A square deal: Amazon's Fire TV Cube is down to $70...and includes a free Sling TV membership!

·Executive commerce editor, tech

14 March 2022 at 10:22 am·6-min read

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Here's everything that comes with the Amazon Fire TV Cube, including an IR extender and Ethernet adapter. — Put. The remote. Down. The Fire TV Cube supports hands-free Alexa commands for remote-free streaming goodness. (Photo: Amazon)

Are you still using your remote to control your TV? How quaint. First, you have to find the thing. Then you have to pick it up. Then you have to look at it and choose which buttons to push. Forget quaint; that's downright archaic!

OK, maybe it's not quite a Job-level hardship, but wouldn't it be easier (and arguably more fun) to control your TV using just your voice? That's one of the key benefits to using Amazon's Fire TV Cube, currently the only Fire TV device that supports hands-free Alexa commands. (Actually, there's a caveat to that; read on.)

Normally $120, the Amazon Fire TV Cube is currently on sale for $70, the lowest price on record. And, speaking of record breaking: For a limited time, the purchase of select Fire TV gadgets (including this one) will include a free 14-day Sling TV trial membership (see the banner on the product page).

$70 ~~$120~~ at Amazon

True to its name, the Fire TV Cube is, well, a cube. That means it doesn't hide away behind your TV like Amazon's Fire TV Sticks; rather, it's designed to sit beside it, mostly so its eight (!) built-in microphones can more easily detect your voice.

In other words, think of this as an Amazon Echo, but for TV. (It even has Echo-like control buttons on the top: volume, microphone on/off, etc.)

It does include a traditional Fire TV remote as well, of course; not everyone wants to use voice commands all the time. What's not included, annoyingly, is the HDMI cable you'll need to connect it to your TV. (Here's a 5-footer for just $4, in case you don't have an extra lying around.)

Like all Fire TV devices, this one can stream from just about any service: Amazon (natch), Hulu, Netflix, HBO and so on. It also supports games and other apps, one key advantage over Roku streamers.

Combine the Fire Stick with a free Sling membership — your portal to all of your favorite channels (TBS, A&E, Comedy Central, AMC, CNN, BBC America and many, many more) — and you can kiss that monthly cable bill goodbye for good! Talk about March Madness!

And speaking of advantages, the Fire TV Cube offers a rare one: an Ethernet adapter, meaning it can plug directly into your modem or router. That could be important if Wi-Fi connectivity in your house isn't great.

If that's not something you need, I'm going to make the case for choosing the Fire TV Stick 4K Max instead. Currently on sale for just $45 (save $10), it works with next-gen Wi-Fi 6 and has a remote that supports push-button Alexa commands. Want Cube-like hands-free operation? Any Alexa device you might already have — like one of the aforementioned Echo smart speakers — can take that on.

Plus, the Fire TV Stick plugs directly into the back of your TV, so you don't have to look at it. (The Cube is cute but maybe not so decor-friendly.) No HDMI cable required, either.

Ultimately it's your call; either of these would deliver a great streaming upgrade to your TV.

$70 ~~$120~~ at Amazon