Key Takeaways
- Keep your first-gen Apple TV 4K: it’s fast, snappy, and has no major missing features so far.
- Picture quality doesn’t significantly differ between generations, making upgrading not crucial.
- Newer models come with upgrades like FaceTime and HDR10+ support, but assess if you really need them first.
The Apple TV 4K is easily one of the best streaming devices on the market, and it’s my personal favorite despite not having a single other Apple product in my household. There are three generations of the Apple TV 4K, and the regular Apple TV goes back even further. I picked up an Apple TV 4K to take advantage of Dolby Atmos on Apple Music, something you’ll miss if you ever switch to Spotify, which meant I only had to grab the first-gen 4K model. The newer models have more bells and whistles, but I haven’t felt any need to upgrade, even if my device is aging more and more by the day.
Depending on what you use your Apple TV 4K for, you might not need to make the upgrade any time soon either. Outside of Apple Music, I mainly use my device to watch 4K content on Max, Netflix, and other streaming apps. There are things you can pick up a newer model for like FaceTime, but that’s not something that particularly interests me, especially since I don’t even have an iPhone.
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If you’re wondering if you should make an upgrade from the first-gen or even second-gen Apple TV 4K, I don’t think there’s a particularly compelling reason to do it. My first-gen Apple TV 4K is still fast and snappy, and there’s not any feature I’m dying to have besides what I already have in front of me. The biggest upgrade, in my eyes, is the remote — but there’s good news in that specific department.
Apple TV 4K (2022)
- Brand
- Apple
- Bluetooth codecs
- 5.0
- Wi-Fi
- 6
- Ethernet
- Gigabit (128GB model only)
- Storage and RAM
- 64GB, 128GB
Figure out what you need and go from there
Weigh your options
One of the biggest upgrades of the Apple TV 4K over the generations is the remote, but you don’t need new hardware for that. Although I have the first-gen device, I have the second-gen remote. It connects seamlessly, so if you want to pick up a sleek new remote, you can do that. Outside of that, there’s not a lot else that catches my eye.
A big change with the third-gen Apple TV 4K is the introduction of HDR10+ support. This version of HDR is a competitor to Dolby Vision, but it’s lagging behind in popularity. As of right now, Dolby Vision is far ahead in terms of products that actually support the technology. If your TV utilizes HDR10+ and you want to use it, that’s a good reason to upgrade to the third-gen Apple TV 4K. A higher-end Samsung TV has a decent chance of HDR10+ support, so make sure you double-check that. If you only have access to Dolby Vision, it’s available on all generations of the device, so there’s no reason to pull the trigger on something newer.
HDR10+ support is growing, but Dolby Vision is still more popular.
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Another thing holding me back from taking the plunge is the price. Sure, the technology is newer in the latest generation and the device is most likely faster than my aging first-gen Apple TV 4K, but it’s not something I’m sure is worth it for around $150. As I said before, there’s nothing wrong with my current device, and if I’m not going to use the new features, then I don’t see a need to make a change. While smartphones feel like they have to be upgraded often due to decreasing performance, that hasn’t been the case with the Apple TV 4K, at least in my experience.
The first-gen devices were released back in 2017, and it’s almost unheard of to hear about an Apple product lasting seven years, but that’s how things have worked for me. There’s no question that the newer devices have beefier hardware and more features, but for somebody who just uses the device to watch TV and movies, there’s no reason to make a change.
The first generation is already very mature
There aren’t many places to go
While 8K resolution exists today, it’s more of a buzzword than anything. 4K TVs have only recently started to become the norm, and there are many people still hanging onto their 1080p TVs. Unlike a gaming console that can keep on pushing boundaries with its graphics, a TV show or movie doesn’t need beefy hardware to give you the best picture. The original Apple TV 4K is plenty enough, and outside of the HDR10+ support from the third-gen device, there’s not much of a difference with picture quality. For some people, the Apple TV 4K is a future-proof device for when they decide to upgrade to 4K.
The gains that can be made come from other things like lossless audio, FaceTime support, and gaming performance. Having a stronger processor seen in the newer generations can make a big difference for people who like to connect a controller and start gaming. Again, it comes down to what you plan on using your device for. For me, those upgrades are nice, but I can’t envision myself ever using them regularly, so there’s no need for me to get a newer streamer.
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Apple isn’t giving me a good reason to upgrade
I’m fine with waiting
Ultimately, I don’t have a lot to complain about because its nice Apple has given me a fully feature-rich product that’s still working seven years later. You don’t always see electronics with long lifespans like this, and usually, there will be something that eventually makes me upgrade. For gaming consoles, it’s the end of support and the promise of increased performance and graphics. For the Apple TV 4K, there’s been nothing of the sort. However, you won’t find me complaining about a consumer-friendly move. The Apple TV 4K still has the latest apps, and that’s just about all I’m looking for.
I understand other people have different needs, and if you’re looking for something with more RAM, storage space, and better gaming performance, then there’s a good reason to make the leap to the latest generation. However, if you’re like me and don’t need any of that, there’s nothing wrong with staying with the older generation as long as it lasts. As somebody who has had to replace electronics sooner than expected in the past, it’s nice to have something like the Apple TV 4K that has proven it has some staying power. It lets me put my money into other places, like a surround sound setup and a Dolby Vision-equipped TV that can take advantage of what Apple’s streaming box has to offer.
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