Amazon TV deals happen plenty of times during the year, but sometimes it’s worth not being in too much of a rush before you hit the ‘add to basket’ button and consider what you’re getting for your money.
Amazon offers both its Fire TV 4-Series and Fire TV 2-Series models as part of its own brand line-up of TVs. There are differences between them, and we’ll explain those differences to help you figure out which TV is best for what you need.
The Fire TV 4-Series is more expensive
The most obvious difference between the Fire TV 4-Series and its Fire TV 2-Series is the price. The Fire TV 2-Series is the entry-level model in the entire range, and has an entry level price to suit it. The most expensive model, which is the 40-inch screen, costs £299.99.
The Fire TV 4-Series is £549.99 for the 55-inch model, so there’s a big gap in terms of pricing. There is also the consideration that Amazon heavily discounts these models during its Prime Day/Black Friday events, so you’ll be able to get them for even less if you wait for one of Amazon’s big deal events.
They come in different sizes
There are only two screens in Fire TV-2 Series range, and they go from 32-inch to 40-inch. The Fire TV 4-Series takes over with three sizes starting at 43-inches and including 50- and 55-inches. There is no overlap in terms of sizes.
That means that if you want a big screen for your living room (or slightly smaller room), you should go for the Fire TV 4-Series. If you’re looking for a second screen to go into a smaller room say a kitchen or a bathroom, the Fire TV 2-Series will be a better fit.
They also support different display resolutions
It’s rare to see a 4K TV below 40-inches. It’s too small to pack in all the pixels required to show off 4K picture quality.
The Fire TV 2-Series 32-inch screen supports 720p resolution, and the 40-inch goes up to 1080p Full HD. Both models do support HDR10 and HLG, so you can still get HDR performance from compatible apps but it’s worth noting that if you paying for 4K HDR on your streaming app and buy one of these TVs, then you’re missing out on the 4K resolution you’ve paid for.
All the screens in the Fire TV 4-Series have 4K support, so you won’t have to worry about not seeing your favourite TV series and films in 4K resolution.
The Fire TV 2-Series comes with HDMI ARC
HDMI ARC is the dedicated input on a TV that allows you connect a sound system to the TV. Through HDMI ARC you can control the volume through the TV’s remote control. This is supported on the Fire TV 2-Series.
HDMI eARC, which is supported on the Fire TV 4-Series, you get the same level of control over an external sound system, but the bandwidth is much bigger, allowing for lossless audio such as Dolby Atmos to be passed over to the soundbar such as the Fire TV Soundbar Plus.
HDMI ARC can do the same thing, but only with the lossy version of Dolby Atmos. In short, you’re getting as high quality or performance with HDMI ARC as you can with HDMI eARC.
You get three HDMI inputs with the Fire TV 4-Series
If you’ve got devices to plug into your TV, like a 4K Blu-ray player, then the Fire TV 4-Series offers three HDMI inputs over the Fire TV 2-Series two. Neither is particularly a lot compared to TVs that can offer four, but if you’ve got sources to plug in, then the Fire TV 4-Series offers more convenience.
