Amazon Fire TV Cube

The Fire TV Cube is Amazon's fastest streamer with an octa-core processor and Wi-Fi 6E, but its gaming score of 24.9 and picture quality at the 36th percentile hold it back. At $200 USD, it's a smart home hub first and a streamer second. Buy it for the hands-free Alexa, not the picture quality.

The octa-core processor is the headline here. Amazon says it's 2X as powerful as the Fire TV Stick 4K Max, and in practice that means app launches feel instant. Menus don't stutter, and switching between inputs is snappy. The Wi-Fi 6E support is a first for a streaming player, which is great if you have a 6E router, but our connectivity score of 27th percentile suggests most people won't see a huge real-world difference yet.

Picture quality is where things get interesting. You get 4K, Dolby Vision, HDR, and Dolby Atmos audio, but the picture quality score lands at the 36th percentile. That's not bad, it's just not class-leading. The display score is stronger at the 71st percentile, so the panel output is solid. The audio score is dead average at the 50th percentile. For a device that Amazon markets as cinematic, the benchmarks say it's more 'good enough' than 'blow your socks off'.

Stacked against the Roku Plus Series 55R6C7, the Cube has better smart features but weaker picture quality. The Hisense U8 Series 65U8QG and TCL QM6K Series 55QM6K are TVs, not streamers, so they're not direct competitors, but they highlight the Cube's real problem: for $200, you're getting close to the price of a budget TV with a built-in smart platform. The Sony BRAVIA 3 II K65XR30M2 and Samsung QN70H QN55QN70HAFXZA both have their own smart systems that are arguably just as good for streaming. The Cube's advantage is Alexa integration and the hands-free mic, not raw streaming performance.

At $200 USD, the Cube sits in a weird spot. It's more than double the price of a Fire TV Stick 4K Max, and the budget score of 40 reflects that. You're paying for the octa-core processor, Wi-Fi 6E, and the built-in Alexa speaker. If you don't need the hands-free voice control or the smart home hub features, you're overpaying. But if you do want Alexa to control your TV, soundbar, and receiver from across the room, the price starts to justify itself.

The Fire TV Cube is Amazon's most powerful streamer, and the numbers back that up. It scores 50.7 out of 100 for streaming, which puts it in the 76th percentile for social proof and 74th for smart features. That's a solid showing for a device that's really about one thing: getting you to your content fast and talking to Alexa while you do it.

But here's the thing. The Cube isn't just a streamer, it's a smart home hub with a streaming problem. Its smart home score is 47.3, and gaming is a rough 24.9. If you want a pure streaming box, this is overkill. If you want Alexa to run your living room, it starts to make more sense.

Skip the Cube if you're a gamer. The gaming score of 24.9 is one of the weakest we've seen, and this thing is not built for anything beyond casual mobile-style games. Also skip it if you're on a budget, the $200 USD price tag and 40 out of 100 budget score make it a poor value for pure streaming. And if you don't care about Alexa or smart home control, you're paying a premium for features you'll never use.

The Fire TV Cube is a niche product that does its niche well. If you want a fast streamer with hands-free Alexa and you're already in the Amazon ecosystem, it's a solid buy. The 4.4 out of 5 customer rating across 15,393 reviews says most buyers are happy. But if you just want to watch Netflix in 4K, save your money and get a Stick. The Cube is for people who want Alexa to run their living room, not just play their shows.