ANYONE in the market for a smart TV should have Sky Glass and Amazon’s Fire Omni TV on their radar.
We've put both of them head-to-head to help you decide which will work best for you – read on to find out more.
Update (03/25): The Sky Glass model discussed in this article has been discontinued. Sky has since announced two new versions, the Sky Glass Gen 2 and the Sky Glass Air.
- Sky Glass Gen 2, 43-inch, from £699 – buy here
- Amazon 43-inch Fire TV Omni, £349.99 (was £549.99) – buy here
Sky and are leading the way when it comes to the latest generation of smart TVs.
and come with impressive specs like 4K viewing, Dolby sound, and streaming all rolled into one.
They are excellent choices for anybody on the hunt for a smart TV with built-in .
So the question is – are you team Sky or Amazon?
In this article, we’re going to take a look at both smart TVs to help you choose which will work best for you.
We’ve looked at everything from price and screen quality, to what features you can expect, and whether you can access both platforms on your chosen set.
Sky Glass vs Amazon Fire TV Omni: price
One of the major differences between Sky Glass and Amazon Fire Omni is in the pricing structure, with Sky favouring its subscription-based model, and Amazon marketing its smart TVs as a stand-alone purchase.
With Sky Glass, you pay for the hardware upfront or in instalments over 24 or 48 months, depending on your preference, and an upfront fee.
Its smallest TV, the 43-inch model starts from £699 upfront, or £14p/m over 48 months and £28p/m over 24 months with up to £20 to pay upfront.
On top of this, you’ll need to factor in the cost of your Sky TV subscription.
Of course, it's also highly customizable with add-ons such as and Sky Cinema which you can include at extra cost.
Sky has unveiled two new versions of its , with one already up for grabs.
Our Senior Tech & Science Reporter, Jamie Harris, got an early look at the Sky Glass Gen 2 and shared the full lowdown on the . The Sky Live Air is set to land later this year.
Amazon, on the other hand, is a simpler affair, with its Fire Omni TVs sold as a standalone product, with a one-off payment for the hardware.
There are four sizes to choose from, starting from £549.99 for the 43-inch model, and up to £999.99 for the largest 65-inch set.
If you don’t want to pay more you can enjoy the huge library of content on and streaming apps like iPlayer, ITVX, and All4.
You can also access paid streaming services like , , and Video with zero obligation.
Both retailers run frequent sales, so there is plenty of opportunity to save.
Sky Glass vs Amazon Fire TV Omni: screen quality
If you’ve been hunting for a smart TV, you will have seen plenty of retailers boasting HD, , or QLED displays, and while it sounds impressive it can be a guessing game to get to grips with.
OLED is the gold standard on the market, with a hefty price tag to match that’ll set you back thousands, so QLED displays are marketed as a more affordable alternative.
Both the Sky Glass and Fire TV Omni are on par, featuring QLED displays – so there’s no rivalry where the screen quality is concerned.
QLED displays make use of the impressive-sounding quantum dot , which forms an extra layer in front of the backlight to create the colours you see on screen.
Simply put, you can expect a brighter and crisper display when getting a QLED display.
While we haven’t tested Amazon’s offering, our Tech and Science Editor Sean Keach tested Sky's product and in hishe was mightily impressed by the “vivid and sharp” display.
Sky Glass vs Amazon Fire TV Omni: features
As you’d expect from Sky and Amazon tech, there are some great features to be enjoyed on both TV sets.
Both feature their own brand of voice command features, with Amazon's familiar taking centre stage on the Omni TV – but unlike its predecessors, you won't need a remote to use it.
Similarly, with Sky Glass, you get the “Hello Sky” voice command search, which lets you pause, play, rewind, and search on the Sky interface.
You'll also get motion technology on both the Glass and Omni sets, which turns the TV on and off when it detects you're in the room.
Sky's Glance Motion technology wakes the screen when you walk into the room and switches off after inactivity.
With the Omni series, you gain the exclusive Ambient Experience, which displays useful widgets and personalised content over landscape photos and art, with Alexa at the ready.
Something to consider when purchasing any piece of streaming kit is how important being able to record content is for you, as it doesn't come with the territory.
Amazon's Omni TVs don't come with recording capabilities, but you can use catch-up TV services such as BBC iPlayer, , and more.
Sky Glass on the other hand offers its playlist feature, which allows you to bank certain content for a limited time – but it has other products like if you want to be able to record.
Sky has also developed an accessory for its Glass TV with , which works as an interactive video camera.
It lets users video call, watch TV with family, play games and even do classes.
Our Tech and Science reporter Jamie Harris and gave his verdict on whether it's worth adding to the basket.
- Sky Live, £290 – buy here
Sky Glass vs Amazon Fire TV Omni: design
While both TVs are modern and trendy, there is one clear standout star here, and it has to be Sky Glass.
Unlike most smart TVs, Sky Glass comes in multiple colours and its unique look features a squared-off design with a barely there bezel and a wide bottom edge which houses the built-in Dolby speakers.
The thin rectangular base also gives the Glass a subtle floating quality – so all in all, the Sky Glass definitely prioritises looks.
While the Fire Omni is a stylish TV, it adopts an unremarkable and more conventional design.
You won't get the level of choice you get with Sky Glass when it comes to the colour, it only comes in silver with a plastic body and standard A-frame feet at either end.
But it will be much easier to wall mount than Sky's offering, which will need to be professionally installed if required.
- Sky Glass Gen 2, Artic (silver) from £699 – buy here
- Sky Glass Gen 2, Volcanic (grey) from £699 – buy here
- Sky Glass Gen 2, Atlantic (blue) from £699 – buy here
Can you use Amazon Fire on Sky Glass?
You may also ask yourself whether you can access the Amazon Fire platform on Sky Glass, which is possible with the addition of a plug-in .
It is handy to know for those who want the best of both worlds and are willing to switch between the two interfaces.
There is also the ability to use Sky Glass without Sky TV, but naturally, Sky's technology is so ingrained in the Glass and geared towards it that it's not recommended.
We've rounded up the for those of you leaning towards the Sky camp, so check them out before buying.
Fire TV Stick deals
- Amazon Fire TV Stick HD (Newest gen), £39.99 – buy here
- Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max (Newest gen), £69.99 – buy here
To see how the Glass compares to Sky's TV box, read our explainer.
To see how it matches up to Sky's more traditional set-top box, head to ourguide.
