The hardware itself is slightly smaller and noticeably lighter than the second-generation 4K from last year. That’s because Apple has removed the cooling fan (yes, there was a fan there before) in favor of a passive thermal design. But overall, it looks like the same old Apple TV with a matte top and glossy sides with a dust magnet. This is a box that sits on a shelf and connects to your TV via a multi-foot HDMI cable (sold separately). There’s just an Apple logo at the top — no more “TV” branding. With the announcement of the new device, which will be released on November 4, Apple has finally discontinued the ancient Apple TV HD.
Apple Apple TV 4K (third generation)
$129
The good
More affordable than the previous model Easy performance with responsiveness at all times A showcase of tricks for the Apple ecosystem Siri Remote now has USB-C
The bad
The base model lacks ethernet There is no AirTag type location tracking for the remote Lack of live TV integration There must be some way to refresh this design by now
HOW WE RATE AND CHECK PRODUCTS So 4K HDR video is now standard. However, there is still a significant gap between the two Apple TV 4K configurations that Apple sells. For one, the base 64GB model lacks an Ethernet port. You’ll have to spend an extra $20 to get gigabit ethernet, double the storage and Thread networking support. The latter is an important future-proofing measure for smart home enthusiasts. Both models can act as hubs for Apple’s HomeKit ecosystem, but only the $149 128GB SKU is fully prepared for Thread and Matter-enabled accessories. If you go for the cheaper unit, you’ll want to have a separate Thread router — like Apple’s own HomePod Mini — so you don’t lose the universal smart home when we actually get there. The new Apple TV 4K (left) is 20 percent smaller in volume than the previous model (right). Part of why tvOS is so enjoyable to use is that it’s not ambitious when you step back. Apple TV has never been able to reinvent the way we watch and enjoy TV shows and movies. The future of TV may be apps — but only if you’re talking about the exact same streaming essentials available on competing platforms like Roku, Fire TV, and Google TV. Apple’s quest to find a place on the TV screen for popular mobile apps like Airbnb never quite panned out: some early tvOS apps are buried in cobwebs and haven’t seen updates in years. Many have stopped working altogether. The tvOS home screen is still a grid of apps as always. The Apple TV app is where you go for personalized recommendations and the Up Next watchlist. It’s where you rent or buy content and stream Apple TV Plus originals. You can subscribe to some streaming services here (not a unique idea anymore) and watch shows from those channels without jumping between apps. A large part of the size reduction came by removing the internal fan. But the real heavy hitters (specifically HBO) don’t integrate with Apple TV channels and still make you use their own apps if you want their content. They appear at least in Next Series and in recommendations, as do shows from Hulu, Disney Plus, and many other services. Live sports scores and a dedicated section for kids round out the features of the Apple TV app. I don’t end up using what’s meant to be an important hub that often, maybe because it’s so far from the home screen. Live TV on Apple TV 4K isn’t as good as it could (or should be). Apple TV 4K can’t match it. It gets you there a bit: you can tell Siri to upload channels to apps like FuboTV and DirecTV Stream, but most other popular live TV services aren’t supported in the first place. Some providers like Spectrum allow you to use your Apple TV as a set-top box and access your full package of channels through their software, but that’s different from integrating those apps and programming into the core tvOS software. In my review of the latest Fire TV Cube earlier this week, I mentioned that I could say “Alexa, tune in to ESPN on Sling TV.” From off, my TV would turn on, the right HDMI input would take over, and the Fire TV would switch to live programming in seconds. I wish I could say the same for the Apple TV 4K, but the consistency isn’t as strong. The hands-free voice feature is there if you have a HomePod or HomePod Mini, and you can retrieve individual apps like ESPN, CNN, or CBS using your single-sign-in credentials. But it’s time for Apple to tighten up some of these TV streaming platforms. A live programming guide on the Apple TV app would definitely make me use it more regularly. All of which means that if you’re looking for a ground-breaking refresh of television consumption as we know it today, the Apple TV 4K isn’t it. But for people deeply rooted in Apple’s ecosystem of hardware and services, it can provide an enjoyable experience at times and impressive cross-device functionality. tvOS is one of the best showcases of Apple’s cross-device convenience That starts with the setup process: you simply hold an iPhone near the Apple TV after connecting it, and your Apple account, Wi-Fi credentials, and settings preferences are transferred to the new device. It took less than two minutes to completely reset the home screen layout and download every app I had on the old one. Your iPhone can act as a remote control and, more usefully, you can use its familiar keyboard when logging into all these apps. Purchases and rentals can be authenticated with Face ID or Touch ID. You can pair AirPods with an Apple TV for private listening or watch something together remotely with friends using SharePlay. Other platforms support Bluetooth headsets and have similar remote control capabilities, but having tested them all, Apple’s execution is the most seamless. Apple Fitness Plus can sync with an Apple Watch — and now an iPhone, for those without a watch — to display workout metrics on your TV. AirPlay remains present for easy streaming of content from another device to the big screen, and you can control HomeKit-compatible smart home gadgets with the Siri Remote. Siri responses now take up less screen space. It’s easier to keep track of what you’re watching while browsing search results. It would be great to have a proper Home app on the Apple TV 4K itself, especially when it serves as a hub for that universe, but for now, you’re stuck with Siri commands and running your favorite scenes and watching camera feeds in Control Center. Apple TV 4K still supports multiple user profiles, and later this year, Siri will be able to distinguish the voices of up to six people to switch profiles or display personalized suggestions. But Apple’s approach to profiles still needs more refinement, such as separate home screens for each person. Streaming app developers also tend to be lazy about linking their individual user profiles to tvOS profiles, leaving the whole concept useful for Apple’s first-party services and not much else. Speaking of Siri, tvOS 16.1 recently introduced a more compact on-screen interface for Apple’s voice assistant. When enabled, the pulsing Siri logo appears at the bottom right of the screen, and any visual responses (movie search results, weather forecasts, etc.) are pushed to the right side in a vertical list to avoid blocking you from watching. It’s a welcome streamlining that makes Siri feel useful but not obtrusive. However, there are still many queries that produce a “I can’t help you look it up here” response. I understand that Siri is focused on entertainment on Apple TV, but it’s very stiff compared to Alexa and Google Assistant. Asking for sports scores is fine, but Siri on tvOS will refuse to do a simple math equation or tell you who the president of…
