Best tech gifts for Christmas 2023: Top new gadgets of the year and other presents

Best for: Home cinema for under £500

Okay, when I say: ‘best for home cinema under £500’, I may be stretching it a bit as the three models in the 4-Series are priced at £430 for the 43-inch, £500 for the 50-inch and £550 for the 55-inch. However, that’s two under 500 quid (the 50-inch is actually £499.99), and that’s a pretty attractive set of prices for whopping great TVs that deliver full-on 4K Ultra High Definition images with support for HDR10 and HLG.

Aesthetically identical to its 2-Series siblings and with a matching build quality, again we’ll skip the shallow skin-deep stuff and concentrate on what goes on beneath because, again, for the asking price, there’s an awful lot.

As you might imagine the set up scenario is the same as the 2-Series, so a few button presses, an adding of apps and an entry of your details is all that’s required to gain success to a world of TV over your Wi-Fi, and for everything else, there are no fewer than three HDMI 2.0, plus 1x HDMI 2.1 with eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel) for piping high quality audio from the TV to an AV Receiver or soundbar. So, add into that heady mix a USB and an Ethernet port and connectivity is, as you can see, excellent.

Once you’ve got that all sorted, you have unfettered access to all manner of AV entertainment and the glorious 4K images that may come with it; and those images are glorious, gloriously vivid, crisp and sharp enough to take your eye out. Rich in detail, the Amazon 4-Series has a reasonable brightness of 300-nits, but I would say that it’s best viewed in darker rooms to enjoy the full benefits of what it can offer on-screen.

A refresh rate of 60Hz keeps things flowing smoothly and letting Xbox and Playstation fans find freedom from lag. Okay, it may not be the 120Hz that next gen gamers seek, but that price!

Audio here comes in the form of 2x 8W speakers which deliver surprisingly decent sound, but you should probably take advantage of that aforementioned eARC and set yourself up with a sound system on a par with the images.

The remote remains the same, meaning you too can head straight to the four favoured apps of Prime, Netflix, Freeview and Disney+ and, yes, you too can use the dulcet tones of your own voice to command Alexa to do your bidding by pressing on the blue button.

Big, bold and brilliant in its flexibility and simplicity to set up and operate, the Amazon Fire 4-Series is a veritable bargain for anyone looking for a big UHD centrepiece for their home cinema but without the big price.

Tech Spec

Sizes: 43-, 50-, 55-inch

Display type: LED

Resolution: Ultra HD (4K)

HDR format: HDR 10, HLG

Press & Ask Alexa: Yes

Hands free with Alexa: No

Ports: 3x HDMI 2.0, 1x HDMI2.1 eARC, USB, Ethernet

Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Ethernet