Apple TV 4K (2nd Gen, 2021)

Excellent app selection ; Fantastic picture ; Wide HDR and audio support ; Vastly improved remote

It is expensive when streaming sticks are so cheap ; Minor upgrade over previous model

Snappy performance ; Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos ; Much improved remote control

Expensive

“With a better remote and a faster CPU, it's still a pricey way to stream movies.”

High-frame-rate HDR support Re-designed Siri remote Thread smart home technology built-in

Expensive Doesn’t work with Android

The Apple TV 4K (2021) is a slick streaming device, which can play 4K video in HDR and Dolby Vision, and supports high-frame-rate HDR to make fast action and sports look smooth and clear. The revamped Siri remote is a pleasure to use, and there are...

Improved remote ; Plenty of useful features including AirPlay, HomeKit, and Siri ; Dolby Vision support ; Comes with a free year of Apple TV+

Expensive ; Interface and remote tend to funnel you into the Apple TV app

The second-generation Apple TV 4K is overpriced, but it remains an excellent media streamer, especially if you use the company's other products and services.

4K HDR / Dolby Vision / Dolby Atmos for quality visuals and sound ; Adds HDMI 2.1 (for 60fps high frame-rate support (HFR))

Processor could be faster if you want to play powerful games ; No Spatial Audio support for headphones just yet ; Expensive compared to the competition

The 2021 update of this set-top box delivers what it sets out to do - packaging streaming services and Apple's own services into one place - but against the competition it feels pricey. But that's ultimately because - through Apple Fitness+ and Apple...

Comes with excellent new Siri Remote ; Great selection of apps ; Very good picture quality

Expensive ; Apple TV app still doesn’t have Netflix support ; Not much 60fps HDR content to watch

A minor update, but still one of the best 4K streamers you can buy

Redesigned remote ; Powerful chipset ; Improved HomePod speaker support

No increase in storage ; Expensive ; Not all apps take advantage of features

Though not much has changed with the Apple TV itself, the redesigned Siri remote makes all the difference to the overall experience.

Superior speed, polish, and remote control ; No interface-cluttering ads or aggressive data collection ; Siri and the TV app help make sense of streaming

No hands-free voice control ; Hybrid touchpad directional pad can feel awkward ; It's still pretty expensive for a streaming player

So far, I’ve described the broad strokes of what makes the Apple TV 4K so pleasant. But the device is also packed with little bells and whistles that help it stand out from other streaming platforms.

Best TV operating system ; Continuous tvOS updates ; Frame, dynamic range matching ; HDMI eARC + wireless audio ; Spatial Audio (tvOS 15) ; Rich app catalog, Arcade games ; Low power consumption

Marginal hardware upgrade ; Maximum 64GB storage ; No AV1 decoding ; Siri missing in many regions