Amazon brings Fire TV Edition TVs to UK, launches Fire TV soundbar AND unveils next-gen Fire TV Cube
Amazon unveils a huge selection of Fire TV branded devices, including television sets, a new Fire TV Cube and a soundbar
Amazon has announced it will be selling its own-brand Fire TV Edition sets for the first time in Europe at the IFA technology show in Berlin. The TV sets, which will be sold via Amazon’s website as well as Currys PC World in the UK, are made by third-party manufacturer JVC, but carry the Amazon branding and the Fire TV interface.
Most of these TVs will cover budget price points, with the JVC sets starting at £350 and including features such as HDR10, Dolby Vision and 4K resolution. Amazon is also branching out for this first foray into Europe, however.
Its line-up of TVs will for the first time include a luxury OLED model — built by Grundig and available in 55in and 65in sizes. Don’t get too excited, though: these high-end models will only be available in Germany and Austria initially, with prices starting at €1,200.
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What is an Amazon Fire TV Edition TV?
Fire TV Edition sets aren’t made by Amazon itself like the Fire TV Stick 4K but they do have Fire TV features. Essentially, these are TVs whose main interface has been replaced by what you’d normally see when you plug in a Fire TV stick, complete with the usual selection of apps, channels and games.
Strangely, most Amazon Fire TV Edition televisions don’t have voice control built-in but, not to be outdone, Amazon also announced its first “full-featured far-field” Fire TV model as well. Manufactured by Grundig, this TV will cost €1,300 but it will only be available in Germany.
Amazon Fire TV Cube comes to UK at last
The new TVs were joined at the launch by a number of other Fire TV devices, the highlight of which was an upgraded Amazon Fire TV Cube, which will also finally make it to the UK this year; the first version was a US-only product.
The Amazon Fire TV Cube is a smart speaker streaming box hybrid device that supports 4K content and Dolby Vision, has a six-core processor that’s roughly twice as fast as it was before. Plus, for the first time, some of the core voice controls will be stored on the device locally, speeding up response times for commands such as “Alexa, go to the home screen”.
The second-generation Amazon Fire TV Cube will be available to pre-order for £110 and units will start shipping on 10 October. You’ll also be able to buy the Ring video doorbell in a bundle for £220.
There are Amazon Fire TV Edition soundbars, too
But wait, that’s not all. Alongside the TVs and the Cube, Amazon also unveiled a Fire-branded soundbar at IFA. Manufactured by Anker, the Nebula soundbar has the Fire TV interface and Alexa voice assistant support in addition to 4K and Dolby Vision passthrough.
The Anker Nebula Fire TV Edition soundbars will cost a cheap and cheerful £180, will be available to preorder from today and they will ship on 21 November.