AMAZON FIRE TV OMNI QLED: TWO-MINUTE REVIEW
The Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED is the newest addition to the Amazon Fire TV lineup, and unlike the other 2023 Fire TV Omnis, it employs QLED technology in an effort to provide a brighter and more detailed picture than the LED-lit 4-series and 2-series.
The Amazon Fire TV Omni QLEDs are competitively priced—even aggressively priced—and offer a large screen size for a lower price than the majority of the finest televisions. Launching in April 2023 (for the 65-inch) and June 2023 (for all other sizes), the Omni's prices are low enough by default but are almost certainly destined to be discounted on Black Friday 2023 and Amazon Prime Day 2023.
In terms of picture quality, the Amazon Omni QLED will not soon be able to compete with the finest OLED televisions. The budget-friendly picture quality of the Omni QLED, however, is exceptional due to its vivid colors, adequate contrast, and surprisingly natural and detailed image in certain films and television programs. There are some illumination scattering issues, and the black levels aren't the greatest, but at this price point, it's difficult to argue against.
As long as the sound mode is set to movie, the Omni QLED offers serviceable audio quality. Despite its basic 2.0-channel 12w speaker system, the Omni QLED produces intense bass and clear dialogue, but if you're looking for a large sound, you should consider coupling it with one of the best soundbars.
The design of the Amazon Omni QLED is acceptable, with an appealing silver frame and narrow bezel surrounding a slightly chunky build. Its primary drawback is its supplied feet, which, despite feeling sturdy, are so deep and far apart that the Omni QLED must be placed on specialized supports or furniture.
As well as its features, the Amazon Omni QLED's gaming performance is remarkably excellent for a less expensive television. The Omni QLED offers 4K Dolby Vision gaming, VRR, and ALLM on its lone HDMI 2.1 port, albeit with fewer features than the finest gaming TVs. 120Hz support is all it's missing, but at this price range, that's not a prevalent feature anyway.
Fire TV is a robust smart TV platform that can provide recommendations based on your use of multiple applications. There are fewer picture parameters to alter than on other televisions, but there are still plenty. The supplementary feature provided by Ambient Experience can transform a monochrome screen in inactive mode into a work of art. There are certainly pauses and stutters when navigating Fire TV, but it still provides a vast array of feature options.
Value is one of the Amazon Omni QLED's strongest characteristics, as its picture, gaming, and smart TV features significantly exceed its budget price. Compared to the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED, televisions from competitors such as Samsung, LG, Hisense, and TCL lack the same overall specifications. As a near-certain inclusion on Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday, we could even see a price increase in the near future.
For this review, we utilized the 65-inch Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED.
AMAZON FIRE TV OMNI QLED REVIEW: PRICE AND RELEASE DATE
- Released: April 2023 (65-inch UK/US), June 2023 (43, 50, 55-inch UK/US and 75-inch US only)
- Price starts from $379/£549
- Up to $599/£999 (65-inch) and $899 (75-inch US only)
Amazon's 2023 Fire TV lineup also includes the Fire TV 4-series and the Fire TV 2-series, alongside the Fire TV Omni QLED. At the time of writing, the Amazon Omni QLED range is only available in the United States and the United Kingdom, with no official word on an Australian release.
The 65-inch model was released first in April 2023 at a price of $799 or £999. The remaining models were published in June 2023 with prices of $449/£549 for the 43-inch, $529/£649 for the 50-inch, and $599/£749 for the 55-inch. At the time of writing, the 75-inch model, priced at $1,099 at the time of release, was only available in the United States.
After a few months, prices have decreased. In the United States, the Omni QLED ranges in price from $379 for a 43-inch model to a very competitive $899 for a 75-inch model at the time of writing. The 65-inch model featured in this evaluation is presently available for a price of $589. The price of the Amazon Omni QLED is constantly fluctuating, and we anticipate that Amazon Prime Day 2023 and Black Friday 2023 will be no exception, with excellent discounts available. Consequently, if prices increase again, you can be certain they will fall again.
AMAZON FIRE TV OMNI QLED REVIEW: FEATURES
- 4K QLED panel
- Ambient Experience
- Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ Adaptive HDR support
The Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED lacks the connections that many more expensive televisions provide, but for a budget television, it has a remarkable number of features.
The 50-inch and larger Omni QLEDs feature a QLED display with full array local dimming, while the 43-inch model has direct LED illumination (but no local dimming). Regarding HDR support, the Omni QLED is equipped with Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ Adaptive, both of which evaluate the viewing environment and adjust the image quality accordingly.
The Amazon Omni QLED does not support 120Hz gaming, but it does support Dolby Vision gaming, VRR, and ALLM, which are all welcome additions for a TV priced at the Amazon Omni QLED's price point. However, its single HDMI 2.1 connector also functions as an eARC port for connecting a soundbar.
Fire TV is the smart TV platform for the Amazon Omni QLED, and it offers numerous customization and recommendation options. If you sign in with your Amazon account, Amazon can monitor what you've watched as well as the apps you've recently used, and it will make recommendations based on your viewing habits and display the most popular videos.
Ambient Experience and hands-free Alexa voice control are two other features incorporated into Omni QLED. The Ambient Experience is based on Samsung's Art Mode for its Frame TVs (where artwork is displayed when the TV is in dormancy as opposed to a barren screen), but it can also display the time and date, smart features such as the weather, and play music and podcasts in the background. Once enabled, hands-free Alexa voice control permits navigation of the Fire TV menus without contacting the remote.
AMAZON FIRE TV OMNI QLED REVIEW: PICTURE QUALITY
- Colors are surprisingly good
- Average black levels
- Natural-looking image
The Amazon Omni QLED's luminance levels are comparable to those of last year's Samsung Q60B, another entry-level QLED television. I measured 531 nits of HDR peak brightness in standard picture mode and 402 nits in movie dark mode with a 10% aperture when testing the Omni QLED. Movie Dark was the most precise picture preset and displayed the finest picture on the Omni QLED, despite the fact that Movie Bright would have produced a brighter image. These results were a bit dimmer than I would have liked for a QLED display, but as I mentioned, they are comparable to other budget options.
When measuring the Delta-E values (the margin of error between an accurate test pattern source and what is displayed on screen), the average result is typically less than 3, as this is considered ideal by the majority of people. When measuring grayscale results (to determine how well it manages varying levels of darkness) in Movie Dark mode, the result was 4.3, which was a little disappointing; however, this is to be expected with an LED screen. However, in terms of color accuracy, the Omni QLED's Delta-E average was 1.99, which is an outstanding result, especially for a TV at this level. It is important to note that image adjustments can be made to enhance these statistics, but these are the default results.
I measured 97.3 percent coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut (used for mastering 4K movies and digital cinema releases) and 74.3 percent coverage of the BT.2020 gamut. Again, these are very excellent results that are on par with the top 4K televisions currently available.
Despite the majority of positive results, the pictures have one obvious flaw: low-definition content. It had a muddy, hazy appearance. HD and 4K images are impressive, as I will explain in a moment, whether they are HDR or SDR. On this 65-inch model, however, low-resolution viewing was particularly unpleasant.
Next, when evaluating 4K content with Dolby Vision, I utilized several sequences from various Disney Plus-streamed Star Wars films. Switching between the TV's Dolby Vision picture modes, Dolby Vision IQ did an excellent job of adapting the picture to suit the various lighting conditions that could be set in the testing room, but again, I found the dark configuration (Dolby Vision Dark) to be the best for quality. Despite the lack of an anti-glare screen coating, the Omni QLED performed admirably in minimizing the visibility of glaring overhead illumination due to reflections.
During the throne room battle in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the colors were vibrant and striking, and the Omni QLED displayed the predominately crimson hue without appearing oversaturated. While contrast levels were acceptable, blacks in the scene did take on a dark-gray hue, highlighting the limitations of the QLED screen's full-array local dimming in comparison to mini-LED or OLED televisions.
The HDR demonstration video on the Spears & Munsil UHD Benchmark disc demonstrated that color accuracy was restored in livelier vistas of nature. Animals and landscapes were depicted with a remarkable degree of naturalism and a high degree of texture. There was backlight proliferation from light to dark areas, particularly in sequences where the night sky made up a significant portion of the screen, during some of the nighttime scenes, particularly those involving a city.
When it comes to motion, the Omni QLED did an excellent job processing the aircraft in full flight in Top Gun: Maverick, capturing precisely rapid panning images and extreme changes in motion. There was the occasional judder, but after adjusting the motion settings to off or low—motion processing can still be beneficial with the Omni's 60Hz display—this was eliminated. Maverick's visage in a close-up image displayed surprisingly high levels of detail on the Omni QLED, which I first noticed here.
The Omni QLED may not have the finest picture on the market, but I was pleasantly surprised by how detailed and vibrant its picture was, especially considering its price range.
AMAZON FIRE TV OMNI QLED REVIEW: SOUND QUALITY
- Clean, direct sound in Movie mode
- Decent speech levels
- No Dolby Atmos support
With a two-channel speaker system, the Amazon Omni QLED's audio will not set the world on fire. In standard mode, audio quality is somewhat lacking in bass and treble, as evidenced by the lack of propulsion in the initial scene of Top Gun: Maverick's opening track music.
Changing the sound mode to movie, however, completely altered the sound dynamics of the Omni QLED. In Top Gun: Maverick, the bass levels were increased, and the roar of the jet engines was much more forceful and direct. Speech levels were also remarkably distinct, with dialogue perceptible even when characters were speaking through radio static.
Yes, there is no Dolby Atmos support, but it appears that Amazon's intention was to create a forceful, direct, and clear TV sound, which they have accomplished to some extent. Dolby Atmos would be desirable, but it is not typically found on TVs in the Omni QLED's price range.
The TV's built-in speakers should be adequate for most individuals and situations, but if you desire a more robust sound, you may want to consider purchasing a soundbar.
AMAZON FIRE TV OMNI QLED REVIEW: DESIGN
- Attractive, gray steel frame
- Deep feet supplied with TV
- Fire TV Alexa remote
The Amazon Omni QLED features a silver metallic frame with a steel-like appearance. It is not the thinnest television, particularly when compared to Samsung's ultra-thin LCD televisions in the same price range. However, the screen itself has minimal borders, resulting in a screen-filling image.
The feet included with the Amazon Omni QLED are one of the most conspicuous design elements, and one that may be a detriment to some individuals. Although they are reasonably robust, they are a bit deeper than a typical TV stand or foot. This may pose a problem for some television stands and other furniture. The Ikea TV stand we used for testing just fit the 65-inch Omni QLED's base (as depicted in the image above); the 65-inch LG G3 fit without a problem.
The included remote for the Omni QLED is a Fire TV Alexa remote. The remote is slender and diminutive in size and feels light. If you do not desire to use the hands-free option, you can access Alexa voice control by pressing the blue icon on top.
AMAZON FIRE TV OMNI QLED REVIEW: SMART TV AND MENUS
- Fire TV smart TV platform
- Extensive recommendations
- Slightly clunky navigation
Unsurprisingly, the Amazon Omni QLED includes the Fire TV digital TV platform. Fire TV offers a plethora of recommendations based on your viewing patterns, tailored by genre and across multiple streaming sites. Logging in with your Amazon account enhances what you receive in terms of recommendations, menu customization, and more.
One of the most recent additions to Fire TV is the Ambient Experience feature. Ambient Experience, similar to the Art Mode feature on Samsung's Frame TVs, will display artworks or your own photographs when the television is in inactive mode. Additionally, you can display widgets for the weather, smart home features, music, and more. Regarding music, you can even play background audio while Ambient Experience is active.
The primary Fire TV menu is simple to traverse, but altering settings such as picture mode, input, etc. is not as straightforward as it is on other smart TV platforms. To access these settings, you must hold down the home button instead of a settings icon, which slows down the process significantly.
One thing I did discover during testing was that, although simple to navigate, Fire TV felt cumbersome at times. There were often frequent delays and stutters when accessing applications, changing settings, and perusing menus, which slightly hindered the experience, though fortunately they were not common.
Alexa voice control is another feature of the Omni QLED that can be accessed via the remote or, if enabled, via the Omni QLED's built-in microphone for hands-free voice control. Alexa performed well when it came to navigating Fire TV, and when given the command to find a specific movie, it would locate that film on all possible sites, allowing the user to make a selection.
AMAZON FIRE TV OMNI QLED REVIEW: GAMING
- Dolby Vision gaming support
- No 120Hz HDMI 2.1 support
- Low 10.4ms input lag
The Amazon Omni QLED delivers surprising results in terms of gaming features and performance. The Omni QLED offers a reasonable picture with enough detail to make it a truly viable budget gaming TV. During a night mission in Battlefield V played on an Xbox Series X, the landscapes and weapons appeared realistic and detailed, respectively. Sadly, the night mission revealed more of the Omni QLED's image's slightly deficient black levels.
With game mode activated, the Omni QLED handled intense moments competently. The transition between targets and motion processing felt seamless, as did the transition from calm to action. This is partially due to the Omni QLED's extremely short input latency. Using the Leo Bodnar 4K input latency tester, the Omni QLED achieved a result of 10.4 ms, which is an outstanding result for a TV at this price and is comparable to the finest 120 Hz televisions.
The inclusion of gaming features such as 4K Dolby Vision gaming support, VRR, and ALLM, which are not always included in TVs in this price range, is also a welcome addition. The Omni QLED offers multiple Dolby Vision game picture configurations, giving players more options for how they want HDR to appear in Xbox Series X-compatible games.
The Omni QLED may not be the most comprehensive gaming TV, as none of its HDMI connections support 120 Hz, but it's difficult to dispute what it does offer gamers at such a low price.
AMAZON FIRE TV OMNI QLED REVIEW: VALUE
- Very competitively priced
- Well stocked with features compared to similar TVs
- Frequently on sale
The Amazon Omni QLED range really excels in terms of value. At the time of writing, the 65-inch model cost $599/£999, making it a highly competitive television. A 65-inch smart TV with excellent image quality, Dolby Vision support, excellent gaming performance, and an intuitive interface costs $599 in the United States. Although not as inexpensive in the United Kingdom as it is in the United States, the Omni QLED's features make it a very competitively priced television compared to Samsung and LG models.
As an Amazon product, the Amazon Omni QLED is regularly featured during seasonal sales events such as Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day. This indicates that the already affordable Omni QLED will likely become even more affordable during the holiday shopping season.
It may not have the picture quality and full features of a more expensive television, and the budget nature of the Omni QLED is occasionally apparent in its sometimes insufficient black levels, average sound quality, and slightly clumsy software, but what you do get makes this television an incredible value.
HOW I TESTED THE AMAZON FIRE TV OMNI QLED
- Tested in our lab room with varying lighting conditions
- Measurements taken using Portrait Displays' Calman software
- Tested through a variety of sources, both SDR and HDR
Before evaluating the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED, I viewed a variety of sources, including SDR and HDR movies and TV programs via 4K Blu-ray, streaming, and antenna-based live TV. I also evaluated the functionality of video games using an Xbox Series X. During this process, I evaluated the default image presets to determine which was best.
After a period of run-in, I measured the Amazon Omni QLED using the Calman calibration software from Portrait Displays. I used this to measure and record the Omni QLED's SDR and HDR peak luminance levels on a 10% and 100% window, respectively. I also measured the average Delta E values (the difference between a test pattern and what is displayed on screen) for grayscale, color accuracy, and gamma. Utilizing the Murideo Seven 8K test pattern generator, test patterns were generated.
In addition to these experiments, I also measured coverage of the DCI-P3 and BT.2020 color spaces. This demonstrates how faithfully a TV can render UHD sources with an extended color space. In the end, I utilized the Leo Bodnar 4K input latency detector to measure the input lag of the TV in game mode.