Amazon’s refreshed Fire TV Omni QLED lineup includes cheaper, smaller models | Engadget

Amazon is once again refreshing its Fire TV sets, but the focus now is less on whiz-bang features and more on where those sets will fit. The 4K-capable Fire TV Omni QLED line now comes in smaller 43-, 50- and 55-inch models. These TVs start at a lower $450 but still offer up to 96-zone local dimming as well as HDR using Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ Adaptive. To no one’s surprise, you can expect far-field microphones for Alexa control as well as promises of an upgraded Ambient Experience (always-on art similar to Samsung’s The Frame) with “dynamic” pieces that respond to conditions like the time and weather. That update comes later in the year.

There’s also a new Fire TV 2 range (pictured below) aimed squarely at viewers looking for a small bedroom set. The 32-inch 720p and 40-inch 1080p variants aren’t based on QLED, require using a remote for Alexa and are limited to HDR based on HDR10 and HLG. However, the price might hit the sweet spot — the 32-inch panel costs $200.

The Fire TV Omni QLED series is available for pre-order today, and will be available through Best Buy’s website on May 11th. Amazon is selling the Fire TV 2 through its own site beginning today.

Amazon’s timing is apt. Roku just launched its first in-house TVs, with its entry Select line starting at $149 (for a 24-inch screen) and QLED-based Plus coming in below $500. While the companies’ offerings don’t quite overlap, Amazon’s revised lineup is clearly better suited to competing against Roku’s. In both cases, the strategy is similar: this is as much about getting a platform and services into your living room as it is selling hardware.

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