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 all the pieces 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 folks seeking to go away behind their sluggish good TV UI, a stick shall be greater than as much as the duty. A 3rd-gen Apple TV 4K prices $130 or $150, relying on the mannequin, and the fact is you will 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 doubtless frequent 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 fantastic, and I saved fairly a bit of cash by taking that route. In actual fact, I’d do it once more.

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

Do not be afraid to purchase used

It is saved me cash, and it could actually prevent some too

Pocket-lint / Apple

I perceive that used electronics may be scary for quite a lot of causes. The massive one is that you haven’t any concept what the earlier proprietor did with their gadget or how lengthy it ran for. For instance, when crypto mining was large, folks would promote their outdated graphics playing cards that had hundreds of hours of use operating 24/7, and that set you up for failure should you purchased one. These GPUs had rather more put on and tear on them, and even should you did get one for a cheaper price than traditional, it was probably on its final legs by the point it arrived.

The Apple TV 4K I purchased may’ve very effectively had the identical situation, however I made a decision to roll the cube. The factor I used to be extra apprehensive 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 difficulty. It hasn’t proven many indicators of slowing down, however contemplating it is a gadget that dates again to 2017, the clock is ticking.

I have been holding out hope that Apple is on the verge of asserting a 4th-gen Apple TV 4K, as a result of that is one thing I might bounce on instantly. If that does not find yourself occurring, I’d simply look to eBay for a used third-gen mannequin as that is the gadget 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 figuring out how the earlier proprietor handled this gadget or why they’re eliminating it.

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

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An Apple TV 4K of any gen is value it

Do not watch for too lengthy

Pocket-line / Apple

If Apple would not announce a brand new era of Apple TV 4Ks on the horizon, I feel it is time to cease ready and simply chew 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 continues to be fairly a powerhouse. Even my first-gen mannequin continues to be nice, and I exploit it in my lounge over my much-newer Roku Ultra from 2024. With that stated, I might say to go for at the very least a second-gen mannequin should you can, as a result of it is nonetheless getting a few of 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 obtainable.

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 cause 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 gadget had been out, however I used to be on the lookout 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 couple of 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 looks 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 a few of 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 maintaining my fingers crossed {that a} new mannequin is coming.

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