3rd Gen Amazon Fire TV Cube Review – Could Be Better

This 3rd Gen Amazon Fire TV Cube Review was written by Troy after using it on a continual basis for two weeks.

This product was purchased by Troy and you will find both the good and bad in this unbiased review.

TROYPOINT Patrons and Founding Members can find my First Impressions Video at the following link.

Troy’s First Impressions Video of 3rd Gen Amazon Fire TV Cube

3rd Gen Amazon Fire TV Cube Features

• CPU: Octa-core 4x 2.2GHz 4x 2.0GHz
• Storage: 16 GB
• RAM Memory: 2 GB
• GPU: Mali G52
• WiFi: Wi-Fi 6E Tri-band. Also supports 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax wifi networks. For Wi-Fi 6E support, Fire TV Cube must be connected to the 6 GHz band of a Wi-Fi 6E network using WPA3 encryption.
• HDMI In: Connect & control your devices (cable box, game console, webcam, etc.)
• Bluetooth: Bluetooth 5.0 + LE. Pair with compatible Bluetooth speakers, headphones, video game controllers, and more.
• Voice Support: Far-field and near-field voice support
• Voice Control Compatibility: Controls a wide range of IR-enabled devices, including TVs, soundbars, cable and satellite boxes, and A/V receivers.
• Live View Picture-in-Picture
• Video Upscaling
• Hands-free with Alexa
• Ports: HDMI 2.1 Input, HDMI 2.1 Output, IR Extender, Power, USB-A 2.0, Ethernet port 10/100Mbps
• Audio Support: Dolby Atmos, 7.1 surround sound, 2-channel stereo, and HDMI audio pass through up to 5.1.
• Video:  Supports 4K Ultra HD & Dolby Vision (HDR for ultravivid picture quality)
• Output/Input Resolution Supported: 2160p, 1080p and 720p up to 60 fps

3rd Gen Amazon Fire TV Cube Review

I’ve been excited to dive into the new Amazon Fire TV Cube ever since it was announced.  This device packs more features than its predecessor and those are the items that this review will be looking at.

I’m not going to cover every single feature in this review as you can see all of those at a quick glance above.

Here are some FAQs that many of you will have so I will start with those.

Can I side-load apps onto the new 3rd Gen Amazon Fire TV Cube such as Kodi?

Answer: Yes

Can I play 4K video?

Answer: Yes

Does the Ethernet port support Gigabit speeds?

Answer: No, it is standard 100 Mbps max

Does it support new AV1 codec?

Answer: Yes

Do 3rd Party Launchers Like Wolf Launcher Work?

Answer: Yes

Can you control TV, soundbar, AV systems with Remote Control?

Answer: Yes

Purchase 3rd Gen Fire TV Cube

Powerful Processor

The first feature that I want to talk about is the strong processor that comes built into this system.

The CPU is a Octa-core 4x 2.2GHz 4x 2.0GHz that will allow you to watch 4K video and play resource intensive games without a problem.

Many people refer to the Antutu benchmark ranking when it comes to processor power and here’s a quick comparison.

3rd Gen Fire TV Cube: Antutu Bench = 167,397

NVIDIA SHIELD TV PRO (2019) = 238,323

You will see that the NVIDIA SHIELD TV PRO is still more powerful but the new Fire TV Cube packs a powerful punch as well.

Trust me, this processor will be overkill for most people and you are well taken care of in this area.

HDMI-In Port

New to the 3rd gen model is the addition of an HDMI-In port.

This allows us to connect game systems, cable boxes, and control those through the Fire TV interface.

Elias over at AFTVnews reported that there is approximately 35 milliseconds of input lag when peripheral devices are connected to the HDMI-In port on the new Cube.

More than likely, gamers will still want to connect their consoles directly to the TV rather than through the Fire TV Cube.  You probably won’t notice any problems on other devices.

There is a setting that should be changed if you are connecting game consoles.  Game Mode/ALLM should be set to ON.

USB Port

Also new to the 3rd Gen Fire TV Cube is the addition of a USB-A 2.0 port.  This is a welcome change because in the past we were required to use an OTG Cable if we wanted to connect USB devices.

Many people will want to use this port for increasing storage or attaching a Gigabit Ethernet adapter.

The new USB port on the Cube will support NTFS drives which is a nice addition.  For those of you who record IPTV, etc. this should help with the 4 GB limit that we see with FAT32 drives.

Unfortunately, there is a bug where USB devices lose power when the Cube is asleep.  This will be most noticeable for those using USB Gigabit adapters as Alexa capabilities will stop working.  The solution is to have WiFi setup so when it disconnects, it can roll-over to WiFi and still have a connection.

Purchase 3rd Gen Fire TV Cube

Expandable Storage

Since we’re talking about the USB drive, now is a good time to chat about Expandable storage.

The 3rd Gen Fire TV Cube comes with 16 GB of internal storage.  Although this is double the amount of any Firestick, it still may require expanding internal storage for some people.

You can connect a USB drive to the device and expand internal storage so you can run applications off your USB drive.

I tried this with a 256 GB SanDisk USB Drive and had quite a few problems.

The first few times, I tried, the formatting completely failed which you will see in my First Impressions Video.

After trying this numerous times, it finally worked but there’s one big problem.  If the app that you want to move to USB drive doesn’t provide support for it, you can’t move it.  It seems to me that you can’t move most applications unfortunately.

Android TV works so much better in this area and I give Amazon a big thumbs down on this feature.  They really need to work on this.

Media Player

The new Fire TV Cube comes with a built-in media player specifically meant for files residing on a USB drive.

This is a generic player that can automatically detect video, images, and audio on the USB drive.

This is a nice addition that will allow you to quickly access media on a USB drive.  However, there are other apps that will do a better job at this such as MX Player, VLC, and Kodi.

3rd Gen Fire TV Cube Video Upscaling

This is the main reason why I use an NVIDIA SHIELD TV PRO in my media room.  NVIDIA has done a great job with their upscaling feature and it works.

Upscaling is the process of intelligently scaling lower resolution video to your TV’s native resolution. With this new feature, HD movies on Netflix or Prime Video will look sharper on your 4K display.

On the new 3rd Gen Fire TV Cube, this is referred to as Super Resolution and the default is set to ON.

After testing this for multiple hours on end, I can’t see any difference with this turned on or off.

Another thumbs down for this new feature.

Smart Home Control with Alexa

As with the previous two Fire TV Cubes, this one comes with a built-in speaker and microphone so you can use Alexa capabilities.

In my testing, this is extremely snappy and works very well.

This is a nice feature for those who have a shelf, counter, or entertainment center where the Cube can be positioned and connected to a television.

I’m still not trained to use these voice features on any device so this isn’t a big win for me but it may be for you.

If you want to conceal your streaming system behind your television, this is not practical.  You will want to use a Firestick or another small streaming device instead.

The Fire TV Cube is designed to sit on a counter next to your TV where you can also take advantage of its Alexa voice command features with it’s built-in speaker and microphone.

Wi-Fi 6E on 3rd Gen Fire TV Cube

The 3rd Gen Fire TV Cube is touted as the first streaming device with Wi-Fi 6E support.

This new technology is supposed to eliminate interference from other devices in the house providing a more consistent streaming experience with no buffering.

Wi-Fi 6E is advertised to deliver faster speeds, lower latency, and more bandwidth.

See speed tests below.

Download & Upload Speed Tests

I used the Analiti Speed test app for the following tests.

I have one GB Fiber download speed plan through my Internet Service Provider.

During the WiFi tests, I am connected to the 5Ghz band on my Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 Router. This router resides in the same room as my 3rd Gen Amazon Fire TV Cube (approximately 20 feet away from the wireless router).

I’m using Surfshark VPN as my VPN on Chicago Server.

Ethernet

VPN On: Download = 91.89 Mbps & Upload = 92.41 Mbps

VPN Off: Download = 91.87 Mbps & Upload = 89.99 Mbps

WiFi

VPN On: Download = 376.15 Mbps & Upload = 180.70 Mbps

VPN Off: Download = 425.30 Mbps & Upload = 218.35 Mbps

Note:  The reason for faster WiFi speeds is because the Ethernet port is only capable of 100 Mbps.

I’m absolutely blown away by these download and upload speeds!

What really stands out to me is no decrease in speed with VPN on when using Ethernet.  You will also see very little decrease when connected to WiFi.  This is probably the strongest download speed that I’ve seen when testing streaming devices.

Purchase 3rd Gen Fire TV Cube

Webcam Integration

The new USB 2.0 port allows for peripheral devices such as webcams.

You can use a compatible webcam to play video calls with Alexa Communications.

Say, “Alexa, call Naomi,” to start a video call right from your couch.

Coming soon – video calls with Zoom.

What I Like

• Powerful processor
• Ethernet port
• USB 2.0 port
• Supports NTFS drives
• Can side-load applications
• 3rd party launchers work with Launch on Boot app
• Wi-Fi 6E with screaming fast download/upload speed
• Feature-packed remote control
• HDMI-In port
• Smooth 4K playback
• Responsive voice control
• Supports Dolby ATMOS & VISION
• Webcam support

What I Dislike

• High price
• Expandable storage doesn’t work well
• Missing shortcuts for side-loaded apps
• Lag for HDMI-In connected devices
• Bad user interface

What’s In The Box

• 3rd Gen Amazon Fire TV Cube
• Fire TV Alexa Voice Remote
• 2 AAA Batteries
• Power Adapter
• Quick Start Guide

*HDMI and Ethernet cables are sold separately. 

3rd Gen Amazon Fire TV Cube Price

The new Fire TV Cube is currently selling for $139.99.

As usual, be on the lookout for upcoming Black Friday / Cyber Monday sales if you’re interested in one of these new Cubes.

Purchase 3rd Gen Fire TV Cube

3rd Gen Fire TV Cube Specs

• Size: 3.38” x 3.38” x 2.99” (86 mm x 86 mm x 77 mm)
• Weight: 513g (1.13 lbs)
• Processor: Octa-core 4x 2.2GHz 4x 2.0GHz
• GPU: 800MHz
• Storage: 16 GB internal
• Memory: 2 GB internal
• Wifi: Wi-Fi 6E Tri-band. Also supports 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax wifi networks. For Wi-Fi 6E support, Fire TV Cube must be connected to the 6 GHz band of a Wi-Fi 6E network using WPA3 encryption.
• Bluetooth: Bluetooth 5.0 + LE. Pair with compatible Bluetooth speakers, headphones, video game controllers, and more.
• Voice support: Far-field and near-field voice support
• Voice control compatibility: Controls a wide range of IR-enabled devices, including TVs, soundbars, cable and satellite boxes, and A/V receivers.
• Cloud storage: Free cloud storage for digital content purchased from Amazon.
• Ports: HDMI 2.1 Input, HDMI 2.1 Output, IR Extender, Power, USB-A 2.0, Ethernet port 10/100Mbps
• Audio support: Dolby Atmos, 7.1 surround sound, 2-channel stereo, and HDMI audio pass through up to 5.1.
• 4K Support: To watch movies and TV shows in 4K Ultra HD, you need a compatible 4K Ultra HD TV. All services may not be available in 4K/HDR. Certain services are subject to change at any time, may not be available in all areas, or in 4K/HDR, and may require separate subscriptions.
• Content formats supported: Video: Dolby Vision, HDR 10, HDR10+, HLG, H.265, H.264, VP9, AV1, Audio: AAC-LC, AC3, eAC3 (Dolby Digital Plus), FLAC, MP3, PCM/Wave, Vorbis, Dolby Atmos (EC3_JOC), Dolby MAT, Photo: JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP
• Output/Input resolution supported: 2160p, 1080p and 720p up to 60 fps
• System requirements: High-definition television with available high-speed HDMI input, high-speed internet connection via wifi or built-in Ethernet port, power outlet (compatible TV/sound/cable equipment for control by infrared or voice). High-speed HDMI cable rated 18Gbps or higher, and 4K TV with high-speed HDMI connector required for 4K viewing and more reliable device control. Wi-Fi 6E router needed for Wi-Fi 6E support. Auto-Low Latency Mode is included in the HDMI 2.1 standard.
• TV compatibility: TV must support minimum HDCP requirements for protected content playback. Compatible with 1) 4K ultra high-definition TVs with HDMI capable of 2160p at 24/25/30/50/60 Hz and HDCP 2.2 or 2) high-definition TVs with HDMI capable of 1080p or 720p at 50/60 Hz.
• Warranty and service: 1-year limited warranty and service included. Optional 2-year and 3-year extended warranty available for U.S. customers sold separately.
• Content availability: Certain apps and services are subject to change or withdrawal at any time, may not be available in all areas and languages, and may require separate subscriptions.
• Accessibility features: VoiceView screen reader enables access to the vast majority of Fire TV features for users who are blind or visually impaired. Screen magnifier enables viewers to zoom in and out, and pan around the screen. Text Banner consolidates onscreen text into a compact, customizable banner that appears on the screen. Watch videos and TV shows with closed captioning displayed. Use Audio Description for verbal descriptions of what is happening on the screen, including physical actions, facial expressions and scene changes. Captions and audio descriptions are not available for all content. Fire TV Cube (2nd and 3rd Gen) supports audio streaming for select compatible Bluetooth hearing aids for a private listening experience. You can also listen to Fire TV with compatible Bluetooth headphones.

3rd Gen Amazon Fire TV Cube Final Thoughts

In my opinion, the big selling points for the Amazon Fire TV Cube are the following.

• More internal storage at 16 GB
• Ethernet Port
• USB Port
• Video Upscaling
• Alexa with voice control

Unfortunately, the USB port is somewhat compromised because expanding internal storage doesn’t work that great out of the box.  Plus, the sleep issue that I mentioned above is a problem.

I don’t notice any difference with Video Upscaling when it is turned on.  This is the main new feature that I was interested in.  Unfortunately, I don’t see any difference like I do on my NVIDIA SHIELD.

If you need a streaming device to also serve as a voice controlled Alexa device with a speaker, this may be right for you.  I personally like concealing my streaming devices behind the TV or rest them on the edge of the television at the top.

I wouldn’t personally recommend buying this device for $139.99.  This is a high price for many features that can be found on the Fire TV Stick 4K Max for $80 less.

If you want a better streaming device than a Fire TV Stick, I would recommend thinking about the NVIDIA SHIELD TV PRO.  But, you may want to delay for awhile to see if they release a new model.  The current device is already 3 years old so hopefully we will see an updated SHIELD soon.

Also, the new Formuler Z11 Pro Max is now out and I’m expecting big things from this Android TV Box.  If you’re a TROYPOINT Patron or Founding Member, you can find my First Impressions Video here for the new Z11 Pro Max.

I’m going to start using a new ranking system for reviews which will be the following.

Terrible – Bad – OK – Good – Great

My ranking looks at the features offered, how well those features work, and price.

I rank the new 3rd Gen Fire TV Cube as Good.

Do you own a new 3rd Gen Fire TV Cube?  Tell use what you think in the comments below.