Is the Apple TV 4K still worth buying after the price hike?

Apple

The astir caller Apple TV 4K is simply a four-year-old merchandise that Apple ne'er seems rather judge what it wants to do with. And yet, nan very aforesaid model, for illustration galore different Apple products, conscionable became a batch much expensive, acknowledgment to nan ongoing representation situation and rising constituent costs.

The various iPad and Mac value increases mightiness person grabbed each nan headlines erstwhile Apple announced them past week, but nan Apple TV 4K value jumping from $129 to $199, a $70 hike, is beautiful important too. That adjusted value is for nan 64GB model, pinch an moreover bigger bump to nan 128GB variant, which now costs $249 (up from $149).

The evident mobility these value hikes raise is whether Apple tin warrant charging much money for an aging product, and whether location are alternatives that correspond amended worth for money. So let's excavation into that.

Devindra Hardawar for Engadget

To beryllium clear, location remains a batch to for illustration astir nan Apple TV 4K. When Engadget's Devindra Hardawar reviewed nan astir caller type of Apple's streaming container backmost successful 2022, he called it nan champion of its benignant "by a agelong shot." It besides ranks arsenic nan "best premium streaming device" successful our buying guide of the champion streaming devices.

Everything that was awesome astir nan Apple TV 4K successful 2022 remains bully now. It supports each nan awesome HDR formats, including Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos sound, and pumps retired a image that looks really rather fantastic, immoderate you're watching. The A15 Bionic spot is very powerful, making navigation and loading apps supremely speedy, a personification acquisition seldom matched by nan built-in smart interface astir modern TVs offer.

As you'd expect, being a paid personnel of Apple's walled plot elevates nan experience. Having an iPhone makes setup a breeze, and subscription services for illustration Apple Arcade and Fitness+ are moreover amended erstwhile paired pinch an Apple TV 4K, pinch nan second letting you watch workouts connected a large surface while your Apple Watch tracks your metrics. Third-party app support is besides very good, and moreover Siri is really beautiful useful erstwhile it lives wrong a TV remote.

Devindra Hardawar for Engadget

At $129, nan Apple TV was an fantabulous — albeit costly — streaming device. At $199 you really request to analyse whether different instrumentality mightiness springiness you much bang for your buck. Take nan Google TV Streamer, for example. At $99, it's a whopping $100 cheaper than nan recently revalued Apple TV 4K, and yet we still awarded it "best all-in-one streaming device" successful our buying guide. The Google TV Streamer outputs successful 4K/60fps, conscionable for illustration Apple's box, and supports each nan important HDR and audio formats. It's not rather arsenic accelerated arsenic nan Apple TV 4K, but it decidedly isn't $100 slower.

Like nan Apple TV 4K, it offers sound support via Gemini, and our experts deliberation Google TV is nan champion smart TV interface acknowledgment to nan measurement it pulls successful contented from different apps successful 1 intuitive menu. You are, however, going to person to put up pinch much ads than nan comparatively ad-free Apple TV 4K homescreen, which is decidedly 1 of nan biggest advantages of going pinch Apple.

There are besides a number of Amazon-flavored alternatives to consider, each of them now importantly cheaper than nan Apple TV 4K. Amazon's set-top container balanced is nan $140 Fire TV Cube. Given nan beingness of Amazon's plethora of Fire TV Sticks, you don't perceive nan institution talk astir nan Fire TV Cube overmuch these days, but it does person immoderate useful premium features, specified arsenic hands-free Alexa sound control, Wi-Fi 6E support, Ethernet and an HDMI input for connecting different intermezo devices.

The Fire TV Cube outputs astatine 4K/60fps and ticks each nan boxes for Dolby Vision, HDR10+ and Dolby Atmos. The Apple TV 4K produces a punchier image, but pinch nan Fire TV Cube you get awesome app support and a bully interface. That is, arsenic agelong arsenic you tin make bid pinch being bombarded pinch Amazon's self-promotion each clip you move it on.

If you're conscionable looking for a media streamer, nan Fire Stick TV 4K Max is now comically cheaper than nan Apple TV 4K astatine $60, and it's often connected waste for overmuch little than that. While lacking nan premium features of nan Fire TV Cube, arsenic a axenic streaming instrumentality it's sewage everything that matters, pinch Dolby Vision and each nan different HDRs connected board, Dolby Atmos audio, and moreover a built-in Xbox Game Pass cloud-streaming app. At 16GB, retention abstraction is simply a batch little than what you'd find connected a premium streaming container for illustration nan Apple TV 4K, but who really needs that overmuch anyway?

Apple

Your streamer options widen good beyond nan large three, pinch nan likes of Roku besides offering a assortment of devices, from budget-friendly sticks to premium options for illustration nan Roku Ultra 2024. At $100, it's yet different replacement prime that is now half nan value of nan Apple TV 4K, contempt having a very akin spec sheet.

And past you person nan left-field options, for illustration nan NVIDIA Shield Android TV Pro. While targeted arsenic overmuch astatine gamers arsenic astatine cinephiles, and saddled pinch nan somewhat outdated Android TV, a batch of group still committedness by nan Shield TV Pro arsenic an all-round media-streaming powerhouse. It tin watercourse successful autochthonal 4K, supports Dolby Vision and HDR10 (though not HDR10+), and tin usage AI to upscale older content.

The Shield TV Pro was ever seen arsenic a very costly streaming device, but now nan Apple TV 4K costs conscionable arsenic much, and if you're a PC gamer, nan built-in support for NVIDIA's GeForce Now unreality gaming work arguably makes nan erstwhile a acold much compelling proposition.

The last action is nan simplest: Just usage your smart TV's built-in interface. It tin often beryllium sluggish and awkward compared to a dedicated device, but it yet provides nan aforesaid service.

If you're an Apple lifer and bask nan seamlessness of its cross-device ecosystem, nan Apple TV 4K still has a batch to offer, moreover astatine its now very precocious caller price. You'll besides struggle to find a much awesome image connected immoderate rival media streamer.

Whether each that is worthy $200 is up to you, but there's nary uncertainty that aft nan caller value hike you tin prime up a comparable instrumentality for a batch less. Apple devices usually travel astatine a premium, but successful nan lawsuit of nan Apple TV 4K, it's now a beautiful immense one.