Apple TV 4K is easy to use and enhances the viewing experience on our larger TVs

Pros: very easy to set up and use, new HDR10+ for better resolution

Cons: no charging cable with Siri remote

In the age of smart TVs and built-in streaming apps for the most popular cable and satellite TV services, is there still a place for a separate set-top box like Apple’s latest TV 4K?

For some there is. It’s not just people who haven’t gotten around to making the switch to smart TVs or the latest Sky or Virgin Media box, or even those who are opting for a Saorview system and need something different for streaming apps.

As I’ve found using it over the past week, the Apple TV 4K’s latest upgrade is aimed primarily at those who like an easy-to-use set-top box with some high-end tech and power under the hood to sort it out very high to pump high definition movies and TV shows and still have enough left over for things like gaming and photo sharing.

Compared to last year’s Apple TV 4K (yes, it shares the same name), the new model has added a few new features that add a little extra pizzazz to movies, TV shows or light gaming.

Most notably, this includes new support for HDR10+, which makes for sharper, slightly better color contrasts between the mainstream apps (like Prime Video and Apple TV+) that support it.

While this might seem very iterative on some TVs, for those of us now buying larger and larger sets for our living rooms (55 inches is now the standard size with most new buyers in Ireland), there can be a qualitative difference in classic films such as Blade Runner : 2049.

The new model also offers twice the storage space (128GB). If you have a household that regularly buys new movies instead of going to the cinema, it’s worth the extra €20 on top of the base price.

And for those trying to minimize clutter around their TV, the actual box itself is a bit thinner and smaller (around 20 pieces), making it a bit more discreet.

There’s also Apple’s A15 Bionic chip (the same one you’ll find in the new iPhone 14) with an extra gigabyte of RAM (4GB) to make it faster.

This latter upgrade aligns well with Apple’s intention to support “fast media switching” later this year, meaning you won’t have to wait a second when the TV switches between content with different frame rates.

There are a few other differences worth noting, although they won’t make a huge difference to your TV viewing.

The new Siri Remote is now also rechargeable with a USB-C cable and not with the previous Lightning cables. (Unlike last year’s model, however, you don’t get any in the box this year.) While it’s a little frustrating that it’s not yet part of Apple’s “Find My” recognition system (we’re forever losing remotes to the sides of counters in ours House) is designed to recognize the distinct voices of up to six different family members. This should help with features such as the individual query “What should I watch?”.

For those interested, there’s an improved iCloud Shared Photo Library that lets you boast of your family photos on the big screen. Personally, I’ve never really seen the appeal, but Apple usually knows its customers pretty well.

Apple Arcade is a pretty nice experience through the set-top box, especially since you can pair a separate game controller with it.

Aside from the overall ease of use, one of the Apple TV 4K’s greatest strengths is how easy it is to set up for anyone with an iPhone. And if you already had a previous version of the set-top box, you can keep your settings seamlessly. It’s a very, very sophisticated system.

However, Apple’s TV 4K now faces stiffer competition than ever for its core promise: bringing you high-quality, high-definition TV apps.