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In this post, I review five of the very best remotes for Amazon Prime Video this year. I’ll include some budget remotes as well as a few universal options that will let you stream Prime Video like a champ.
The seven best remotes for Amazon Prime Video are:
- Harmony Companion [All-in-One Pick]
- Logitech Harmony Ultimate [Premium Pick]
- Harmony 950 [Advanced Media Remote]
- Harmony 665 [Solid Budget Remote]
- Sofabaton [Cheap Harmony Alternative]
- Fire TV Cube [Voice Control with Alexa]
- Smart Control [Retro Harmony Option]
Click any link in the above list to jump down for my specific review for that remote, or if you are a sci-fan (like me) read on!
? Related: What Universal Remotes Work with Firestick?
A Not-So Prime Experience?
Next to Netflix, Amazon Prime is my favorite streaming service. I’m a bit of a Sci-Fi nut, and they have lots of great shows and original content to satisfy my inner nerd. Some of my favs are Mr. Robot, Star Trek, Westworld, Orphan Black, Upload, and The Expanse.
Apparently, I’m not alone. This article from Forbes magazine quoting a recent eMarketer study said that next to Netflix Amazon is the second-largest over-the-top (OTT) streaming service. Netflix has 158.8 million users and Amazon is catching up with 96.5 million.
But controlling Prime Video with your lame TV remote AND the remote that came with your cable service AND your soundbar remote and maybe even a few others is not a “prime” experience at all.
Beam me up, Scotty!
In this post, I am going to present you with seven of the best remotes for Amazon Prime Video. They will help you to consolidate all of the remotes cluttering up your coffee table and level-up your game with Amazon Prime.
[ss_click_to_tweet tweet=”Want a better remote to control Amazon Prime Video? Here are seven excellent options. #amazonprimevideo #amazonprimevideo #universalremote” content=”Want a better remote to control Amazon Prime Video? Here are seven excellent options. #amazonprimevideo #amazonprimevideo #universalremote” style=”5″ link=”1″ via=”1″]Harmony Companion [All-in-One Pick]
First on my list of best remotes for Amazon Prime Video, is the Harmony Companion.
Many industry experts tout the Harmony Companion as one of the best universal remotes you can buy. Android Guys have called it “the best remote for most people.”
Functionally, Companion can do everything Logitech’s more expensive Harmony Elite can do pretty much. You just don’t get Elite’s snazzy color LCD screen. It will do activities, it will do Alexa and Google Voice commands, it will do smart home stuff as well as TV entertainment, and it gives you a backup remote on your phone. It will only let you consolidate remotes for up to eight devices, compared to 15 with Elite and Ultimate (below), but for many people that is enough.
Vital Stats
- Color: Black
- Technology: IR
- Includes Hub: No
- Touchscreen: 1.5 inches (diagonal), 65,000-color screen, 128 x 128 pixels
- Devices: 15
- Favorites: 50
- Alexa and Google: Not without Hub
- Smart Devices: Not without Hub
- Button Placement: Latest gen
- Backlit Buttons: All
- Available from: Amazon and Other Retailers
- Warranty: 90 days email /phone
- Battery: Li-Ion rechargeable, non-replaceable
For More Information
For more information about Harmony Companion, check out his blog post I wrote a few months back about Harmony Elite vs Companion.
Where to Buy It
Since Amazon owns Prime Video, it is also a great place to pick up some of the best remotes for Prime Video. They often have some great sales on Harmony remotes. Click or tap the button below to go to the Amazon product page (affiliate link).
Logitech Harmony Ultimate [Premium Pick]
Next on my list of the best remotes for Amazon Prime Video is the Harmony Ultimate.
My favorite thing about the Harmony Ultimate remote is the cool color LCD touch screen. You can program customize activities using the hard buttons or choose to navigate using the cooler LCD screen. It used to be the Harmony Elite was my favorite universal remote, but since I bought the Ultimate One for testing purposes, I have to say I like this remote better. It feels richer in my hand and the text on the screen is larger for my bad eyesight.
Unlike the other Harmony remotes, the Ultimate also is available in both black and white. I bought the black one, but I like the idea of having a white remote too.
Vital Stats
- Color: Black or White
- Technology: IR, Wifi, Bluetooth
- Includes Hub: Yes
- Touchscreen: Color QVGA (320×240)
- Devices: 15
- Favorites: 50
- Alexa and Google: Yes
- Smart Devices: Yes
- Button Placement: Legacy
- Backlit Buttons: All
- Available from: Amazon and Other Retailers
- Warranty: 90 days email /phone
- Battery: Li-Ion rechargeable, non-replaceable
For More Information
If you want to learn more about this remote, check out my review comparing Harmony Ultimate vs 950 vs Harmony Elite.
Where to Buy It
You can pick up this bad boy over at Amazon by clicking or tapping on the button below (affiliate link).
- Discontinued by Manufacturer
Harmony 950 [Advanced Media Remote]
Next on my list of the best remotes for Amazon Prime Video is Harmony 950.
Unless you add the Harmony Hub, you won’t be able to control your smart home devices with the 950. You will, however, be able to control all the devices sitting in your media cabinet. Like the Ultimate, the 950 also has a cool color touch screen, support for Activities, comes with a smartphone app, and it will give you voice commands with Alexa and Google Assistant.
However, the design of the remote isn’t as cool as the Ultimate [it matches the Harmony Elite]. If you want to know more, check out my review comparing Harmony 950 vs Elite at the link below.
Vital Stats
- Color: Black
- Technology: IR
- Includes Hub: No
- Touchscreen: 1.5 inches (diagonal), 65,000 color screen, 128 x 128 pixels
- Devices: 15
- Favorites: 50
- Alexa and Google: Not without Hub
- Smart Devices: Not without Hub
- Button Placement: Latest gen
- Backlit Buttons: All
- Available from: Amazon and Other Retailers
- Warranty: 90 days email /phone
- Battery: Li-Ion rechargeable, non-replaceable
For More Information
For further reading, check out my review comparing Harmony Elite vs 950.
Where To Buy It
You can learn more about this remote on the Amazon product page. Click or tap on the button below (my affiliate link to Amazon).
Logitech is no longer making new remotes, but the company has said it will continue to support the Harmony line for as "long as customers continue to buy and use them."
Harmony 665 [Solid Budget Remote]
Full disclosure, the 665 will not do a lot of what the Harmony Hub-based remotes will do. You cannot use to control your smart home, there is no companion remote app, and you can integrate it with Alexa or Google Home.
What you can do is customize it to your heart’s content for a lot less money than some of the other Harmony options. With support for 275,000- devices from 5000 brands, chances are, Harmony 665 will control all the IR devices in your media cabinet. Still, if you are looking for a solid budget option, this is one of the best remotes for Amazon Prime Video that you can buy this year.
Vital Stats
- Color: Black
- Technology: IR
- Includes Hub: No
- Touchscreen: 1.5 inches (diagonal), 65,000 colors, 128 x 128 pixels
- Devices: 15
- Favorites: 50
- Alexa and Google: Not without Hub
- Smart Devices: Not without Hub
- Button Placement: Latest gen
- Backlit Buttons: All
- Available from: Amazon and Other Retailers
- Warranty: 90 days email /phone
- Battery: Li-Ion rechargeable, non-replaceable
For More Information
Learn more about this remote in my Harmony 665 review here.
Where To Buy It
While this remote tends to sell out from time to time, you can pick one up over at Amazon. Click or tap on the button in the box below (affiliate link).
SofaBaton U2 [Cheap Harmony Alternative]
Enhancements over the U1 model include a more user-friendly design with larger buttons and an improved battery cover. However, compared to the SofaBaton X1, it lacks certain features such as voice control and a touch screen. Yet, given its competitive price, the U2 offers a commendable performance for users seeking a cost-effective, functional universal remote.
Vital Stats
- Color: Black
- Technology: IR and Bluetooth
- Includes Hub: No
- Touchscreen: OLED
- Devices: 50
- Favorites: 10+
- Alexa and Google: No
- Smart Devices: No
- Button Placement: Latest gen – go for the ‘updated’ model.
- Backlit Buttons: All
- Available from: Amazon and Other Retailers
- Warranty: 90 days email /phone
- Battery: Two AA (included)
For More Information
For more info on this remote, check out the post I mentioned comparing Sofabaton vs Harmony remotes.
Where To Buy It
Click or tap on the button in the box below to check on the price over at Amazon (affiliate link).
The improved Sofabaton U2 remote features a better design, more responsive buttons, enhanced infrared performance, and easier battery replacement, making it a worthy upgrade from its U1 predecessor.
Fire TV Cube [Voice Control with Alexa]
I have almost a dozen Alexa devices but the Fire TV Cube is one of my favorites. Why? Because it lets me control my TV using my voice. I mean, come on! This is the future people. As someone who grew up buying records (yes, vinyl), listening to cassettes on a Sony Walkman and watching MTV, it just kills me every time I tell Alexa to turn on the TV from my couch or to turn it off after I tuck myself into bed at night. But the voice control doesn’t stop there oh, no.
You can use it to control the volume, mute, unmute as well as tune to your favorite movies, tv shows, specific channels. You can also use it to Play/Pause/Rewind your favorites to boot. This is one of the best remotes for Amazon Prime Video that you can get today, IMHO.
Vital Stats
- Color: Black
- Technology: IR
- Includes Hub: No
- Touchscreen: N/A
- Devices: 15
- Favorites: 50
- Alexa and Google: Not without Hub
- Smart Devices: Not without Hub
- Button Placement: Latest gen
- Backlit Buttons: All
- Available from: Amazon and Other Retailers
- Warranty: 90 days email /phone
- Battery: Li-Ion rechargeable, non-replaceable
For More Information
Check out this blog post I wrote on Fire TV Cube commands and I also put together a Fire TV Cube Spec Sheet if you like to nerd out of tech specs like me.
Where To Buy It
So where can you buy the Fire TV Cube? You guessed it: Amazon. Click or tap on the button below (affiliate link to Amazon).
- Brings lightning-fast app starts with an octa-core processor and is 2X as powerful as Fire TV Stick 4K Max.
- Control your compatible TV, soundbar, and receivers with your voice using Alexa, even from across the room.
Harmony Smart Control
Last on my list of the best remotes for Amazon Prime Video is the Harmony Smart Control.
Harmony Smart Contol is one of those unique remotes where the purchase decision comes down to two key factors. The first is aesthetics. While the functionally of this remote is nearly identical to the Harmony Companion, it looks different. It’s thinner yet feels heavier in the hand. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say I think it looks cooler than the more popular Companion remote.
The main reason Companion is more popular is that the button placement is better. The one gripe I have with the Smart Control remote is that it can be a pain for power users to have to switch from the top buttons to the bottom for streaming Prime and other services.
Vital Stats
- Color: Black
- Technology: IR
- Includes Hub: No
- Touchscreen: 1.5 inches (diagonal), 65,000 colour screen, 128 x 128 pixels
- Devices: 15
- Favorites: 50
- Alexa and Google: Not without Hub
- Smart Devices: Not without Hub
- Button Placement: Latest gen
- Backlit Buttons: All
- Available from: Amazon and Other Retailers
- Warranty: 90 days email /phone
- Battery: Li-Ion rechargeable, non-replaceable
For More Information
Check out the review I wrote comparing Smart Control vs Companion for more information
Where To Buy It
Tap or click the button in the product summary box to see this over at Amazon (affiliate link).
Best Remotes for Amazon Prime Video: Your Turn
So what do you think about my picks for the best remotes for Amazon Prime video?
Do you favor the cool color LCD screen on the Ultimate like me? What do you think about controlling your TV with your voice assistants like Alexa or Google Home? Pretty cool, right?
Please leave me a comment below and let me know.
? Related: 11 Best Universal Remotes This Year
Related Links
What Universal Remotes Work with Firestick?
15 Best Universal Remote Apps for Android in 2021
7 Best Universal Remotes for Amazon Fire TV
5 Magical Remotes for Disney+ To Do ‘Mandalorian’ Proud
Fire TV Cube 3rd Gen vs 2nd Gen vs 1st Gen
Tim Brennan is a technology blogger and hosts the @TecTimmy YouTube channel. He writes about smart homes at oneSmartcrib, home theaters at UniversalRemoteReviews, and AI in writing at Writeinteractive. A graduate of Northeastern University School of Journalism, he has written about technology for 30 years. Tim lives on the ocean in Nahant, Massachusetts.
Please subscribe to my YouTube channel for a fun take on all things tech.