Apple TV 4K 2021 vs 2017: Do NOT Buy Unless... 

I moved up from the 2015 HD Apple and it’s a huge upgrade. It’s heaps faster, snappier and picture quality is great. In fact I bought 2 for both TV rooms.

Knowing you can finally watch 4k/60 on you tube with the new version (vs 4k/30) was a big plus too.

I've had my apple tv 4k for 2 years now and i just charged the my apple tv remote for the first time last week lol.

My 2017 model is running a little laggy on video quality after a few years so I'm hoping the new model will be an improvement. Plus I've tested the new remote and it's way better.

I have the 2017 non-4K Apple TV, and a 1080p TV. Should I upgrade for the new remote and beefier performance. My current Apple TV is very slow at decoding MKVs in the VLC app (lots of stuttering and pixelation) and I was hoping the 2021 Apple TV 4K would do better. Not sure if worth the money though.

I must be one of the rare individuals that doesn’t mind the old remote. 😂

Great video! Was thinking about “upgrading” to the 2021 Apple TV box but will hold off. If I want to try it, will just buy the remote which does look better. I’m also from Cleveland 🤘🏻

What audio rate can the new Apple TV output? Now that Apple Music is lossless, I think the rate can be up to 192k but my current 4K Apple TV limits to 48k out to the amp over HDMI?

the apple tv will be my nest purchase, especially for my homekit (Thread in the building)!!!!!

I have the Apple TV 2020 one and it is so good it’s 4K and it’s so easy to use and it updates by itsself

I have the 4K and I also bought the new one to get the new remote as I was excited for the improvement. I don't feel it's an improvement at all. it's heavy, it's cold to the touch, the edges are sharp, the touch pad surface is significantly reduced and the siri button on the side is awkward and inconvenient.

Upgraded our 2012 3rd gen. Massive update. Love the new Apple TV

At 2:47 of your video you're showing a Default Audio Output screen from the Apple TV and it's indicating the ARC is beta. Is this from the new 4K TV and what version software are you running? I have the 14.7 beta on mine and I don't see the screen.

Had sync issues with AirPod 3 and the original Apple TV 4K. Bought the newer Apple TV 4K and sync issues are gone. The Remote of the latter is much better, too.

If I understand correctly, with the new Apple TV 4K 2021 I can listen to my normal broadcasts over cable and have my HomePods used as an audio source? Thanks for respond my I just bought last weekend two HomePod pairing for audio . I will be very happy if I can’t use all time and not just when I use my Apple TV for view

Missed the Thread radio. If you have a fairly extensive smart home based on HomeKit, that’s worth the upgrade alone. A home hub with high-speed Ethernet and Thread is much preferred over a HomePod mini that works over Wi-Fi only. And Wi-Fi 6 for the same reason - not so much bandwidth, but for the way it manages traffic. So those are 2 reasons. I have 2 OG 4K’s and an HD at the moment. All work well and I like the old remote, so that wasn’t my reasoning. Will finally sell the HD I bought back in 2015 now.

In order to get the full 4K, does it have to be plugged into the HDMI 2.1 120hz? Or is it meant to go into the HDMI 2.1 60hz? Thanks!

Got one today at a flea market for 3 bucks!!!! And it works!!!! Remote, box , original purchase receipt and all wires too!!!!

I am super frustrated with the new remote, compared to the previous remote. My issue, maybe is just an issue with one certain app - RU-vid TV. Only had this issue on RU-vid TV. I use the dvr function on RU-vid TV a lot, mainly for watching sports in a quick way, ie. a football game where I can watch a play, then click forward 15 to 30 seconds to skip the replay, commentary or commercials and go right to the next play. The previous swipe remote worked perfect for this. One click on the right edge would take me forward 15 seconds, and the content would keep playing. One Click. This new remote ... does not play the same way with RU-vid TV. I click right once on the circle and it PAUSES.... then I need to click again to go ahead 15 seconds, but the show remains paused!! So now one more button press on the swipe circle to resume play but guess what, that circle is super sensitive, and since I'm moving my thumb from the right button onto the circle, half the time I end up swiping accidentally back like 5 minutes. Even if I don't accidentally swipe back in time I still have 3 button presses to do the same thing the previous remote did in 1 press. Maybe you know of a setting I am missing either on Apple TV or on RU-vid TV or something please help

I have the 4K and HD. My HD is in the bedroom and never used, but the TV in there is only 1080p anyways. And I’ll only get the new remote if one of mine breaks. Otherwise the only thing I want the new Apple TV for is eARC because I do have a stereo pair in the living room and it would be great for my Switch and PS4… and OTA DTV.

I upgraded an enjoying cannot wait for the Olympic Game!! Thus far watching NHL playoffs in high frame rate is awesome! Apple TV connected to LG CX!

I have the older 4K one and got the 2021 model this year as well for in another room. For my usage, there’s really no difference at all. The older 4K one is still super snappy when playing games. It’s not hooked up to a 4K device currently, but it’s still just as fast as my brother’s 4K ATV (with 4K TV) which is the same model. I didn’t know it couldn’t do 4K @ 60 fps in RU-vid though. It’s not a huge deal for me personally right now, but that would bother me if I had it hooked up to a 4K device. What I don’t understand is how everyone seemed to hate the old Siri remote, though. It works so well in my opinion and it feels a lot more premium. The newer ATV I use in the living room now has the new, silver remote, and the buttons feel so clicky and cheap. + you didn’t have to use the trackpad on the older one, you can just tap instead of click to simulate a click. On the new remote, you have to hard click for example. I do love the new power button and mute button (don’t really love the placement, though), but it does feel less premium.

I have two Apple TV 4K and I have deleted and rearranged some of the App icons but after a day or two the deleted apps miraculously return. Is this an issue with the tvOS?

I think my old 4K was faulty as the audio on the centre channel is hugely improved, other than that its no different

I got an AppleTV 4K April 2020 . Just bought the latest one :) More than happy

Is possible with older remote turn on and off the television?

HELP... I have an Apple HD TV with the NEW 2021 Remote. I can not find a way to completely have the remote turn off my Samsung Series 7 TV. When I hit the power button it put the Apple TV box in sleep mode and then it acts like it is powering off the TV, but within 10 seconds the TV comes back on. Then I have to use the TV remote to turn it off. I am trying to just use the Apple Remote. Do you have any ideals.

Dan! No mention of thread?! For HomeKit users and smart home items this is a huge addition to the Apple TV!

I upgraded for spatial audio support, but it’s not as good as the spatial audio on my iPad Pro..

The new Apple TV still limits the user to only two connected Bluetooth devices at a time (well, three, but the remote uses up one of these three, so two). This may not sound like a big deal, but it is for folks who use their Apple TV to display content from fitness apps like the cycling application, Zwift. Many users of Zwift need to connect several Bluetooth sensors (cadence, heart rate, power, steering, elevation, etc.). The Apple TV can't support this so users are forced to run a separate app on their iPhone or iPad that funnels all these Bluetooth devices through the app and then to the Apple TV. This creates a lower level user experience. I really wish the new Apple TV addressed this limitation of the previous 4K Apple TV.

Just bought Homepod mini and it turns out that i can’t set it as a default audio output on for my ATV 4HD

Hi, My ATV 2017 model remote is not working after updating to tvOS 17. Should I get the new remote or buy the new ATV itself. Also is there any way to downgrade the tvOS as there’s no usb port in the ATV 4K , I don’t have a mac as well. Thanks

My 2017 one kept acting up. Too bad, I bought it in 2020 but it was just not working right. Definitely don't feel like this one was much of an upgrade, but it's working!

If my TV is 720p but I want all the features which should I buy?

iSpy one of our 1998 Pillows in the background. Good choice!!

You didn’t mention The Thread functionality for HomeKit. Particularly useful if you don’t have a HomePod mini to use with smart lights such as nanoleaf.

As someone who owned a 3rd Gen Apple TV this was a no brainer day 1 pre-order for me. Been waiting a long time for the upgrade. I don’t even have a 4K TV yet but might as well future proof.

Buy it if you want a difference in contrast over the old one and if you want a smoother picture .

No mention about thread?

How do I save my movies on the hard drive?

Nice video - wondering if the new remote work with older generation Apple TV devices too - like the 2nd, 3rd, 4th generation Apple TV?

How much storage does the O.S. take up?

WalMart just had the older 4K Apple TV model for $99. At that price it is a no brainer. So much better than the new $150 HD model which uses the slower A8 processor.

Does wifi6 make a difference compared to the previous Apple TV? Of course having a wifi6 router

What about optical audio out port?

I decided to upgrade since my TV took advantage of HDMI 2.1. I’ll just sell the old 4K up on eBay. I have yet another 4K Apple TV set up in our home and that should suffice for now Given that it doesn’t have an HDMI 2.1.

Wait so I can just buy the new remote if I want?? Say no more! 😍

I noticed you demonstrated the scroll function using the show Community. That was such a great series! I’ve been watching it on repeat in Netflix for weeks now. It’s up there with Friends, Frasier and That 70s Show amongst my top sitcoms of all time. Even though Community isn’t actually your traditional sitcom really…no laugh track or live studio audience.

i have a white flashing on my 4k tv but this device has no usb cable. how to fix? thanks

Anyone knows what the DAC on the Apple TV I am love Airplay and want to know if flac audio i stream from iOS to Apple TV then using hdmi converter to rca to my poweramp will be good to go

I have lg ultra hd tv which one is recommended hd or 4k

Upgraded from Apple TV 4k 2017 to this latest one primarily for watching sports. The difference is night and day. Previously, the Apple TV refresh rate couldn't catch up to the streaming source and resulted in screen tearing and ghosting (the high-speed moving objects have extreme blur). Now, it is crispy clear and I am finally satisfied with the sports watching experience. (My TV setup is LGCX, which supports 4k 120Hz)

i never had an Apple TV before.. i got the 2021 4k version. its really nice.. wish Apple TV had a web browser.

I really hate the old remote, where you swipe. It always overshoots or undershoots. I want discrete clicks, not an unpredictable swipe.

1080 p Apple TV still going strong

I'll be buying the new ATV 4K, but I will also be selling the old ATV4K after. I like having thread support in the ATV box rather than putting another HP Mini at that end of the house.

Can anyone help me find the answer. Is it worth getting for the airplay second display function. I can’t find the actual specs anywhere. My tv has airplay 2 but is limited to 1080p. It’s latency is really low and you don’t notice when moving a mouse around, I edit and use the big tv as a larger desktop area. So I want the best wireless second display experience. Is the new Apple TV an upgrade, in frame rate, and resolution for the screen mirroring or second display option. Apple are super bad at providing me any actual specs to help make a decision. I would be happy to the pay for example just for this feature if it offers a lag free 4K wireless second display through a Apple TV connected to high speed broadband. I have a new m1 MacBook … anyone any advice .. thanks

The old Apple TV 4K has an A10X with a 12-core GPU. It scores higher Geekbench Metal numbers than the A12 with it’s 4-core GPU. IF the A12 has better graphics performance, it may not be by much.

A year ago most major brands had hdmi 2.1 lol it became huge when the next generation consoles dropped

no mention of Dolby vision not working unless you have a hdmi 2.1 port

Why are people not able to use the old remote. It works flawlessly for me… what are people doing that makes them struggle with it so bad..?

I bought my first Apple TV a few days ago (mostly for the remote)

I love it, rest in peace background light. haha

Wifi Ax vs Ac on old one.

I have both remotes

Awesome info great work keep it u love from pakistan i want this here

Cleveland remote?

The 4K models do not have an optical audio connection, which means if you have an amplifier without HDMI, you have to get some cheap adapter to hear the audio. I was really hoping they would fix that omission in the new 4k.... Bummed they didn't...

I assume for those of us who don't have an ATV 4K yet we might as well get the new one unless the old one is crazy cheap? I'm on Apple Music for Android right now via two Samsung devices (with Atmos built-in but probably not Apple's implementation), but with Android support for spatial music "coming soon" I have a feeling I need an ATV 4K for full spatial audio on my Atmos soundbar. (I also know there's limitations to full support, especially iTunes Extras, on my ATV apps on Vizio SmartCast & Roku Ultra.) I've never been one for Apple hardware, but the ATV 4K may be an exception.

Got the 2021 update to compare on my high end Sony OLED, But after a week I will be keeping the 2017 Apple Tv just nothing That I can see is better and I think my 2017 has a better picture on my OLED. Might pick up the new remote but I am one of the few that is ok with the old one kind of like it!

The new ATV4K fixes the elevated blacks with DV on OLED tv's. That's a huge reason why to buy the new ATV4K.

Can the new remote be used on the old Apple TV

I ended up buying the new 4k even though I already had the 2017 model. The reason I went this route was because I got the new Apple 4k tv for $96 on an Amazon prime special and just the remote was would have been $60

I upgraded to it from the 2017 4K model due to the Dolby Vision black level fix. What the point of buying a $2,000 LG OLED when I can’t get true blacks on the 2017 model with Dolby Vision movies. Plus hopefully they will enable 4K 120hz input with the Hdmi 2.1 chip.

And here we are, just one year later and Apple announced the new AppleTV 4K 2022 with 128Gb storage and Thread-capability for the lower price of just €189,-! I’m so getting my very first AppleTV this time! ✌️👍

Now they have released the app for most TV’s I find the box useless

What’s the substantial difference between downloading the Apple TV app and using that versus buying the hardware (box) at the store or online?

i just have the 2021 tv HD cuz sadly it’s not a 4K tv/monitor

I don’t have a 4K tv. But have a mostly Apple ecosystem at home. Is it worth getting? Thanks

Thank you, I almost upgraded, I’ll just get the remote

I’ll wait for the new one due c September

Why is it that no reviews mention the 12 month free Apple+ subscription as part of getting the new Apple TV 4K? If you want to get this subscription (or already have it) you will get quite a significant “discount” when upgrading to this new Apple TV. Then it might make sense to upgrade…

Mine just bricked….

I want an Apple tv for Apple Arcade . Best and only reason

My TV was free so I don't even know if it's 4K or not. I just want to jailbreak the thing that's all.

I have the 4th gen

Hi, you didn’t mention about the main problem with 2017 ATV 4K, raised black in Dolby Vision. It’s a massive problem and still exists in older model. Can you please confirm, is it fixed in the 2021 model?

Me, watching this waiting for my apple tv 4k to be delivered...

216!!

I want to buy an Apple TV to replace my Roku, which suffering from overheating issues. The 2017 model is selling at a reduced price of only $100, but the new 2021 is selling at a much higher price of $170. Since this will be my FIRST Apple TV purchase and not an upgrade, is it really worth shelling out the extra bucks for the new 2021 model?

Actually, the 2021 can handle my video library whereas the 2017 could not. Did the memory increase? The 2017 would hang when dealing with my rather extensive video collection hosted on my 2020 iMac 5K and mostly residing on my Drobo 8D.

Coming from a 10-year-old Apple TV - I needed a new one - obviously... If I were to only need a new remote I figure the $60 price tag would be well worth it. How can a remote control be so great... 1- quickly open a new app with Siri 2 - new trackpad becomes intuitive very fast 3- having a mute button on it is well worth it - not having to dig up the television remote - Same applies for the volume and ability to start and shut down both with one power button. 4- the size is just right in the hand - the flat sides (ala iPhone 12) is gold 5- Rechargeable battery 6- Being able to easily use the controls (most used are the mute, volume & pause buttons) without requiring to pick the remote up is also nice (for me 50% of the time) Lots of smaller remotes are not so well designed in that way! After a few more days I end up using all of the buttons in that way & less so the trackpad part. For the Apple TV 4K 32GB- what I like best - in no order 1- Picture & picture 2- Faster 3- Just better overall 4- Able to lock in playback speed in YT (not able to do that on the old A tv - firestick did not permanently lock it in) 5- TV+ app intergration with other apps One thing I will miss for ease of use (as on the Fire Stick remote) is to be able to simply with a 2 button press (1 long - 1 short) "save to watch later" a video while browsing on RU-vid. With Apple, it is way less easy (more miserable - 8 button press) to do. Interesting how in the unboxing videos - No one commented on the very well-designed shipping box that the A tv box was shipped in. Those who showed the shipping box just cut the plastic without realizing a hammock-style suspension that was employed. Simply Brilliant...

Old remote button layout is best in the business. New remote is good but dedicated mute button is well ridiculous. No point in it. It should be moved to the side we’re Siri is

At least its faster than Google TV with Chromecast and Amazon solutions combined

I liked the old remote feels more modern than the new design which makes me think old apple

I have the 2017 apple tv 4k with a 4k tv since a very long time now. But as you mentioned there is no need to upgrade to the new one right! Guess apple is playing the old game again ,As soon as I got the 14.5 update to the tv by apple tv started have static dots over the screen when shifting resolution, wierd. It is now talking to apple support checking all hardware no problem found. Guess they are forcing us to change the devide.

my dad has 2017 one

No mention of the 'auto TV picture' setup

The reason I’m getting one is because of thread for the smart home

Is he really said that it worth it to buy a $60 REMOTE ?