Christmas is just a few days away and many around the U.S. are scrambling to find last-minute gift ideas for the hardest-to-shop for loved ones on their list. As the shopping days are running out, the less tech-savvy amongst us might be at a loss as to what to get for the cord-cutters in their lives.
Luckily, from a technological aspect, there are more ways to access content than ever before. Companies like Roku, Apple, and Google offer powerful streaming boxes that put all your apps and services in one location. Television technology has also improved drastically over the last few years, to the point where TVs with embedded wi-fi functionality can connect to the internet and stream content directly.
Both smart TVs and connected streaming devices offer similar functions, but both have distinct features and drawbacks. If you’re struggling to decide which to get for that tech-savvy TV lover in your life, check below for some different things to keep in mind as you are trying to figure out if a smart TV or a streaming box is the right call for the person on your list.
Features
Before purchasing a smart TV or streaming device, you’ll have to know which has the best features that fit the user’s needs. Both smart TVs and streaming boxes offer ultra-high-definition 4K streaming on select models, but those models will almost always cost more.
Smart TVs obviously offer the ability to do all your watching on one device, and many feature built-in web browsers, and antenna functionality for viewing live TV without a cable or live TV streaming subscription. Smart TVs also support online and console gaming, which streaming devices do not.
The upshot for streaming devices, however, is that they often offer more storage for downloaded shows and movies, as well as more processing power. That means you should be more able to quickly navigate through menus to find the exact show or movie you want to watch.
App Support
This is the category in which smart TVs suffer the most versus streaming devices, according to users of Reddit. Many find built-in apps for smart TVs “clunky,” and that streaming boxes do a better job of keeping apps updated versus smart TVs. You will have better luck if your Smart TV is using the TV OS from Roku, Fire TV, and Google TV, since it will be nearly identical to their streaming device counterparts.
On the other hand, there are some users who truly can't tell the difference between the app experience on smart TVs versus streaming boxes. The best bet is to shop around and check out customer reviews to make sure whichever device you buy has the functionality and support you need.
One major point to be aware of as you’re browsing smart TVs is that not all manufacturers offer support for every streaming app. Even major apps like Hulu are excluded from certain smart TV systems, as this Redditor found out. Some smart TVs offer only the streaming services owned by the manufacturer of that particular TV model, and while smart TVs are adding functionality for new apps every day, they lag far behind what most streaming devices offer.
Comparing Devices
We took a look at some of the most-rated devices and TVs on Amazon in 4K and standard definition, to check which offered the best value for the features included. The Roku Streaming Stick 4K, with over 43,000 user reviews, most of them 5 star, and the Amazon Fire TV 50” 4-Series 4K UHD smart TV, with over 26,000 customer ratings (average of 4.5 stars) are highly comparable devices. Both offer support for 4K streaming and HDR 10, and each comes with a dedicated remote capable of voice-navigation. The Roku stick also offers Dolby Vision, while the Fire TV offers Dolby Digital Plus for the best possible sound quality. The Fire TV also offers support for connected Alexa devices, making it the perfect compliment to any Amazon-powered home assistant suite.
On the non-4K side, Amazon’s Fire TV Stick comes with a voice-powered remote, as well as 1080p streaming and 50% more processing power than the previous generation of Fire TV sticks. The Fire TV stick has more than 300,000 reviews, and sits a hair above 4.5 stars on average. Shoppers should compare it to the SAMSUNG 40-inch Class LED Smart FHD TV, which also offers 1080p HD streaming, as well as Alexa and Google Assistant support. This TV may not have as many bells and whistles as some others on the market, but with a 4.6 average rating out of over 11,000 reviews, it’s a favorite of U.S. customers.
Price
As with every gift decision, the determination of whether to get a smart TV or streaming device depends heavily on price. Streaming devices are generally much cheaper but often offer fewer features than smart TVs, which have the ability to receive online content and watch it on the same device.
Here’s a list of streaming devices currently on sale:
- Roku Express (2022): $24.99 | normally $29.99
- Fire TV Stick: $24.99 | normally $39.99
- Fire TV Stick 4K: $26.99 | normally $49.99
- View Price: $39.98 | normally $39.99
Second-generation Apple TV 4K devices are also currently on sale for $104.99, down from an original price of $179.00. These devices offer 32GB of storage for digitally recorded shows.
There are also a number of smart TV deals currently available, if you’re leaning in that direction.
- Amazon Fire TV 50” 4-Series 4K UHD smart TV: $289.99 | normally $469.99
- TCL 40” Class 3-Series Full HD 1080p LED Smart Roku TV: $199.99 | normally $349.99
- INSIGNIA 50-inch Class F30 Series LED 4K UHD Smart Fire TV: $249.99 | normally $399.99
- Sony 65 Inch 4K Ultra HD TV X90K Series: BRAVIA XR Full Array LED Smart Google TV with Dolby Vision HDR: $998.00 | normally $1499.99