Amazon Ember 4-Series Fire TV Is It Worth It?
A video review that weighs whether the Ember 4-Series is worth buying.
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Amazon · 2025 · LED-LCD
Amazon Ember 4-Series (2025)
Amazon's entry-level 4K TV, now sold as the Ember 4-Series: easy Fire TV and Alexa+, but dim, 60Hz and without local dimming.
Choose a size
Exact model · United States
Not published
The largest size; the size TechRadar and Trusted Reviews measured (Trusted Reviews tested the UK version). Dimensions and weight are from Tom's Guide's spec table.
Where to buy the 55″
List $459
Check current prices at
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The verdict
Worth considering only at a sale price, and mainly for Alexa and Fire TV households that want a simple small screen. Reviewers agree that a budget QLED or Mini LED set, such as Amazon's own Ember QLED or Hisense's QD7, gives noticeably better brightness, color and contrast for a modest step up.
The Ember 4-Series is the current generation of Amazon's entry-level 4K TV, formerly sold as the Fire TV 4-Series, in 43, 50 and 55-inch sizes. It is a plain direct-lit LED-LCD with a 60Hz panel, HDR10, HDR10+ and HLG (no Dolby Vision), three HDMI 2.0 inputs plus one HDMI 2.1 input with eARC, Wi-Fi 6 and Fire TV with Alexa+. Tom's Guide measured only 287 nits of HDR brightness and a Delta-E of 7.1, and Trusted Reviews found it dimmer than the previous model, while both found it pleasant enough for casual streaming.
Strengths
- Simple setup and the full Fire TV app catalog, with Alexa+ voice search built in, per Tom's Guide.
- Four HDMI inputs, one of them HDMI 2.1 with eARC for a soundbar, plus optical out, Ethernet and Wi-Fi 6.
- HDR10+ support and Filmmaker Mode.
- Input lag around 13 ms (Tom's Guide and Trusted Reviews) is fine for casual gaming.
- Trusted Reviews found voices clear and natural and the sound a little better than the previous model.
Weak spots
- Dim: Tom's Guide measured 287 nits of HDR brightness, and TechRadar and Trusted Reviews measured about 340 nits.
- Poor out-of-the-box color accuracy, with a Delta-E of 7.1 in Tom's Guide's test.
- No local dimming, so blacks look gray and TechRadar saw backlight clouding in dark films.
- No Dolby Vision, no Dolby Atmos (per Trusted Reviews) and a 60Hz panel.
- Trusted Reviews could not fully switch off motion smoothing, which gave some shows a soap-opera look.
Great for
- Alexa and Fire TV households
- Bedrooms, kitchens and other casual-viewing rooms
- Shoppers who buy during big sale events
Skip if
- HDR movie fans
- Bright rooms
- Gamers who want 120Hz
How it fits
Calculated from published specs and independent tests. How this works
Tap a score to see what went into it. These are calculations, not lab results.
Claimed vs. measured
Independent test figures are kept apart from what the manufacturer says. Results vary by tester, test size and firmware.
Measured Claimed
Brightness
HDR peak brightness (2% window)How bright very small highlights get, like the glint on metal or a star on a dark sky.
- 341 nitsTrusted Reviews55″ tested · 2% window, UK model
HDR peak brightness (10% window)The most-quoted HDR brightness figure. A 10% window is about the size of a bright object in a scene.
- 356 nitsTechRadar55″ tested · Standard mode, peak · Apr 19, 2026
- 340 nitsTechRadar55″ tested · Filmmaker Mode, peak · Apr 19, 2026
- 287 nitsTom's Guide10% window
- 340 nitsTrusted Reviews55″ tested · 10% window, UK model
HDR full-screen brightnessBrightness of a completely bright image, like a snowfield or a hockey rink.
- 340 nitsTechRadar55″ tested · Filmmaker Mode, full screen · Apr 19, 2026
- 338 nitsTrusted Reviews55″ tested · Full-screen window, UK model
SDR peak brightness (10% window)How bright regular, non-HDR content gets, which matters most in a sunny room.
- 304 nitsTom's Guide10% window
Color
DCI-P3 color coverageHow much of the color range used by modern movies the TV can show.
- 94.1%Tom's GuideUHDA-P3 coverage
Rec. 2020 color coverageA wider color target than DCI-P3. No consumer TV covers it fully.
- 70.13%Tom's GuideRec. 2020 coverage
Color accuracy out of the box (ΔE)Lower is better. Under about 3 is hard to distinguish from perfect by eye.
- ΔE 7.1Tom's GuideOut of the box
Gaming
Input lag, 4K 60 Hz (game mode)The delay between pressing a button and seeing it on screen.
- 13 msTom's GuideLeo Bodnar 4K input lag tester
- 13.2 msTrusted Reviews55″ tested · HDMI input lag, UK model; resolution not stated
What changes by size
The same name doesn’t always mean the same TV. Here is every size we’ve confirmed.
| 43″ | 50″ | 55″ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Model number | — | — | — |
| Lowest price | — | — | — |
| Width | 37.7″ | 43.7″ | 48.3″ |
| Weight | 14.1 lb | 18.3 lb | 21.6 lb |
| VESA | — | — | — |
Will it fit?
From your seat
Viewing distance8′0″
A good fit. At this distance a 55″ screen fills 28° of your view. Most people like 59″–80″ from here.
Seen from above
Dimensions and mounting
- Without stand
- 48.3 × 28.2 × 3.2″
- With stand
- Not published
- Stand footprint
- Not published
- Weight
- 21.6 lb
- VESA pattern
- Not published
- Power use
- Not published
Full specifications
From the manufacturer unless noted. Shown for the 55″ model.
Picture
- Display technologyHow the screen makes its picture. OLED types light each pixel on their own for perfect black. Mini LED and QLED are LCDs with a backlight, and tend to get brighter.
- LED-LCD
- Panel notes
- A conventional LED-LCD with no quantum dot layer or Mini LEDs. Trusted Reviews describes it as direct-lit, and TechRadar notes there is no local dimming option.source
- BacklightFull-array backlights sit behind the whole screen and allow local dimming. Edge-lit TVs are thinner but dim far less precisely.
- Direct-litsource
- Resolution
- 4K
HDR & color
- HDR formatsHDR formats describe how a TV should show bright highlights and rich color. Dolby Vision and HDR10+ adjust the picture scene by scene; a source and TV must both support a format to use it.
- HDR10, HDR10+, HLG
- Wide color technology
- Standard LED backlight without quantum dots; Tom's Guide measured 94.10% UHDA-P3 and 70.13% Rec. 2020
Refresh & motion
- Native refresh rateHow many new images per second the panel can really show. Marketing “motion rates” are often double this number, so check the native figure.
- 60 Hz
- Maximum refresh rateThe highest refresh the TV accepts over HDMI. Sometimes only available at reduced resolution or from a PC.
- 60 Hz
Smart platform
- Smart TV platformThe software your TV runs. It decides your home screen, app selection and how often you’ll see ads.
- Fire TV
- Voice assistants
- Alexa+ (push-to-talk remote)
- Apple AirPlay
- Yessource
HDMI & connections
- HDMI ports
- 4
- HDMI 2.1 portsPorts with enough bandwidth for 4K at 120 Hz and beyond. If you have more than one current console or a gaming PC, count these carefully.
- 1
- HDMI notes
- Three HDMI 2.0 inputs plus one HDMI 2.1 input that also carries eARC, so a soundbar and a console have to share that port's role. Reviewers did not report 4K 120Hz or VRR support.
- eARCEnhanced Audio Return Channel sends high-quality audio from your TV’s apps and inputs back to a soundbar or receiver over one HDMI cable.
- Yes
- USB ports
- 1
- Optical audio out
- Yes
- Ethernet
- 1 x Ethernetsource
- Wi-Fi
- Wi-Fi 6source
- Bluetooth
- Bluetooth (version not stated)source
Gaming
- Auto Low Latency ModeSwitches the TV into game mode automatically when a console starts a game.
- Yessource
- Highest 4K gaming refresh
- 60 Hz
- Dolby Vision gaming
- No
Built-in audio
- Speaker configuration
- 2.0 (two 10W speakers)
- Speaker power
- 20 W
- Dolby Atmos
- Nosource
Accessibility
- Remote
- Fire TV Alexa voice remote (two AAA batteries)
Primary source: tomsguide.com
Setup notes
- Three HDMI 2.0 inputs and one HDMI 2.1 input with eARC; use the eARC input for a soundbar.
- HDR10, HDR10+ and HLG only; Dolby Vision is not supported.
- Trusted Reviews lists Dolby Digital Plus but not Dolby Atmos.
- ALLM is supported, but reviewers found no mention of VRR.
- Alexa needs the remote's button; there is no hands-free microphone, per Trusted Reviews.
- Amazon now sells its TVs under the Ember name, while the software is still called Fire TV.
- Tom's Guide describes a remote with a Freely button, a UK service, so its review unit may have been a UK model; Trusted Reviews also tested the UK version.
Video reviews
Each video was checked to exist and to be about the Amazon Ember 4-Series (2025).
Fire tv that does it all, even Alexa joins in on the fun - Amazon Ember 55" 4-Series with Fire TV (n
A hands-on look at the 55-inch Ember 4-Series that focuses on Fire TV features and Alexa control.
What reviewers found
Summaries in our own words. Follow the link to read each review in full.
Lab results were weak, with low brightness, poor color accuracy and gray blacks, yet the reviewer enjoyed it for everyday streaming and liked the Alexa+ features. Speakers sounded thin, and the QD7 was suggested as a brighter step up.
Read the originalTested the UK 55-inch for three weeks and found it easy to live with but dimmer than the previous generation, with pale color, soft upscaling and motion smoothing that could not be fully disabled. Judged that budget Mini LED rivals now offer more.
Read the originalSide-by-side test against the Ember Omni QLED. The 4-Series clipped bright snow scenes, showed bluish backlight clouding in dark films and looked flatter in color, though greens looked natural; the QLED was the recommended pick of the two.
Read the original
Questions
Is the Ember 4-Series the same as the Fire TV 4-Series?
It is the newer generation of the same line. Tom's Guide explains that Amazon renamed its TVs Ember, while the operating system is still called Fire TV.
What sizes are available?
43, 50 and 55 inches, according to Tom's Guide and Trusted Reviews. There is no 65-inch or larger 4-Series.
Does it support Dolby Vision?
No. Reviewers list HDR10, HDR10+ and HLG only, and TechRadar points to Dolby Vision as one reason to choose the Ember QLED instead.
Ember 4-Series or Ember QLED?
TechRadar compared them side by side and preferred the QLED for brightness, color, local dimming and Dolby Vision, calling the 4-Series decent only if set up carefully.
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Sources for this page
Last reviewed Nov 10, 2026. Spotted an error? Tell us.