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Tom’s Guide
Tom’s Guide
Technology
Christian de Looper

3 reasons to still buy a streaming device in 2025 — yes, even with smart TVs

Google Apple LG Samsung Roku
Google TV Streamer in front of TV.

TVs are getting a whole lot smarter. These days, even the cheapest TVs out there have software of some kind, eliminating the need to buy an external streaming box to watch content from all your favorite apps. Well, in theory, anyway.

However, there's still a huge market for external streaming boxes, including everything from the inexpensive Roku Streaming Stick 4K and Amazon Fire TV Stick to the high-end Apple TV 4K and Nvidia Shield.

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