Apple TV 4K 2022 Reviews: Faster, Cheaper, HDR10+ Support, USB-C Remote, But Mainly Unchanged!

On Friday, November 4, customers and retailers can expect the arrival of the new Apple TV 4K. Some media outlets and YouTube channels have already posted their early reviews of the newest Apple TV. The A15 Bionic chip, 4GB of memory, HDR10+ support, a USB-C charging port on the Siri Remote, and a slimmer, lighter,

fanless design are among the most notable updates to the third-generation Apple TV 4K. The base model Apple TV 4K with 64GB of storage is now available for $129, below the 128GB model with an ethernet port and support for Thread networking that retails for $149. You’ll find both textual and visual assessments of the new Apple TV 4K down below.

Written Reviews

1. Reviewers noted that the Apple TV 4K‘s performance improvements were noticeable, especially when switching apps, but they also noted that very few applications could actually benefit from them. Darrell Etherington of TechCrunch:

Apple TV 4K (2022) review: unmatched power, unrealized potential - The Verge

Anyone with a 2021 Apple TV 4K, as I do, is probably not noticing any performance issues. I still use a first-generation Apple TV 4K, and even though it’s six years old, I can’t tell it apart from my 2021 Apple TV in a blind test.

However, it does appear that the 2022 Apple TV 4K makes transitions between the Home Screen and apps, as well as possible within apps, more swiftly. It also provides an improvement when employing the Apple TV as a gaming device, allowing for smoother performance with the most graphically intensive Arcade and App Store games.

Thanks to the A15’s superior performance and the latest tvOS update’s enhancements to controller support, the Apple TV is now a better gaming console than ever.

Apple TV 4K 2022 Reviews: Faster and More Affordable With HDR10+ Support and USB-C Remote, But Largely Unchanged | Flipboard

2. CNET’s Eli Blumenthal, on the other hand, found gaming on the Apple TV 4K to be underwhelming and pointed out that the A15 Bionic chip still does not help the Apple TV compete with games consoles:

Quick loading times and the addition of commentary make NBA 2K23 feel more like a console game than in previous installments, but those are the only similarities between NBA 2K23 and the console versions.

After playing a small sample of the game, I can say that it appears and feels slower than the console version. Direct passing is unavailable, and animations aren’t as smooth or crisp as they are on Xbox One or Xbox Series S/X, even when using an Xbox controller with Apple TV 4K.

The models of players’ faces are fine, but the tattoos on their bodies are not. Other 2K23 staples, such as The City and instant replays for plays, are absent as well.

Apple TV 4K 2022 Review in Progress: Cheaper Price and New Chip Only Go So Far - CNET

The Gameloft Asphalt 8 Plus app also downloaded quickly and ran smoothly with the Apple TV’s Siri Remote. However, this is not a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series S/X game, as it lacks ray-tracing and other modern graphical improvements. When playing games on an Apple TV 4K, the A15 Bionic doesn’t appear to offer any advantages.

3. Chris Welch of The Verge noted that the new Siri Remote’s USB-C charging port is an improvement, but that the device still has room for growth.

The included Siri Remote is functionally identical to the previous generation aside from the fact that it now uses USB-C rather than Lightning.

The Clickpad’s rotational gesture for rapidly scrubbing through a movie or show is so fast and intuitive that you’ll rarely need to resort to the older, less effective methods of fast-forwarding and rewinding.

Apple TV 4K (2022) review: The one you've been waiting for | Flipboard

I really, really, wish Apple had put a U1 chip in the new remote so it could be located precisely with an iPhone. Even a built-in speaker for a “Siri, find my remote” command would have been helpful.

Even if this remote isn’t as likely to be misplaced as the previous, ridiculously slender model, it still can’t be guaranteed that no one will misplace it at some point. I’d like to see the next version of the Siri Remote have backlighting and a higher nub on the play/pause button (so that it’s easier to find by feel).