 "Amazon Fire TV Cube (3rd Gen)")
The Fire TV Cube (3rd Gen) is a new addition to Amazon's line of Fire TV streaming devices in India. It is a premium device focused on performance, but there is more to like here such as HDMI-in port for video passthrough, USB-A port for external storage devices and peripherals, Ethernet port for wired connectivity, Wi-Fi 6 for fast wireless connectivity, and support for Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.
At Rs 13,999, the Amazon Fire TV Cube 2023 is on the expensive side of the price spectrum. Yet it is worth the consideration over cheaper alternatives, including Amazon’s own, since it is a device with utilities of a streaming player and a smart speaker neatly integrated into one for a one-of-its-kind experience.
Design
The Fire TV Cube has a cuboidal form factor in black colour theme with mesh fabric around the sides covering the frame, speaker and other hardware. The mesh fabric extends all the way to the back side with a rectangular cut-out on the rear for the I/O ports – a vertical HDMI-in and HDMI-out, IR extender, power, USB-A, and Ethernet. Like the Echo speakers, it has four physical buttons on the top side – volume buttons (+ and -), microphone mute/unmute button, and action button. There is the Alexa LED strip running around the upper perimeter.
The Fire TV Cube is smaller in size, compared to Echo speakers, but heavy. Unlike the streaming sticks, which remain oblivious to the sight since they hang behind the televisions plugged in the HDMI ports directly, the Fire TV Cube is designed to be placed on a flat surface adjacent to TV such as table top or cabinet without doors. Its compact size and cube-shaped body is easy to accommodate, and the minimal design language complements the set-up without being a visual distraction.
Software
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Powered by the Fire TV 7 OS, the Fire TV Cube is easy to set-up and use. It allows existing Fire TV device users upgrading to the Fire TV Cube to sign-in using an Amazon account and restore the settings, including profiles, from the back-up. New users can sign-in on the device using an Amazon account and follow the on-screen instruction to set-up its features. Core features such as parental controls, profiles, home theatre set-up to link multiple Echo devices for audio output, and equipment control to link compatible TVs and soundbar for use with Fire TV Cube remote and Alexa are part of the initial set-up.
Once the set-up is done, the device shows a home screen with content recommendations slider on the banner, followed by card-type (five in a row) content recommendations on the lower side of the interface. There is a horizontal grid in the centre with different hubs (profile, input, search, home, live TV, and your stuff), pinned apps, and settings available.
Though a busy home screen, finding right content or setting is not an issue since there is support for hands-free voice controls powered by Alexa. This is where the Fire TV Cube shines and makes a strong case for others to catch-up. The hands-free voice controls are available for everything – from basics like finding the app on the Amazon app store to advanced options such as turning the TV on/off, controlling smart home devices, and navigating the interface. Importantly, the voice commands work like a charm and get back with accurate results at most times. And for times when using voice command is not suitable, night hours for example, there is a remote. It is not the best, but gets the job done.
Performance
The Fire TV Cube has a lot riding on the performance, and it exceeds the expectations. It boots up in no time and is ready to go with no lags or signs of slowdown. Remote seems not good enough to match the performance, but everything feels snappy with hands-free voice controls. Surprisingly, it is not just the TV, the Fire TV Cube is also quick in recognising voice commands to control smart device bind with the device.
Verdict
At Rs 13,999, the Amazon Fire TV Cube (3rd Gen) is a one-of-its-kind device with a streaming player and smart speaker rolled into one. It has a matching performance and works through hands-free voice controls. However, there are a few things where Amazon could have done better. Ads in the interface, for example. The slider-type content recommendation banner on the home screen usually carries an ad on the first spot, which is quite a bummer to see on a premium device. No HDMI cable in the box is another example. The Fire TV Cube requires an ultra-speed HDMI (at least version 2.0), which would set you back by another Rs 1,000 or more.
