The Toshiba Fire TV 2020 is an okay 4k TV and a decent upgrade over its predecessor, the Toshiba Fire TV 2019. Its high contrast ratio and excellent black uniformity mean it's not a bad choice for dark room viewing, and it can deliver an okay gaming experience with its fast response time and low input lag. Unfortunately, its narrow viewing angles make it less ideal for wide seating arrangements, it has low peak brightness in SDR and HDR, and it can't display a wide color gamut. Its color accuracy is also quite bad, but on the bright side, its Fire TV platform is user-friendly and has tons of streaming services available, and the built-in voice control works with other Amazon smart home products.
Our Verdict
The Toshiba Fire TV is okay overall. Although it has a VA panel with a high contrast ratio and excellent black uniformity, it's mediocre for watching movies in SDR or HDR because it doesn't get bright, can't display a wide color gamut, and lacks local dimming. It's decent for watching sports and TV shows as it has good reflection handling, but it doesn't get bright enough to fight glare. It's okay for gaming as it has low input lag and a quick response time, but it doesn't have other gaming features like variable refresh rate support.
- High contrast ratio.
- Fast response time.
- Good reflection handling.
- Low peak brightness in SDR and HDR.
- Sub-par viewing angles.
- Poor color accuracy.
The Toshiba Fire TV is mediocre for watching movies in dark rooms. Although it has a high contrast ratio and excellent black uniformity, it doesn't have local dimming and it can't remove judder at all. It upscales lower resolution movies well, though, and it doesn't stutter too much in low frame rate content.
- High contrast ratio.
- Excellent black uniformity.
- Low peak brightness in SDR and HDR.
- Sub-par viewing angles.
The Toshiba Fire TV is decent for watching TV shows during the day. It upscales lower resolution content well, there are tons of streaming services available, and there's no risk of permanent burn-in if you leave it on the same news channel all day. Unfortunately, even though it has good reflection handling, it doesn't get very bright, so visibility can be an issue in well-lit rooms. Additionally, its narrow viewing angles make it less suitable for those with wide seating areas.
- No risk of permanent burn-in.
- Good reflection handling.
- Low peak brightness in SDR and HDR.
- Sub-par viewing angles.
The Toshiba Fire TV is decent for watching sports in a bright room. It has a fast response time, it upscales lower resolution content from cable boxes well, and there isn't too much dirty screen effect. That said, its low peak brightness can make it hard to see in bright settings, and its narrow viewing angles aren't ideal for watching with a big group of people.
- Fast response time.
- Good reflection handling.
- Low peak brightness in SDR and HDR.
- Sub-par viewing angles.
The Toshiba Fire TV is okay for gaming. It has low input lag, fast response time, and it has great dark room performance due to its high contrast ratio and excellent black uniformity. Sadly, the refresh rate is limited to 60Hz and it doesn't support any advanced gaming features like variable refresh rate technology.
- High contrast ratio.
- Fast response time.
- Low input lag.
- Excellent black uniformity.
- Low peak brightness in SDR and HDR.
- Sub-par viewing angles.
- No VRR support.
The Toshiba Fire TV is mediocre for watching movies in HDR. It performs very well in dark rooms thanks to its high contrast ratio and excellent black uniformity; however, it lacks local dimming, it can't display a wide color gamut, and its low HDR peak brightness isn't enough to make highlights stand out. Color accuracy is pretty bad too, and it can't remove judder at all.
- High contrast ratio.
- Excellent black uniformity.
- Low peak brightness in SDR and HDR.
- Sub-par viewing angles.
The Toshiba Fire TV is okay for gaming in HDR. Its response time is great, and it has a high contrast ratio and excellent black uniformity, making it a good choice for gaming in the dark. Unfortunately, it can't really deliver a satisfying HDR experience due to the lack of local dimming and wide color gamut, and it doesn't get bright enough to make highlights pop. Also, its input lag is a lot higher when playing in HDR.
- High contrast ratio.
- Fast response time.
- Low input lag.
- Excellent black uniformity.
- Low peak brightness in SDR and HDR.
- Sub-par viewing angles.
- No VRR support.
The Toshiba Fire TV is okay for use as a PC monitor. It has a fast response time, and its VA panel is immune to permanent burn-in. However, it doesn't support chroma 4:4:4 and it has narrow viewing angles, so the image looks washed out at the edges if you sit too close. It has good reflection handling but doesn't get bright enough to fight a ton of glare.
- Low input lag.
- No risk of permanent burn-in.
- Good reflection handling.
- Low peak brightness in SDR and HDR.
- Sub-par viewing angles.
- Can't display chroma 4:4:4.
Changelog
- Updated Aug 03, 2021: Added the real content local dimming videos.
- Updated Jul 28, 2021: Updated review for accuracy and clarity.
- Updated Mar 03, 2021: Converted to Test Bench 1.6.
- Updated Aug 21, 2020: Review published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 50 inch Toshiba Fire TV (50LF621U21), and we expect our review to be valid for the 43 inch (43LF621U21) and 55 inch (55LF621U21) models as well. It's only available in North America, and the model codes are slightly different between the U.S. and Canada. There's also a 32 inch model available (32LF221U21), but it has a 720p resolution and should perform differently from the 4k model we tested.
| Size | Resolution | United States | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| 32" | 720p | 32LF221U21 | 32LF221C21 |
| 43" | 4k | 43LF621U21 | 43LF621C21 |
| 50" | 4k | 50LF621U21 | 50LF621C21 |
| 55" | 4k | 55LF621U21 | 55LF621C21 |
If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their Toshiba 50LF621U21 doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we will update the review. Note that some tests like the gray uniformity may vary between individual units.
Our unit of the Toshiba 50LF621U21 was manufactured in May 2020; you can see the label here.
Popular TV Comparisons
The Toshiba Fire TV Edition is an okay budget TV for most uses. Compared to other TVs in its price range, it's one of the better options for watching TV shows because it has good reflection handling. However, there are better options for watching movies or for use as a PC monitor, like the TCL 4 Series 2019.
For more options, check out our recommendations for the best TVs under $300, the best budget TVs, and the best 40-43 inch TVs.
The LG UN7300 is marginally better than the Toshiba Fire TV 2020. The LG is generally better if you want to use the TV as a PC monitor, as it has wider viewing angles, better reflection handling, and better color accuracy. Also, it has lower input lag and it can display proper chroma 4:4:4. The Toshiba is better for watching movies due to its higher contrast ratio and better black uniformity.
The TCL 4 Series 2019 is slightly better than the Toshiba Fire TV 2020. The TCL has a higher contrast ratio, better color accuracy, and lower input lag. It also has better gradient handling and can display chroma 4:4:4 properly. The Toshiba gets much brighter, though, and it has better reflection handling.
Overall, the Toshiba Fire TV 2020 is a decent upgrade from its predecessor, the Toshiba Fire TV 2019. The 2020 has a higher contrast ratio, better black uniformity, and its response time is significantly faster. Input lag has improved a lot as well but color accuracy is worse, and although it doesn't get as bright in SDR, it gets brighter in HDR.
Overall, the Samsung NU6900 is marginally better than the Toshiba Fire TV 2020. The Samsung has a much higher contrast ratio to deliver deep blacks, it has better screen uniformity and color accuracy, and its gradient handling is much better, so there's less banding. On the other hand, the Toshiba has faster response time, lower input lag, and it gets brighter in HDR.
We buy and test dozens of TVs yearly, taking an objective, data-driven approach to deliver results you can trust. Our testing process is complex, with hundreds of individual tests that take over a week to complete. Most of our tests use specially designed test patterns that mimic real content, but we also use the same sources you have at home to ensure our results match the real-world experience. We use two main tools for our testing: a Colorimetry Research CR-100 colorimeter and a CR-250 spectroradiometer.
Test Results
Older Test Bench: This product has been tested using an older TV test methodology, before a major update. Some of the test results below aren't directly comparable with other TVs. Learn more
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