Apple TV 4K (2021)
Now faster and featuring — at last — a usable remote!
$179 (32GB), $199 (64GB) From apple.com
Features A12 Bionic, 4K HDR, Siri Remote (2nd gen), HDMI, Bluetooth, 802.11ax Wi–Fi 6 with MIMO
Already got an Apple TV 4K (2017)? Then you’d be hard pressed to see much of a difference in the upgraded version for 2021. So, what’s actually changed?
Well, it’s faster, with a more powerful A12 Bionic chip versus the 2017 model’s aging and dated A10X Fusion chip. The performance leap from A10X Fusion to A12 Bionic isn’t major, but apps are snappier to load, not that the old model was slow. The speed boost also enables the new Apple TV 4K to play back high–frame–rate 60fps HDR videos more smoothly.
The 2021 version also comes with Thread, which is Apple’s new smart home protocol which allows smart home tech from different manufacturers to work together more seamlessly. Life becomes a lot easier when your home tech is able to interact with most, or hopefully all, of your devices.
The biggest draw of the new Apple TV 4K is the redesigned Siri Remote. Unlike the remote of old, it’s easy to hold, and actually stays in your hand. Gone is the superfluous menu button and touch surface, replaced with a far superior touch–enabled clickpad. You now get a Power button enabling you to turn your Apple TV (and TV) on and off, and the Siri button has moved to the side. It all works great, though deciding whether to use the clickpad or the touch interface can be a bit counter–intuitive, and we had mixed success with scrubbing videos with the touch wheel in some apps (according to reports, this is due to certain video services, like Disney+, using a custom video player).
THE BOTTOM LINE. A small, and strong upgrade, but if you’re happy with your Apple TV 4K (2017), then just buy the new Siri Remote separately ($59). NICK ODANTZIS