Important points
- Apple TV 4K is a game-changer in streaming quality and functionality.
- Apple’s ecosystem has seamless connectivity, and while this may be an adjustment, it’s worth it.
- Apple TV 4K is perfectly fine standalone and offers high-quality viewing and gaming features.
I never really tried to avoid Apple products, but that’s what I ended up doing. I’ve always tended to gravitate toward Google, whether it’s the promotion where I got a free Google Home or when I wanted to get a waterproof phone like the now-old Samsung Galaxy 6 Active . In the end, I decided to try Apple Music because of its lossless audio. Spotify announced this years ago, but it hasn’t happened yet. When I realized that Apple Music could output spatial audio, I thought this was a great future to take advantage of surround sound settings.
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The bottom line is that you need an Apple TV, and simply streaming Apple Music to your receiver wasn’t enough to get a Dolby Atmos experience. I bought it off eBay to try out Atmos and am now shocked that I lived without it.
Apple TV 4K (2022)
- brand
- apple
- Bluetooth codec
- 5.0
- Wifi
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Apple TV 4K is a game changer
I don’t think I can go back
apple
It’s important to note that I’ve only owned an Apple TV 4K for about a year, so there are a lot of tips and tricks I haven’t learned about this device yet. Atmos’ support for Apple Music is great, but there’s so much more you can do with this little box. Whether you want to watch TV, movies, YouTube videos, or listen to music, Apple TV 4K can do it all. The biggest thing for me was completely replacing the Sony Bravia UI, which was often slow. The speed of Apple TV 4K is impossible to ignore, and it’s clearly faster than any TV you’ve seen before.
The Apple TV 4K’s home screen is nimble and everything is right there on the page, so you don’t have to scroll to find apps like you do on Bravia. Easily open multiple apps at the same time and easily switch between apps with the intuitive remote control. I also have a Google Chromecast 4K that I bought for the short-lived Google Stadia service, so I have experience with other streaming devices. The main downside to Chromecast was that it didn’t have a remote control, which meant I couldn’t use many of the Apple TV 4K’s features. I currently have it plugged into the back of my TV in my bedroom and only use it to cast YouTube videos.
The Apple TV 4K remote includes built-in Siri functionality for voice control.
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This Apple TV 4K feature instantly enhances your TV interaction.
This underrated feature on Apple TV 4K lets you hear your favorite movies and shows clearly.
Getting an Apple TV 4K was a great first step into the Apple ecosystem. Now, whether it’s a gateway product to the larger Apple ecosystem is another story entirely. For now, all I still have is the Apple logo, but I feel a calling. When it comes time to upgrade my various devices, Apple will be a new option on my radar.
More Apple products could be coming
collection is growing
The OnePlus 8 Pro I own is getting older and older, so it’s almost time to upgrade my phone. You’ve never considered buying an iPhone before, but now you might have to. To be honest, I don’t use my phone much because I do all my social media scrolling on my Galaxy Tablet. Like my phone, my tablet is getting old and it’s time to buy a new one.
The new iPad mini doesn’t seem like a tablet aimed at everyone, but I found myself getting a lot of use out of it. I originally bought the tablet to read digital comics, but since I haven’t done that in a while, having a 10.1-inch screen is no longer a major selling point for me. The iPad Mini’s smaller 8.3-inch screen is by no means a drawback, and the fact that it’s much cheaper than the iPad Pro is a huge boon for me. When you get an iPad, you also get screen mirroring. This is a great concept that is currently not available on Galaxy tablets.
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The mind-boggling part of the Apple ecosystem is how much stuff is out there. It connects seamlessly with Mac, iPhone, Apple TV, iPad, and more, so it feels like you need to spend a lot of money to get the most value out of it. The same goes for the Google ecosystem, but the big difference is that I already own a lot of Google products, even though I only have an Apple TV 4K.
So is this really a gateway device to the world of Apple technology?
Apple TV 4K is perfectly fine on its own
don’t feel pressured
You may be wondering what use is Apple TV without other Apple products? It’s a fair question, but I can say it’s working fine. Sure, it would be nice to be able to connect AirPods or have your iPhone act as a remote control, but those features are completely optional. Nice to have, but completely unnecessary. In fact, we were surprised at how well the Apple TV 4K worked as a standalone device.
I bought it for Apple Music, but the Apple TV 4K is a great way to watch the latest TV and movies. It supports Dolby Vision, so if you have a TV that can take advantage of that, it’s a good device to buy. You can also conveniently connect your controller to your Apple TV and start playing games you’ve installed using the Apple Arcade or Steam Link apps. Before switching to Smart TV UI, I used Xbox One as my primary streaming device. Now my Apple TV 4K is my go-to, and I can’t think of anything that works better.
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My advice is that if you’re looking to buy a streaming device like Chromecast, Roku, or Apple TV, go for the Apple TV 4K, even if it’s your only product. I’ve never felt like there’s much to be missing about this being the only Apple product for me. And we know that its versatility will only increase as we add more Apple devices to our collection. For example, I personally don’t need or want to use FaceTime on my Apple TV 4K, but it’s an option that exists and could be a selling point for others. Even if I don’t end up purchasing any additional Apple products, I’m still very happy with my purchase.
