My two foremost considerations for buying a smart TV are price range and performance. Is it within my budget, and how does it stack up to competitors? Assessing those two factors alone can help determine the value you’re getting for your purchase.
Also: Mini LED vs. OLED: What’s the difference, and which TV should you buy?
While the 2024 Amazon Fire TV Omni Mini-LED available.)
A sample of the Omni Mini-LED’s generative AI artwork.
Chris Bayer/ZDNET
The hands-free Alexa feature allows you to search for and launch your desired content (and also adjust volume) without even touching the remote. If you don’t want your smart TV to hear everything you say, you can turn this off via a manual switch buried at the bottom of the unit’s frame. Or, holding down the single blue button on the remote allows you to communicate your requests more discreetly.
Setup and performance
The Omni Mini-LED’s initial setup required jumping through the usual hoops: setting up Wi-Fi, adding apps, opting in or out for Amazon-specific ad features, and so on. One of the first options while setting up included changing the default Picture Mode to a different mode for better picture quality. Do this.
Making the switch only invokes a minor increase in power consumption, which adds up to spending a few more pennies per month, so it’s worth it. I tried all the picture options and found “Movie Bright” looks best on the Omni Mini-LED. Notably, the Netflix app wasn’t an available option in the initial setup, but when I logged into my Prime account, it included all the apps I downloaded there. That process, after attaching the unit’s two metal feet to its base, was fairly swift and breezy.
Also: LG’s G4 OLED TV is my pick for best picture quality, and it’s $800 off for the holiday season
With Prime’s extensive library at my fingertips, I chose to watch Outer Range (in 4K) to get a first impression. And I was impressed by its 1,400 nits of peak brightness and 768 dimming zones which yield a sharp, bright picture and superb contrast, even in a well-lit room. As I always do when setting up a TV for testing, I experimented with the Omni Mini-LED’s settings to maximize (in this case) its QLED potential.
It’s interesting to note that its UX allows access to settings with two different menus: one from the Home screen, and one within each app. For example, pressing the remote’s gear icon Settings button while watching a movie gives you limited menu options compared with clicking on the gear icon from the Home screen.
Overall, I only have a couple of minor gripes, and they are persnickety. The network speed at our lab checks out at a respectable 130 Mbps. Despite that, I found the load times lagged a bit when switching between shows and apps, implicating the Fire TV OS as dragging its feet. With a strong Wi-Fi signal, I was surprised to see what was ostensibly buffering between transitions.
is a worthy contender at its list price of $1,089. It offers convincing upgrades from prior Fire TV models and exceeds the needs of many viewers and game players with its lofty specs.
If you’re keen on Google TVs, consider the Hisense Class U8 — the company’s flagship version of a mini-LED panel. ZDNET’s Taylor Clemons suggests it may eclipse the Omni Mini-LED in terms of gaming performance, but its list price is generally higher when not on sale.
Specifications (compared to competitors)
Amazon Fire TV Omni Mini LED (2024) | Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED (2022) | Hisense U8N (2024) | |
Display type | QLED, Mini LED | QLED | QLED, Mini LED |
Resolution | 4K UHD | 4K UHD | 4K UHD |
HDR formats | HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10+ Adaptive, HDR10+ Gaming | HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10+ Adaptive | HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, Advanced HDR |
Refresh rate | 144Hz in gaming mode | 60Hz | 144Hz |
HDMI ports | 2x HDMI 2.0 / 1x HDMI eARC 2.1 / 1x HDMI 2.1 | 3x HDMI 2.0 / 1x HDMI eARC 2.1 | 2x HDMI 2.0 / 2x HDMI 2.1 |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6E and Ethernet | Wi-Fi 6 and Ethernet | Wi-Fi 6E and Ethernet |
Sizes | 55″, 65″, 75″. 85″ | 43″ (LED), 50″, 55″, 65″, 75″ | 55″, 65″, 75″. 85″, 100″ |
Price | $819 – $2,099 | $449 – $1,099 | $798 – $4,997 |
How we test TVs
While testing and researching the TVs featured on this list, I and other ZDNET experts kept these criteria in mind:
- Price: Not all budgets are created equal. And if you’re working with a limited budget, that shouldn’t mean you have to settle for a sub-par TV. Each TV model on this list has been chosen across a variety of price points to help accommodate different needs.
- Screen size: The most important factor to consider, after price, when shopping for a new TV is whether or not it will fit into your space. Each best TV on this list was chosen because they are available in a wide variety of sizes to suit different rooms.
- Picture and audio quality: A new TV doesn’t mean much, even if it costs an arm and a leg, if it doesn’t provide a great picture and clear audio. Each TV on this list has been ensured to support various HDR codecs, including HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, as well as enhanced audio software like Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital Plus, and object-tracking sound.
For a more detailed look, check out our extensive TV testing methodology.