Buying guide · 5 picks compared

Best streaming device UK 2026

Q: Can I watch live TV without an aerial?

Yes, with the **Manhattan Aero**. It delivers 70+ live Freely channels, including BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and 5, over broadband. No aerial or dish is needed.

Q: Which streaming devices have an Ethernet connection?

The **Google TV Streamer** has a built-in Ethernet port for a wired connection. The Manhattan Aero can connect by Wi-Fi or Ethernet, so you choose. The Xiaomi TV Box S (3rd Gen) has no Ethernet port.

The Google TV Streamer (4K) is the best streaming device for most people, because it streams 4K HDR with Dolby Vision and has 32 GB of storage for your apps.

See the top pick on Amazon Compare all 5Affiliate

Want free live TV without an aerial? Choose the Manhattan Aero 4K TV Streamer with Freely, which gives you 70+ live channels, including BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and 5, over broadband.

By Bez, Editor✓ Updated 26 October 2026

★ Our top pickGoogle TV Streamer (4K)Image: GoogleSee it on Amazon

Which one is for you?

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Which pick suits which need
Ifyou want the best all-round box with Dolby Vision, Ethernet and a smart home hub	Google TV Streamer (4K)	See it on Amazon
Ifyou want free live TV channels without an aerial	Manhattan Aero 4K TV Streamer with Freely	See it on Amazon
Ifyou want a Google TV box with 32 GB of storage at a lower cost	Xiaomi TV Box S (3rd Gen)	See it on Amazon
Ifyou want the simple Roku experience with Dolby Vision	Roku Streaming Stick 4K (3820EU)	See it on Amazon
Ifyou want the lowest-cost Google TV stick	Xiaomi TV Stick 4K (2nd Gen)	See it on Amazon

The 5 picks compared

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1★ Top pick
Google
Google TV Streamer (4K)Best for best all-round box
Stream 4K HDR films with Dolby Vision and Atmos sound
See it on Amazon
2
Manhattan
Manhattan Aero 4K TV Streamer with FreelyBest for free live TV without an aerial
Watch 70+ live channels with no aerial or dish
See it on Amazon
3
Xiaomi
Xiaomi TV Box S (3rd Gen)Best for Google TV box at a lower cost
Stream 4K with Dolby Vision on Google TV in one box
See it on Amazon
4
Roku
Roku Streaming Stick 4K (3820EU)Best for simple stick with Dolby Vision
Dolby Vision 4K picture from a stick that weighs 26 g
See it on Amazon
5
Xiaomi
Xiaomi TV Stick 4K (2nd Gen)Best for lowest-cost Google TV stick
Get Netflix, Prime Video and YouTube ready to go on your TV
See it on Amazon

Side by side

From the makers' and retailers' published factsAffiliate

The picks side by side
Pick	Best for	Price	The fact that sets it apart	Where to buy
Google TV Streamer (4K)	best all-round box	£99	It streams up to 4K HDR with Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos is supported for sound.	See it on Amazon
Manhattan Aero 4K TV Streamer with Freely	free live TV without an aerial	£89.99	It delivers 70+ live Freely channels, including BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and 5, plus 75,000+ hours of on-demand content, over broadband with no aerial or dish.	See it on Amazon
Xiaomi TV Box S (3rd Gen)	Google TV box at a lower cost	£54.99	It runs Google TV, outputs 4K (3840 x 2160) and supports Dolby Vision, HDR10+, Dolby Audio and DTS:X.	See it on Amazon
Roku Streaming Stick 4K (3820EU)	simple stick with Dolby Vision	£49.99	It supports Dolby Vision, HDR10/10+ and HLG up to 60fps on compatible 4K HDR TVs.	See it on Amazon
Xiaomi TV Stick 4K (2nd Gen)	lowest-cost Google TV stick	£45.99	It runs Google TV and supports Dolby Vision, HDR10+, Dolby Atmos and DTS:X.	See it on Amazon

Prices from the maker or retailer named on each pick below, checked 26 October 2026. A dash means the price changes too often to quote: tap through for today's.

Turn your older TV into a smart TV and get Netflix, iPlayer and more in 4K. This guide is for anyone with a basic TV who wants the right box or stick. Three things decide it: picture formats like Dolby Vision and HDR10+ for brighter, richer colour, the platform and apps you get, and how much storage you have. Our top pick is the Google TV Streamer (4K).

Our picks in detail

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1★ Top pickBest for best all-round box

Google TV Streamer (4K)

Stream 4K HDR films with Dolby Vision and Atmos sound.

What it is: Google TV Streamer is a streaming box for your TV. It streams up to 4K HDR with Dolby Vision, and it has 32 GB of storage for your apps.
Perfect for: This suits you best if you want one all-round box for your TV.
Why we picked it: Dolby Atmos sound is supported too, so your films sound as good as they look. It has a built-in Ethernet port for a wired connection, and Thread is built in as well, so it can act as a hub for Google Home and Matter smart home devices. If you lose the remote, press a button on the Streamer or ask Google to make it ring.
Price: £99 (store.google.com, checked 26 October 2026)

It streams up to 4K HDR with Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos is supported for sound.
It has 32 GB of storage for apps.
It has a built-in Ethernet port, and Thread is built in so it can act as a hub for Google Home and Matter.
You can make the remote ring by pressing a button on the Streamer or asking Google.

The catch: The HDMI cable is sold separately.

Check today's price on Amazon

2Best for free live TV without an aerial

Manhattan Aero 4K TV Streamer with Freely

Watch 70+ live channels with no aerial or dish.

What it is: The Manhattan Aero 4K brings you 70+ live Freely channels, including BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, plus 75,000+ hours of on-demand shows. It sends everything over broadband, so you get live TV with no aerial or dish needed.
Perfect for: This suits you better than the other picks if you want free live TV without an aerial.
Why we picked it: It runs TiVo OS with Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, HBO Max and YouTube, and TiVo+ adds 400+ free streaming channels. It has a quad-core processor, Wi-Fi 6 and a 1.2 m HDMI cable that supports up to 4K/60Hz. Manhattan backs it with a 2-year warranty and UK-based technical support, activated by registering within 30 days.
Price: £89.99 (manhattan-tv.com, checked 26 October 2026)

It delivers 70+ live Freely channels, including BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and 5, plus 75,000+ hours of on-demand content, over broadband with no aerial or dish.
It runs TiVo OS with Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, HBO Max and YouTube, and TiVo+ adds 400+ free streaming channels.
It has a quad-core processor and Wi-Fi 6, can connect by Wi-Fi or Ethernet, and includes a 1.2 m HDMI cable supporting up to 4K/60Hz.
Manhattan backs it with a 2-year warranty and UK-based technical support, activated by registering within 30 days.

The catch: It does not support Dolby Vision, cannot record live TV and does not allow you to sideload your own apps.

Check today's price on Amazon

3Best for Google TV box at a lower cost

Xiaomi TV Box S (3rd Gen)

Stream 4K with Dolby Vision on Google TV in one box.

What it is: The TV Box S runs Google TV and plays 4K with Dolby Vision and HDR10+ for a sharp, bright picture. Its quad-core chip, 2GB RAM and 32GB storage run your apps, and Dolby Audio and DTS:X bring surround sound.
Perfect for: This suits you if you want Google TV on your existing telly at a lower cost.
Why we picked it: The box includes a remote, power adapter and HDMI cable, so you can plug in and go. Xiaomi's own lab data claims +25% CPU and +130% GPU performance against the 2nd Gen.
What's new: Xiaomi's internal lab data claims +25% CPU performance and +130% GPU performance compared with the Xiaomi TV Box S 2nd Gen.
Price: £54.99 (mi.com, checked 26 October 2026)

It runs Google TV, outputs 4K (3840 x 2160) and supports Dolby Vision, HDR10+, Dolby Audio and DTS:X.
It has a quad-core CPU up to 2.5GHz, 2GB RAM and 32GB storage.
The box includes the remote, power adapter and an HDMI cable.

The catch: The listed ports are one HDMI 2.1, one USB 2.0 and a power interface, with no Ethernet port.

Check today's price on Amazon

4Best for simple stick with Dolby Vision

Roku Streaming Stick 4K (3820EU)

Dolby Vision 4K picture from a stick that weighs 26 g.

What it is: The Roku Streaming Stick 4K plugs into an HDMI port and streams 4K video with Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+ and HLG up to 60fps on compatible 4K HDR TVs.
Perfect for: It suits you if you want a simple stick for Dolby Vision on your 4K HDR TV.
Why we picked it: It has long-range Wi-Fi, with its receiver on the USB power lead. The voice remote has TV power and volume buttons, so you can switch on and adjust the sound from one handset. Dolby-encoded audio and DTS Digital Surround pass through over HDMI, and it draws under 3.5W while streaming 4K.
Price: £49.99 (roku.com, checked 26 October 2026)

It supports Dolby Vision, HDR10/10+ and HLG up to 60fps on compatible 4K HDR TVs.
It has long-range Wi-Fi with a receiver on the USB power lead, and a voice remote with TV power and volume buttons.
It passes through Dolby-encoded audio and DTS Digital Surround over HDMI.
It weighs 26 g and draws under 3.5W when streaming 4K video.

The catch: Wi-Fi is 802.11ac dual-band, not Wi-Fi 6, and the stick has no Ethernet port.

Check today's price on Amazon

5Best for lowest-cost Google TV stick

Xiaomi TV Stick 4K (2nd Gen)

Get Netflix, Prime Video and YouTube ready to go on your TV.

What it is: The Xiaomi TV Stick 4K (2nd Gen) runs Google TV and supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+ for a brighter, richer picture, plus Dolby Atmos and DTS:X for surround sound. Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and YouTube come pre-installed, so you can start watching straight away.
Perfect for: It suits shoppers who want the entry-level Google TV stick and a simple way to stream.
Why we picked it: Under the hood sits a quad-core processor, 2GB RAM, dual-band Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2. Xiaomi's internal lab data claims +80% CPU and +150% GPU performance over the Xiaomi TV Stick 4K, a big claimed jump on the earlier model.
What's new: Xiaomi's internal lab data claims +80% CPU performance and +150% GPU performance compared with the Xiaomi TV Stick 4K.
Price: £45.99 (mi.com, checked 26 October 2026)

It runs Google TV and supports Dolby Vision, HDR10+, Dolby Atmos and DTS:X.
It has a quad-core Cortex-A55 CPU, 2GB RAM and 8GB storage, with dual-band Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2.
Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and YouTube are pre-installed.

The catch: It has only 8GB of storage, and it is powered through a micro USB port.

Check today's price on Amazon

What we left out, and why

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K: Amazon's Fire TV sticks get their own guide, our Fire TV Stick guide, so this one covers the rest of the field.
Apple TV 4K (4th generation): Apple's UK shop lists the new model as available from 13 November, so it cannot be bought today.
NVIDIA SHIELD TV Pro: Amazon UK lists the NVIDIA SHIELD Android TV Pro as currently unavailable with no known return date.

How we chose

Our buying criteria

To make this list, a box or stick had to stream in 4K, run a full app platform (Google TV, Roku OS or TiVo OS) with the big UK apps, and plug straight into any HDMI TV. HDR (high dynamic range) and Dolby Vision give brighter, richer pictures on TVs that support them. Each device's specs come from its maker's UK page and its live UK listing, and each pick shows its catch.

Picture: Dolby Vision on the Google TV Streamer, the Roku stick and both Xiaomi devices.
Platform: Google TV, Roku OS or TiVo OS, and whether your favourite apps run on it.
Storage: 8 GB on the Xiaomi stick, 32 GB on the Google TV Streamer and Xiaomi box.
Connections: a wired Ethernet port on the Google TV Streamer and Manhattan Aero.

How we choose every pick

Your questions, answered

Which streaming devices support Dolby Vision?

The Google TV Streamer and Roku Streaming Stick 4K support Dolby Vision, and so do the Xiaomi TV Box S and Xiaomi TV Stick 4K. Your TV needs to support Dolby Vision too.

Can I watch live TV without an aerial?

Yes, with the Manhattan Aero. It delivers 70+ live Freely channels, including BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and 5, over broadband. No aerial or dish is needed.

Can the Manhattan Aero record live TV?

No, the Manhattan Aero cannot record live TV. For free live TV without an aerial, it is still the one to get.

Which streaming devices have an Ethernet connection?

The Google TV Streamer has a built-in Ethernet port for a wired connection. The Manhattan Aero can connect by Wi-Fi or Ethernet, so you choose. The Xiaomi TV Box S (3rd Gen) has no Ethernet port.

Can a streaming device control my smart home?

Yes, the Google TV Streamer can. It works as a hub for Google Home and Matter, and Thread is built in. Pick it if you want one box for TV and your home.

Is the new Apple TV 4K available yet?

Not yet, as of 26 October 2026: Apple's UK shop lists the new Apple TV 4K as available from 13 November. Until then, the Google TV Streamer is our best all-round box.