The slickest TV streaming box around has got the 4K HDR upgrade it so badly needed – especially now that some initial teething troubles have mostly been solved. If your smart TV is a bit thick or you want access to a huge selection of affordable 4K HDR movie streams, then the Apple TV 4K is an...

Slick and powerful; Siri voice controls are great; Growing app store; Clever remote; Seamless setup; if you own an iPhone

Remote not great for gaming; Automatic upscaling not always a benefit; Some key apps missing; Need to be an iPhone user to get the most out of it

If you can swing the price and want the best streamer available today, get the Apple TV 4K.

The Apple TV 4K delivers the best streaming video available to compatible 4K, HDR and Dolby Vision TVs; It offers the most polished streaming experience today, the best remote on the market and excellent Siri voice options; It's just $30, £30 or AU$40 more than the non-4K box.

The Apple TV 4K is expensive; It doesn't stream YouTube in 4K or HDR; Cheaper streaming devices from Roku and others offer similar image quality and capabilities.

The Apple TV 4K is a great product when viewed from certain angles. If you have a lot of your videos locked away in iTunes, the 4K is worth the upgrade. The hardware works well, the tvOS 11 interface is smooth and pretty, and everything syncs between your Apple devices in the way that it should. The tvOS 11 updates are relatively small, but worthwhile. Will I buy a 4K once I’ve handed this review unit back? Sorry, but no. Most of my videos (for good and bad) are courtesy of the Sky Store, so I lack the motive that many of you will have. But even if that were not the case, the fact is that I’m still waiting for Apple to unleash an OMG product on the TV world, one that doesn’t demand a series of compromises in my viewing habits. That may well be an actual Apple TV. Equally, it may not be hardware - I’d be happy if Apple finally replicated its Apple Music subscription charging model into the world of video. If you do decide to spend the best part of £200 on a new 4K box, no-one will laugh at you, especially if much of your media comes courtesy of Apple Inc. But with a world of credible - and often more capable - rivals, it’s beginning to feel like Apple needs to take longer strides in the TV world than those made by the new 4K.

Excellent picture with 4K content; Slick, speedy operation; Great range of 4K films on iTunes;

No YouTube 4K or Amazon (yet); Expensive; Upscaling not always perfect;

Apple TV has been undergoing an arduously slow but ultimately worthwhile evolution. Two years ago, Apple added app support to its then-newest Apple TV, bringing the device functionally in line with other media streamers that had their own app stores years before. Now Apple finally adds support for ultra high definition (UHD, or 4K) streaming, again, years after the competition. The long wait yields a polished, feature-rich experience with support for all major high dynamic range (HDR) streaming standards. At $179 for the 32GB version or $199 for the 64GB version the Apple TV 4K is expensive compared with the competition, but its integration with all other things Apple makes it very tempting for users with multiple iOS devices and huge iTunes libraries.Design Physically identical to the 1080p Apple TV, the Apple TV 4K is a simple curved black box measuring 1.4 by 3.9 by 3.9 inches and weighing 15 ounces, with a single indicator LED on the front panel and a power connector, HDMI inp...

It's been a long time coming, but Apple has finally made the move to 4K HDR video streaming. The wait for Apple TV 4K was worth it, especially for those living exclusively in the iOS ecosystem.

4K and HDR support for both HDR10 and Dolby Vision; Strong Wi-Fi performance; Siri with voice remote

Expensive; Apple's streaming apps selection is still relatively small; Some apps not yet updated for 4K streaming

Apple debuted the Apple TV 4K in 2017, and despite ongoing software updates that keep it a streaming force to be reckoned with, the hardware has remained the same, and so has its price. For the first year or so following its launch, Apple could justify the $179 starting price for the 32GB model (the 64GB model costs $199), after all, it was one of the few streaming devices on the market that supported 4K, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos. It could even be considered as one of the best streaming devices available. But it’s now 2020 and Apple’s competitors have not been standing still. Roku updated its flagship $100 Ultra, Amazon launched and continues to update its $120 Fire TV Cube, Nvidia up its game on the $150 Shield TV, and Google officially entered the remote-based media streamer category with the incredibly affordable $50 Chromecast with Google TV. Apple’s little black box still does a few things better than these other products, but that list is dwindling, making it increasingly di...

Extremely intuitive interface; Siri search/control is vastly improved; Powerful graphics and processing; Beautiful 4K HDR picture;

Slightly dim SDR content in some cases; No longer the only way to do AirPlay; Expensive compared to competition;

Apple debuted the Apple TV 4K in 2017, and despite ongoing software updates that keep it a streaming force to be reckoned with, the hardware has remained the same, and so has its price. For the first year or so following its launch, Apple could justify the $179 starting price for the 32GB model (the 64GB model costs $199), after all, it was one of the few streaming devices on the market that supported 4K, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos. It could even be considered as one of the best streaming devices available. But it’s now 2020 and Apple’s competitors have not been standing still. Roku updated its flagship $100 Ultra, Amazon launched and continues to update its $120 Fire TV Cube, Nvidia up its game on the $150 Shield TV, and Google officially entered the remote-based media streamer category with the incredibly affordable $50 Chromecast with Google TV. Apple’s little black box still does a few things better than these other products, but that list is dwindling, making it increasingly di...

Extremely intuitive interface; Siri search/control is vastly improved; Powerful graphics and processing; Beautiful 4K HDR picture;

Slightly dim SDR content in some cases; No longer the only way to do AirPlay; Expensive compared to competition;

The long-overdue Apple TV 4K acts as the ultimate set-top box upgrade if you're locked into (or loving) the iPhone ecosystem and want to pair it with a new HDR-touting Ultra HD television.

Dolby Vision and Atmos support; tvOS interface is clean and simple; Plays well with other Apple devices; Remote is responsive;

Siri can frustrate; Few benefits for non-4K owners

Apple debuted the Apple TV 4K in 2017, and despite ongoing software updates that keep it a streaming force to be reckoned with, the hardware has remained the same, and so has its price. For the first year or so following its launch, Apple could justify the $179 starting price for the 32GB model (the 64GB model costs $199), after all, it was one of the few streaming devices on the market that supported 4K, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos. It could even be considered as one of the best streaming devices available. But it’s now 2020 and Apple’s competitors have not been standing still. Roku updated its flagship $100 Ultra, Amazon launched and continues to update its $120 Fire TV Cube, Nvidia up its game on the $150 Shield TV, and Google officially entered the remote-based media streamer category with the incredibly affordable $50 Chromecast with Google TV. Apple’s little black box still does a few things better than these other products, but that list is dwindling, making it increasingly di...

Extremely intuitive interface; Siri search/control is vastly improved; Powerful graphics and processing; Beautiful 4K HDR picture;

Slightly dim SDR content in some cases; No longer the only way to do AirPlay; Expensive compared to competition;