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Apple TV 4K (4th Gen) review
The Apple TV 4K (2026) has been a strange product to review. I’ve been an Apple TV user since the Apple TV 3rd Gen, released in 2012 — in over a decade of sticking with it, I upgraded to the first 4K version, and the 2021 4K version with the better remote. I skipped the Apple TV 4K 2022 version, since the upgrades were minimal.
Despite this, I still recommended that version wholeheartedly to people buying for the first time, for the same reason that home theater enthusiasts online have recommended it. Its picture quality is best-in-class, its format support is excellent, and it offers more privacy protection (and an ad-free home screen) than its rivals from the likes of Roku, Amazon and Google — even though it’s more expensive than those models. The premium was worth paying.
But the premium has changed. The 2022 model launched at $129 / £149 / AU$219 as the starting price. In the middle of 2026, the price rose to $199 / £249 / AU$399. Now the new model is $299 / £299 / AU$449.
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This is compared to $84.99 / £99.99 / AU$149 for the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max, which has also had a price rise this year. The two products have basically the same format support, too.
I should mention here that the Nvidia Shield Pro is also now $299, but has much older tech in it than that this new Apple TV 4K. So the new model isn’t bad value compared to the most direct competitor, the question is whether anyone really wants to pay this much for what’s on offer from either of these compared to the cheaper equivalents.
Let’s address it bluntly. Is the Apple TV 4K worth its higher price for upgraders from previous 4K models? Short answer: no.
Is it worth its higher price if you’re new to Apple TV boxes? Only if you care a lot about image quality and privacy.