Of all the streaming devices I've used in my life such as the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K, Roku Ultra, Nvidia Shield TV, Google Chromecast 2020, and now this Apple TV 4K, I personally find the Apple TV 4K to be the absolute best streaming device out of all of the aforementioned devices! The Apple TV 4K has a really clean & very intuitive UI, better Dolby Vision and Atmos support across apps than any other streamer out there, great streaming quality overall, stronger app library compared to other devices out there, and a pretty good remote. Yes you heard me, I actually dig this remote after getting used to it, I don't find it to be as overly complicated to use as some folks made it out to be.
Hard to believe I used to be anti-Apple everything and even refused to buy this until much earlier this month and now I really see the hype surrounding the Apple TV 4K. Glad I did bit the bullet & purchased this. Also I now prefer iTunes as my preferred digital streaming service over Vudu and Amazon Video due to higher bitrate overall and of course better 4K Dolby Vision and/or Atmos support depending on movie. If you got almost $200 to spend for a streaming device, I highly recommend the Apple TV 4K!
5/5
I reviewed the 32GB version of this device, and it should be good enough for most people unless you plan on doing some gaming as well, then you might wanna go ahead and spend the extra $20 for the 64GB version.
Compare Apple TV products
| Price | From: - | From: - |
| Ratings | (16,605) | (18,352) |
| Capacity | 32GB, 64GB | 32GB |
| Video Output | 2160p, Dolby Vision and HDR10 | 1080p |
| Audio Output | Up to Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 surround sound | Up to Dolby Atmos 360-degree cinema sound |
| Processor | A10X Fusion chip with 64-bit architecture | A8 chip with 64-bit architecture |
| Siri Remote |
|
|
Expensive, yes. Still my favorite streaming box? Of course
I have two Apple TV 4K models, both 32gb each. I bought the first one at Target in September 2019 after owning an Apple TV 3rd gen for 6 years.This second Apple TV 4K was bought for a pretty stupid reason: Apple Fitness+ and Apple's unwillingness to let us AirPlay Fitness+ to even HomeKit enabled TVs.This wasn't a purchase I was going to make when I bought the 4K TV in my bedroom; it is $180 so I bought a $50 Fire Stick for streaming for the bedroom TV.But as I lose weight and get into better shape by monitoring what I eat, going into a caloric deficit, and exercising with Fitness+, the lack of AirPlay for that service meant I needed to get another Apple TV 4K.Could I have just used the Apple TV in my living room? Sure, but the hardwood and floor level blinds make me leery of doing so. Exercising in my bedroom is my preferred way to do things as there is carpet.Now, how does it perform? How does it stack up to my (now no longer owned) Fire Stick 4K?The interface is buttery smooth on this box. It was smooth on the Fire Stick as well, but I had more internet connection errors on the Fire Stick. I have a mesh wifi system with one beacon outside in the utility closet, which is close to my bedroom, and one in my office. For whatever reason, sometimes the Fire Stick would tell me I didn't have an internet connection but my Apple TV in the living room did.The interface on the Apple TV is just better. Full stop. It's clean, the UX is better even if it isn't the greatest it's still decent and easier to navigate than the Fire Stick.Voice control with Siri is hit or miss for most people. Depending on what I am asking for, Siri will either find it or give me some convoluted nonsense. The Fire Stick was a bit better but not by much. Where Apple pulls ahead in the voice assistant feature of the streaming box wars is being able to search across multiple apps and services, something I sorely missed when when using Alexa on my Fire Stick.The resolution is great; I have two 4K TVs from LG, with HDR and HomeKit, one 49" in the living room and a 43" in the bedroom mounted to the wall. The picture may vary from TV to TV but I find it incredibly sharp. One thing to note is with this box you need an HDMI 2.0 cable that is able to handle 4K data streaming to actually get the best picture.I use mainly streaming services and keep my TV provider for sports and ID channel (yeah I am one of those women haha) and this means I can, and do, use my HomePods for stereo sound, now coming with Dolby Atmos.I recently bought a HomePod Mini for the bedroom Apple TV which sounds great. In order to use HomePods as default speakers for your Apple TV, you need two in a pair. If not, you can always press and hold the TV button on the remote to bring up AirPlay menu and select your HomePod.The biggest, and I mean BIGGEST flaw of this box is the remote. OH. GOD. It's terrible. You accidentally touch the touch surface and you scrub through a video by accident. Scrolling down long lists of YouTube channels takes FOREVER whereas on my Fire Stick remote it was BANG BANG, down the list, as that remote has physical buttons. A big miss here by Apple.All in all, as someone with an ENORMOUS cadre of Apple gear, this is another win from Apple.
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2021
Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2018
Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2021
This second Apple TV 4K was bought for a pretty stupid reason: Apple Fitness+ and Apple's unwillingness to let us AirPlay Fitness+ to even HomeKit enabled TVs.
This wasn't a purchase I was going to make when I bought the 4K TV in my bedroom; it is $180 so I bought a $50 Fire Stick for streaming for the bedroom TV.
But as I lose weight and get into better shape by monitoring what I eat, going into a caloric deficit, and exercising with Fitness+, the lack of AirPlay for that service meant I needed to get another Apple TV 4K.
Could I have just used the Apple TV in my living room? Sure, but the hardwood and floor level blinds make me leery of doing so. Exercising in my bedroom is my preferred way to do things as there is carpet.
Now, how does it perform? How does it stack up to my (now no longer owned) Fire Stick 4K?
The interface is buttery smooth on this box. It was smooth on the Fire Stick as well, but I had more internet connection errors on the Fire Stick. I have a mesh wifi system with one beacon outside in the utility closet, which is close to my bedroom, and one in my office. For whatever reason, sometimes the Fire Stick would tell me I didn't have an internet connection but my Apple TV in the living room did.
The interface on the Apple TV is just better. Full stop. It's clean, the UX is better even if it isn't the greatest it's still decent and easier to navigate than the Fire Stick.
Voice control with Siri is hit or miss for most people. Depending on what I am asking for, Siri will either find it or give me some convoluted nonsense. The Fire Stick was a bit better but not by much. Where Apple pulls ahead in the voice assistant feature of the streaming box wars is being able to search across multiple apps and services, something I sorely missed when when using Alexa on my Fire Stick.
The resolution is great; I have two 4K TVs from LG, with HDR and HomeKit, one 49" in the living room and a 43" in the bedroom mounted to the wall. The picture may vary from TV to TV but I find it incredibly sharp. One thing to note is with this box you need an HDMI 2.0 cable that is able to handle 4K data streaming to actually get the best picture.
I use mainly streaming services and keep my TV provider for sports and ID channel (yeah I am one of those women haha) and this means I can, and do, use my HomePods for stereo sound, now coming with Dolby Atmos.
I recently bought a HomePod Mini for the bedroom Apple TV which sounds great. In order to use HomePods as default speakers for your Apple TV, you need two in a pair. If not, you can always press and hold the TV button on the remote to bring up AirPlay menu and select your HomePod.
The biggest, and I mean BIGGEST flaw of this box is the remote. OH. GOD. It's terrible. You accidentally touch the touch surface and you scrub through a video by accident. Scrolling down long lists of YouTube channels takes FOREVER whereas on my Fire Stick remote it was BANG BANG, down the list, as that remote has physical buttons. A big miss here by Apple.
All in all, as someone with an ENORMOUS cadre of Apple gear, this is another win from Apple.
Expensive, yes. Still my favorite streaming box? Of course
Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2021
I have two Apple TV 4K models, both 32gb each. I bought the first one at Target in September 2019 after owning an Apple TV 3rd gen for 6 years.Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2021
This second Apple TV 4K was bought for a pretty stupid reason: Apple Fitness+ and Apple's unwillingness to let us AirPlay Fitness+ to even HomeKit enabled TVs.
This wasn't a purchase I was going to make when I bought the 4K TV in my bedroom; it is $180 so I bought a $50 Fire Stick for streaming for the bedroom TV.
But as I lose weight and get into better shape by monitoring what I eat, going into a caloric deficit, and exercising with Fitness+, the lack of AirPlay for that service meant I needed to get another Apple TV 4K.
Could I have just used the Apple TV in my living room? Sure, but the hardwood and floor level blinds make me leery of doing so. Exercising in my bedroom is my preferred way to do things as there is carpet.
Now, how does it perform? How does it stack up to my (now no longer owned) Fire Stick 4K?
The interface is buttery smooth on this box. It was smooth on the Fire Stick as well, but I had more internet connection errors on the Fire Stick. I have a mesh wifi system with one beacon outside in the utility closet, which is close to my bedroom, and one in my office. For whatever reason, sometimes the Fire Stick would tell me I didn't have an internet connection but my Apple TV in the living room did.
The interface on the Apple TV is just better. Full stop. It's clean, the UX is better even if it isn't the greatest it's still decent and easier to navigate than the Fire Stick.
Voice control with Siri is hit or miss for most people. Depending on what I am asking for, Siri will either find it or give me some convoluted nonsense. The Fire Stick was a bit better but not by much. Where Apple pulls ahead in the voice assistant feature of the streaming box wars is being able to search across multiple apps and services, something I sorely missed when when using Alexa on my Fire Stick.
The resolution is great; I have two 4K TVs from LG, with HDR and HomeKit, one 49" in the living room and a 43" in the bedroom mounted to the wall. The picture may vary from TV to TV but I find it incredibly sharp. One thing to note is with this box you need an HDMI 2.0 cable that is able to handle 4K data streaming to actually get the best picture.
I use mainly streaming services and keep my TV provider for sports and ID channel (yeah I am one of those women haha) and this means I can, and do, use my HomePods for stereo sound, now coming with Dolby Atmos.
I recently bought a HomePod Mini for the bedroom Apple TV which sounds great. In order to use HomePods as default speakers for your Apple TV, you need two in a pair. If not, you can always press and hold the TV button on the remote to bring up AirPlay menu and select your HomePod.
The biggest, and I mean BIGGEST flaw of this box is the remote. OH. GOD. It's terrible. You accidentally touch the touch surface and you scrub through a video by accident. Scrolling down long lists of YouTube channels takes FOREVER whereas on my Fire Stick remote it was BANG BANG, down the list, as that remote has physical buttons. A big miss here by Apple.
All in all, as someone with an ENORMOUS cadre of Apple gear, this is another win from Apple.
Images in this review
Top reviews from other countries
Jamie
Get rid of sky etc and just get Apple TV
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 28, 2020Peter Roberts
Bought it for my Pain Cave
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 26, 2021