At $129, the Apple TV was a great, albeit expensive, streaming device. At $199, you really need to consider whether another device could give you more bang for your buck. Take the Google TV Streamer, for example. At $99, it’s $100 less than the recently re-reviewed Apple TV 4K, and yet we still gave it the title of “best all-in-one streaming device” in our buying guide. The Google TV Streamer outputs in 4K/60fps, just like Apple’s box, and supports all major HDR and audio formats. It’s not as fast as the Apple TV 4K, but it’s certainly not $100 slower.
Like the Apple TV 4K, it offers voice support through Gemini, and our experts think Google TV is the best smart TV interface thanks to the way it pulls content from different apps into an intuitive menu. However, you’ll have to put up with more ads than the relatively ad-free Apple TV 4K home screen, which is definitely one of the biggest benefits of going Apple.
There are also a number of Amazon-flavored alternatives to consider, all now significantly cheaper than the Apple TV 4K. Amazon’s set-top box equivalent is the $140 Fire TV Cube. Given the existence of Amazon’s plethora of Fire TV Sticks, you don’t hear the company talking about the Fire TV Cube much these days, but it does have some useful premium features, such as hands-free Alexa voice control, Wi-Fi 6E support, Ethernet, and an HDMI input for connecting other entertainment devices.
The Fire TV Cube outputs at 4K/60fps and checks all the boxes for Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and Dolby Atmos. The Apple TV 4K produces a punchier picture, but with the Fire TV Cube you get excellent app support and a nice interface. That is, as long as you can accept being bombarded with Amazon self-promotion every time you turn it on.
If you’re just looking for a media streamer, the Fire Stick TV 4K Max is now comically cheaper than the $60 Apple TV 4K, and it’s often on sale for much less than that. While it lacks the premium features of the Fire TV Cube, as a pure streaming device it has everything that matters, with Dolby Vision and all other HDR built-in, Dolby Atmos audio, and even a built-in Xbox Game Pass cloud streaming app. At 16GB, the storage space is much less than what you’ll find on a premium streaming box like the Apple TV 4K, but who really needs that much anyway?
