A review of the new Apple TV 4K lifted the ban, a fairly minor refresh to the streaming box with an A12 chip for faster performance, and a redesigned Siri remote with a new clickpad for five-way navigation.
Most customers will start receiving their new Apple TV 4K this Friday, and ahead of time, we’ve rounded up reviews and unboxing videos below.
Andrew Edwards said the new Apple TV is “noticeably faster” when it comes to opening apps, and he said the new Siri remote offers a better experience:
At Jacob Kroll CNN underscored Echoed that the A12 chip is faster, but said it’s “not a night-and-day difference.” He said the main benefit of the new chip and newly-added HDMI 2.1 support is the ability to play HDR content at a higher 60 frames per second:
Things like action sports or racing can take advantage of this to make the content more immersive or vivid. This is a future-proofing move and many major sports channels are planning to start broadcasting or streaming with it. Right now, you need a TV that can handle it with this Apple TV 4K — oh, and yes, the content it supports. We were able to try out the RedBull TV during our testing window for some intense action sports, and the broadcast was really smooth — though it wouldn’t be obvious to the untrained eye.
The new Apple TV 4K costs $179 with 32GB of storage or $199 with 64GB of storage. Mobile syrupIts Patrick O’Rourke says the Apple TV is still more expensive than other streaming boxes and sticks, but he believes the price is justified:
Over the years, I’ve spent a lot of time with other streaming devices, but always find myself coming back to the Apple TV because it’s the most reliable platform I’ve encountered, it’s often the first to get app updates, and new streaming platforms arrive frequently on Apple’s set-tops. Earlier than other devices in the box, especially in Canada. This was the case with Bell-owned Crave as well as several other apps. Don’t get me wrong, it would be great to see the streaming box and its new Siri remote drop in price, but in a sense, you really do get what you pay for with the Apple TV 4K (2021).
Rene Ritchie A I am more One criticism of the new Siri remote was the back button, formerly known as the home button:
The only thing it won’t solve for is the home button. Apple renamed it back, but it’s more of a random action button like the old Android back button. If you’re watching a video in the TV app and you tap it, you’ll get an options bar at the bottom of the screen. Then you need to press it again to exit. But if you press it, say Netflix or Disney+, you’ll be insta-dumped from the video. On YouTube, the back overlay will be dismissed. In Prime Video, it will insta-dump you.
More written reviews:
- At Carrie-Anne Skinner TechRadar
- Kevin C. At TOEFL Stacey on IoT
- Adrian Weckler Independent.ie
- At Lance Ulanoff debugger
- At Stuart Miles Pocket-lint
More video reviews and unboxings:
The new Apple TV 4K is available to order starting April 30, and will go on sale May 21 at most Apple Store locations. The older Apple TV HD is available for $149 and now ships with the redesigned Siri Remote
