Key Takeaways
- The Apple TV 4K is a game changer in streaming quality and functionality.
- Apple’s ecosystem has seamless connectivity, which may be an adjustment, but it’s valuable.
- The Apple TV 4K is perfectly fine standalone, offering high-quality viewing and gaming capabilities.
I never truly set out to avoid Apple products, but that’s how things played out. Whether it was through promotions where I got a free Google Home or wanting to pick up a waterproof phone like the now-ancient Samsung Galaxy 6 Active, I always tended to gravitate toward Google. Eventually, I decided to try out Apple Music thanks to lossless audio, something Spotify announced years ago but still doesn’t have. I noticed Apple Music can output spatial audio, and I thought that was a neat future that could take advantage of my surround sound setup.
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Going down the rabbit hole, I saw you needed an Apple TV, and simply streaming Apple Music to my receiver wasn’t enough to get the Dolby Atmos experience. I picked one up from eBay to test out Atmos, and now I’m shocked I ever lived without one.
Apple TV 4K (2022)
- Brand
- Apple
- Bluetooth codecs
- 5.0
- Wi-Fi
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The 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 had an Apple TV 4K for about a year now, so there are still many tips and tricks I’m still learning about the device. While the Atmos support for Apple Music is nice, there’s so much more this little box can do. Whether it’s watching TV, movies, YouTube videos, or listening to music, the Apple TV 4K can do it all. The biggest thing it’s done for me has been completely replacing my Sony Bravia’s UI which was often sluggish. The speed of the Apple TV 4K has been tough to ignore, and it’s noticeably faster than my TV ever was.
The Apple TV 4K has a snappy home screen, and everything is readily available on the page, so I don’t have to go scrolling around for an app like I did on my Bravia. I can easily have multiple apps open at once and switch between them easily with the intuitive remote. I also have a Google Chromecast 4K I picked up for the short-lived Google Stadia service, so I have experience with other streaming devices. The main downside I had with the Chromecast was not having a remote, so I didn’t have a lot of functionality the Apple TV 4K has. Currently, it’s plugged into the back of my bedroom TV where I only use it to cast YouTube videos.
The Apple TV 4K remote has Siri functionality built-in for voice controls.
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Picking up an Apple TV 4K has been a fine first step into the Apple ecosystem. Now, whether it’s a gateway product into the greater Apple ecosystem is another thing entirely. As of right now, it’s still all I have with the Apple logo, but I can feel the call. When the time comes to make some upgrades to my various devices, Apple will be a new option on my radar.
More Apple products might be on the way
The collection grows
I have a OnePlus 8 Pro that’s getting older and older by the day, so the time to upgrade my phone is coming soon. While an iPhone isn’t something I’ve ever considered before, I might have to think about grabbing one now. To be honest, I don’t spend a lot of time on my phone, but that’s because I also have a Galaxy Tablet where I do all of my social media scrolling. The tablet, much like my phone, is getting older, and it’s almost time for a new one, too.
While the new iPad mini looks like a tablet that’s targeting nobody, I could see myself getting a lot of use out of it. I initially bought my tablet to read digital comics, but I haven’t done that in quite a while, so having a 10.1-inch screen is no longer a key selling point for me. The iPad Mini’s smaller 8.3-inch screen is by no means a dealbreaker, and the fact it’s much cheaper than an iPad Pro is a big boon for me. Picking up an iPad would also open up screen mirroring, which is a cool concept that I currently can’t take advantage of with a Galaxy tablet.
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The daunting part of the Apple ecosystem is just how much there is to it. You can have seamless connectivity across your Mac, iPhone, Apple TV, iPad, etc., so it feels like I need to spend a lot of money to get all the value out of it. That same thing applies to the Google ecosystem, but the big difference is how I already have many Google products while I only have the Apple TV 4K.
So, is it really a gateway device to the world of Apple tech?
The Apple TV 4K is perfectly fine on its own
Don’t feel pressured
You might be wondering what use an Apple TV is without any other Apple products. It’s a fair question, but I can tell you it works just fine. Yes, it would be better if I had AirPods to connect or an iPhone to act as a remote, but the thing with those features is that they’re completely optional. It’s nice to have them, but you don’t need them at all. I was actually surprised at how well the Apple TV 4K worked as a standalone device.
Although I bought it because of Apple Music, the Apple TV 4K is an excellent way to watch the latest TV and movies. It has Dolby Vision support, so if you have a TV that can take advantage of that, it’s a good device to pick up. It’s also nice that you can connect a controller to the Apple TV and start playing games you have installed through Apple Arcade or by using the Steam Link app. I used to use my Xbox One as my main streaming device before switching over to the smart TV UI. Now, the Apple TV 4K is my go-to, and I can’t think of anything that’d do the job better.
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My advice to you is, if you’re in the market for a streaming device like a Chromecast, Roku, or Apple TV, you should go with the Apple TV 4K even if it’s the only product you have. I haven’t felt like I’m lacking anything significant with it as my only Apple product, and I know its versatility only grows once I add more Apple devices to my collection. For example, while I’d personally never need or want to use FaceTime with my Apple TV 4K, it’s an option that exists and could be a selling point for somebody else. Even if I never grab an additional Apple product, I’m more than happy with my purchase.
