The Best Streaming Devices

Across eight independent reviews (CNN Underscored, Engadget, Rolling Stone, Digital Trends, Space.com, Tom's Guide, What Hi-Fi?, and Tech Advisor), the Apple TV 4K (3rd generation) is the only device that ranked #1 in more than two sources. Digital Trends called it 'lightning quick'; Space.com awarded the top spot for 'marginally superior visual quality' with Spatial Audio via Dolby Atmos; What Hi-Fi? gave it a perfect 5/5 for 'excellent picture with expressive sound.' The reason that consensus holds up is the A15 Bionic chip, the same processor in the iPhone 13. Tom's Guide's Tammy Rogers measured it delivering the fastest app launch times of any streamer tested, beating both the Fire TV Cube and the Roku Ultra. On a $1,500 OLED TV, every other 4K streamer makes you wait three to five seconds for Netflix or Disney+ to load; the Apple TV does it in roughly one. Add zero home-screen ads (Rolling Stone called this 'a standout among competitors'), full Dolby Vision and HDR10+ decode in hardware, AirPlay 2 mirroring from any iPhone or Mac, and a built-in HomeKit hub. Stack those up and the $149 price stops looking premium and starts looking like the only device that doesn't compromise somewhere.

The Roku Streaming Stick 4K costs $49.99, about a third of the Apple TV 4K, and CNN Underscored's Henry T. Casey still called its interface 'the cleanest app-grid of any streaming stick.' Digital Trends ranked it #2 overall behind only the Apple TV. The price alone isn't why it wins value. What sets it apart from cheaper sticks is the spec sheet: full Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and Dolby Atmos pass-through (the Fire TV Stick HD has none of that), Roku's platform-neutral interface (Engadget called out 'tons of free content with accurate universal search,' and no Prime gravity), and 10,000+ apps via the largest FAST channel library in streaming. It's the device most people should buy if they don't already live in Apple's ecosystem.