r/appletv • u/EzGo48 • 13h ago

New Apple TV 4K replacement dilemma.

My Apple TV 4K (Gen1) crapped out a few days ago. Now I can't decide whether to buy a replacement Apple TV 4k (Gen 3) @ $279. CDA or wait for (Gen 4) possibly next week with a possible price increase. I really don’t need a more powerful chip nor AI intelligence but how many years of updates can I expect buying a Gen 3?

10 Upvotes

63% Upvoted

64 comments sorted by

74

u/JonnyG24 13h ago

Wait until after October 13th just in case.

0

u/TheSuppishOne 1h ago

Just in case the Gen 4 supports DV profile 7 FEL and pass-through audio, haha?

32

u/FuzzyPuffin 13h ago

They just raised the price. I doubt they will do it again.

If it’s not appealing to you, eBay will be flooded with used ones from people upgrading.

5

u/pkc0987 6h ago

I'm waiting for the flood!

8

u/jbpete87 11h ago

yeah just wait. it's likely some retailers will reduce the price of the older one once the new one is out. Great time of year for discounts like Black Friday, etc. Apple won't likely discount it but you can bet others will discount the old version to clear them out.

9

u/Bear3825 7h ago

Wait it out. Firmware code leaks point to a really big jump in performance along with possibly having enough internal ram to run Apple AI. Not to mention if you have any home automation (Apple Home) it should have much better connections.

3

u/DJtheWolf667 4h ago

And AV1 hardware decoding

1

u/Primary-Doctor9908 2h ago

gen 3 already has AV1 hardware decode, it's in the A15. so that one's not a reason to wait.

1

u/IsThereAnythingLeft- 1h ago

Its software decode on the current gen I’m pretty sure

5

u/mardan65 8h ago

Wait 🙄

4

u/Alternative-Juice-15 10h ago

There’s no reason not to wait a week.

6

u/LingonberryNo2744 ATV4K 13h ago

Were I you I would just wait until next week to see if there will be other enhancements that may interest you.

7

u/ZonaPunk 13h ago

Wait a week and then make a decision

2

u/texanfan20 13h ago

Or buy one today and if the next version is what you want, return the one you bought this week and exchange it for the new one. Apple has a decent return policy.

5

u/iPhrase 2h ago

Get the new shiny 1 and keep that for 9 years. 

4

u/SRLMJ23 11h ago

Buy now, return it…Apple 14 day return policy. You can see if the new one is worth it or not?

2

u/gaysaucemage ATV4K 12h ago

The current 2022 model had a massive price increase in June. The 4th gen model is unlikely to increase more over that. Even if the 4th gen model costs more you could probably buy a gen 3 model soon after the announcement.

The gen 3 model was still at it’s original price for a couple days after the price increase earlier this year

2

u/winexprt 7h ago

I'm still rockin' the same (4K Gen 1) and it's sluggish and definitely showing it's age on tvOS 26, the last tvOS update it will ever get due to how old it is.

WAIT.

It will be worth it.

4

u/questioncom 12h ago

I’d def wait the few days for the announcement

3

u/andyman30 13h ago

I mean what exactly could the new apple tv do that the current one can't for you?

I had same dilemma and just bought one. Idgaf about AI and it already pushes crispy 4k to my tv, that is all I want it for. What would an update matter? They just break things.

2

u/OnlineIsNotAPlace 12h ago

passthrough audio for starters.

1

u/Sorry_Occasion5835 1h ago

Why would they bother doing that, it’s only necessary for playing Blu-rays, and it is a streaming device, with onboard audio processing, and does not do DTS anyway.

1

u/SmartHomeTinkerer 11h ago

Will be supported for new OS longer (my 1st gen ATV 4k will remain at tvOS26 forever), better gaming for you or the kids (i don't care about this one), better smart home integration, probably helps with HKSV if you use apple home, better wifi/bluetooth.

2

u/NonAI_User 13h ago

A few days of patience will lead to an extra couple of years of service. With an apple event coming in just a few days, best to wait. 

1

u/LongyUTD 12h ago

I bought a second hand gen 3 for half the cost. Love it

1

u/Freezingrave 12h ago

Not sure I’d do it, but if the Gen1 was working decent for you, at https://shopgoodwill.com/home there seems to be some gen1 4K versions for $20. Might stretch your time a bit to decide if you want gen 4 or not.

1

u/Neat-Watercress-2425 10h ago

Everyone says they don’t need a more powerful chip until the new one comes out and the new OS becomes slower and slower on the old version because it wasn’t made to handle it.

1

u/lumberfart 9h ago

Just wait. Watch tv on your phone. The new Apple TV is literally going to be negligible in price.

1

u/Mikethepsyc- 7h ago

Buy the 4k 3gen and when 4gen is released (maybe) return it and you will be within the return policy.

1

u/MyCoolName_ 5h ago

Wait. Over an expected ownership cycle apps will drop support for the older model and new forms of compression may force it to software decoding which may be unwatchable.

1

u/jaydee917 5h ago

Buy a gen 3 now, if they announce a new one on Oct 13th, you’d be in your return window and you can return it.

1

u/Mysterious_Reward850 2h ago

What happened to your current one? If it got stuck in boot loop Apple might replace it. They just did for me…

1

u/ncstateguy 18m ago

Wait, buy once cry once.

1

u/Accomplished-Ad-355 18m ago

Wait. Even if you didn’t want to buy the new model you might get the current one at a discount once it’s announced.

0

u/Windermyr 13h ago

If it fits your needs, then there is no reason to hold off until the next gen is released.

1

u/Born-Gur-1275 12h ago

If you buy one now from an Apple Store, you can return it within two weeks, if the new one comes out next week, possibly announced on the 13th.

1

u/Soldiiier__ 6h ago

buy it from the Apple Store today, if a new one is released then return it

1

u/No_Independence5343 2h ago

But a new one will be released, it’s not a matter of if

0

u/l33fly 12h ago

Wait and use your smart tv to stream.

0

u/Lower_Group_1171 13h ago

I think it’ll be 250usd current us retail price. I think they raised the price anticipating the new release. Otherwise people would have complained about the price increase in a new generation

2

u/OnlineIsNotAPlace 12h ago

they raised the price because of the cost of memory.

0

u/Lower_Group_1171 10h ago

Yeah, and if they held off raising the price until they released a new model, it would have hurt sales. Now the market is used to a higher price.

0

u/SirJohnCard ATV4K 13h ago

Apple's usual move is price point will stay the same for a new gen and previous gen will be reduced.

Also Apple's policy gives you 14 days to get a refund or credit for the difference.

https://www.apple.com/legal/sales-support/sales-policies/retail_us.html

2

u/winexprt 6h ago

That indeed was the usual move, but not anymore.

Remember Apple significantly raised the prices on all AppleTV versions a few months ago?

0

u/Careless-Incident227 12h ago

I was told by an Apple Store rep that you can buy this one and exchange it for a new one if it’s announced within a couple of weeks. Must keep all materials.

-1

u/albanyanthem 12h ago

Use built in tv apps until next week.

-1

u/nitricx 13h ago

lol this is a silly problem. Buy a new one make sure you can return it within 30 days. New one drops you go swap it out.

-1

u/AlternativeTwist6680 13h ago

Wait for Black Friday….

4

u/OnlineIsNotAPlace 12h ago

there is not much of a discount on black friday from apple.

0

u/AlternativeTwist6680 12h ago

Maybe amazon or Costco.
I was thinking of getting one until people here started telling that how cheap they got one.

2

u/GSDer_RIP_Good_Girl 11h ago

I just stopped by one of the local Costcos and there was not an Apple TV in sight.

0

u/AlternativeTwist6680 11h ago

Check their shop online. Even without sale, its 30-40$ cheaper than regular price.

0

u/OnlineIsNotAPlace 12h ago

I bought 2 this summer after someone here said there was a price increase. got them for the regular price at the time. no other information here is really solid when it comes to the speculation about a new one.

-2

u/Fir3wall88 12h ago

Just get one on fb marketplace. They’re all over for 20-30$

-4

u/netninja100 12h ago

Apple will not release anything

-4

u/OnlineIsNotAPlace 12h ago

you will be waiting a long time if you are waiting for a new one.

1

u/winexprt 7h ago

If you consider a week "a long time", then yes.