Best Streaming Box 2026: Apple TV 4K vs Ugoos AM9 Pro vs Nvidia Shield vs Google TV Streamer

Which one to buy

Apple TV 4K (2026)

Best streaming box for most people

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Google TV Streamer

Best for half the price, and for Android households

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Nvidia Shield TV Pro

Best for Plex, USB drives and lossless audio

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Ugoos AM9 Pro

Best for a local 4K movie library, not Netflix

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The 2026 Apple TV 4K and Siri Remote. Image: Apple.

The best streaming box for most people in 2026 is the Apple TV 4K (2026). It plays every major streaming app at full quality, supports both Dolby Vision and HDR10+, and has Gigabit Ethernet and a Thread hub. At $299, it is also the most expensive box here, so the Google TV Streamer is the pick if you want the same streaming apps in 4K HDR for about half that.

The other two boxes are for people who keep their own movie files. The Nvidia Shield TV Pro passes lossless Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD audio to a receiver and runs a Plex server, but it is 2019 hardware that Nvidia just raised to $299.99. The Ugoos AM9 Pro plays 4K Blu-ray rips better than any of them, and Netflix only in standard definition.

All four prices went up this year as memory costs rose. Apple's box ships November 13 and Black Friday is November 27, so if this is a gift, there is time to order either way.

Our picks

• Apple TV 4K (2026) is the best box for most people, especially in a home with iPhones.
• Google TV Streamer has the same 4K Dolby Vision streaming for about $140 to $150, plus a Thread and Matter hub.
• Nvidia Shield TV Pro is the box for Plex, USB hard drives and lossless audio passthrough.
• Ugoos AM9 Pro is for a 4K movie library with Dolby Vision Profile 7, as a second box next to something that plays Netflix.

Streaming box comparison

Specs come from Apple's Apple TV 4K spec page, Google's TV Streamer spec page, Nvidia's Shield TV page and Ugoos's AM9 Pro page. Amazon prices were checked on October 29, 2026.

Best for most people: Apple TV 4K (2026)

Check the Apple TV 4K (2026) price on Amazon

Apple's fourth-generation Apple TV 4K runs on the A19 chip, with 128GB of storage, Wi-Fi 7, Gigabit Ethernet, a Thread radio and three far-field microphones for hands-free Siri. It plays Dolby Vision, HDR10+ and Dolby Atmos from Netflix, Disney+, Max, Prime Video and Apple TV+, and the new dedicated AV1 decoder covers YouTube's highest-quality streams. The tvOS home screen is a grid of your apps rather than a feed of sponsored rows, which sets it apart from Google TV and Fire TV.

It handles local files well through apps like Infuse and Plex, with two limits. It has no USB port, so your movies have to come from a NAS or a computer on the network. It also decodes Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD audio to PCM instead of passing the original bitstream to a receiver, and MacRumors notes that the new model still has no passthrough and no 120 fps video output.

The price is the catch. The 2022 model launched at $129, and the 2026 box costs $299 in its single configuration. If you already own a 2022 Apple TV 4K, our Apple TV 4K (2026) vs 2022 comparison explains why keeping it is the better move for most people.

Buy it if your household uses iPhones, if you want one box that plays every app at full quality, or if you want a Thread hub for HomeKit and Matter accessories. Amazon lists it for release on November 13, two weeks before Black Friday.

Best for less: Google TV Streamer

Check the Google TV Streamer price on Amazon

Google TV Streamer and remote in Hazel. Image: Google.

The Google TV Streamer is a low, oval box that sits next to the TV instead of hanging off the HDMI port like the old Chromecast. Google lists 4K HDR at 60 fps with Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+ and HLG, Dolby Atmos audio, 4GB of memory, 32GB of storage, Gigabit Ethernet and HDMI 2.1. It is a certified Google TV device, so Netflix, Disney+, Max, Prime Video and YouTube all play at full resolution.

It also doubles as a smart home hub. The box has a built-in Thread border router and Matter controller, and the Google Home panel on the TV shows camera feeds and controls lights. The remote has a find-my-remote feature: press the button on the back of the streamer and the remote plays a sound.

Google raised the price from $99.99 to $149.99 on August 31, citing component costs, per 9to5Google. Amazon had the Porcelain color at $139.99 and Hazel at $149.99 on October 29. The Wi-Fi is the older Wi-Fi 5 standard, the MediaTek chip is modest, and Google doesn't list Dolby TrueHD or DTS passthrough, so it isn't the box for a Blu-ray collection. The Google TV home screen also leans heavily on recommendations and sponsored content.

Buy it if your household uses Android phones, if you want a Google Home or Matter hub by the TV, or if $299 is more than you want to spend on a streaming box. It dropped to $74.99 on Prime Day in June, before the price increase, so it's a likely Black Friday deal.

Best for Plex and lossless audio: Nvidia Shield TV Pro

Check the Nvidia Shield TV Pro price on Amazon

The 2017 Shield TV's rear panel. The current Shield TV Pro uses the same case. Photo: 之乎, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The Shield TV Pro has been the Plex box of choice since 2019, and it still does things the Apple TV and Google TV Streamer don't. It passes Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio, Dolby Atmos and DTS:X to an AV receiver untouched. It has two USB 3.0 ports for hard drives, and it can run Plex Media Server itself, so a USB drive plugged into the Shield becomes a library for every TV in the house. Nvidia's AI upscaling sharpens 720p and 1080p video on a 4K TV, and GeForce Now streams PC games to it.

The hardware shows its age. The Tegra X1+ chip, 3GB of memory and 16GB of storage date from 2019. It has HDMI 2.0b, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, no AV1 decoding and no HDR10+, and it is capped at Android 11. Nvidia raised the price from $199.99 to $299.99 on October 2 and discontinued the cheaper tube-shaped Shield TV, according to How-To Geek. On October 29, Amazon's listing had no Amazon-sold offer, only third-party sellers, so compare that price with Nvidia's $299.99 list price before you buy.

Buy it if you run Plex, keep movies on a USB drive, and own a receiver that decodes TrueHD and DTS-HD. If you only stream Netflix and Disney+, the Apple TV costs the same and is newer in every way.

Best for a 4K movie library: Ugoos AM9 Pro

Check the Ugoos AM9 Pro price on Amazon

The Ugoos AM9 Pro's rear panel: USB-C power, USB-C OTG, HDMI 2.1b, Gigabit Ethernet, optical and AV out.

The Ugoos AM9 Pro is an Android 14 box on Amlogic's S905X5-J chip, with 4GB of LPDDR5, 64GB of storage, Gigabit Ethernet, three USB 3.0 ports and hardware Dolby Vision in a metal case. It decodes AV1, HEVC and the newer H.266 codec, and Kodi passes Atmos, TrueHD, DTS-HD MA and DTS:X to a receiver.

Its main draw is CoreELEC, a Linux system that boots straight into Kodi from a microSD card. Under CoreELEC, the AM9 Pro plays the full enhancement layer of Dolby Vision Profile 7, the dual-layer format on many 4K Blu-ray discs, which the Apple TV, Shield and Google TV Streamer don't. Setting it up takes a patched driver and nightly builds, so plan on an evening.

The AM9 Pro ships with Widevine L3, so Netflix plays in standard definition and other DRM apps are capped below HD. It also isn't Google certified, so you're trusting Ugoos's firmware rather than Google's Play Protect testing. Our Ugoos AM9 Pro review covers the CoreELEC setup, the security steps worth taking, and the other Ugoos boxes.

Buy it if you have a shelf of 4K rips, a Dolby Vision TV and an AV receiver, and you watch streaming apps on something else. Pairing it with an Apple TV works well, with one box for Netflix and one for the movie library.

How to choose a streaming box

Start with what you watch

If nearly everything comes from Netflix, Disney+, Max, Prime Video, YouTube and Apple TV+, buy the Apple TV 4K or the Google TV Streamer. Both are certified for full-resolution playback, and both are simpler than the Shield or the Ugoos. The Shield and the Ugoos earn their place when you play your own files from a NAS or a USB drive.

Match the HDR format to your TV

Dolby Vision and HDR10+ are competing HDR formats, and TVs usually favor one. Samsung TVs skip Dolby Vision entirely (our Samsung S90D review lists that as a con), so on a Samsung, the Shield falls back to plain HDR10 because it has no HDR10+. Most LG and Sony TVs use Dolby Vision, which all four boxes support. TVs that handle both formats, like the Hisense 75U6SF Pro, get the most from the Apple TV and the Google TV Streamer, which also support both.

Check your audio setup

Lossless passthrough only matters if you own an AV receiver or soundbar that decodes Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio, and you play Blu-ray rips that carry those tracks. Streaming apps send Dolby Digital Plus, with Atmos where available, which every box here handles. The Apple TV converts lossless tracks to PCM rather than sending the original bitstream. The sound quality survives, but your receiver won't see a TrueHD or DTS-HD signal, and DTS:X height channels don't come through. If that matters to you, the Shield or the Ugoos is the right box.

Plan for a wired connection

All four boxes have Gigabit Ethernet. For streaming apps, Wi-Fi is fine on any of them. For 4K Blu-ray remuxes from a NAS, which can spike past 100 Mbps, use Ethernet. That matters most on the Google TV Streamer and the Shield, which have Wi-Fi 5.

Count the smart home extras

The Apple TV and the Google TV Streamer are both Thread border routers and Matter controllers. If you're building a smart home around HomeKit or Google Home, the box under the TV can be the hub. The Shield and the Ugoos have no Thread radio.

Buying a streaming box as a gift

Match the box to the phones in the house. An Apple TV suits an iPhone household, because AirPlay, Apple TV+, Fitness+ and HomeKit work out of the box. The Google TV Streamer suits Android users, with casting from Android phones and the Google Home app. For an older relative who mainly watches Netflix and YouTube, either works, and the Google TV Streamer costs about half as much.

Neither the Apple TV, the Google TV Streamer nor the Shield comes with an HDMI cable, so add one to the order. Google says the Streamer needs a certified HDMI 2.1 cable. The Apple TV goes on sale November 13 and the others are in stock now, so all four can arrive before Black Friday on November 27 or the holidays. For a gift under $50, a streaming stick is the better fit, and the Fire TV Stick 4K Plus is in our Christmas tech gifts under $50 guide.

Streaming box FAQ

Is the Apple TV 4K better than the Nvidia Shield?

For streaming apps, yes. The 2026 Apple TV 4K has a newer chip, HDMI 2.1, Wi-Fi 7, AV1 and HDR10+, and both cost about $300. The Shield is better for Plex servers, USB drives and lossless audio passthrough to a receiver.

Is the Nvidia Shield TV Pro still worth buying in 2026?

Only for Plex, USB storage or lossless audio. Nvidia raised it to $299.99 in October and it still runs 2019 hardware on Android 11. For streaming alone, the Apple TV 4K or Google TV Streamer is a better buy.

Does the Ugoos AM9 Pro play Netflix in 4K?

No. It has Widevine L3 DRM and no Google certification, so Netflix plays in standard definition. It is built for local files, and it works best next to a box that handles streaming apps.

What is the best streaming box for Plex?

As a Plex client, the Apple TV 4K is the smoothest. To run the Plex server on the box itself with a USB drive attached, or to pass lossless audio to a receiver, buy the Nvidia Shield TV Pro.

Is the Google TV Streamer worth $150?

For streaming in 4K Dolby Vision with a Thread and Matter hub included, yes. If you only need the apps and have an older TV, a streaming stick costs less. It has been discounted often, so watch for Black Friday pricing.

Do streaming boxes come with an HDMI cable?

The Apple TV 4K, Google TV Streamer and Shield TV Pro don't include one. The Ugoos AM9 Pro does.

Verdict

The Apple TV 4K (2026) is the best streaming box for most people: every app at full quality, Dolby Vision and HDR10+, a clean home screen, and a Thread hub. The Google TV Streamer is the one to buy for half the price, or for an Android household. The Nvidia Shield TV Pro remains the Plex and lossless-audio box, at a price that's hard to justify for anything else. The Ugoos AM9 Pro is the best player here for a 4K movie library, as long as Netflix runs on something else.

Where to buy