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Irish Mirror

Lifestyle

Mark Kavanagh

Apple TV 4K: The best streaming box gets more powerful and less expensive

Apple Apple TV+

Apple’s latest TV streaming box is faster, smaller, more efficient and yet less expensive than its predecessors.

The third generation of Apple TV 4K costs less than the previous model at €169 and is now 20 per cent smaller and about half the weight of previous iterations.

The brain inside the box is the firm’s A15 Bionic processor, the same chip that is in iPhone 14. It’s 50 per cent faster than the A12 chip in the second-gen model.

You’ll appreciate the extra performance power (not to mention the smoother graphics) if you use the little black box as a games console with Apple’s Arcade service or games from the App Store.

You’ll notice its impact on the snappy animations and the fluid user interface too.

The future proofed A15 chip and the 4GB RAM should ensure the box stays capable of everything you ask of it for years to come. Apple devices generally get six years of support and software updates.

The chip is also more energy efficient than its predecessor, using 30 per cent less power. This could help you save money and help the environment.

New to the third-gen box is support for the HDR10+ video format alongside the previously supported Dolby Vision, HLG and standard HDR10 formats.

HDR10+ is a format widely used on Samsung's best TVs which are hugely popular with Irish consumers.

Every major streaming service is available, such as Apple TV+, Prime Video, Disney+, Netflix, Sky Go, NOW, YouTube (with Google Play Movies), All4. You also get Irish services such as eir TV and the RTE Player.

The apps are generally more stable and reliable than on other platforms. And there are no ads on the customisable homepage which has handy features like the Up Next row that shows content you've already started or plan to watch in one place.

Other features include Shared with You that shows you films and shows contacts have shared with you through the Messages app, for example, while SharePlay lets you view movies or shows with family and friends by starting a FaceTime call and watching in sync.

You can enjoy a home theatre experience thanks to support for Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital 7.1, or Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound.

You also get seamless integration with Apple services such as Music, Fitness+ and iCloud Photos, and you can enjoy spatial audio by pairing the box with a couple of HomePod minis or a pair of the larger HomePod speakers.

You can also connect two sets of Apple or Beats earphones and headphones at the same time which is handy for shared late night viewing.

Siri voice control is accessed through a button and mic on the stylish silver remote and works superbly to search for content on the apps you have installed, open apps, control playback, answer content-related questions and control smart home devices.

You can also ask Siri ‘What did he say?’ when watching a show and the Apple TV 4K box plays the last 15 seconds of video again with subtitles, which it then switches off automatically. Genius.

The latest remote uses USB-C charging rather than a Lightning cable and it includes volume controls and a mute button.

One downside to Siri Remote is there is no Find My support as it would be useful to have it on a commonly misplaced gadget.

The Apple TV 4K box also has deep integration with iPhone and iPad – you can use them to control the box – and it comes with lengthy software support.

Setting up the box is straight-forward too especially if you own an iPhone; it’s all done in a matter of minutes.

What’s not to love?

Verdict

Both new models would make a great purchase as they offer the same great performance and experience with an array of great features.

I’d recommend buyinh the slightly more expensive model (by €20) because it comes with double the storage, an Ethernet port and Thread networking, which is a new system to connect smart home devices.

What you are getting for the extra €20 makes the outlay worthwhile.