Launch of Amazon Fire TV Cube (2nd Gen) in India, Priced at ₹12,999
By – Ashwathy Nair
The Amazon Fire TV Cube (2nd Gen) is now available in India for Rs. 12,999. The streaming unit, which is being promoted as Amazon’s strongest yet, combines the features of Amazon’s Fire TV and Echo smart speaker series, allowing for Ultra-HD HDR streaming and hands-free Alexa voice assistant access.
The Amazon Fire TV Cube supports a variety of HDR formats up to Dolby Vision, as well as Dolby Atmos audio (2nd Gen). The new system will be available on Amazon and select Croma and Reliance Retail stores across India starting today (21st April).
Although an HDMI cable is not included in the box to connect the Fire TV Cube (2nd Gen) to your home theatre system, Amazon is including one with the unit as an introductory deal.
Price & Competition
The Amazon Fire TV Cube (2nd Gen) is the most expensive streaming service in the Fire TV series, costing ₹12,999. The Fire TV Cube (2nd Gen) builds on the Fire TV Stick 4K’s core features of Ultra-HD streaming and support for HDR and audio formats with hands-free Alexa access and improved networking options. The device will also be competing with Apple’s latest Apple TV 4K, which will be available in India soon for ₹18,900.
Amazon Fire TV Cube Specifications & Features
The Amazon Fire TV Cube (2nd Gen) is the most advanced Fire TV unit, capable of streaming in Ultra-HD resolution and supporting multiple HDR formats such as Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10, and HLG. The Dolby Atmos audio format is provided, with the signal being sent from the Fire TV Cube to your wired television or home entertainment system.
On the software front, the Fire TV Cube (2nd Gen) runs on Fire TV OS with a modified user experience that was rolled out in late 2020. Dedicated applications are available for all major streaming platforms, to name a few, it includes Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, YouTube, and Apple TV. The Fire TV Cube allows users to stream movies, TV shows, and other audio and video material to their home entertainment system.
Hands-free Alexa voice assistance is a key new feature on the Amazon Fire TV Cube (2nd Gen), with the system sporting an always-on microphone along with a small speaker in order to listen for the Alexa wake word, hear voice commands, and reply through voice prompts or chimes. This can be used to monitor the Fire TV Cube using voice commands, such as turning on or off the paired television or home theatre device, opening apps and choosing content, changing the volume, and scrubbing through videos on specific apps.
While the system has a speaker, it cannot play audio content; music and podcasts must be played through a wired setup such as your television or soundbar. The Amazon Fire TV Cube (2nd Gen) comes with a remote control that can be used to operate the system and conventionally access the interface. On the remote, there are hotkeys for Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Amazon Music.
The Amazon Fire TV Cube (2nd Generation) comes with an IR extender adapter as well as an Ethernet adapter for wired networking. The volume and microphone are controlled by buttons on the top of the unit, and a light strip provides visual prompts similar to those seen on Echo smart speakers.
