If you’ve used any smart TV in the last decade without a streaming device, you’re all too familiar with the abysmal software experience consumers are exposed to. Unfortunately, underpowered processors make the cumbersome and bloated Android TV/Google TV environment even more of a nuisance. I struggled with this on a Hisense TV for over four years before switching to Apple TV 4K (3rd Gen).
Gone are the poor reload speeds, navigation hiccups, and poor app performance, replaced by the clean, highly responsive UI of Apple tvOS. For the longest time, I tried to improve the performance of the TV on Android TV, but with Apple TV 4K, I don’t have to worry about it anymore. Even if I do eventually upgrade to a new OLED TV, I’d happily use the Apple TV 4K with the standard operating system and processing of the new TV. If you’ve been struggling with a frustrating smart TV experience, now’s the time invest in an external streaming device.
Software is still my biggest disappointment with smart TVs
No brand is perfect
Apparently, TVs have gotten smarter over the past 15 years. It started with internet connectivity and app-based content consumption, moving to advanced voice control, streaming apps and interactive operating systems. However, your TV’s software environment has been deteriorating for years. Features continued to be added, but usability and satisfaction suffered mercilessly. All but the most expensive models are still equipped with weak processors and insufficient RAM, which worsens the user experience.
And it’s not even limited to budget brands. Even today, LG’s webOS and Samsung’s Tizen OS feel surprisingly slow and buggy. Sony, TCL, Hisense and others have moved to Google TV, but it has its challenges. While budget models suffer from familiar hardware limitations, premium models have to put up with Google TV’s bloated ecosystem of content recommendations, live previews, intrusive ads, and data tracking.
In my case, the Hisense TV we bought back in 2020 worked fairly well for about a year or two, but then it became a penalty. Reload times continued to increase, the main screen wasn’t used for more than a minute due to the placement of the TV, and navigating the UI and switching between apps became a major source of frustration.
Resetting the TV didn’t help much, as within a few months everything was back to the same subpar experience. We have maintained the status quo until mid-2024, when enough is enough. Upgrading the TV was not an option as we wanted to use the Hisense for a few more years before investing over $1000 in LG or Samsung OLED TVs. So the only solution was to get a streaming box.
I stopped trying to make my TV’s internal operating system faster
Replacing it with Apple TV 4K was the best decision
When it came time to choose a streaming device to buy, it didn’t take long to choose the Apple TV 4K (3rd Gen). Of course, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max was also an option, but I already had several Apple devices in the house, so Apple TV 4K felt like the obvious choice. It was more expensive than any other streaming bar, but as we realized after two years of use, the investment has already paid ample dividends.
Apple TV takes a completely different approach to the 4K viewing experience. Since the company doesn’t subsidize the box to cover costs later, there’s no Automatic Content Recognition (ACR), ads, or other forms of data tracking to worry about. Hardware and subscriptions (Apple TV+ or others) are what the company cares about. The A15 Bionic chip is partially responsible for making everything work properly. The other part is that tvOS is an uncluttered, flawless and bloat-free environment that doesn’t force anything on the viewer. Navigating through the home screen, settings, and apps was a pleasure with no stutters, slowdowns, or crashes.
Even after a power outage, the loading time takes a few seconds and you don’t have to wait for the TV to “warm up”. Apps that are traditionally slow on Android TV, like Prime Video, run faster on tvOS. I have also used Plex and Steam Link on Apple TV 4K without any major performance or usability issues. And with Apple’s ecosystem, my partner can share their iPhone or MacBook screen to the TV instantly, every time, something unimaginable on Android TV.
Finally, the remote is definitely the best I’ve used on any TV, cutting everything down to the essentials. Using the clickpad to delete video timers is something I miss on many other TVs. The Apple TV 4th Generation has been heavily rumored for the past few years, but even if it arrives soon, it won’t be cheap given the massive price hikes recently seen on the 3rd Generation model.
This OS will not be considered for my next TV upgrade
Apple TV 4K is here to stay
I managed to bypass the terrible OS experience of the Hisense TV with the Apple TV 4K, and it will remain the main OS even in our next TV. we will do Switch to the OLED model from LG or Samsung in the next 2-3 years, but that also means using LG’s webOS or Samsung’s Tizen OS. These first-party operating systems are still shockingly slow, even on premium models, so our Apple TV 4K will continue to deliver a superior experience.
We have no reason to switch to the more expensive Apple TV 4K (4th Gen) when it arrives. The current model does everything we need, it’s been a pleasure to use for the past two years, and we can comfortably use it for at least four more. As for the 60Hz refresh rate limitation, the next TV’s 120Hz or 144Hz refresh rate will always be there if needed for a Steam Link session.
TV brands are encouraged to use ACR to spy on you and place ads everywhere on first-party operating systems. Google TV does the same, so Apple TV 4K will remain an attractive option for people who value data privacy. Plus, its internals are more than enough to power anything you throw at it. It struggles when streaming heavy titles on Plex, but that’s only for a small subset of files. I no longer have to worry about what software my TV is running because I will never use it again.
Apple TV 4K justifies its price and then some
With a smooth, ad-free, and clutter-free tvOS experience, the Apple TV 4K justifies its asking price ($129 more than the old $199, of course). I can’t remember the last time an app crashed on a TV or the UI struggled to handle remote inputs. Every time we upgrade to a new TV, the Apple TV 4K will make the built-in operating system seamless and take it out of the purchasing decision.
