Amazon Fire TV 2-Series
After hitching its wagon to models from Toshiba and Insignia for years, Amazon’s finally forged ahead by releasing its own highly varied lineup of affordable smart TVs. The entry-level 2 Series, including this 32-inch, 720p model on sale for just $110, delivers a satisfying and reliable, if somewhat basic experience.
It’s easy to get caught up in the appeal of advanced features like HDR and 4K resolutions. It’s also important to keep in mind that lots of great content doesn’t benefit from either technology, and some people don’t have space for or the desire to try and take in a 65-inch UHD television. That content and those people are the reasons why we still see newly refreshed HDTVs from time to time, like Amazon’s somewhatrecently released Fire TV 2 Series.
Not to be confused with the company’spopular Fire TV streaming devices, the 2-Series TVs sit on the tier below the base modelFire TV Omni lineup, which is made of reasonably capable 4K TVs that still aren’t exactly cheap. While there’s a handful ofgood TVs with Amazon’s OS, none of them can compete with the 32-inch 2 Series' $110 Prime Day deal.
When a 32-inch Fire HD TV’s a good buy
If you’ve got kids or other family who regularly enjoy any of Amazon’s wealth of original content, you know how bingeworthy some of it can be. Amazon’s easily linked services make it a breeze to pick right back up where you left off watching your latest drama-of-the-week. It’s also bound to have Alexa in there somewhere, so you can manage some smart home devices, send a quick voice message, or just carry on an increasingly awkward conversation with one of everybody’s favorite chatbots.
And while you might fret over things like dynamic contrast and pixel density looking at a low-cost TV like the 2 Series, keep one other thing in mind: every major platform streams plenty of content at a maximum of highly compressed 720p, especially if you don’t want to shell out extra for increasingly frustrating streaming subscriptions. And if you watch mostly older content like ’80s movies that haven’t been truly remastered, you likely wouldn’t even notice a jump between 720p and a higher resolution.
True, not many people will make this bare bones 32-inch display the centerpiece of the big game watch party, but that’s not what it’s for. If you only rarely watch TV, and then only certain shows, a small TV might be exactly what you need. Or if you want a small screen in the bedroom to pass out watching your favorite shows, you’re in luck: modern 32-inch TVs are, by nature, relatively slim and lightweight.
Finally, if you want a capable and dependable display (and alow-priced tabletwon’t fill your streaming needs), but aren’t picky and don’t want to spend much, take heart: this $110 TV is the cheapest reliable television on sale duringAmazon’s Prime event.
