Apple TV 4K

John Archer is impressed by the new Apple TV – especially its remote – but questions how much of an upgrade it is from what’s gone before

- John Archer

HAVING TAKEN FOUR years to come up with a sequel to its 4K streaming box, the hope has to be that Apple has delivered a really substantial upgrade. So let’s get right into picking out where the differences lie.

The most obvious – and welcome – improvement is the Siri remote control. The trackpad at the top of the 2017 Apple TV’s ultra-thin handset was cool but so fiddly that it probably led to a new generation of swear words. So it’s good to see the simple, effective design of the Apple TV box remaining unchanged, but now partnered by a handset that replaces the old trackpad with a ‘click pad’ set around a large circular select button.

Seriously: this is so much easier to use that I couldn’t believe I’d put up with the old design for so long without hurling it against a wall.

On to the hardware. The new Apple TV introduces an HDMI 2.1 output, sports a new automatic TV colour calibration system, and shifts from the A10X processor of the previous model to an A12 Bionic processor. This new chip introduces support for ‘high frame rates, including Dolby Vision at 60Hz.

As usual, there are two versions available, one with 32GB storage (£160), the other with 64GB (£190). Considering the meagre price difference between them, it's quite easy to recommend going for the roomier model.

Not an Xbox killer