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This Fire TV Cube 3rd gen review looks at Amazon’s electronic version of a Swiss army knife. Inside a three-inch box lies a smart speaker, an Alexa-powered smart home controller, and a streaming device.
The 2022 edition of the Fire TV cube also comes with an Ethernet port and HDMI pass-through capability. These features only add extra versatility to a versatile device. Let’s jump into our Fire TV Cube 3rd gen review to see what other pleasant surprises this helpful gadget has for us.
Fire TV Cube 3rd gen review: The type of shopper who would choose the Amazon Fire Cube
Think of the Fire Cube as a combination of at least two Amazon smart devices. The box is a streaming device, a smart speaker, and a hub for your entertainment center. Alexa also allows the third-generation Fire Cube to function as a controller for compatible smart home devices, including Ring cameras. These features should attract enthusiasts and heavy users of the Amazon ecosystem.
The streaming cube also promises high-speed connectivity, plenty of content, and a powerful platform. On this basis, even fans of Google and Apple products could be tempted to buy the 2022 version of the Fire TV cube. Lastly, first-time users of streaming and smart-home devices could do worse than the Fire TV Cube.
Let’s explore Amazon’s latest streaming device’s features, functionality, and performance.
Design and Build
At first glance, the 3rd Gen Amazon Fire TV Cube looks like a small, decorative box whose purpose isn’t immediately apparent. The identity of the little black cube is only revealed by its antenna, accent light, and connected cables. Otherwise, the Fire TV Cube is perfectly content to skulk around your entertainment center unnoticed.
You’ll find a few basic controls on the top surface of the streaming device. Three sides of the Cube have a mesh cover that allows for internal speakers and microphones that face outward. Lastly, the back of the little black box has a neat row of input and output ports.
Fire TV Cube 3rd gen review: Ports and connectivity
The third-generation Fire TV Cube has plenty of input/output ports for a streaming device. Here’s what this three-inch box has to work with; from the left of the back panel to the right:
- One HDMI-In port and one HDMI-output port
- IR connector
- USB-A port
- Ethernet port
A native Ethernet port is one of the improvements that Amazon made with the 3rd generation Fire TV Cube. Earlier editions of the streaming box have a non-standard port that forces users to use an Ethernet adapter.
Wireless connectivity comes down to Bluetooth 5.2 and WiFi 6E. The latest WiFi standard ensures a robust connection with enough speed to avoid buffering. It bears mentioning that you need a router with matching WiFi 6E capability to get top speeds from the streaming box. The good news is that the 2022 Fire TV Cube still works with older WiFi standards, unlike the latest version of the Google Nest router.
[Read what others are saying about this streaming device]
Fire OS: Layout, features, and performance
Intrusive recommendations and ads are part of the Amazon viewing experience, and this annoyance bloats the Fire TV home page. You’ll notice that recommendations take up space you’d rather use for your preferred streaming apps. Now for the good parts of running Fire TV on the 3rd Generation Amazon Cube:
1. Fast, responsive interface
For starters, the Fire OS interface delivers smooth transitions as you scroll through icons and menus. Selecting an item is equally fast, with most apps loading in under five seconds.
2. Alexa is more powerful than ever
Let’s say you get home and pass by your entertainment nook with arms full of groceries. You can ask Alexa to start Netflix as you proceed to the kitchen to unpack and store your shopping. Alexa will turn on the TV and launch the app. If you ask nicely, she’ll even resume the TV show that you paused before you left the house.
You can also use the voice assistant to turn the Fire TV Cube into a smart home controller. The box can morph into a little hub that manages compatible devices in your living space.
3. Better search results
It bears mentioning that Roku offers the most comprehensive search results of all smart TV platforms.
Still, the third-generation Fire Cube does a decent job as a content search engine. We can chalk up omissions in search results to the business-politic-rivalries between Amazon and the companies that own different streaming apps. This means that searching for a movie that’s available on both Netflix and HBO may only deliver one search result.
4. Alexa overlay on all kinds of content
Connecting your gaming console to the 3rd generation Fire TV Cube makes for an interesting experience. During gameplay, Alexa will display helpful, discreet notifications that let you concentrate on winning.
5. A wealth of content
The Fire OS app store gives you access to a vast selection of streaming apps, games, and productivity tools. There’s also a cloud gaming platform that you can access for a small fee. Cloud gaming sounds great, but you require a solid internet connection. A shaky connection could have you dealing with lag and buffering.
6. Flexible privacy settings
You can disable the microphones in the third-generation Fire TV Cube. The Fire TV platform also has a comprehensive menu that lets you adjust privacy settings to your liking. Note that limiting the data that Amazon collects affects personalization. For example, Fire OS will have difficulty recommending curated content that matches your tastes.
Lastly, you can also change and manage the privacy settings of individual streaming apps.
7. Video upscaling
An octa-core processor is responsible for the speed and power of the 2022 Fire TV Cube. The power is evident as you use both Alexa and the ultra-fast Fire OS interface.
You can also leverage the processor to perform video upscaling for lower-resolution content. Sometimes upscaling makes a difference, and sometimes it doesn’t. Also, don’t enable upscaling on the TV and the streaming cube, at least not simultaneously.
Pros
- An eight-core processor makes for a fast, responsive Fire TV platform
- WiFi 6E capability can deliver a robust, ultra-fast connection
- A selection of useful ports
- User-friendly remote that comes with multi-task, recent, and settings buttons; which are convenient
- The Fire TV cube supports your TV to deliver crisp, detailed picture
- A robust search function that gives expansive results
- A more powerful, more versatile Alexa
- Flexible privacy settings at Fire OS and app level
Cons
- This has to be the most expensive streaming device on the market right now
- Intrusive ads and recommendations take up space that you could use for apps you actually want
- Ethernet speeds could be faster
Fire TV Cube 3rd gen review verdict: This is the best version yet
We end this Fire TV Cube 3rd gen review with a few takeaways. First, this is a versatile streaming device that’s worth its asking price. The little box packs a powerful punch that delivers smooth, enjoyable streaming.
Second, adding HDMI and Ethernet ports is an excellent move on Amazon’s part. The measure goes some way to future-proof the streaming cube. Click here to learn more about the new Fire TV Cube.
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