Amazon Fire TV Alexa Voice Remote (3rd Gen) with TV controls, Requires compatible Fire TV device, 2021 release

I bought one of the larger echos a couple years ago, I think, and they didn't come with remotes at the time. Makes sense since the intent was voice or touch navigation. Like a lot of people, it seems, I use mine more like a small TV with voice control. A lot of apps were pre-added and I added more, mostly to watch some shows in bed at night with a small screen, low volume and easy voice navigation. It's great for that but the one thing that drove me a little nuts right away was the volume control. There's just no way to get it just right with either voice or touch and the controls on top are actually hard to find and adjust in a dark room and getting out of bed to use them defeats the purpose. This remote solves that issue and several others. The volume control in the lower center is intuitive in the dark and offers much finer control of the volume than any other option. Honestly, I'd buy this just for that reason, I found the volume issues that annoying. But I have found that it makes navigating to various apps a lot easier, there are even some one-touch buttons to navigate to specific apps without a hassle. It's also very helpful for when echo wants to be stubborn about which episode to play when I tell it a show to bring up on amazon prime video. On some shows it seems to be confused about which one to start playing no matter what I tell it and with the remote it's no longer a problem. I can easily navigate down to the correct ep and start playing. Otherwise, I would again be getting out of bed to use the touchscreen and that was never my intended use for the echo device. So the remote just makes total sense and I believe it's now included on the newer models. I have also seen some cases for it that include a small light. It isn't backlit and has no light options built in so that could be handy if you don't find it intuitive to use in the dark but I got used to the controls very quickly and don't see a need for a lighted case. A backlit option would be a great upgrade, though, it's so common in other remotes. As far as installation, I just followed the instructions and had no problems at all. It's such a simple, useful addition to the echo that if I lost mine, I'd be buying another one right away.

The Firestick remote I received with my Firestick cube worked well for a few years but than the using the buttons became more challenging with sticking and not responding. I have 3 Fires Cubes and this was the first time I have had to replace a remote. After comparing the available remotes, I felt that purchasing new from the Amazon store was best and to avoid remotes that cost less and sold by another seller. Take the time when purchasing this remote to first research the listing for compatibility with the Firestick device you want the remote for. Connecting up the new remote was easy and it work well. I am going to hold onto the old remote, just in case I need a temporary backup for use. I am not a user of Alexa but this remote will provide should I have need of. I am glad I purchased, no longer feeling the frustration from the sticking and I would definitely purchase again and recommend. Again research if this remote is compatible with your Firestick device before purchasing.

This is the newest Alexa Voice FireTV remote, for FireTV, FireTV Cube and FireStick devices.*note- Please check the compatibility list in the description, because while this remote works for most of the newer Amazon FireTV devices, it does NOT work with the older 1st Gen FireTV. *PROS:APP BUTTONS: The biggest change is the inclusion of the “Preset App Buttons” toward the bottom of the remote. These four buttons automatically launch Prime Video, Netflix, Disney Plus, and Hulu. I tested them out and each seemed to work well, launching the apps quickly.CHANNEL GUIDE BUTTON– This remote now has a Guide button (shaped like a little TV) to the right of the Volume buttons. We use a FireTV Recast to occasionally watch live TV, and this button pops up the Channel Guide so you can scroll through the live TV channels. After the recent FireTV homescreen menu change, it is pretty easy already to get to the Channel Guide from the Home page, but still, this makes it even easier.CONS:COST: At $30, this remote isn't exactly cheap. It works well, but might not be worth that price depending on your needs.OVERALL: This is a great remote, but I'm not sure if it is worth it to upgrade from a previous generation remote just for the added App Buttons and the Guide Button. We personally have found these buttons to be a nice touch though, as they might save you a second or two of scrolling. If you have an older remote that you were thinking about replacing anyway, then I would definitely recommend getting this one. (Also, keep in mind you CAN add this as a second remote to your FireTV Cube if you want, without getting rid of the first one, and you can use them both. We are currently doing that with one of our TVs, because we tend to misplace the remote anyway and having two that both work seems to be less of a headache.)