Experts recommend Apple TV 4K more than Nvidia Shield
As of 16 Jan 2025, experts prefer Apple TV 4K over Nvidia Shield, but both Streaming Players have solid expert endorsements.
As per this month's meta ranking, Apple TV 4K received 10 recommendations: from CNET (17 Dec 2024), Digital Trends (3 Jan 2025) Business Insider (1 Nov 2024) and 7 others. By contrast, Nvidia Shield received only 6 recommendations from CNET (17 Dec 2024), Digital Trends (3 Jan 2025) The Verge (15 Feb 2023) and 3 others.
| Rank | Change | Price | Streaming Player | CNET  | Digital Trends  | Business Insider  | Reviewed  | The Verge  | PCMag  | IGN  | Tom's Guide  | TechRadar  | WIRED  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | - | $247 |  Apple TV 4K The Apple TV 4K (2022) has received positive reviews for its content availability, picture and sound quality, setup, and gaming capabilities, making it a versatile streaming device suitable for users who want a comprehensive range of streaming services, impressive picture and sound quality, easy setup, and seamless integration with other Apple devices. | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 5 |
4 | 1 | 3 |
| 5 | - | $150 |  Nvidia Shield The Nvidia Shield Streaming Player is a versatile and powerful streaming device that offers a wide range of content, exceptional picture and sound quality, easy setup, and comprehensive gaming capabilities. | 7 | 3 | - | - | 5 | - | 4 | 5 | 3 | - |
Curious to see this month's entire TV Boxes and Sticks ranking? It's here
Endorsement summary:
- On 17 Dec 2024 CNET ranked Apple TV 4K as #5 and Nvidia Shield as #7
Rank Streaming Player Comment ... ... ... #5 out of 7 Apple TV 4K Best for gamers and power users... ... ... #7 out of 7 Nvidia Shield Best for hardcore gamersSource: www.cnet.com - On 3 Jan 2025 Digital Trends ranked Apple TV 4K as #1 and Nvidia Shield as #3
Rank Streaming Player Comment #1 out of 5 Apple TV 4K The best overall streaming device... ... ... #3 out of 5 Nvidia Shield The next-best streaming device... ... ... Source: www.digitaltrends.com - On 15 Feb 2023
Rank Streaming Player Comment #1 out of 5 Apple TV 4K The best overall streaming player... ... ... #5 out of 5 Nvidia Shield The best streaming player for gamingSource: www.theverge.com - On 2 Jan 2025 IGN ranked Nvidia Shield as #4 and Apple TV 4K as #5
Rank Streaming Player Comment ... ... ... #4 out of 9 Nvidia Shield Best 4K Streaming Device#5 out of 9 Apple TV 4K Best 4K Streaming Box for Apple Households... ... ... Source: www.ign.com - On 5 Dec 2024 Tom's Guide ranked Apple TV 4K as #4 and Nvidia Shield as #5
Rank Streaming Player Comment ... ... ... #4 out of 13 Apple TV 4K Best streaming device for Apple device owners / Editor's Choice#5 out of 13 Nvidia Shield Best Android streaming device / Editor's Choice... ... ... Source: www.tomsguide.com - On 7 Oct 2022 TechRadar ranked Apple TV 4K as #1 and Nvidia Shield as #3
Rank Streaming Player Comment #1 out of 9 Apple TV 4K The best streaming device for iOS... ... ... #3 out of 9 Nvidia Shield The best 4K streaming device for power and performance... ... ... Source: www.techradar.com - On 1 Nov 2024 Business Insider ranked Apple TV 4K as #3
Rank Streaming Player Comment ... ... ... #3 out of 5 Apple TV 4K Best high-end... ... ... Source: www.businessinsider.com - On 25 Jul 2023 Reviewed ranked Apple TV 4K as #4
Rank Streaming Player Comment ... ... ... #4 out of 7 Apple TV 4K Editors' Choice... ... ... Source: www.reviewed.com - On 26 Nov 2024 PCMag ranked Apple TV 4K as #6
Rank Streaming Player Comment ... ... ... #6 out of 7 Apple TV 4K Best for Siri Control... ... ... Source: www.pcmag.com - On 7 Oct 2024 WIRED ranked Apple TV 4K as #3
Rank Streaming Player Comment ... ... ... #3 out of 9 Apple TV 4K Best for iOS Lovers... ... ... Source: www.wired.com
After counting and adding up the 76 expert endorsements of the January rankings, Apple TV 4K outranks Nvidia Shield. This is not to say that Nvidia Shield is a bad option. Like Apple TV 4K, it is recommended by experts, but less.
As can be seen below, Apple TV 4K outranks Nvidia Shield by 4 positions. This indicates that, as of 16 Jan 2025, Apple TV 4K is more critically acclaimed than Nvidia Shield.
| Rank | Change | Price | Streaming Player | CNET | Digital Trends | Business Insider |
Reviewed | The Verge | PCMag | IGN | Tom's Guide | TechRadar | WIRED |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | - | $247 | Apple TV 4K The Apple TV 4K (2022) has received positive reviews for its content availability, picture and sound quality, setup, and gaming capabilities, making it a versatile streaming device suitable for users who want a comprehensive range of streaming services, impressive picture and sound quality, easy setup, and seamless integration with other Apple devices. | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| 2 | - | $38 |  Roku Streaming Stick 4K The Roku Streaming Stick 4K is a versatile streaming device that offers a wide range of content, high-quality picture and sound, easy setup, and the option for casual gaming experiences. | 2 | 2 | - | 3 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 9 | 1 |
| 3 | - | $73 |  Roku Ultra The Roku Ultra 2022 is a versatile streaming device that offers a wide range of content, excellent picture and sound quality, easy setup, and some gaming capabilities, making it suitable for various streaming preferences. | - | - | 1 | 1 | - | 4 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| 4 | - | Check price |
 Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max is a versatile streaming device that offers a wide range of content options, 4K resolution, HDR and Dolby Vision support, fast navigation, and gaming capabilities, making it a recommended choice for users seeking a user-friendly and high-quality streaming experience. | 4 | 4 | 4 | - | 4 | - | 2 | 6 | 8 | 5 |
| Show all rows | |||||||||||||
Expert reviews [25]
Total expert reviews: 25
- with a score: 18
- without a score: 7
| Highest score by The Guardian | 100 |
| Average score based on 25 reviews | 89 |
| Lowest score by Indian Express | 80 |
Score distribution:
| 80-100 | |
| 60-80 | |
| 40-60 | |
| 20-40 | |
| 0-20 |
Expert reviews [16]
Total expert reviews: 16
- with a score: 11
- without a score: 5
| Highest score by The Guardian | 100 |
| Average score based on 16 reviews | 86 |
| Lowest score by CNET | 77 |
Score distribution:
| 80-100 | |
| 60-80 | |
| 40-60 | |
| 20-40 | |
| 0-20 |
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