Is Apple TV 4K (2022) worth buying at Rs 14,900?

Apple TV, for me, has always been an over-hyped device. I mean, do you really need to pay close to Rs 15,000 for a streaming device, when you can probably get an Amazon Fire Stick or Google Chromecast for half the price? It was a major reason why I never considered buying an Apple TV nor did I get a chance to use it. This is despite the fact that I am mostly part of the Apple ecosystem. But, a week with the Apple TV 4K (2022) and I see why people are always so excited about it.
My reasons might be different from what you have read or heard at other places. For better understanding, let me give you some context — I own two Android TVs, get a bunch of them to review and my biggest complaint with each of them is a laggy software experience. The cursor gets stuck randomly. Apps can take minutes to load. And, there are frequent audio and video lags during playback, especially while running more advanced video formats like Dolby Vision.

The problem isn’t limited to the entry-level smart TVs. I have faced it across price points and brands. This is one of the biggest issues Apple TV fixed for me. I will get to it in a bit but, first let me address something which truly surprised me – the size of this streaming box.