The Apple TV 4K is fingers down one in every of my favourite streaming units. Though the most recent third-gen mannequin got here out in 2022, it is nonetheless some of the highly effective streamers you should buy in 2026, simply outpacing different set-top streamers just like the Roku Extremely and the Google TV Streamer in efficiency.
It additionally packs a strong function set, together with Dolby Imaginative and prescient, Dolby Atmos, Wi-Fi 6, and AirPlay assist, making it easy to solid content material out of your iPhone, iPad, or Mac on to your Apple TV 4K.
However one in every of my favourite options of the Apple TV 4K — particularly the $149 128GB mannequin — is its Ethernet port, which helps you to join it on to your router for a sooner, extra dependable web connection. So in case your Wi-Fi is spotty at instances, otherwise you simply wish to keep away from any potential connection hiccups whereas streaming, Ethernet will be a particularly precious improve, and I feel paying the additional $20 for the Ethernet-equipped Apple TV 4K is effectively value it.
That stated, whereas an Ethernet port itself is not distinctive to the Apple TV 4K — streamers just like the Roku Extremely and Hearth TV Dice additionally embody one — what makes the Apple TV 4K’s Ethernet port stand out is the uncommon improve it brings. It is an improve that, for my part, really makes the Ethernet port on the Apple TV 4K value utilizing, in comparison with the Ethernet ports you may discover on most streamers and just about each good TV.
- Model
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Apple
- Bluetooth codecs
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5.0
- Wi-Fi
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6
- Ethernet
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Gigabit (128GB mannequin solely)
Apple’s third-generation 4K set-top field ships with an A15 Bionic chipset, HDR10+ and Dolby Imaginative and prescient assist, and a chargeable USB-C Siri Distant. The 128GB mannequin features a Gigabit Ethernet port.
The Apple TV 4K’s Ethernet port is definitely quick
It is all because of Gigabit
Whereas most good TVs and set-top streamers embody an Ethernet port, many are severely underpowered. In different phrases, they’re fairly sluggish.
How can this be? Effectively, on many good TVs and set-top streamers, the Ethernet port maxes out at simply 100 Mbps. That is sometimes called 10/100 Ethernet or “Quick Ethernet,” which, surely, is not all that quick anymore.
Nevertheless, the Apple TV 4K is an outlier on this case, because it encompasses a Gigabit Ethernet port, which is 10x sooner than 10/100 Ethernet, providing speeds as much as 1 Gbps (1,000 Mbps).
…the Apple TV 4K’s Ethernet port is definitely value utilizing as a result of it is Gigabit.
This implies the Apple TV 4K’s Gigabit Ethernet port delivers a noticeably smoother streaming expertise in comparison with the relic that’s 10/100 Ethernet. Naturally, this 10x-faster Ethernet port on the Apple TV 4K makes a distinction: whether or not you are downloading apps, streaming, or pulling content material from a house media server like Plex or Jellyfin, the additional bandwidth is game-changing.
Put merely, the Apple TV 4K’s Ethernet port is definitely value utilizing as a result of it is Gigabit. I actually cannot say the identical for any system with a ten/100 Ethernet port, primarily as a result of newer Wi-Fi requirements, similar to Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 6E, and Wi-Fi 7, can simply outperform a ten/100 Ethernet port when it comes to velocity, offered your router and the connection you get out of your ISP are adequate.
Why is Gigabit Ethernet uncommon on streamers?
It is a straightforward nook to chop, sadly
Regardless of being round for greater than 25 years, Gigabit Ethernet remains to be surprisingly uncommon on streaming units and virtually nonexistent on good TVs. Exterior of the Apple TV 4K, solely a handful of streamers really embody it, such because the Google TV Streamer and the Nvidia Defend TV Professional.
So the massive query is: if Gigabit Ethernet is 10x sooner than 10/100 Ethernet, and has existed for over twenty years, why achieve this few streaming units assist it?
In my opinion, there are two predominant causes. First, it is a straightforward cost-cutting measure. Since most individuals now depend on Wi-Fi, producers know many customers might by no means plug in an Ethernet cable in any respect, making the port a straightforward place to chop corners to save cash. Second, there’s the argument that 100 Mbps Ethernet is “adequate,” since most streaming providers solely want about 25 Mbps for 4K streaming.
Personally, I do not actually purchase both argument.
If I am spending over $500 on a wise TV or greater than $100 on a streamer, I do not suppose Gigabit Ethernet is asking for a lot. It is an ordinary that is been round for 1 / 4 of a century, and practically each fashionable PC and sport console already has it. There is no good purpose higher-end TVs and streaming units should not have Gigabit as effectively.
…it is 2026, and Gigabit Ethernet actually ought to already be the usual on streaming units and good TVs.
And whereas it is true that 100 Mbps is technically sufficient for Netflix or Disney+, that fully ignores how some individuals use these units right now. Apps like Plex and Jellyfin can simply exceed 100 Mbps when streaming massive, high-bitrate 4K information from a house server. Cloud gaming can be changing into extra widespread because of providers like Nvidia GeForce Now and Xbox Cloud Gaming, and a sooner Gigabit Ethernet connection completely helps ship a smoother expertise there, too.
On the finish of the day, it is 2026, and Gigabit Ethernet actually ought to already be the usual on streaming units and good TVs. It is considerably sooner and extra dependable, and it higher future-proofs the {hardware} individuals are possible to make use of for years. I am glad Apple acknowledged that with the Apple TV 4K, together with Gigabit Ethernet on the 128GB mannequin.
A brand new Apple TV 4K is coming
It is shaping as much as be definitely worth the wait
One final thing value mentioning is {that a} new Apple TV 4K is predicted to launch later this 12 months, with rumors pointing to upgraded {hardware} and new Apple Intelligence options. So when you’ve been holding off on choosing up an Apple TV 4K, this refreshed mannequin is perhaps the one value ready for. As for timing, stories counsel it might land within the fall, after Apple rolls out its revamped Siri with iOS 27.
