Forget the new Apple TV 4K — just buy the new remote

Forget the new Apple TV 4K — merely buy the new remote

(Prototype credit: Tom'south Guide)

Current Apple TV 4K owners may non need the new box's super powers. Here'due south why.

For all the advances in streaming entertainment, the quality of your experience can turn on one piffling accessory: the remote. A good remote tin can brand navigating and viewing a pleasure; a bad remote can crusade a headache.

The new Apple Tv set 4K (2021) is a cracking, powerful device that upgrades the inside with an A12 Bionic flake. But the price, starting at $179, is prohibitive — specially for those who spent that much on the 2017 model.

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Editor's annotation: The new Apple Telly Siri Remote won a Highly Recommended accolade in the 2021 Tom's Guide Awards for Best Streaming Device Remote.

While the 2nd-gen Apple tree TV 4K is more powerful and delivers fast performance, it isn't leaps and bounds ameliorate than the 1st-gen box. The best thing about the new Apple tree Idiot box 4K is that it comes with the new Siri Remote, which can exist purchased separately.

So: Just buy the new remote.

What the Apple Tv 4K 2021 really brings

I've got the starting time-generation 4K Apple tree TV and beloved it for the elegant tvOS interface and seamless integration with my other Apple products. All of that nevertheless remains the same with the 2nd-gen box. It's just as great, nothing better.

With the new A12 chip, the new Apple TV 4K does seem to perform slightly ameliorate and faster. Slightly. While we can't benchmark exam the device with software, past my count the difference in things like apps opening and downloading was peradventure ii or 3 seconds.

Apple TV 4K (2021) — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Apple tree is likewise touting the fact that the upgrade to high frame rate streaming, at lx frames per second (the 1st-gen box streams at 30fps). That makes videos play more than smoothly and in greater particular and high frame charge per unit streaming is peachy for fast-moving action like sports. Only the fact is, a lot of sports aren't shown in ultra high-def. Certainly, you lot're not going to see any games in 4K on cable or regular television. Apple touts the Red Bull Tv set streaming service as an early adopter, and that'due south not bad if you care about that brand of extreme sports.

I actually didn't notice much of a difference betwixt the outset and second-gen Apple tree TVs when playing 4K shows and movies from Netflix, Disney Plus and Amazon. Perhaps action scenes in Stranger Things and WandaVision are slightly more crisp and detailed on the new box, but not enough for me to recommend the upgrade.

What is worth an upgrade? The new Siri remote.

The new Apple Television set remote rights many wrongs

I have never been shy nigh expressing my hatred of the one-time Siri remote that came with my first-gen Apple Idiot box 4K. It'southward been collecting dust in a drawer subsequently I programmed a universal remote to control the actor.

The original Apple TV remote was actually a corrective against the erstwhile Apple Idiot box remote, which was too minor and slim and doesn't sit down well within your hand. Using it felt like tapping on a hard stick of gum. Apple seemed to have taken a look at existing remotes — the big, blocky ones with a bazillion buttons — and went every bit far away from that every bit possible.

But it ended up going also far with the original Siri remote. The touchpad was designed to emulate the touchscreen of an iPhone, but was too sensitive for utilise equally a remote. Almost every fourth dimension I picked it upwardly, I'd accidentally swipe and cause an unintended (not to mention disruptive) activeness. Seriously, I could breathe on it and suddenly the program would commencement fast-forwarding. Also, the black-on-black buttons were difficult to encounter and use — only i had a differentiating white ring around it.

Apple TV 4K (2021) new remote — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Why the new Apple TV remote is then much better

The new Siri remote is completely redesigned. The aluminum body is larger and more than substantial. The blackness-on-silvery buttons still look clean, only register better visually. And, hallelujah, the touchpad is gone!

In its place is a clickpad and jog wheel. The eye of the clickpad is both a button and touchpad that supports gestures, though it's much less sensitive. No accidental swiping now. And it has actual directional buttons for up, downward, left and right.

Apple has also gone back to its roots with the jog wheel, which made me fondly retrieve old iPods of yore. Dialing around the wheel, I was able to rewind and fast-frontwards through shows easily, speedily and precisely. I tried information technology on an episode of Ted Lasso, looking for a particular quote moment and as Ted would say, "Five stars!"

Apple TV 4K (2021) new Siri remote — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

The new remote also adds power and mute buttons (in addition to the existing volume upwards/down), which can control your TV. The menu button has been turned into a back push, which makes a lilliputian more sense when navigating. The Siri button has been relocated to the side, which is also more in line with remotes from competitors like Roku.

That said, it's not perfect. I wish the Goggle box-icon push took you lot to the home screen versus the Apple tree Idiot box app. Some other item on the wish list: The new remote doesn't work with Apple's Find My app and it really should. Even with the bigger body, it's nevertheless a remote and likely to disappear into the recesses of my couch with regularity.

And so, but get the remote — and save a lot of money

In a way, the new Apple tree TV 4K (2021) is 2 new upgraded products in ane. The streaming device itself is actually nifty and is a top-notch performer — only information technology's as well expensive, starting at $179. That's over three times the toll of 4K players from Roku and Fire Television set, also as the Chromecast with Google TV. It is worth the splurge if you're still using an older player, want to upgrade to 4K and are already within the Apple tree ecosystem.

However, if you're like me and already accept the 2017 Apple Television set 4K, the new box doesn't represent such a huge spring forward that it's worth the high price.

Merely the new Siri remote is a massive improvement on its predecessor. Luckily, Apple is selling it separately and at but $59. And it works with the first-gen Apple Idiot box 4K.

Then: Just buy the new remote.

Next: The best universal remotes right at present

Kelly is a senior writer roofing streaming media for Tom's Guide, so basically, she watches Tv for a living. Previously, she was a freelance amusement writer for Yahoo, Vulture, TV Guide and other outlets. When she's not watching Television set and movies for piece of work, she'south watching them for fun, seeing live music, writing songs, knitting and gardening.