I tested the ultra-affordable Amazon Ember 4-Series TV and I wasn’t disappointed — here’s how it stacks up

The Amazon Ember 4-Series (2025) is an admirable entry-level TV. The 43-inch and 55-inch models launched at $329 and $459, respectively, and they can now be found for as little as $269 and $379 when they’re on sale. So could the 4-Series be one of the best TVs under $500 we’ve ever tested? If you value affordability above all, it could be a contender.

The general performance of the Ember 4-Series is around what I’d expect given its budget sticker price. However, due to the lack of full-array local dimming, black levels weren’t as dark as I’d have liked, and the TV’s lower brightness threshold hurt the overall contrast.

It’s not going to make our list of the best TVs and I wouldn’t recommend the Ember 4-Series for serious home cinema lovers, but for people on a budget, it could be one to watch. To find out why, keep reading my Amazon Ember 4-Series review.

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Amazon Ember 4-Series review: Specs

Amazon Ember 4-Series review: Price & availability

The Amazon Ember 4-Series is the second-cheapest TV under Amazon’s belt. The 4-Series (2025) launched at $329 for the 43-inch model and $459 for the 55-inch. Unlike the Ember QLED, the 4-Series’ biggest size is 55 inches. (Amazon Ember QLED is $479 for 50” and provides a brighter screen — but it’s still not perfect.)

In the U.K., the Ember 4-Series is £439 for the 43-incher and £549 for 55 inches, but is often on sale for around £300-£400 depending on the model.

If you’re wondering why your searches for “Amazon Fire TV” only seem to bring up old models, that’s because Amazon recently updated its naming conventions. Amazon TVs are now called “Ember”, not “Fire”. The OS is still called “Fire TV”, though.

Keep in mind that the Ember 4-Series is a traditional LED-LCD rather than a newer Mini-LED or a QLED. There’s no Mini-LED lighting for higher brightness and better contrast, nor is there a quantum dot filter for more vibrant colors in HDR. If those features sound appealing, you might want to check out the Hisense QD7 ($339 for the 50” QLED) or the Samsung Q7F ($379 for 43” QLED).

Amazon Ember 4-Series review: Design and ports

Like the Amazon Ember QLED, the 4-Series looks pretty great from an aesthetic perspective for such a cheap TV. It’s just 3 inches deep, has two dual-pronged feet — much closer together than the Ember QLED, so better for smaller TV stands — and an attractive black bezel.

The ports are hidden on the back of the TV. Here you’ll find four HDMI ports, only one of which is a 2.1 with eARC, so if you’ve got a soundbar and a game console, you’ll need to choose which one gets the 2.1 connection. There’s also an optical port and a USB-A port if you have devices that require those connectivity types.

Although its limited port selection won’t win any design awards, the Ember 4-Series’ utilitarian functionality does the trick.

Amazon Ember 4-Series review: How we test TVs

We follow a standard testing protocol for every TV we review at Tom’s Guide. Our benchmarks include a series of technical and subject tests designed to rate the set’s performance.

For technical benchmarking tests, we use a Jeti SpectraVal 1501-HiRes spectroradiometer, a Klein K10-A colorimeter, a Murideo 8K-SIX-G Metal pattern generator. We measure using Portrait Displays’ Calman TV calibration software.

We use a Leo Bodnar 4K Input Lag Tester to determine whether it’s one of the best gaming TVs. For a more detailed look at what we do and how we do it, check out our “How we test TVs” page.

Amazon Ember 4-Series review: Test results

The Ember 4-Series outputs only 304 nits in SDR and a measly 287 nits in HDR. The Delta-E score (color accuracy) was 7.1, which is pretty poor.

Compared to the more advanced Amazon Ember QLED, the 4-Series is going to be dimmer in SDR and will have noticeably skewed colors. This demonstrates exactly why QLED TVs have become so popular in the last few years — they offer better brightness and color.

If you’re willing to spend a bit more on the Hisense QD7, you’ll see a significant improvement across the board. Shows and movies recorded in HDR will look much punchier on the Hisense thanks to its higher peak brightness (659 nits vs 287 on the 4-Series) and better contrast.

If you’re a home cinema enthusiast, I don’t think you’d be overly impressed with the Amazon Ember 4-Series — but for the most casual of viewers, it’s not the worst TV we’ve ever tested.

Amazon Ember 4-Series review: Performance

I expected to dislike the Ember 4-Series based on the test results, but I actually enjoyed using this TV during my subjective tests.

When watching “Top Gun: Maverick” on 4K Blu-ray, colors were bright in outdoor scenes, but a little dim in indoor scenes. Blues look particularly vibrant on the 4-Series, so images of clear skies were standouts.

Scenes with a lot of warm colors — like the beach football scene — appeared a little washed out, especially when compared to the blue ocean. The TV has much better saturation for cooler colors.

I noticed a lot of motion smoothing and ghosting during dogfighting scenes in “Top Gun: Maverick” — it made me feel a little motion sick in some long sequences — but this wasn’t noticeable while watching TV on Netflix.

Speaking of TV, I also watched “Yellowjackets.” The snow scenes looked great, and I didn’t notice any white blooming. The colors looked striking in a dark room, but in daylight, warm tones especially had a tendency to undersaturate.

Gaming might be an issue if you play demanding games; the max refresh rate is 60Hz, so you might want to spend more on a 120Hz TV if that’s the most important area to you.

Amazon Ember 4-Series review: Audio

The Ember 4-Series has two 10W speakers. I would best describe this sound as “thin” and possibly also “tinny”. As someone who’s been using a soundbar for years now, I don’t think I could ever go back to standard TV speakers.

You don’t have to spend a lot to get a great-sounding soundbar. One of the best soundbars we’ve tested, the Sony HT-S100F is $99 (often on sale) and has fantastic clarity and a rich sound profile.

Amazon Ember 4-Series review: Interface and apps

As we all know, Amazon Fire TV interface is incredibly easy to use. However, I did notice it took longer to respond on the Ember QLED compared to a dedicated streaming stick.,

Sometimes, title cards didn’t load for a few seconds and when apps loaded, they could be a little jerky. This is something I’ve found with a variety of Fire-powered TVs — my old Toshiba and my parents’ old Panasonic also suffer from this.

One of the biggest upgrades from previous Fire TV models is the updated Alexa+ functionality. With the purchase of the TV, you get a year of free Alexa+. When I asked, “Show me a high school drama”, it obeyed. Easy commands like “sci-fi movie” and “thriller TV series” bring up a range of suggestions.

Better still, if you have more Amazon devices like the Amazon Echo Studio or Amazon Echo Dot, you can link the TV up with them and they will behave as an external speaker.

Amazon Ember 4-Series review: Remote

As with every other Amazon TV, you get the classic ‘Fire TV’ remote. It’s easy to hold and is long and slender. There are four buttons on the bottom: Disney+, Netflix, Freely, and Prime Video. I wish one of these could be programmable, however. On other platforms, this is a common feature, and I usually configure the remote to quick-start YouTube.

The remote uses two AAA batteries, so not as innovative as Samsung’s solar-powered remotes, but it’s not a deal-breaker at this price point.

Amazon Ember 4-Series review: Verdict

Even though the Amazon Ember 4-Series didn’t perform well in our benchmarking tests, I actually think it’s a decent budget option. In 4K Blu-rays, I noticed a few issues with motion handling and color accuracy; however, when I was watching TV on Netflix and YouTube, the performance was great.

If you’re on a serious budget and want a 55-inch screen for well under $500, there are some other options like the Hisense QD7. It’s more expensive, but it offers both quantum dot colors and better overall brightness.

Still, if price is the ultimate factor in your buying decision, I still recommend the Ember 4-Series. Those looking for an entry-level, easy-to-use model with a huge variety of downloadable apps and built-in Alexa will find it here.