For those already integrated into Apple’s ecosystem, an Apple TV is a no-brainer. However, even if you’re not, the Apple TV is for everyone. It’s hands down the best streamer we’ve tested, with easy set-up, lightning fast speeds, and most importantly, a totally ad-free home screen. Plus, if you like to own your own movies, Apple has a video-on-demand library that makes it easy to purchase films.
While nearly every other streaming device on this list is weighed down by an ad-heavy home screen, Apple’s tvOS keeps the experience clean and ad-free (beyond the occasional rotating list of Apple TV+ originals while hovering over that app). The home screen is organized neatly, but can also be adjusted so all your go-to apps are close by.
You can’t beat an Apple TV. Having tested many a streaming device, at the end of the day, I’m always relieved to return to the Apple TV that I own. Through all of my testing, there isn’t a streaming device that can beat the Apple TV’s speed. It can zip between apps and start shows with barely any buffering time.
It has the optimal home page layout — a series of organized rectangles showing a user’s downloaded apps. But most importantly, it’s ad-free. As an Apple TV user, I didn’t realize how good I had it until I started testing other streamers and found that the Apple TV is the outlier among streamers with its ad-free display. Not only does this result in a more pleasant navigation experience, it feels like it helps processing speeds and the device isn’t weighed down by a constant rotation of loading ads.
The streaming quality of the Apple TV is impressive. I owned the 4K Apple TV before my actual TV was 4K, but once I did, it delivered gorgeous, high-resolution picture without any buffering time. Plus, it comes with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos for theater-like quality.
Apple has gone through a cycle of different Apple TV remotes and finally landed on a sleek silver model with intuitive controls. Plus, it comes equipped with Siri voice command, which makes searching easy when you don’t want to manually type.
The Apple TV 4K is the best streaming device with its superior processing, ease of use, and exceptional displays and sound.
