I am not afraid to purchase a used Apple TV 4K, and also you should not be both

It is no shock that I feel the Apple TV 4K is the perfect streaming field in the marketplace. It does practically every thing I ask of it, and when it lastly gets audio passthrough, I will not have something to complain about. Nicely, there’ll nonetheless be one factor.

Value is a giant gatekeeper for the Apple TV 4K, and if I ever go to advocate a streaming field, I am extra prone to advocate one thing just like the Roku Streaming Stick to the typical particular person. For individuals trying to go away behind their sluggish sensible TV UI, a stick can be greater than as much as the duty. A 3rd-gen Apple TV 4K prices $130 or $150, relying on the mannequin, and the truth is you may get a streaming stick for a fraction of that worth. You’ll be able to even get the flagship Roku Extremely for $100, so the Apple TV 4K is a troublesome promote.

One thing that helped me recover from that hurdle is being open to purchasing a used mannequin. Whereas it is probably widespread information at this level, eBay is a good place to choose up a variety of issues, together with streaming packing containers. I grabbed my first-gen Apple TV 4K with a second-gen distant from eBay again in 2023 for simply $51. It really works completely high quality, and I saved fairly a bit of cash by taking that route. In actual fact, I would do it once more.

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The Apple TV 4K is nice, nevertheless it is not good.

Do not be afraid to purchase used

It is saved me cash, and it will probably prevent some too

Pocket-lint / Apple

I perceive that used electronics may be scary for a wide range of causes. The large one is that you don’t have any thought what the earlier proprietor did with their machine or how lengthy it ran for. For instance, when crypto mining was big, individuals would promote their outdated graphics playing cards that had hundreds of hours of use operating 24/7, and that set you up for failure if you happen to purchased one. These GPUs had rather more put on and tear on them, and even if you happen to did get one for a lower cost than common, it was doubtlessly on its final legs by the point it arrived.

The Apple TV 4K I purchased might’ve very properly had the identical situation, however I made a decision to roll the cube. The factor I used to be extra nervous about was whether or not it got here from a house with a smoker, as electronics scent horrid once they’re uncovered to smoke. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case, and I have been utilizing this Apple TV 4K for about two years now with out a problem. It hasn’t proven many indicators of slowing down, however contemplating it is a machine that dates again to 2017, the clock is ticking.

I have been holding out hope that Apple is on the verge of saying a 4th-gen Apple TV 4K, as a result of that is one thing I might leap on instantly. If that does not find yourself taking place, I would simply look to eBay for a used third-gen mannequin as that is the machine that is nonetheless receiving all of the updates. It doesn’t matter what, I am getting it at a less expensive worth than what Apple’s promoting it for, and if I plug it in, and it really works, that is all that issues. On the time of this writing, I can decide up a third-gen mannequin for $105, and that is the model that comes with an Ethernet port, making it a financial savings of $45. That is no small chunk, however you run into the issue of not understanding how the earlier proprietor handled this machine or why they’re eliminating it.

To assist ease any fears you may need, simply know that I have been choosing up a great deal of electronics from eBay these days. I grabbed a Sport Boy Advance and Sport Boy Colour, and after doing shell swaps on every of them, each are in nice form. I suppose that is completely different from choosing up a used Apple TV 4K, as neither of those consoles can be found new anymore, nevertheless it reveals that if you happen to discover a dependable vendor, there’s nothing to be involved about. Fortunately, eBay has many protections in place as a purchaser in order that if you happen to get one thing damaged, you may simply get a refund.

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An Apple TV 4K of any gen is price it

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If Apple does not announce a brand new era of Apple TV 4Ks on the horizon, I feel it is time to cease ready and simply chunk the bullet. Whether or not you get a used mannequin on eBay or seize a brand new one for $150, the third-gen Apple TV 4K remains to be fairly a powerhouse. Even my first-gen mannequin remains to be nice, and I take advantage of it in my front room over my much-newer Roku Ultra from 2024. With that stated, I would say to go for at the very least a second-gen mannequin if you happen to can, as a result of it is nonetheless getting among the cool tvOS options whereas the primary era is caught with nothing. In the event you do not care about Liquid Glass, then by all means go for the most affordable choice out there.

There aren’t very many Apple TV 4K gross sales all year long, so your choices for getting one virtually all the time require you to pay the complete worth. It is a massive motive why I made a decision to take the used route, particularly since I did some analysis into what I wanted from mine. On the time of buy, all three generations of the machine had been out, however I used to be searching for one thing that labored with Dolby Atmos on Apple Music. There have been many older Apple TV fashions on the market, however solely the 4K iteration supported that, so I picked up the most affordable one.

Rumors have been swirling all 12 months a few 4th-gen Apple TV 4K, and Apple is quickly operating out of time to not solely announce, however launch one this 12 months. At this level, it seems like an announcement and launch are coming inside weeks of one another if there’s going to be a brand new one for the vacation season. With the primary and second era fashions lacking out on among the newest tvOS options, it is smart for a brand new era to be on the horizon, except Apple simply plans on throwing all of the assist into the third-gen field. Solely time will inform, and I am protecting my fingers crossed {that a} new mannequin is coming.

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