AmazonBasics has quietly launched its first televisions in India priced at Rs. 29,999 onwards. The televisions come in two size variants of 50 and 55 inches. The AmazonBasics Fire TV Edition televisions have 4K HDR LED display panels, with support for the Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos formats for HDR and audio, respectively. The televisions will go up against competition in the entry-level 4K smart TV segment, particularly from brands such as Xiaomi, TCL, Hisense, and Vu to name a few.
Both the Fire TV Edition televisions in the range are already available on Amazon India website, with two-day shipping available for Mumbai at the time of writing.
AmazonBasics Fire TV Edition Ultra-HD LED TV specifications and features
The new televisions from AmazonBasics are available in two sizes — 50 inches (AB50U20PS) and 55 inches (AB55U20PS) — both of which have Ultra-HD (3840×2160-pixel) LED screens, with support for HDR up to the Dolby Vision format. There’s also support for Dolby Atmos, with a rated speaker output of 20W.
The television range is powered by quad-core Amlogic processor, with three HDMI ports and two USB ports. The display has a peak refresh rate of 60Hz and a claimed viewing angle of up to 178-degrees.
As expected, the AmazonBasics TVs are Fire TV Edition devices and run Amazon’s Fire TV OS. This is the same operating system for televisions as on the Fire TV Stick range of streaming devices, as well as on Fire TV Edition televisions from other brands such as Onida and Akai. Of course, you can also connect your own set top box if you don’t want to use the Amazon ecosystem.
Although Fire TV OS is visually geared to perform best with Amazon Prime Video, other services such as Netflix, Hotstar, and YouTube are available in the form of apps for the platform, just like with a Fire TV Stick. You can also use Amazon’s voice assistant, Alexa, that can be asked to play movies, music, or TV shows, as well as seek information or control compatible IoT devices around the home.
Amazon’s entry into the TV segment has been long anticipated, and its first televisions are competitively priced and well-specified. At its pricing, AmazonBasics is priced around (or, in some cases) even a bit lower than TVs in the entry-level 4K segment from competing brands such as Xiaomi and Hisense, while offering key features such as Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.
While most televisions in the segment run on Android TV, AmazonBasics expectedly uses the Fire TV OS platform. As mentioned, this is the same as on the Fire TV Stick series, and will have capabilities similar to the Fire TV Stick 4K with native support for Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos.
Is Mi QLED TV 4K the best affordable smart TV for enthusiasts? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.