Apple has announced two new versions of the Apple TV 4K. Both are good for different reasons. Better interiors. New features. And prices that are more likely to be competitive, even if they’re still far less than what people are spending on Roku devices and Amazon Fire TV.
But two new 4K Apple TV boxes, and the death of the lower-resolution Apple TV HD, means you have a choice to make. Which Apple TV 4K is right for you?
We’ll just cut to the chase: Spend the extra $20 and get the more expensive model. This is why:
Better performance
When it comes to connected devices in the home, especially if it’s something that will be transmitting large amounts of data, plugged-in devices are always better than wireless. That doesn’t mean you can’t get good wireless speeds on the Apple TV 4K. You certainly can. But the wired connection is almost always more stable and faster, and that means you’ve pretty much eliminated speed and stability as variables when it comes to troubleshooting.
In other words, Ethernet means you don’t have to apologize. If you know you’re going to put Apple TV 4K in a place that has an Ethernet cable, use it. That’s worth the extra $20.
More storage space
There’s an adage when it comes to vehicle storage: you’ll never have enough. And Apple TV (unlike other devices of this type) doesn’t give you the option to add any external storage. So what you buy is what you get.
Do you really need 128 GB of storage on your Apple TV 4K? It’s easy to say you don’t have one. It’s not the kind of product you’ll need to download a lot of data to be able to watch shows and movies offline because it’s not the kind of thing you’ll use without an internet connection. On the other hand, when was the last time you saw a smaller software update than the last? So more storage makes sense.
Here are two options: 64GB with the Wi-Fi-only model and 128GB with a $20 upgrade. From a purely mathematical standpoint, you’ll get a better gigabyte-per-dollar ratio than a $150 model with twice the storage. That in itself makes sense.
And at the end of the day, you’re talking about just a 15% premium for a bit of future proofing. Use that Hamilton.
Apple TV 4K 2022: one with Ethernet and one without. That is the only difference visible from the outside.
Better network support
This part is certainly quite nerdy. And if you don’t care about things like Thread and Matter, which aren’t the same thing, but are very much a part of the same universe when it comes to smart home devices, then go ahead and move on.
But here’s the deal: The slightly more expensive Apple TV 4K with more storage and Ethernet also supports Thread, which is a mesh networking protocol for Internet of Things (IoT) devices. It allows things to communicate with each other quickly and easily. And Matter, the latest in a long line of smart home standards but one that might finally work, uses Thread.
So if you know you’ll be using your Apple TV 4K as a smart home hub, go ahead and spend the extra $20 and get one that supports Thread.
More about Apple TV
What about the Apple TV HD?
Now that there are two Apple TV 4K models priced at $130 and $150—and it’s worth noting that those are retail prices before sales take effect—there’s really no room for a device that costs the same but does less. Apple TV HD was limited to 1080p resolution.
And so the Apple TV HD is no more. Either Apple TV 4K or nothing.
What Apple TV to buy?
This is not exactly nonsense. You can make all sorts of arguments for saving $20 and just getting the Wi-Fi-only model of the Apple TV 4K, and no one should bother you about that decision.
But things like Ethernet and more storage can’t be upgraded. (Not with Apple TV, anyway.) And since you’re already spending at least $130, you’re not too far off to shell out another $20 for some future.
And for those reasons alone, regardless of Thread’s support, we’d just go ahead and get the pricier Apple TV 4K.
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Categories: GAMING
Source: newstars.edu.vn