Desire an unlimited supply of TV shows and movies? Then best end up a video streamer. Let Colorfy look at just two five-star choices – the Amazon Fire TV Cube vs Apple TV 4K.
Both are small enough to fit in the palm – yet strong enough to deliver 4K HDR content.
In some time, the most apparent difference between both of these top-notch boxes would be the cost: Apple TV 4K is presently a hefty £70 / $59 over the Amazon Fire TV Cube.
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It is unlikely the price is going to be the sole element of your choice, however. Both boxes also supply voice streaming and control programs made to add value to a smart TV.
So, in case you dash out the extra on the Apple TV 4K? Or will Amazon’s Fire TV Cube save money and sate your streaming desire? Allow the battle of the high-quality video streamers to start!
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Amazon Fire TV Cube vs Apple TV 4K Comparison
[amazon bestseller=”Streaming Devices” items=”6″ template=”list”]Size & Layout
The Fire TV Cube and the Fire Stick are different in size and layout.
The Fire Stick can easily be concealed behind your TV to get an ultra-clean look. The Fire TV Cube might need to sit down together with your TV or attached it to the wall using a few of the variety of TV mounts.
It has been said that the Fire TV Cube is not much larger than an Echo Dot. The Fire TV Cube’s real measurements are significantly less than 3.5″ wide, deep, and tall. It does not look bad mounted on a soundbar aspect such as that I have in my setup in your home.
Video & Sound Quality
All these Fire TV devices use a number of the highest technology readily available in sound and video quality.
Video Quality
The Fire TV Cube and the Fire Stick 4K both provide excellent video quality. Whichever device you select, you can now flow Ultra HD 4K movie with various of the latest HDR versions. Including HDR, HDR 10, HDR10+, HLG, and Dolby Vision.
Audio Quality
The Fire Stick 4k and Fire TV Cube also offer you a number of the most recent choices in surround audio. Including Dolby Atmos, 7.1 channel surround audio, and 2-channel stereo audio. Both devices also can pass up to 5.1 sound with HDMI sound pass through.
Programs
The two streamers take Netflix and Amazon Prime Video at 4K and HDR, up to Dolby Vision, accessible. Both boxes also package at the UK’s major TV catch-up programs: BBC iPlayer, All 4, ITV Player, and My.
Look a bit more carefully, however, and you will come across some gaps that will not matter to everybody but will subject some folks a good deal.
It is too early to tell whether Apple’s TV+ support is well worth subscribing to. Still, the typical Apple TV program is brilliant for providing pay-as-you-go accessibility to 4K HDR movies, so its lack on the Fire TV Cube is a pity, especially since the less costly Fire TV Stick 4K does have it. We are assured it’s going to arrive on the Cube shortly, however.
TV is just another differentiator since Apple TV has it, Amazon Fire TV Cube doesn’t. That’ll be a huge deal for people who desire exclusive Sky articles, most especially live Premier League soccer, with no complete Sky subscription. The same case with all the BT Sports program: the Apple apparatus has it, the Amazon box doesn’t.
While we hope you are taking a look at a movie streamer primarily for movies, you may still be considering the choice of music programs it has, especially if you’re linking it to an audio sound system. If that is true, both these devices will see you happy as they offer Spotify, Tidal, Amazon Music, and Deezer. The Apple TV 4K additionally adds Apple Music.
All told, then, there is not a great deal in it, however with all the Apple TV 4K now the only one of both with all the Apple TV programs, Today TV and BT TV, it wins this round.
Picture
Video streaming has come on leaps and bounds in the past couple of decades, but many less costly devices still have a blocky, computer-like quality into this image that they produce. Thankfully that is not true with both of these devices.
The Fire TV Cube provides HDR in HDR10, HLG, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision formats. The Apple TV 4K, by comparison, does not encourage HDR10+. At this time, that is not a huge deal since there are not too far HDR10+ articles to become excited about, but it may be a consideration in the future.
Concerning image quality, the Cube is a far more complicated device than several competing streamers, but it is not quite as striking as the Apple TV 4K. The difference is not night and day. However, the Apple apparatus offers marginally sharper edges and smoother movement. Neither gadget features 4K Blu-ray amounts of detail. Yet, the Apple TV 4K has just a little bit closer than the Amazon Fire TV Cube.
Amazon has done an excellent job, but the Apple 4K TV is the better actress.
Voice Remote
The Fire TV Voice Remote is included with the Fire TV Cube and the Fire Stick.
This remote comes with an IR Blaster, which lets you command the Power, Volume, and Input of most TVs. This is a superb addition to this Fire TV Remote since it permits you to change your present TV remote.
The Most Recent Fire TV Voice Remote includes a dedicated power button to turn off or TV. Additionally, it has committed volume up and volume down buttons, which has been sorely missing from the remote’s first variant.
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Which should I purchase?
I’ve got both devices on my property. Some rooms and TVs are far better suited to your Fire TV Cube, and many others want the Fire Stick 4K.
If you’d like built-in voice commands of your TV (Electricity, Volume, Input), you have just one option: Fire TV Cube. The Fire TV Cube is also the option for you if you want Dolby Atmos via Netflix because it does not work together with the Fire Stick 4K at the moment.
If you do not require your TV’s hands-free voice control, you need to save yourself a bit of cash and pick the Fire TV Stick 4K. The video and audio capabilities are precisely the same (excluding the Dolby Atmos problem on Netflix), and both devices utilize the most recent audio remote model.
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