Google TV Streamer vs Amazon Fire TV Cube: which is the best streaming device?

Google and Amazon are two of the biggest players in the world of media streaming devices, but which would be right for you?

Do you opt for Google's latest, the Google TV Streamer? It offers more power and storage than its predecessor, along with more smart home skills and AI smarts.

Or do you go for the Amazon Fire TV Cube? Now in its third generation, this is Amazon's most powerful streamer that also boasts plenty of smarty features.

Let's help you decide.

• The best TV streaming devices

Google TV Streamer vs Amazon Fire TV Cube: price

When it comes to your wallet, Google's newcomer has the edge over Amazon's highest-spec flagship streamer.

The Google TV Streamer lands at a relatively palatable £99 / $99 / AU$159, significantly undercutting the Fire TV Cube which launched at £140 / $140 / AU$219.

However, frequent sales and Prime Day offers have brought the Cube down to an even closer £110 / $110.

In short, if you're pinching pennies, Google's offering is the clear winner for this round.

If you're open to both prices, however, keep on reading to see what each offers for their respective costs.

** Winner: Google TV Streamer **

Google TV Streamer vs Amazon Fire TV Cube: design

When it comes to aesthetics, we're dealing with polar opposites here.

Google's TV Streamer opts for a softer approach, resembling a smooth white pebble that wouldn't look out of place in a Zen garden.

Its organic, rounded form factor won’t appeal to everyone, but it should comfortably blend into most modern, minimalist home decors without too much fuss – as long as you don’t mind its lighter colour choice.

It isn't exactly a device you'll be handling very often, though, so you needn't worry about fingermarks spoiling the clean, 'Porcelain' white finish as you might do a more tactile device.

In stark contrast, Amazon's Fire TV Cube embraces its namesake.

Well, minus the fire part.

A black box with harsh, sharp edges, it’s the Sith Lord to Google’s Jedi Master.

Neither design is as subtle as that of the discreet streaming sticks or dongles elsewhere in the market.

But the Fire Cube’s straighter edges and darker colour might appeal more to those who want a device that blends in with more traditional AV surroundings.

Both devices come with a remote control with built-in microphones for voice control – Google has Google Assistant while Amazon has Alexa, of course.

The Google remote has a button you can program to, say, an app shortcut, as well as a neat Find My Remote feature for when you inevitably lose it down the couch too.

The Fire TV Cube's comprehensive remote is the same one you’ll find on every Fire TV device and includes a smorgasbord of playback control and shortcut buttons, plus a D-pad for navigation.

** Winner: Draw **

Google TV Streamer vs Amazon Fire TV Cube: features

When it comes to storage, Google takes the lead with 32GB – double that of the Fire TV Cube's 16GB.

If you're an app hoarder, this could be a deciding factor.

However, Amazon fights back with connectivity. The Fire TV Cube features six ports, including HDMI 2.1 and ARC, an IR extender, Ethernet and USB-A.

Google's streamer is more minimalist with just three offerings: USB-C for power and data, HDMI 2.1, and Ethernet.

The USB-C port can, at least, be used for connecting peripherals such as expandable storage, which could come in very handy for power users.

Both devices are 4K/60fps powerhouses that support the three most popular HDR flavours – Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HDR10+ – as well as Dolby Atmos surround sound.

Google's TV Streamer aims to stand out from the crowd by banking on AI to set it apart, with the company's built-in Gemini smarts for integration with other Google services such as easy smart home controls with Home.

It can generate content summaries – though we found these a little hit and miss – find reviews and, pretty usefully, create season-by-season breakdowns to get you up to speed with TV shows.

It also helps generate art for the idle mode, allowing you to display said art on your TV when you're not using it.

One point we noted in our Google TV Streamer review is that the menus tend to 'stick' far too often for our liking.

It's not a dealbreaker, but it does hold things up when you're trying to find something to watch, and it's unforgivable on a device boasting this much power (and that costs this much).

The Fire TV Cube, on the other hand, relies on Amazon’s tried-and-tested Alexa for its smart features, also offering smart home integration.

It also pulls double duty as a smart speaker, adding a pretty major extra bit of functionality to its feature set, which goes some way to justifying its higher price tag.

It’s only a useful feature if you're after a dedicated smart speaker in your living room set-up, though.

Otherwise, you’d be better off with the more affordable Fire TV Stick 4K.

** Winner: Amazon Fire TV Cube **

Google TV Streamer vs Amazon Fire TV Cube: picture

The Google TV Streamer scored four stars in our review.

That's not the perfect five of its predecessor, but it is one better than the Amazon Fire TV Cube.

The Google TV Streamer's picture is very good, but not outstanding.

Its contrast is much improved over its predecessor, with a starker difference between the lightest and darkest parts of the picture.

That creates more depth, which makes the image more engrossing.

Colours pop, but while still managing to look natural and authentic – which is no mean feat.

And it's adept at motion handling, with a real lack of blur or juddering during fast-moving scenes.

The Amazon Fire TV Cube is less impressive.

It gets the fundamentals right and offers up a sharp and clean, nicely defined and detailed image.

But it overlooks the nuances that help to elevate pictures to a truly engaging and cinematic experience.

In our Amazon Fire TV Cube review, we described it as "neither exceptional nor terrible". In other words, a bit 'meh.'

** Winner: Google TV Streamer **

Google TV Streamer vs Amazon Fire TV Cube: sound

Unfortunately, Google's latest streamer doesn't fare as well in terms of sound.

It's not that it's bad, it's just not as impressive as we would have liked.

For movies and TV shows, the audio is perfectly adequate.

It's clear and detailed, with vocals brought to the fore. And it makes a decent fist of conveying the excitement of an action sequence.

"As bullets and arrows start flying in a battle at the Osaka Continental Hotel in John Wick: Chapter 4, the streamer does a solid job of delivering weighty thuds as bodies drop, and the slashes of katanas sound clean and sharp," we wrote in our Google TV Streamer review.

But its low-level dynamics leave a lot to be desired.

And the dialogue, while clear, sounds a bit flat and dull.

These qualities mean it struggles when it comes to playing music. It needs a lot more warmth and texture in order to really do a track justice.

It's a similar story with the Amazon Fire TV Cube. Its sound is clear, balanced and well-projected but lacks subtlety and rhythmic drive.

** Winner: Draw **

Google TV Streamer vs Amazon Fire TV Cube: verdict

These devices share a lot of features: 4K/60fps, HDR, Dolby Atmos, voice control and smart home integration.

Both Amazon and Google's app offerings are sophisticated enough to cover pretty much every base you could reasonably expect, too.

But in use, Google's menus tend to stick far too often.

In terms of features, the Amazon Fire TV Cube comes out on top, but for picture quality, the Google TV Streamer is the better bet.

For sound, they're very similar (with neither being brilliant), and for aesthetics, it's very much down to your personal preference.

Overall, the Google TV Streamer is the better performer.

But if you're deep in the Amazon ecosystem and come across a deal, the Fire TV Cube could suffice. Just don't expect top picture quality.

MORE:

Read our Google TV Streamer review

And our Amazon Fire TV Cube (3rd Generation) review

Google TV Streamer vs Chromecast with Google TV: should you upgrade?

Best media streamers: the best TV streaming devices