It’s been four long years since the last Apple TV 4K was released, and in that time there have been lots of hopes and dreams for features in whatever comes next. A new chip, 4K/120Hz support, audio passthrough, a remote locator, better home control integration — the 2022 Apple TV 4K is a great box, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement. With the fourth-gen Apple TV 4K announced on Tuesday, some of those hopes were met, while others were unfortunately left out.
Coloring the announcement is the device’s price. Apple eliminated the cheaper 64GB, Wi-Fi-only model, leaving just the 128GB, Wi-Fi and Ethernet model — and bumped up its price to $300. I repeat, $300 for a streaming device. It’s a hefty price when every other major streamer on the market is at least half the cost.
There are new features I like about this year’s Apple TV 4K. More processing power is great — although my third generation is still running plenty fast — as is the Find My support for when the remote inevitably gets lost in the couch cushions or tangled up in blankets. Built-in far-field mics for talking to Siri are nice, too, provided you don’t stuff the box into a credenza like I do. The fourth-generation Apple TV 4K also adds a dedicated AV1 decoder, which allows for higher-quality streaming from apps that support it, such as Netflix, which is excellent. Any potential improvement to streaming content is a welcome one.
My primary concern, though, is how the Apple TV 4K performs as an integral piece of my home theater. Apple added the ability to create a surround sound system by using its HomePod 2 and HomePod Mini 2 smart speakers in matching pairs for fronts and surrounds. For Apple ecosystem fans looking to build out a surround setup akin to Sonos or Bose, it’s an interesting idea (and I’m all for getting people into immersive sound in their home theaters). But as I expect is the same for many people interested in pricey streaming hardware, I already have a sound system — it’s an Atmos setup with a combination of SVS and Revel speakers. I’m not setting up my two HomePod 2s in my living room and spending another $300 on a pair of HomePod Mini 2s to replace my existing speakers.
What I, and many current users, have been hoping for from the Apple TV 4K for years is the addition of audio passthrough. This would allow my more expensive and capable audio/video receiver to decode the raw audio stream instead of the Apple TV using its Continuous Audio Connection, which can cause some playback issues.
Additionally, it would have been nice to see Apple support 120fps output, especially for those who use Moonlight to stream games to it. That’s a feature that would have set the Apple TV 4K apart from all the other streamers, which top out at 60fps, and helped to justify the high price. Apple could have also used it to pivot more into TV gaming. (For movies, though, the 60fps limit is not a huge deal, as the box can be set to output 24fps, allowing a native 120Hz TV to just use 5:5 pulldown.)
Other premium features that would set Apple’s streaming box apart and make home theater enthusiasts throw their money at it include an HDMI input for HDMI passthrough or a digital optical out. I understand leaving them out if it meant raising the price further. This box is already expensive enough. But it does leave the Apple TV 4K in an uncomfortable spot, pairing a high-end price with features that are largely matched elsewhere for much less.
Are these high-end omissions a concern for the majority of people? Not really. But those people are going to look at the $300 price tag of the Apple TV 4K and then at Google, Roku, or Amazon streaming devices, which are all half that price or less. The Apple TV 4K is looked at as the premium streamer option, but the now extra premium price without some of the, admittedly niche, features gives me pause.
Maybe the new Apple TV 4K will surprise me. I’ve certainly been looking forward to it for a while. I already appreciate the way Apple handles privacy, and if Apple adds features in coming months, maybe it could be worth it. But that $300 price? It might be better spent elsewhere in your home theater setup.