Amazon · Fire TV
Fire TV Cube (1st Gen)
Amazon’s original 4K Fire TV Cube combines streaming with hands-free Alexa and infrared control of compatible entertainment equipment.
- Type
- Box
- Resolution
- 4K
- HDR
- HDR10
- Software
- Fire OS
What reviewers say
Both found it a capable streamer with useful basic Alexa commands, but said voice control was too inconsistent to replace the remote. AppleInsider also criticised slow app loading and interface pauses; 9to5Toys found equipment setup awkward. These are launch-era assessments of the first-generation Cube.
From 9to5toys.com and appleinsider.com
Specifications
Report a wrong or missing specVideo and audio
- Resolution
- 4K
- HDR
- HDR10
- Dolby Atmos
- Yes
- Video
- HEVC hardware decoding up to 3840 × 2160 at 60 fps; H.264 up to 4K 30 fps or 1080p 60 fps; VP9 up to 4K 60 fps with limitations
- HDR
- HDR10; Dolby Vision and HDR10+ are not listed for this generation
- Audio
- Dolby Atmos over Dolby Digital Plus for compatible equipment and supported titles; Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital Plus; built-in speaker for Alexa responses
Performance
- Software
- Fire OS
- Storage
- 16 GB
- Chip details
- Amlogic S905Z; quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 up to 1.5 GHz; Mali-450 MP3 GPU; 32-bit application support
- Memory
- 2 GB RAM; memory type not specified by Amazon’s developer table
- Storage
- 16 GB internal storage; operating software occupies part of it
- Software and services
- Fire OS 6 based on Android 7.1 (API level 25); developer build model AFTA
Connections
- Wi-Fi
- Wi-Fi 5
- Ethernet
- No
- Voice remote
- Yes
- Ports
- HDMI output, Micro-USB, IR extender and power connections; no built-in Ethernet socket. Ethernet is supported through the included USB-connected adapter.
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
- Dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac with 2 × 2 MIMO; Bluetooth 4.2 with BLE
- Smart home
- Eight far-field microphones and beamforming; Alexa controls compatible televisions, soundbars, receivers and cable boxes through infrared, HDMI CEC and supported cloud protocols
- Remote
- First-generation Alexa Voice Remote included; voice microphone button and navigation controls
Design
- Type
- Box
- Power
- External power supply
- In the box
- Fire TV Cube, Alexa Voice Remote, batteries, power supply, Ethernet adapter and IR extender; HDMI cable not included
Pros and cons
Pros
- Eight-microphone array for hands-free Alexa
- 4K HDR10 playback and Dolby Atmos support
- Ethernet adapter and IR extender included
Cons
- No Dolby Vision or HDR10+ support
- HDMI cable not included
Closest rivals
Model | Type | Resolution | HDR | Software | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Box | 4K | HDR10 | Roku OS | Oct 2018 | |
| Box | 4K | HDR10 | Fire OS | Oct 2017 | |
| Box | 4K | Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10, HLG | Fire OS | Oct 2019 |
Newer model: Fire TV Cube (2nd Gen).
Sources
- developer.amazon.com/docs/device-specs/device-specifications-fire-tv-cube.html
- m.media-amazon.com/images/G/01/proportal/FireTVCube_Factsheet.pdf
- press.aboutamazon.com/2018/6/alexa-turn-on-the-tv-introducing-amazon-fire-tv-cu…
- 9to5toys.com/2018/06/22/amazon-fire-tv-cube-review
Photo: m.media-amazon.com
