5 Streaming Devices That Even Tech Experts Swear By in 2025

As the pro‑level pick that scored 8.5/10, the NVIDIA SHIELD Android TV Pro impressed us in our testing with 4K HDR playback and AI‑enhanced upscaling that makes older shows look much sharper. We found Dolby Audio and DTS‑X support deliver a truly immersive soundstage, and expandable storage is a real plus if you want a local media library. During our review the Android TV interface and gaming chops stood out, but the $196.99 price, limited internal storage, and a remote without backlighting mean serious users will likely add external drives and a lamp.

If you live in the Apple ecosystem, the Apple TV 4K (scoring 8/10) is a natural fit — our experience shows its tvOS integration, AirPlay support, and 4K HDR with Dolby Vision deliver a very polished viewing experience at $149.00. During our review the device felt responsive for streaming and media apps, but we found gaming is constrained by a 60fps ceiling and a reliance on third‑party controllers. If seamless iPhone/HomeKit integration matters more than pure gaming power, this is an easy recommendation.

Google’s Chromecast with Google TV (4K) scored a solid 8/10 in our testing by offering a user‑friendly Google TV interface, 4K HDR streaming, and a voice remote with Assistant that surfaces personalized recommendations. We found it intuitive and well priced at $84.00, and the Assistant remote makes searching and smart‑home control convenient. That said, the tiny 8GB of storage (about 4GB usable) and no Ethernet port can frustrate power users, and during our review we noticed occasional software bugs that may require updates.

Roku Ultra offers strong connectivity and a premium remote — we found Wi‑Fi 6, Ethernet support, 4K with HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, and a rechargeable voice remote with a lost‑remote finder to be genuinely useful — but it only managed a 7/10 overall. In our testing the interface felt cluttered with ads and promotional content, and improvements over previous models seemed modest for the $177.90 price. If you want reliable wired streaming and a top remote, it’s a solid pick, though the ad-driven UI may bother some.

Our top‑rated choice, the Roku Streaming Stick 4K earned a 9.5/10 by giving exceptional performance for just $34.99; in our testing it delivered fast, fluid streaming, reliable Wi‑Fi, and excellent 4K playback with Dolby Vision and HDR10+. We found the Roku OS intuitive and loaded with apps, making day‑to‑day use painless and budget‑friendly. It isn’t perfect — there’s no Dolby Atmos, no Ethernet port, and the remote lacks a headphone jack — but for the price and overall polish it’s hard to beat.

The Amazon Fire TV Cube (7.5/10) is a great choice if you want hands‑free Alexa control and device passthrough — during our review its Dolby Vision and Atmos playback impressed, and the built‑in HDMI input makes controlling cable boxes and consoles straightforward. We found the hands‑free Alexa experience excellent for home automation, but the interface includes a lot of sponsored content and it doesn’t ship with an HDMI cable, so you’ll need to budget for extras. At $137.19 it sits above basic sticks but rewards Alexa‑first homes with tight voice integration and strong 4K performance.

The Apple TV 4K (3rd generation) brings impressive horsepower — our experience shows the A15 Bionic delivers up to 50% more CPU performance and great HDR10+ and Dolby Vision support for vibrant picture quality at $129.99. During our review the box was snappy for apps and media, but we found several usability downsides: the remote lacks a dedicated Home button and some users hit setup issues like server identification errors and repeated login prompts. It’s powerful for apps and games, but those navigation and setup quirks temper the overall experience.