After writing about an amazing Amazon deal, I decided last week to upgrade my 2017 Apple TV 4K model to a more modern 2021 model. Model 32GB for $100It was a random decision. But it was the smartest purchase I’ve ever made.
I didn’t need it, mind you. Even though it had a five-year-old chip my 2017 Apple TV box was just as responsive and fast as when I bought it. I had also long abandoned the horrible first-gen Siri remote in favor of a Caavo one. Even though the 2022 update is shipping today, I chose to upgrade to the 2021 model for $79. Here’s why it was one of the best decisions I ever made:
I require ethernet and need Thread
Apple unexpectedly dropped ethernet support and thread support from its entry-level Apple TV 2022. Even if you don’t care about using wired internet for the fastest possible connection, you should care about not being able to use your Apple TV 4K as a home hub. Although this may not seem important now, Matter support will grow over the next months and Thread will be more important.
My old Apple TV 4K was already hooked up to wired internet over ethernet so that’s a necessity, which now means for me, the cheapest Apple TV 4K model that Apple sells is $149. The 2021 model with ethernet & Thread was $100.
HDR10+ isn’t worth it
HDR10+ is the major improvement in picture quality of the 2022 Apple TV 4K. However, it’s not really an exclusive feature—for one, the Apple TV app on other devices was just updated to support HDR10+ and for another, it’s mainly a feature for Samsung and some newer Hisense TVs that don’t support Dolby Vision. I actually own a Samsung TV but it’s still not worth the upgrade. I can always use the Apple TV app built into my television if I want to watch “Ted Lasso” in HDR10+. I also received an upgrade to high frame-rate HDR last year.
Ben Patterson/Foundry
The Siri Remote is amazing
Apple completely revamped the Siri Remote in 2021 with new buttons and a new design. I hadn’t used it until now and I can’t say enough great things about it. It’s one of the best remotes I’ve ever used, and it’s already replaced my beloved Caavo remote that I bought for the previous model. It’s simple, yet highly functional, has a pleasant thickness, and feels good to hold.
The only new remote control feature in the 2022 model is the switch to USB-C instead of Lightning, but I have plenty of Lightning cables lying around—and besides, it needs to be charged so infrequently, I can dig up a Lightning cable when I need it.
Apple has doubled storage on its new Apple TV 4K from 32GB and 64GB, to 64GB and 128GB. This would be even more if it were an iPhone or iPad. However, my Apple TV has so much storage that I could get away with 16GB.
The processor does more than suffice
The A15 processor powers the Apple TV 4K. The 2021 model comes with an A12 processor. The 2017 model had an A10X Fusion CPU. Apps launch so fast and shows start playing so quickly that I can’t tell the difference between A10X Fusion and A12. I can’t imagine the jump to the A15 would matter much at all.
The 2021 Apple TV 4K features the same HDMI 2.1 port that the new model.
IDG
The HDMI port is identical
The 2021 Apple TV 4K featured an upgraded HDMI 2.1 port, but Apple didn’t actually add any features like 120Hz or Auto Low Latency Mode. The new model has the same HDMI 2.1 port, so any new features—such as QMS VRR, which lets TVs switch between different frame rates without needing to flash a black screen first—should come to both models.
It’ll last for as long as I need it to
As I said, I had my prior Apple TV 4K since 2017 and it was working just fine–better than fine, actually. Except for the remote, it’s very hard to tell the 2017 and 2021 models apart, and the differences are even smaller with the 2022 model. I expect this model will last for years and years, since new TVs, and things like 8K and variable refresh rate won’t matter to me for a while.
