theater group as the default speaker group for your room..so when I ask for music the music starts playing on the theater group.. however later on when I turn on the TV.. the music stops..but no TV sound comes through the Home theater group.. I have had to reboot.. unplug and replug alexa to get the sound to start working again. 2. When I play his res audio through amazon music to my echo studio group she can only process 16bit 48khz even though music tracks are 24bit 196khz. Amazon says device capability is limited. This is of course stupid as well since the echo studio is supposed to be able to play the highest quality possible. I have spent hours tweaking everything to run as well as possible.. and have even wasted a few hours on the phone with the customer service.. folks if you have rebooted your device.. unplugged and replugged.. performed a factory reset.. there is no point in calling support. They are friendly and professional but of no use beyond very basic troubleshooting. They cannot help you with improperly performing functions beyond the very simple steps mentioned above.. so if those don't resolve your problems to a satisfactory level.. just return the device and move on or wait and hope for a fix in a future software update.

Why have an Echo Show AND a Fire TV Stick when you can just get this all-in-one powerhouse? The Fire TV Cube is super responsive, snappy, and actually useful—especially when playing Pandora, controlling my home theater, or just searching for something to watch. What I Love: ✔ Fast & Snappy – No lag, no waiting, just instant responses. ✔ Ethernet for Maximum Bandwidth – I hardwired mine because I want the best possible speed, especially for watching movies on Channels DVR, Plex (H.265 FTW), and all my streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime (obviously), Paramount+, etc. ✔ Channels DVR is Perfect on This – I can watch all my local channels from this and every other Fire TV in my house. No more cable TV for me! No more crazy monthly fees and price hikes! ✔ Controls My Onkyo Surround Receiver – Just change the settings so your remote sends IR signals instead of the Cube. Works like a charm. ✔ The Blue Light is Straight Out of Classic Sci-Fi – When you talk to it (or the remote, because yes, you can talk to the remote too), the blue light moves back and forth just like the Cylons from Battlestar Galactica or KITT from Knight Rider. (Wow, I’m really aging myself here… or maybe I just watch too much TV?) The Annoying Part: 🔹 Amazon blocks most apps from moving to external storage – Why, Amazon?! Let me use my flash drive! 🔹 The Included Remote is Lame – Upgrade to a better one ASAP. The stock remote feels cheap, so I keep it as a backup. Final Verdict: This is by far the best Fire TV device, and if you're cutting the cord, it's a perfect choice. Whether you’re using Netflix, Prime Video, Paramount+, or Plex, this thing handles it all. If you want a fast, powerful, and voice-controlled streaming device, this is the one to get. Plus, let’s be real—who doesn’t want a tiny sci-fi robot light on their entertainment center? 😆📺🔥

I had an old 2017 Fire HD TV and enjoyed it until it died. (Moment of quiet) OK, so bit the bullet and purchased this Fire TV Cube. It is so much bigger, but then it does so many more things. I love it. No more flipping through which remote to use, Fire, TV, Cable, turn this, turn that......Just talk to Alexa and voila my TV is one, Fire TV changes channels, movies, pauses.... It does everything. I can watch any movie and the load quickly (buffering) and the cube is made sturdy and looks like it won't break. I HIGHLY recommend everyone with an old device to get the new one and those still deciding to get one....DO IT NOW.

Update 11/12/25: So after having written the below review I decided I should give an update to the issues below. I've had other streaming devices since then and I have to admit that the fire tv cube beats them all. Reasons: The" best available" setting is actually the best setting. What it does is that ot converts DD+ sound to Multichannel pcm which is a lossless and uncompressed quality and passes it to the AVR. The AVR will show Multichannel 5.1 . It is the best sound you can get. I came to this conclusion after months of testing and research. Roku ultra has passthrough but it just passes the compressed format DD+ to the AVR so the AVR displays DD+. The TV turning off big is fixed. 10/4/23 update: Now another bug has appeared. When I watch on my LG C3 OLED TV the TV turns off automatically after a while. Sound continues but no picture. I initially thought it was my tv. Got another unit ,same TV, and the same issue happened. Then I decided to watch ony Roku ultra and have not had any problems so far. Tried the cube again 2 days ago and issue returned. I even turned off equipment control and reset the cube but didn't work. So now I'm not using it. It's just sitting there looking pretty. 7/23/23: Just to update that the video issue has been fixed. The audio issue not so. 11/23/22: Still no fix. Reverts to 1080p despite setting to Auto. Now noticing jitter or stutter on video when playing 4k content. Changed settings of Match frame rate to on but didn't resolve issue. Constantly checking display settings. Given up and using my other streaming device with no issues. Did not expect this from Amazon. 11/15/22: So since purchasing this there have been a number of updates installed but NONE have fixed the issue of sound and display settings as mentioned in my previous updates. This is truly disappointing and makes me want to use this device less often than I would like to. 11/9/22: Still issue with display resolution defaulting to 1080p. Always have to check before playing something. No fix. Not acceptable for a "high-end device" Update 10/29/22: Still no luck on best available sound settings outputting DD+. But now another issue. Whenever I awaken the cube the display resolution defaults to 1080p even though I set it to Auto(up to 4K). It's frustrating to have to change this every time I want to watch something. So many bugs! I've had many fire tv sticks over the years and also a 2nd Gen cube which I returned because it wouldn't play Dolby vision. Thought I'd give this a try since all the upgrades were compelling. Faster, built-in Ethernet port, HDMI in, supporting all sound and picture formats. So I set it up withy TCL tv and Sony receiver . Setup was a breeze. It recognized my TV and receiver. For some reason the picture quality in display settings was defaulted to 1080p. I changed it to upto 4K. Sound settings were "best available ". When I played content it would only play in PCM (stereo). I tried Dolby digital and Dolby Atmos content. Dolby Atmos would play as Atmos +PCM, not Atmos +DD+ as it should. I checked ally settings on the TV and receiver and all was good but couldn't get DD+. Called tech support and was told that it may be a software issue and may get fixed in a future update. Really??. All the hype about how this device is the fastest and best on picture and sound yet it can't output "best available" sound. I'm sure best available is not PCM. Tech told me to set the sound settings to Dolby digital plus. That corrected the issue but it was a let down. I'm hoping it doesn't revert back to PCM. Will see how it goes and update but so far disappointed. The super resolution setting really doesn't add much to enhance the picture quality of SD or even 720 or 1080p resolution. And that was one of the main features that enticed me to buy it. Update 7/2/23: The video resolution issue is now fixed but the audio issue still persists.

After several months of use, I thought this review needed an update. If it was possible to change my 1 star rating to zero stars, I would definitely do it. I keep hoping for software upgrades that would address some of the issues, but none have been forthcoming. I can't even get the upgrade that I know is currently out as the Cube says it is up to date. It isn't. Audio issues have gotten worse over time. When Surround is set to "Best Available", it is always Dolby MAT and only recognizes Atmos for Amazon content. Sound output on Dolby MAT is so low it is essentially unusable. The hype on the screen says it will provide the best format up to Dolby Mat, but that is just a lie. It provides Dolby MAT period. Similarly when set to Dolby Digital Plus it is always Dolby Digital Plus, and there is considerable delay before it recognizes Atmos, and often it doesn't recognize it at all unless I reboot the Cube. The issue with the HBO MAX app appears to have been resolved as I no longer have to restart the Cube every time I want sound on that app from the Cube. This really is a terrible product if audio matters to you at all. And audio does matter to me. And I still don't understand why Amazon won't at least give me the latest system software for the Cube. I know there are serious security issues with the version I am running (7.6.1.3) and I know 7.6.2.5 is out, but the Cube says it is up to date. Totally unacceptable service from Amazon. On top of that, the Alexa volume from the Cube's internal speaker is so low now that it is undetectable if my ear is more than a foot away from the device, though it's medium OK through the TV. Volume on the Cube is set to maximum. The microphone isn't sensitive enough to pick up a shout from more than 6 feet away, and a shout is required at any distance from the unit. External USB storage devices are pretty much limited to thumb drives. Have tried several hard drives (formatted correctly) and none are recognized by the Cube, and it takes a significant amount of time for it to recognize a thumb drive, but it eventually does. Though it would be a huge hassle to untangle all of my Amazon stuff, I'm seriously considering switching to Apple, because this product is just terrible and Amazon doesn't seem interested in fixing it. Pretty much all of the issues are audio related. Video is pretty much OK. Previous revue: Well, I've only had it two days and lots of issues. Not ready for prime time, but when it works, it's excellent. First, it was supposed to come linked to my Amazon account. Nope that didn't happen. Shuts down at random for no reason. Takes it quite a while to recognize a change in audio format leaving me with several seconds of moving lips with no sound at all. Alexa's volume is too low even at max when running through the built in speaker. Fine running through the TV. Audio outputs are also way low. Soundbar goes up to 100, but the cube needs 20 points more than the Firestick 4K it replaces. Still usable, but strange. Hard to say at this point if it's a hardware or software issue. HBO Max app is especially problematic as far as audio is concerned. Many settings are inadequately explained. Setup asked if I wanted to import from a previous version. I've had 4 Firestick Versions before this, but my only option was to import from my very first Firestick rather than my 4K. Only had it 2 days, and maybe software updates will fix it. I'll give it a couple more days to see if it settles down, but right now it's pretty wonky. This stuff should have been worked out before they shipped. Revised Reduced the star rating to 1 because the problems are inexcusable. After 3 days of troubleshooting, I think I may have resolved the issues. The issue of the cube randomly shutting down seems to have been resolved by unplugging the cube and plugging it back in. Other issues all involved my setting the audio to "Best Available". Changing to Dolby Digital Plus appears to have resolved the issues. In my case, the "Best Available" was Dolby MAT/Dolby Atmos Mat. The problems were several and intermittent. 1) Sometimes when adjusting the volume using the cube's remote cause the audio to go away altogether. Made no sense and was very difficult to receiver as it wasn't simply a matter of it muting the sound system, the cube wasn't actually putting out sound to the system at all. Randoom buttoon pushing was the only resolution. 2) With the audio set t "Best Available" the cube frequently did not recoognize when a Dolby Atmos prgram had started. This was intermittent. Sometimes it switched from Dolby MAT, to Dolby Atmos MAT and sometimes it didn't. A woork around was to start the program go to Settings, chose Display & Sounds Settings, Go down to the Audio & Video Diagnostics and click "Play Dolby Atmos and HDR Content." Then hit the back button repeatedly until you get back to the program and hit play. I am not making this up. 3) Once I got Dolby Atmos MAT enabled, it didn't go away when playing non-Atmos content. It did seem to play 5.1 OK while Atmos was enabled, but eventually it would bounce back to Dolby MAT, but this was also often problematic. When switching back, it went smooothly some of the time. Other times, it killed the audio altogether leaving me with the same issues as above. The other transition was even worse. The picture began flashing with the audio going on and off. The oonly work around I could find was really weird. I opened HULU and played any episode of Letterkenny. No other program oon any service including HULU worked reliably. I cannot explain this, but it is what happened. 3) the low volume issue was completely resolved with the switch to Dolby Digital+ as opposed to Best Available. Solution was indeed the change in Audio Settings from "Best Available" to "Dolby Digital+". With this setting so far, Dolby Atmos was recognized on all three of the services to which I subscribe that support it, and it dropped back to 5.1 or whatever other format was appropriate to the content. As I just foound this solution this morning I can't claim that all issues are permanently resolved, but at least the seem to be for the time being. The Alexa thing is still useless when it uses it's own speaker, but fine when it uses the sound system. But it appears I wasted 3 days of challenging troubleshoooting t fid a solution and I ain't happy. Amazon doesn't document much of anything, and the on screen info is limited and often confusing. It's inexcusable that Amazon would release a product that requires that much time and effort on the part of a user to unravel. Should have been caught and fixed in testing before it was released on unsuspecting consumers. I am seriously angry at having to do their job for them without the nice compensation they pay their engineers for.