Amazon announces its first Mini LED Fire TV — and this one’s also built for gaming

Amazon is today introducing its latest Fire TV Omni TV series, and it’s the first to feature Mini LED backlighting for improved contrast, less blooming, and greater brightness than past models. The “Fire TV Omni Mini-LED Series” features up to 1,344 dimming zones (depending on screen size) and delivers up to 1,400 nits of peak brightness. That’s respectable, but falls short of top Mini LED contenders like TCL’s QM8 and Hisense’s U8N, which can push all the way to 3,000 nits.

Still, Amazon’s TV is priced quite a bit lower than those models and includes Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10 Plus Adaptive, and Dolby Atmos audio. This also sounds like the first Fire TV Omni that’s truly cut out for gaming. It’s got AMD FreeSync Premium Pro certification, VRR, auto low latency mode, and a refresh rate that can reach 144Hz. There’s also Wi-Fi 6E on board.

These TVs have an Intelligent Picture feature that image purists are likely to immediately turn off, but could prove useful for people who don’t want to fuss with settings. According to Amazon’s press release, it “combines artificial intelligence with the lineup’s new advanced light and color sensor to enhance picture quality by automatically identifying, analyzing, and optimizing scenes in real-time, fine-tuning picture details like landscapes, buildings, sports, and more.” These automatic picture adjustments are becoming increasingly common among TV makers, but you’re always free to calibrate things to your liking.

As with past Omni sets, the Mini LED series includes far-field microphones for hands-free voice commands or controlling Amazon’s Ambient Experience, which can display widgets or artwork when the TV is idle. There’s now a “high-fidelity radar” built into the latest Omni series:

The TV’s brand-new high-fidelity radar sensor powers an upcoming delightful new feature within the Ambient Experience which transforms motion into art. When Ambient Experience is active, customers can see colorful scenes come to life — like fluttering butterflies, swimming koi fish, and colorful tiles — that dynamically respond to movement in front of the TV.

More importantly, Amazon is continuing to expand its support for the Audio Streaming for Hearing Aids protocol with a new “dual audio” mode that will let “customers with ASHA-enabled hearing aids to get high-quality audio delivered directly to their hearing aids while others simultaneously listen through the TV’s speakers.” That’s pretty neat.

Fire TV Omni Mini-LED Series will be available for purchase today, starting at $819.99.

To go along with the new, more impressive Fire TV Omni, Amazon is also announcing the Fire TV Soundbar Plus, a 3.1-channel all-in-one soundbar with Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and DTS TruVolume, plus an all-important dialogue enhancer setting. The soundbar has four preset modes for Movie, Music, Sports, and Night listening (which presumably reduces the bass). The Fire TV Soundbar Plus is priced at $374.99 with an included wireless subwoofer.