Apple just announced the new 2022 Apple TV 4K earlier today. With Amazon announcing the new 3rd-gen Fire TV Cube last month, the market for flagship streaming devices is going to change quite a bit when these two new contenders are released in a few weeks. Here is a comparison chart of all the specs for the 2019 2nd Fire TV Cube, 2022 3rd-gen Fire TV Cube, 2019 Nvidia Shield TV (Cylinder), 2019 Nvidia Shield TV Pro, 2022 Apple TV 64GB, and 2022 Apple TV 128GB to help you compare the differences and similarities side-by-side.
Comparison Chart
Bold = Better| 2019 Fire TV Cube 2 | 2022 Fire TV Cube 3 | 2019 Shield TV (Cylinder) | 2019 Shield TV Pro | 2022 Apple TV 64GB | 2022 Apple TV 128GB | |
| List Price | $119.99 | $139.99 | $149.99 | $199.99 | $129.00 | $149.00 |
| Historical Low Price | $59.99 | $99.99 | $124.99 | $169.99 | $129.00 | $149.00 |
| Original Release | Oct 10, 2019 | Oct 25, 2022 | Oct 28, 2019 | Oct 28, 2019 | Nov 4, 2022 | Nov 4, 2022 |
| CPU Model | Amlogic S922Z-2 | Amlogic POP1-G (A311D2?) | Nvidia Tegra X1+ | Nvidia Tegra X1+ | Apple A15 Bionic | Apple A15 Bionic |
| CPU Cores | 6-Core | 8-core | 4-core | 4-core | 6-Core | 6-Core |
| CPU Speed | 2.2GHz (4x) & 1.9GHz (2x) | 2.2GHz (4x) & 2.0GHz (4x) | 2.1GHz (4x) | 2.1GHz (4x) | 3.2GHz (2x) & 2.0GHz (4x) | 3.2GHz (2x) & 2.0GHz (4x) |
| GPU | Mali G52 MP2 | Mali G52 MP8 | Maxwell GM20x | Maxwell GM20x | A15 Bionic | A15 Bionic |
| GPU Cores | 2-Core | 8-core | 256-core | 256-core | 4/5-Core | 4/5-Core |
| GPU Speed | 800 MHz | 800 MHz | 1267 MHz | 1267 MHz | 1200 MHz | 1200 MHz |
| RAM | 2 GB | 2 GB | 2 GB | 3 GB | Unknown | Unknown |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 5 802.11ac | Wi-Fi 6E 802.11ax | Wi-Fi 5 802.11ac | Wi-Fi 5 802.11ac | Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax | Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax |
| Ethernet | 10/100 External | 10/100 Internal | Gigabit Internal | Gigabit Internal | None | Gigabit Internal |
| Internal Storage | 16GB | 16GB | 8GB | 16GB | 64GB | 128GB |
| Operating System | Fire OS 7 (Android 9) | Fire OS 7 (Android 9) | Android 11 | Android 11 | tvOS 16 | tvOS 16 |
| Architecture | 32-bit | 32-bit | 32-bit | 64-bit | 64-bit | 64-bit |
| Video Resolution | 4K @ 60fps | 4K @ 60fps | 4K @ 60fps | 4K @ 60fps | 4K @ 60fps | 4K @ 60fps |
| HDR Types | HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision, HDR10+ | HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision, HDR10+ | HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision | HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision | HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision, HDR10+ | HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision, HDR10+ |
| Video Decoding | H.264 (AVC), H.265 (HEVC) | H.264 (AVC), H.265 (HEVC), AV1 | H.264 (AVC), H.265 (HEVC) | H.264 (AVC), H.265 (HEVC) | H.264 (AVC), H.265 (HEVC) | H.264 (AVC), H.265 (HEVC) |
| Audio Decoding | Dolby Atmos | Dolby Atmos | Dolby Atmos | Dolby Atmos | Dolby Atmos | Dolby Atmos |
| Voice Control | Remote Mic, Hands-Free | Remote Mic, Hands-Free | Remote Mic | Remote Mic | Remote Mic | Remote Mic |
| USB Port | USB 2.0 (Micro) | USB 2.0 (Full) | None | USB 3.0 (Full) | None | None |
| Card Port | None | None | Micro SD | None | None | None |
| Video Upscaling | Standard | Advanced | Advanced | Advanced | Standard | Standard |
| Other Extras | App Sideloading, IR Blaster | App Sideloading, IR Blaster, HDMI-IN | App Sideloading | App Sideloading | None | Thread Radio |
| Remote | Alexa Voice Remote (3) | Alexa Voice Remote (TV) | Shield Voice Remote (Triangle) | Shield Voice Remote (Triangle) | Siri Voice Remote (USB-C) | Siri Voice Remote (USB-C) |
| Remote Finder | Optional w/ Pro Remote ($34.99) | Optional w/ Pro Remote ($34.99) | Included | Included | None | None |
| Remote Backlight | Optional w/ Pro Remote ($34.99) | Optional w/ Pro Remote ($34.99) | Included | Included | None | None |
| Remote Batteries | 2x AAA (Included) | 2x AAA (Included) | 2x AAA (Included) | 2x AAA (Included) | Rechargable | Rechargable |
| Remote TV Control | Power Volume Mute | Power Volume Mute | Power Volume | Power Volume | Power Volume Mute | Power Volume Mute |
| Remote App Buttons | Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Hulu | Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Hulu | Netflix | Netflix | None | None |
| Remote Extra Buttons | Fast-Forward, Rewind, TV Guide | Fast-Forward, Rewind, TV Guide, Channel Up/Down, Settings, Recents | Fast-Forward, Rewind | Fast-Forward, Rewind | None | None |
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Let me know if you think I missed anything!
Thanks, Robert, for reminding me to add Thread support to the top Apple TV!
Still trying to see for sure if the Cube supports TrueHD and DTS-MA passthrough or not.
Looks like for the first time, TrueHD yes, but DTS-HD MA, no.
I think audio passthrough should be listed on the chart. Shield TV remains the only streaming device that I’m aware of that passes through DTS and DTS HD-MA.
Hey Elias, great post.
The Shields’ remote do have a Mute function.
Its accessible from Settings>Remote & accessories>Customize Menu button.
From there you have three choices for the menu button function by way of Short press, Long press, and Hold. There’s lots of action options, among them Mute. I have it set for double press on mine. Its invaluable when watching an ad supported service.
Thanks for the info. I did know that but decided to limit the remote comparison to just physical buttons/features, since I’m pretty sure all the remotes have more “hidden” capabilities than is listed above, like the Fire TV remotes being the only ones that can change inputs.
You can also use one of the Button mapper apps to change button behavior. I changed the hated Netflix button to a mute button
You can mute by pressing both volume buttons simultaneously.
can update the chart with Apple TV 2022 4GB of ram. source: https://www.macrumors.com/2022/10/19/new-apple-tv-and-10th-generation-ipad-4gb-ram/
I’m hoping as these boxes become more powerful, they can act as a Plex server, similar to how the Shield can.
Apple tv or the Xbox would be a great Plex server. I wonder why Plex doesn’t push that more.
Muy buen trabajo Elias, yo tengo dos firestick y son excelentes dispositivos, estos cubos deben ser unas bestias, igual los otros deben ser grandes aparatos.
Some categories I’m interested in are AC-4 decoding for ATSC3 and the option to output video in native format (specifically 24fps).
Also native YouTube decoding (which is presumably what the AV1 entry represents), do we no longer need VP9?
And ultimately since these are streaming devices: which of the major premium platforms are supported and is that with full 4K and HDR or DV?
The rest of the info is very useful.
Great chart, Elias!
Is it possible to find out and compare:
1. Which boxes display least amount of ads for paid content.
FireTV has gotten out of hand using FireTV hardware.
Prime Video on AppleTV is much more watchable since not assaulted by ads.
2. Which boxes make good mediacenter hubs? Media center software Kodi, Plex, etc) available? Expandable storage? Restrictions? Have a decent library of shows and movies.
Awesome post – thank you Elias!
What is the HDMI IN port on the 3rd gen Cube for?
For connection of cable box
Seems late in the game to support input of a cable box. Cable is dying. Does the 3rd gen cube integrate the cable content into the guide data? Or is this just a passthrough or upsaclaer?
That’s what I am thinking. Is there that many folks that have both a cable box and a high end FTV hooked up to the same tv? I was surprised to see the addition of the HDMI in. Not sure how much cost it added, but there probably would have been better places to use that part of the budget.
Absolutely, just because tons of people are cutting the cord doesn’t mean there aren’t still tons of people using cable boxes and dvrs.
A few years ago, I bought some auto-HDMI switches to try to add some Fire TV sticks to some of my TV’s but discovered the Fire TV never completely cut off the video so the auto-switch didn’t switch. So, making a streaming stick easy to use can be difficult without going to a universal remote or a device with passthrough when you have to switch inputs back and forth.
How about another FireTV to watch two shows at the same time? Or a security camera feed (need a button to instantly toggle on the input feed)?
I wonder if it can handle hdmi 2.1 4:4:4 4k input and output.
can anyone please do a comparison of the upscaling 4k capability of the cube 3 vs Nvidia Shield Pro?
I upgraded all my HDMI video capture gear to 4K as soon as the new Cube was announced just for this very reason. Stay tuned for a head-to-head upscaling comparison article and video.
Awesome. I also am very interested in this. Not only how it does versus the Shield, but against TVs inbuilt upscaling. My understanding is some TVs do it better than others.
I won’t be comparing it to TVs because the small selection of TVs I have won’t be a good representation of what all the different TVs in the market can do. My plan is to record various different content on the Cube 2 (as “standard” upscaling), Cube 3, and Shield TV. I’ll probably also do some limited testing with a few other devices (like the Chromecast 4K, Apple TV, and Firestick 4K Max) but if they aren’t noticeably different than the Cube 2, which I don’t expect them to be, I won’t be including them in the video/article.
On Nvidia press vol up + vol down at one time = mute
Thanks Adam, I have had a shield since 2016 and never knew about this mute function.
Early 2020 for me, and I’m irritated I didn’t figure it out until a couple months ago. ;-)
Although TBH, never had any need for it until I recently started using an service with commercials.
Maybe something about the gameplaying capabilities? I’ve been interested in something that might have motion sensing remotes for interactive games like bowling or tennis and that sort.
The shield remote ,can mute and other functions if you install the button mapper app,you can disable Netflix button also
As I said, you can do it simply by setting the Menu button to mute on a long press, short press or double press in the Shield’s settings.
No need to install anything.
Sorry if I missed it but this chart is great do you have something similar that lists the specs on all the fire TV models as well?
I am xuri as to what specs the 50″ 4 series and the 55″ Omni have since I just bought them both
Or is it still unknown.
Will we be able to add storage to the cube through the USB?? Also, will the cube have gigabyte Internet support? Thanks
The Fire TV Cube 3rd Gen does not support gigabit internet. It comes with a 10/100 internet wired port. It also supports wireless wifi 6E connections.
Hi @Elias I wonder if you can talk more about the exact meaning of “advanced upscaling” in the case of the Nvidia Shield TV against others, what it’s considered advance?
Regards
All devices can do basic upscaling, which is to simply duplicate pixels to fill the needed resolution. So if you have a 1080p video playing on a 4K device/TV, then every pixel just gets quadrupled. Advanced upscaling goes beyond that by using algorithms or AI to guess the best pixels that should be used to fill the missing spaces. The result is usually a sharper image than with regular upscaling.
Thank you very much for taking the time answering.
Appreciate it