Fire TV Alexa Voice Remote Pro Review: An Unnecessary Upgrade

Amazon Fire TV and Roku both include remotes with their streaming devices and TVs, and both now offer the option to buy a fancier clicker for $30. We really like Roku’s version, the Voice Remote Pro, which comes with a rechargeable battery and an intuitive find-my-remote feature. Instead of searching endlessly for a lost remote, you can just say “Hey Roku, find my remote” and the mid-field mic on the remote’s body will play a beeping noise until you find it. It’s a good trick that works well and makes the upgrade tempting for anyone who owns a Roku. 

I didn’t like the $30 Fire TV Alexa Voice Remote Pro nearly as much. Like the Roku version, the Amazon incarnation also features find-my-remote capabilities, though it’s not as good as the one found on Roku. That’s because Amazon’s remote lacks a mid-field mic and therefore needs an additional Alexa device, like an Echo speaker, in order to ping your missing remote. The Fire TV Alexa Voice Remote Pro also lacks a rechargeable battery, so it still needs a steady supply of AAAs for its power. That said, it does come with an easy way to pair your Bluetooth headphones to your TV, as well as backlit buttons so you can see them in the dark. Otherwise, this remote isn’t very different from other remotes included with Fire TV devices and isn’t worth the upgrade at all — unless you constantly lose your clicker and are desperate for a way to find it. 

Read More: Ultimate Alexa Command Guide: 200+ Voice Commands You Need to Know

The good: Backlit buttons, Bluetooth pairing

The Fire TV Alexa Voice Remote Pro looks a lot like other Fire TV remotes. Its layout is almost identical to that of the remote that comes with the Fire TV Cube, for example, though the Pro is slightly more compact. It comes with three additional buttons that can only be found on the Pro: a headphone button at the top right corner, which acts as a shortcut to Bluetooth pairing, as well as two customizable shortcut buttons at the bottom. These can be used to open an app on your TV, initiate an Alexa command or control Alexa-enabled smart home products. 

Everything on the remote works well, even across multiple Fire TV devices. I tested the Fire TV Alexa Voice Remote Pro on an older Fire TV Stick 4K and on the 2022 Fire TV Cube and was able to easily switch between the devices by pressing and holding the home button on the remote until it paired. There was no difference in functionality from one Fire TV device to the other. 

I found that it was easy to set a shortcut button — all I had to do was long-press on one of the customizable buttons to bring up a list of shortcuts to choose from — and pressing on the preinstalled shortcuts to Prime Video, Netflix, Disney Plus and Hulu worked flawlessly. 

Using the headphones button to pair Bluetooth devices was also easy and effective. Clicking on the button opened a side menu where you can quickly pair your Bluetooth headphones. Both of my Bose Quiet Comfort IIs and my Airpods Pro connected to my Fire TV Cube with minimal fuss. I didn’t notice any lag in sound or dialogue and found it to be a great way to watch TV. It’s especially nice to connect without having to use an app on my phone (I’m looking at you, Roku) in order to watch TV without disturbing anyone. 

Note that you can pair headphones with most Fire TV devices by digging into the menus, so the shortcut button isn’t a necessity. It is really convenient, however, and I’d love to see it on more remotes in the future.

The backlit buttons aren’t a game-changer, but it’s fun to see the white symbols glow through the all-black buttons every time you grab the remote in a dim room. It’s a nice touch that gives the remote a slightly more premium feel. 

The bad: To find this remote, you need another Alexa

Fire TV’s most impressive feature is Alexa voice control, but Alexa isn’t any different on the “Pro” remote than it is on any other device. All Fire TV remotes have access to Amazon’s personal assistant. You can ask it to search, control the TV, launch apps, and do any number of things. There is only one special feature that makes the Pro remote compelling: Alexa can find this remote when it’s lost. 

Unfortunately, you need to rely on another Alexa device in order for this to work. Amazon is certain that you’ll have other Alexa-powered devices around your room, and if that’s the case, all you’ll need to do is ask other ones to help. 

But what if your Fire TV is the only Alexa device you own? Well, then you’ll need to download and use the Alexa app on your Android or iPhone. Just open it up and say “Alexa, find my remote.” This will activate the clicker’s painfully annoying multi-note beep (I prefer Roku’s range of finder sounds). It won’t stop until you hit any button on the device, which will give you extra incentive to find your remote as quickly as possible in order to shut it up.

The whole process works as intended, but I wish it were possible to cut Alexa out of the equation. Roku’s use of a mid-field mic on its remote means that you don’t need an extra device to find it when it’s lost. The remote itself will be able to hear you and immediately start pinging — no need for an app or anything else. 

The Roku Voice Remote Pro also comes with a rechargeable battery, while the Fire TV Alexa Voice Remote Pro does not. I understand that it can be annoying to need to recharge tech, but single-use batteries are not very efficient. This feels like another place where Amazon failed to differentiate the Fire TV Alexa Voice Remote Pro from the rest of the remotes it makes. 

Conclusion: You don’t need this remote

Ultimately, the Fire TV Alexa Voice Remote Pro does little to make it an interesting, let alone necessary, upgrade. If you’ve lost or destroyed your original remote and need a new one anyway, or if you lose your Fire TV remote constantly, this might be a good choice. Otherwise, save your $30 and spend it on something more useful.