Today, in the era of compactness and mobility, there is a tendency to create things in a pocket form factor that were unthinkable until recently. For example, could you imagine that a whole smart TV the size of a flash drive that easiily fits in your pocket, would give you access to YouTube, Netflix and other platforms, and on top of that, have the functionality of a good smartphone? Sounds interesting? Then let’s have a look at various options in terms of price, power and functionality.
1. Apple TV 4K (under $130)
It is a TV box with a standard design for Apple products. Compared to many other TV devices, its main feature will be access to Apple services, such as Apple TV + or Apple Arcade, and to your favorite streaming servises, be it Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, Disney+, or more. You can choose between two options, 32 or 64 GB of storage space for installing applications. The Dolby Atmos sound capabilities will get you the utmost cinematic experience.
2. NVIDIA Shield Android TV 4K (under $150)
This is a well-known product manufactured by Nvidia, which was once positioned as a game console of their production with the android operating system installed on it. Now it is possible to have a smart TV with the functionality of a powerful Nvidia Tegra processor, presented in the Pro version. All this is placed in a cylindrical case, which is not very convenient for many, but at the same time you get the full functionality of Nvidia Shield, excellent picture and sound and good power for various android games, including those ported to Nvidia Tegra processor through Nvidia services like Geforse now.
3. Fire TV Stick 4K Max (under $50)
A product from Amazon in the form of a small TV stick the size of a flash drive, which is enough to insert into the HDMI connector, power it up and you get access to Amazon's Prime Video services and other services. It supports next generation Wi-Fi 6. and 4K Ultra HD support with Dolby Vision, HDR, HDR10+ and immersive Dolby Atmos audio.
4. Xiaomi Mi TV Stick (under $60)
Pretty good solution from the manufacturer of smartphones and other smart technology Xiaomi. the device has good power even as a TV stick as a smart TV, allowing you to use various applications and games that not every TV stick will allow. It has a pre-installed Android TV, which may seem more convenient for many than a regular smart TV for watching videos.
5. X96 X4 (under $80)
The x96 smart box series has various versions, some of which are well-received as a good set-top box for a TV for quite a small price. This version also has a scoreboard on the front. A nice simple smart tv box that can make your ordinary TV or monitor smarter, working well with video and light android applications. The x96 smart box series has various versions, some of which are well-received as a good set-top box for a TV for quite a small price. This version also has a scoreboard on the front. A nice simple smart tv box that can make your ordinary TV or monitor smarter, working well with video and light android applications.
How to choose a good TV device?
Functionality
The first thing you should think about when buying a TV streaming device is for which tasks you want to buy it. Do you need a mini-computer on your TV or do you just want to watch iptv, streaming services and YouTube. In terms of functionality, Android TV and pure Android may look the same, but Android TV works better as a smart TV. A lot more apps can be installed on pure Android.
RAM / ROM
The second thing you should pay attention to is the amount of RAM and ROM memory, where the speed of the stick itself depends on RAM, and the amount of memory that can be spent on various services and applications depends on ROM. 2/16 options are the best for TV boxes and sticks today, but if you want a little more from the set-top box, like the same games, then you should consider options like 4/64 Gb and more.
Form Factor
The third thing you can pay attention to is the form factor. With the TV stick form factor, you can always carry apps, subscriptions and more like purchased ones, which can be used on long trips and beyond. Yes, the TV box form factor, of course, also fits in a pocket or a bag, but this format is more suitable for stationary use, especially when the device is most likely to be connected to the back of the TV.
Price
And the fourth is the price of a device. All sorts of points and criteria converge here, since everything is the same, depending on how you are going to use the TV device - its power will depend, and the capabilities and the price of the device itself will depend on the power. Are you going to use smart TV like a smartphone, where you will have video communication, applications, games of various loads, or do you really need a "smart TV", with which it will be quite easier for you to watch regular TV channels, streaming services and the same Netflix and YouTube, where expensive flagship products are more suitable for the former, and cheap solutions from famous Chinese brands that are not inferior in quality and perform well as conventional smart TVs may well suit the latter.
