Apple TV 4K review (2022)
I can't imagine the Apple TV 4K getting any better than it is now that Apple finally gave us a decent Siri remote last year. There isn't a lot of demand for an 8K upgrade; all we need now is support for fast 4K streaming and the numerous HDR (high definition range) formats. The new Apple TV 4K is able to easily meet those requirements, but its significantly faster speed is what really sets it apart. It's much less expensive at $129, down from $179! Finally, there is an Apple TV that I can confidently recommend to anyone.
Let's begin with the new: The A15 Bionic chip that was introduced with the iPhone 13 and is still utilized in the iPhone 14 powers the Apple TV 4K this year. That's a huge improvement over the previous model, Which was the 2018-era A12. Additionally, the new box comes with 64 GB of storage instead of 32 GB. There is also a 128 GB model for $149 that includes support for the Thread internet-of-things protocol and an Ethernet port if you plan to load a lot of games and apps. Finally, Apple has integrated support for HDR10+, which, like Dolby Vision, provides more accurate HDR across all scenes.
The Apple TV 4K appears identical to previous models at first glance: A sleek black box with ridiculously rounded corners. But if you look a little closer, you'll see that it's actually smaller, like a fake rendering of the one before it. Apple claims that it has 20% less volume than previous models as a result of using more energy-efficient hardware and losing the fan from previous models (which now runs silently). Apple wouldn't say exactly what caused the huge price drop. But I'd wager that simpler manufacturing and a general decline in component pricing are to blame.
Check out my review of the most recent Apple TV to hear me rant about the Siri Remote. One year later, I still adore it:It's much harder to lose than the previous super-thin remote, and it's simple to hold and has all the essential features you'd need. I still don't understand why the original Apple TV 4K required us to use a glass-backed remote with a terrible touchpad; long live the new model with its touch-sensitive, directional click pad.
Although the hardware is excellent, how is the software? If you are already a part of Apple's ecosystem, setting up the Apple TV 4K is now surprisingly simple. I only needed to tap my iPhone on the box to send my Wi-Fi and iCloud credentials after plugging it in. My decision to synchronize my home screens brought all of my current Apple TV apps over. At that point, all I had to do to get started was sign in to my usual streaming sites.
As soon as I started using this new model, I had one thought after having used every Apple TV the company had produced in the previous ten years:Holy crap, this thing moves quickly. This does not imply that the previous version was in any way slow. However, the snappiness of this year's box just feels liberating. I can easily swipe through all the applications on my home screen, launch Netflix a few seconds faster than before, and quickly browse my movie collection. No more pinwheels or slight loading delays.
It's possible that I'm experiencing the rush of using a brand-new device that hasn't been used in a year. Using the new Apple TV 4K, on the other hand, feels like using an iPhone X versus an iPhone 14: everything happens faster and with more urgency. That was most helpful to me when switching between videos and apps. I could quickly browse my YouTube channels while my wife went to the bathroom. So I could catch up on Guillermo del Tore's Cabinet of Curiosities on Netflix and resume the creepiness when she returned. Again, I did this a lot with the previous box, but the Apple TV now feels completely free of everything.
I was impressed by the Apple TV's flawless HDR 10+ handling during my speed viewing. The brightly lit European streets and solid shadow detail in the darker scenes made the opening chase in No Time to Die look stunning. HDR10+'s main draw is this. It offers both brighter brights and darker marks, just like the original HDR 10 standard. However, like Dolby Vision, it can also adjust those settings based on the scene you're viewing. That prevents some of the issues that are typical of HDR 10, such as when a single HDR profile setting does not work well across a wide range of scenes.
I was also able to watch Dolby Vision titles from iTunes on Samsung's 55-inch Odyssey Ark monitor while testing the Apple TV 4K using HDR10+. The Ark's lack of Dolby Vision support makes this feature particularly useful. HDR10+ should work with Apple TV+ and a lot of the movies and TV shows you can rent or buy. Since Amazon has also been pushing the standard for a long time, all of its originals have native HDR10+ support. Especially in the beginning of The Peripheral, it looked great.
This new Apple TV won't change your mind if you didn't like the interface before. Even though I've tried a lot of streaming devices, the Apple TV is still my favorite. I like that it has a lot of apps, works well with iOS devices, and has a level of polish that Roku's software doesn't have. You can, of course, use the Apple TV app on competing devices today—including Roku! However, that is only a way to access content. Living with an elegantly designed streaming interface every day is not the same thing.
Another benefit? I was able to load Sonic Racing in a matter of seconds, pair an Xbox controller, and begin zooming around the track without much difficulty on the Apple TV. Although I've never seen anything put a lot of stress on these boxes, the A15 Bionic should make it possible for smoother performance in games with higher demands.
This year's Apple TV may have had my favorite feature: It costs less to own it than other options. It's a little more expensive than the $100 Roku Ultra, but you get a much more robust app platform and more features for the money. If you want Ethernet or want to start using Thread IoT devices, the model we looked at, which costs $149, is the better choice. Sadly, I did not have any hardware to test that was Thread-compatible. Yet, even that model is a without a doubt less expensive than the past $179 Apple television.
This new box probably isn't worth the upgrade if you already purchased the Apple TV 4K from last year in order to use the brand-new Siri remote. However, if you recently purchased an HDR10+ television, it may be worthwhile to upgrade to get the best HDR picture possible.
Apple has finally created the ideal streaming box, and it took some time:one that is quick, has modern features, and is relatively inexpensive. So damn quickly.
You must be logged in to post a comment.