2022 Apple TV 4K review: HDR10+ rounds out an already excellent streaming box

Streaming Boxes — 2022 Apple TV 4K review: HDR10+ rounds out an already excellent streaming box A lower price makes this mostly unchanged device much more appealing.

Samuel Axon – Nov 12, 2022 12:00 pm UTC reader comments 104 with 0 posters participating Share this story Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Reddit A black box and a silver remote on a table A power adapter port, an Ethernet port, and an HDMI port Samuel Axon

The new Apple TV 4K is pretty much just like the last one for most people, and that means its still the best streaming box you can buy if money is no objectdoubly so if you already live in Apples ecosystem.

More importantly, a substantial price cut helps make it more appealing. That cuts still not big enough to make it the best deal in town, though.

When it was first introduced in 2017, the Apple TV 4K was positioned as a rethinking of how we approach TV. As I wrote then, it fell far short of those ambitions as Apple ran up against the entrenched and disparate interests of the various players in the television business. Nonetheless, the Apple TV 4K has a killer interface, outstanding picture quality, a strong stack of features, and impeccable app support.

Since weve discussed prior models at length before, this review will focus mostly on whats new this time aroundand that starts with new prices and configuration options. Advertisement Table of Contents Pricing and configurations Specifications and design HDR standards Gaming on the Apple TV 4K Checking in on tvOS A mostly ad-free experience Apple ecosystem integration The TV app The not-so-great about tvOS Mostly, you get what you pay for The good The bad The ugly Pricing and configurations

Lets address the most important thing first: This new Apple TV 4K is a better deal than its predecessors. Its base configuration has 64GB of storage, up from 32GB in the second-generation Apple TV 4K. Better yet, that 64GB model starts at $129, compared to $179 for the old 32GB model.

You can double the storage to 128GB for another $20 at $149; the 128GB model also features a physical Ethernet port (the base configuration relies completely on Wi-Fi) and support for the Thread smart home networking standard.

Thread support is pretty niche, and most people wont need Ethernet, either. Also, the Apple TV 4K does not download videos (it only streams them), so unless youre planning to download dozens and dozens of games, you wont need 128GB of storage. In other words, the $129 64GB model is the right pick for most people.

This drop in price is the most important thing about the third-generation model. The Apple TV 4K has been the best streaming box you can buy for at least a couple of years now, but it has always cost a lot more than roughly comparable streaming boxes from Google, Amazon, or Roku, making for a questionable value proposition. The new model is still more expensive than those competitors, which do an admirable job of streaming video in 4K and HDR, so the cost-conscious will still want to steer clear of this one. Ill get into why the extra cost may still be worth it for many people shortly, though.

It’s worth noting that there is no HDMI cable included in the box, by the way. Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next → reader comments 104 with 0 posters participating Share this story Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Reddit Samuel Axon Based in Chicago, Samuel is the Senior Reviews Editor at Ars Technica, where he leads the site’s gadget and reviews section. He covers Apple and display tech, as well as hardware and software for developers and creative professionals. He has been writing about technology for 15 years, and is an AR and game developer for iOS and other platforms. Email samuel.axon@arstechnica.com Advertisement Channel Ars Technica ← Previous story Next story → Related Stories Today on Ars