Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsGreat product but it could be better
Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2022
I have been using Amazon Fire Cube for few years and ordered latest version of Fire Cube (2022) and Apple TV 4k 2022 one week apart. I wanted to compare both new models and stay with one that suits me best. This is my review of using Apple TV 4k 2022 after 2 days.
Pros:
- It is very sleek and I am particularly impressed with how the remote lets me navigate buttons without torturing my thumb. The tv unit itself is small and can fit in any area and in some cases without getting noticed
- The remote has the touch enabled click pad and it is a work of art. You can navigate different apps, movies, songs, lists with a swipe of your thumb. The home button is customizable and the settings allow you to control the TV functions within the same remote. The remote also allows you to speak what you need to type using the button on side which makes life easy
- Iphone connectivity is a blessing. Any time I need to search or type something up, a popup on my iphone lets me type and send it to apple tv. I can also control the on/off witch, changing Channels and navigation using my iphone
- Setup was so easy that I had to really scratch my head if it could get any easier than this
- Ethernet port built in to the Wifi+Ethernet version which is $10 extra then the WiFi only version.
Cons:
- I couldn't get my tv to turn off using the siri remote or the iphone. It is weird that I can turn on the tv using the remote, but unable to turn it off. I spent hours finding the solution on internet and it seems like it is an issue in some cases due to compatibility. Now, to be fair, my TV is from 2014, but still, Amazon Cube has never been an issue with on/off
- Youtube app - I am unable to exit youtube without having to get to home screen directly. For some reason when you exit youtube, the screen just goes blank
- I am unable to download Chrome Browser
- Batteries - you cannot replace batteries on the remote. You have to charge the remote when batteries go weak. And get this, apple does not supply the cable or charger for the batteries
- When using the iphone, I was unable to control the volume using iphone
Advice to Apple:
- Next release, think about wireless charging the remote using the top surface of the apple tv unit. Why not go further and allow wireless charging anything using the top surface of the Apple TV unit
- If wireless charging is not an option, add the charging cable a minimum with this product. Not everyone has a USB-C cable. Especially, if someone only has iPhone, (up to 13 pro), they still wont be able to use their cable for charging . Or change the charging port similar to what iPhone has. USB-C is only available in some versions of Macbook Pros and Macbook Air.
- Why not allow add chrome app to Apple TV? Why isn’t there a browser? If I screencast my phone to apple tv, and try to share something on web, the screen size does not do justice
- Improve the TV - Remote interaction. Mine couldn’t work when I try to turn off the TV. Amazon Fire Cube figured it out… why cant you
- Add color to the units similar to what you have done with iPhones
- Apple TV+… why should I spend $6 on this service? Add more channels to it. Let people enjoy something more for $6. I already pay for netflix and amazon prime, not to mention if I go with a cable provider where I have to pay $30 more. This is $6 extra that only would get me one more tv channel which is no match for showtime, HBO or ESPN.
I am sure there are many good things that I have not mentioned in my pros section, but I only wanted to mention the features that I normally use. Off course, the screen cast, facetime video sharing, smart-home integration and Airpods sharing could be something that makes this product stand apart from all the competition.