What are all the differences between the Apple TV 3rd Gen and Apple TV 4th Gen (Siri) models? Which is best for me?

There are two different Apple TV 3rd Gen models and a single Apple TV 4th Gen model. These look similar, but have many differences in terms of hardware and software alike.

However, the Apple TV 4th Gen was rebranded the "Apple TV HD" on March 25, 2019 and started to ship with a different remote on April 20, 2021, so it also has some variations.

Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (Apple TV 4th Gen)

External & Connectivity Differences

Externally, the Apple TV 3rd Gen (below) and Apple TV 4th Gen models (above) would be easy to confuse for one another, and they have the same footprint, but the later model is roughly half an inch taller and a third of a pound heavier than its predecessor.

Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (Apple TV 3rd Gen)

The Apple TV 3rd Gen and Apple TV 4th Gen (Apple TV HD) have significantly different connectivity. Depending on your perspective, the newer model may be better or worse in this regard.

Both models have a power connector and a 10/100Base-T Ethernet port, but otherwise vary.

The Apple TV 3rd Gen models have an HDMI port, an optical audio out port, and a Micro-USB port that formally is for "diagnostic use only" as well as support for 802.11a/b/g/n wireless. It also supports Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound via pass-through.

The Apple TV 4th Gen (Apple TV HD) models, on the other hand, have an HDMI 1.4 port and a USB-C port formally "for service and support." It also has 802.11ac Wi-Fi with MIMO capability, but it does not have an optical audio out port. It supports Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Digital Plus 7.1.

Remote Differences

Both the Apple TV 3rd Gen and Apple TV 4th Gen support remotes, but the subsequent model has remotes that are much more advanced.

The Apple TV 3rd Gen includes a silver colored aluminum "Apple Remote" with a dedicated directional key button, Menu, and Play/Pause buttons.

The Apple TV 4th Gen (Apple TV HD), on the other hand, originally shipped with a black colored aluminum "Siri Remote" with an advanced "Glass Touch" surface for directional control, an internal accelerometer and gyroscope for additional control options (particularly for games as pioneered by the Nintendo Wii), and dedicated buttons for the Menu, Home, Up/Down, Play/Pause, and Siri. Siri Voice Command support doesn't always work well, but it's neat when it works as intended.

However, although the "Siri Remote" is more advanced, it also is worth noting that it is quite fragile and does not have a replaceable battery like the simpler "Apple Remote."

On April 20, 2021, Apple revised the Apple TV HD to instead include a silver-colored "Siri Remote" (A2540, EMC 3732, MJFM3LL/A). This Siri Remote has a touch-enabled "clickpad control that offers five-way navigation" and an outer ring that works as a "jog control" for quick scene selection, as well.

Identification Differences

The Apple TV 3rd Gen and Apple TV 4th Gen (Apple TV HD) are easy to differentiate when they're next to one another. However, as there are two Apple TV 3rd Gen models and the Apple TV 2nd Gen model also looks identical to the Apple TV 3rd Gen, visual identification is not a good method.

Consequently, these models can be easily identified by Model Number and EMC Number, both of which are provided in tiny type toward the bottom of the underside of each device:

Apple TV	Subfamily	Model No.	EMC No.
2nd Gen	2nd Gen	A1378	2411
3rd Gen, 2012	3rd Gen	A1427	2528
3rd Gen, 2013	3rd Gen	A1469	2633
4th Gen	4th Gen	A1625	2907

EveryMac.com's Ultimate Lookup feature also can uniquely identify these devices by their Serial Numbers, and this is another method that can be used to find the precise model.

Internal Differences

The Apple TV 3rd Gen and Apple TV 4th Gen models are completely different under the hood.

The final Apple TV 3rd Gen model (A1469) has a single core 28 nm Apple A5 processor (S5L8947), 512 MB of RAM, and 8 GB of flash storage.

The Apple TV 4th Gen model has a much faster dual core20 nm Apple A8 processor (APL1011), 2 GB of RAM, and 32 GB or 64 GB of flash storage.

However, despite the massive improvement in performance that the Apple TV 4th Gen provides, both devices support 1080p video. Neither supports 4K.

Software Differences

Although they are both based on iOS, the Apple TV 3rd Gen and Apple TV 4th Gen run different operating systems.

The Apple TV 3rd Gen first shipped with Apple TV 5.1 with support for a number of built-in "channels" and selective "app-like" functionality whereas the Apple TV 4th Gen runs an all new "tvOS" with support for an app store and full fledged applications.

Comparison Chart

The major differences are summarized below:

	Apple TV 3rd Gen	Apple TV 4th Gen
Processor Type:	Apple A5	Apple A8
Processor Cores:	Single	Dual
Processor Speed:	1 GHz (Variable)	1.4 GHz (Variable)
Standard RAM:	512 MB	2 GB
Storage Options:	8 GB	32, 64 GB
Current Storage:	Used Only	32 GB
Video Support:	1080p	1080p
USB Ports:	1 (Micro-USB)	1 (USB-C)
Display Ports:	HDMI	HDMI 1.4
Audio Ports:	Optical	None
Dolby 5.1:	Yes	Yes
Dolby 7.1:	No	Yes
Wi-Fi:	802.11n	802.11ac
Remote:	Apple Remote	Siri Remote*
Controllers:	No	Yes
App Store:	No	Yes
Original OS:	Apple TV 5.1	tvOS 9.0
Maximum OS:	Apple TV 7.x	Current
Apple Order No:	MD199LL/A	MGY52LL/A MLNC2LL/A MHY93LL/A
Apple Model No:	A1427/A1469	A1625
EMC No:	2528/2633	2907
Original Price:	US$99	US$149, US$199
Current Price:	Used Only	US$149

*On April 20, 2021, Apple revised the Apple TV 4th Gen (Apple TV HD) to instead include a silver-colored "Siri Remote" (A2540, EMC 3732, MJFM3LL/A). This Siri Remote has a touch-enabled "clickpad control that offers five-way navigation" and an outer ring that works as a "jog control" for quick scene selection, as well.

So, which one of these Apple TV models is best for me?

Just compared to one another, the Apple TV 4th Gen (Apple TV HD) is better than the Apple TV 3rd Gen model in nearly every way. It's faster, more capable, and has vastly expanded software support. When it was first released, it felt decidedly incomplete in many respects, but that has changed somewhat in time.

These days, most users should purchase a newer Apple TV 4K instead of either of these Apple TV models, but the Apple TV HD is a better choice than the Apple TV 3rd Gen.

Nevertheless, the Apple TV 3rd Gen remains worth consideration for someone who has simpler needs -- mostly to sling 1080p video from a Mac or Apple device and use content within Apple's ecosystem (or who find the optical audio port particularly useful) -- and/or who would like to save some money, as well.

However, keep in mind that software support for the Apple TV 3rd Gen is increasingly limited, so it probably will not be as usable for as long as the Apple TV HD, which may somewhat mitigate any upfront savings when allocated over the life of the device.

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