dpAt $129, the Apple TV was an excellent — albeit expensive — streaming device. At $199 you really need to examine whether another device might give you more bang for your buck. Take the Google TV Streamer, for example. At $99, it’s a whopping $100 cheaper than the newly revalued Apple TV 4K, and yet we still awarded it “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 the important HDR and audio formats. It’s not quite as fast as the Apple TV 4K, but it definitely isn’t $100 slower.
Like the Apple TV 4K, it offers voice support via Gemini, and our experts think Google TV is the best smart TV interface thanks to the way it pulls in content from different apps in one intuitive menu. You are, however, going to have to put up with more ads than the relatively ad-free Apple TV 4K homescreen, which is definitely one of the biggest advantages of going with Apple.
There are also a number of Amazon-flavored alternatives to consider, all of them 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 talk 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 ticks all the boxes for Dolby Vision, HDR10+ and Dolby Atmos. The Apple TV 4K produces a punchier image, but with the Fire TV Cube you get great app support and a nice interface. That is, as long as you can make peace with being bombarded with Amazon’s 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 Apple TV 4K at $60, and it’s often on sale for much less than that. While lacking the premium features of the Fire TV Cube, as a pure streaming device it’s got everything that matters, with Dolby Vision and all the other HDRs on board, Dolby Atmos audio, and even a built-in Xbox Game Pass cloud-streaming app. At 16GB, storage space is a lot less than what you’d find on a premium streaming box like the Apple TV 4K, but who really needs that much anyway?
