When Amazon first announced its move into selling its own brand of TV hardware, expectations weren't high. Many assumed the sets would just be OEM knockoffs, mainly serving as a platform for Amazon’s Fire TV operating system and aiming to undercut established rivals on price.

Fortunately, the Amazon TVs we've seen so far have pleasantly surprised both budget-conscious consumers and Amazon. While they do feature Amazon’s Fire TV interface and come at a low cost, they have, with the exception of the disappointing 43-inch Omni QLED, performed much better than anticipated. But can this trend continue with the most entry-level model in Amazon’s current TV lineup, the 32-inch Fire TV 2-Series?

Price

When considering the price, it's essential to weigh the value and quality provided. Our product offers exceptional performance, ensuring you get the best bang for your buck.

• Competitive pricing

• High-quality materials

• Excellent customer support

Investing in this product means you're getting more than just a good deal; you're securing a long-term asset that will serve you well in various applications.

While officially priced at £250 / $200, you can often find the 32-inch Fire TV 2-Series at a much lower cost. Currently, it's available for just £190 / $130. However, UK buyers should note that Amazon US does not ship this model to the UK.

It's easy to see that a 32-inch TV with an advanced smart system for under £200 / $150 is an excellent deal. For comparison, the Sony 32W800/W830, which we recently reviewed, is priced at £299 / $298.

Design

Our new product strikes a perfect balance between modern aesthetics and user-friendly design, making it a standout in both looks and functionality. The sleek, minimalistic lines provide a contemporary touch, while the intuitive layout ensures that users can navigate effortlessly. It seamlessly blends form with function, appealing to both tech enthusiasts and casual users alike.

Key Features:

• Elegant, modern appearance

• User-friendly interface

• High-quality materials for durability

• Intuitive navigation for a seamless user experience

This design philosophy is a testament to our commitment to delivering products that are not only visually appealing but also exceptionally practical. Whether you're using it at home or on the go, this design ensures that you have everything you need right at your fingertips.

You probably won’t be shocked to learn that the 32-inch Amazon Fire TV 2 Series’ design is quite basic. The dark grey frame around the screen is a bit wider than what we typically see these days, and the glossy finish on its outer edge doesn't do much to hide the build’s heavy use of standard plastic.

The two feet the TV stands on, if you’re not mounting it on the wall, continue the basic aesthetic. They are made from lightweight, glossy plastic and exemplify function over form.

The back of the set sticks out significantly, making it a somewhat awkward choice for wall mounting.

The remote control supplied with the Fire TV 2 is essentially the same as the ones you get with Amazon’s Fire TV sticks. This is actually fine, as it features a compact yet ergonomic design, a handy collection of four direct streaming app access buttons, a clearly marked Amazon Alexa mic button at the top, and an intuitive circular menu navigation and select area that's easy to find without looking.

Features

Discover the remarkable features of our new product, designed to elevate your daily experience. We've integrated advanced technologies that ensure top-notch performance and reliability. Enjoy seamless connectivity, user-friendly interfaces, and sleek, modern designs.

Seamless Connectivity

Stay connected effortlessly with our product's enhanced connectivity options. Whether it's Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or other modern methods, you'll experience uninterrupted connections.

User-Friendly Interface

Navigating through our product's interface is a breeze. It's designed with the user in mind, featuring intuitive controls and a simple layout that make it easy for anyone to use.

Sleek Design

Our product boasts a sleek and modern design that not only looks great but also feels great to use. It's the perfect blend of form and function, made with high-quality materials.

Get ready to experience innovation and style like never before. Explore all these features and more with our latest offering.

The Amazon Fire TV 2 Series stands out with its built-in Fire TV smart system and budget-friendly price. The Fire TV platform supports a wide range of apps and streaming services, making it a versatile option for media consumption.

Although the Fire TV interface isn't the most streamlined, the initial installation process includes around 20 minutes of software updates. Once complete, the Fire TV OS operates smoothly, remains bug-free, and includes essential video streaming services. In the UK, it is enhanced by Freeview Play, which consolidates catch-up services from major terrestrial broadcasters.

The Fire OS integrates the impressive Amazon Alexa voice control system. Much of the interface will be familiar to users of the Prime Video app.

This entry-level TV features an HD Ready (1366x768) VA-type LCD panel with LED backlighting, which is positioned directly behind the screen to enhance contrast, though it might affect the viewing angles. The 40-inch model offers Full HD resolution.

Despite its market level, the TV supports HDR10 and HLG high dynamic range formats. However, it does not downscale 4K sources, a feature not commonly required by most buyers.

For gamers, the TV supports frame rates up to 60Hz across its three HDMI ports and includes a Game preset to reduce the screen's rendering time to approximately 35.5ms. One HDMI port supports HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC), and other ports include a tuner, a 3.5mm AV input, an IR Emitter port, an optical audio output, an ethernet port, and a 5V USB 2.0 port.

Picture and sound features are basic but functional. The TV offers various picture presets, along with Local Contrast Enhancement and Dynamic Contrast features. For motion handling, the Natural Cinema option is recommended for watching 24p movies.

Picture

Discover the ultimate viewing experience with our top-of-the-line displays. Each screen is meticulously designed to deliver vibrant, crystal-clear images. Enjoy movies, sports, and games with unprecedented detail and color accuracy. Our advanced technology ensures every scene is lifelike, enhancing your entertainment moments. Dive into a world of unparalleled visual quality today.

The Amazon Fire TV Series-2 has a couple of notable aspects about its picture quality – one positive and one negative.

First, the good: its brightness. Images burst from the screen with an intensity rarely seen in budget-friendly small screens like the Fire TV 2-Series. This makes it a fantastic choice for a brightly lit environment such as a conservatory or kitchen.

On the downside, color saturation is lackluster. Colors appear washed out, making skin tones look pale, floral greens and sky blues seem unnatural, and heavily saturated colors appear muted and flat.

We attempted to enhance the color saturation by adjusting the settings and opting for a warm color temperature, but the results were minimal. Increasing saturation slightly improves tonal richness but doesn't reach the desired effect and may even make color blends appear coarse. The warm color setting only adds a jaundiced hue.

Ultimately, the Fire TV 2-Series lacks the ability to balance its impressive brightness with vibrant colors, leading to noticeable clipping in the brightest parts of HDR images.

However, there is plenty of good news regarding the Fire TV 2-Series 32-inch's picture quality. Movies and TV shows maintain a clean, sharp look, even without a full 1080p resolution, and motion remains smooth whether you're watching sports or a 24p film (activate the Natural Cinema processing option for the latter).

The VA panel impresses by delivering credible black colors during dark scenes despite the screen's brightness. Some greyness is present, but it isn't overly distracting and there are no blue or green undertones that can plague other budget TVs.

Shadow detail is notably clear, though sometimes too clear, as the TV’s brightness can reveal more background detail and noise than intended in dark scenes. Nonetheless, this is preferable to the dull grey wash that plagues dark scenes on other TVs like the Sony KD-32W800.

To get the most out of the 32-inch Fire TV 2 Series, you'll need to familiarize yourself with the set's Local Contrast Enhancement (LCE) and Dynamic Contrast features. Adjusting the LCE setting can significantly impact the picture quality. Setting it on High might crush details in dark scenes, while Low reveals too much shadow detail. The best option is to set it to Medium. Once this is done, the Dynamic Contrast setting works best on either High or Low, as Medium and Off don't complement the LCE system well.

Surprisingly, the Fire TV 2 Series offers robust picture quality from wider viewing angles despite using a VA panel. This makes it an excellent choice for spaces like kitchens or conservatories.

Faded colors are a consistent issue, but overall, the Fire TV 2 Series provides an enjoyable viewing experience. For a budget-friendly TV, that's more than you might expect.

Sound

Experiencing superior sound goes beyond just having a set of speakers – it's about immersing yourself in crystal clear audio that makes your favorite music, movies, and games come alive. From deep bass notes to sparkling trebles, the quality of sound can transform your media sessions into epic experiences. Upgrade your audio setup and notice the difference that quality sound can make. Our expert-reviewed selections ensure you get top-tier audio performance, no matter your preference.

The 32-inch Amazon Fire TV 2-Series boasts a surprisingly rich range of audio features, including a dialogue enhancer, a volume leveller, and a variety of content-based presets. These features are supported by the TV's respectable performance from its two 8W speakers.

Dialogue is clear and well contextualized, although male voices can become slightly muffled at higher volumes. The level of detail is generally good, with trebles remaining balanced and free from harshness.

The sound projection creates a reasonably spacious soundstage. While there is a defined upper limit on its volume capacity, the TV manages to provide ample dynamic range to enhance the experience of loud, action-packed scenes.

Amazon’s TV maintains audio clarity at high volumes, avoiding obvious distortions. However, the bass can be inconsistent, either lacking presence or causing speaker distortion when it does appear.

Despite these occasional issues, the 32-inch Amazon Fire TV 2-Series generally offers a pleasant audio experience for most users.

Verdict

Our comprehensive review comes to a conclusion that this product delivers exceptional performance and value. Its sleek design, coupled with advanced features, offers a user-friendly experience. Whether you're an avid enthusiast or just getting started, this product caters to all with its intuitive interface and superior functionality. We highly recommend it for anyone seeking quality and reliability. For more information, make sure to check our detailed analysis and reviews.

The 32-inch Fire TV 2-Series offers amazing value for money. With bright, crisp pictures and detailed, punchy sound, this compact TV really impresses. The Fire TV OS performs just as well as it does on Amazon's higher-end models, including the Fire TV Sticks, and perhaps the best part? It's very competitively priced for a TV that offers so much.

Although its pale colors prevent it from getting a solid four-star rating, it remains a fantastic option if you're looking for an affordable, bright, and smart TV for a conservatory or kitchen. Keep an eye out for its regular discount periods – it's definitely worth considering.