What are all the differences between the Apple TV 4th Gen (Siri) and Apple TV 4K (2017) models? Which is best for me?

The Apple TV 4th Gen (Siri) model -- first released in 2015, rebranded as "Apple TV HD" in 2019, and still sold as new -- and the Apple TV 4K released in 2017 and discontinued in 2021 look practically identical, but there are major differences in connectivity and capability.

Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (Apple TV)

In fact, the two devices look so similar that they're practically indistinguishable from the front. Although, if you look closely, you will notice that the Apple TV 4K has a slightly more contoured base to better accommodate cooling.

The Apple TV 4K (2017) also shipped with a slightly revised "Siri" remote (A1962, EMC 3186) -- with a raised white ring around the "Menu" button.

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.

External & Connectivity Differences

However, take a look at the back of each respective device and significant differences become immediately apparent.

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

The older Apple TV 4th Gen models (above) and the newer Apple TV 4K models (below) have substantially different connectivity. They both have a built-in power supply and an IR receiver for the remote, but otherwise differ.

The Apple TV 4th Gen has an HDMI 1.4 port, a 10/100Base-T Ethernet port, and a USB-C port formally "for service and support" only. It also has 802.11ac Wi-Fi with MIMO capability and Bluetooth 4.0 support.

Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (Apple TV 4K - Ports)

The Apple TV 4K (2017), on the other hand, loses the USB-C port entirely, but has a more capable HDMI 2.0a port and a faster Gigabit Ethernet port.

The Apple TV 4K also has better wireless capability with simultaneous dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi with MIMO and Bluetooth 5.0.

Identification Differences

Just compared to one another, the Apple TV 4th Gen (Apple TV HD) and Apple TV 4K (2017) models can be differentiated by ports -- perhaps most obviously by the lack of the USB-C port on the newer Apple TV 4K -- but because so many Apple TV models look practically identical to one another, visual identification is not a good method.

Consequently, these models can be best 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.
4th Gen	4th Gen	A1625	2907
4K (5th Gen)	4K	A1842	3124

EveryMac.com's Ultimate Lookup feature also can uniquely identify both of these Apple TV models by their Serial Numbers, and this is another method that can be used to find the precise one.

Internal Differences

The Apple TV 4th Gen and Apple TV 4K (2017) models are completely different internally.

The Apple TV 4th Gen model has a dual core Apple A8 processor and 2 GB of RAM. Originally, it was configured with 32 GB or 64 GB of flash storage, but Apple dropped the 64 GB option on September 12, 2017. The company continues to sell a 32 GB configuration as new.

The Apple TV 4K model, on the other hand, has a faster three core Apple A10X Fusion processor and 3 GB of RAM. It is offered with either 32 GB or 64 GB of internal flash memory storage.

As you can guess from its name, the faster Apple TV 4K has the hardware to support 4K (2160p) as well as HDR video (Dolby Vision and HDR10), which can have enhanced brightness and contrast. The Apple TV 4th Gen (Apple TV HD) is limited to support for 1080p video.

Software Differences

Both the Apple TV 4th Gen and Apple TV 4K run the "tvOS" with support for an app store and full fledged apps and games.

For now, both devices support the current version of the operating system, but the added processing power and RAM of the Apple TV 4K may allow it to support the current version of the tvOS longer into the future.

Comparison Chart

The major differences are summarized below:

	Apple TV HD	Apple TV 4K
Processor Type:	Apple A8	Apple A10X Fusion
Processor Cores:	Two	Three
Processor Speed:	1.4 GHz (Variable)	2.3 GHz (Variable)
Standard RAM:	2 GB	3 GB
Storage Options:	32, 64 GB	32, 64 GB
Video Support:	1080p	4K (2160p)
Dolby Vision:	No	Yes
HDR10:	No	Yes
USB Ports:	1 (USB-C)	None
Display Port:	HDMI 1.4	HDMI 2.0a
Ethernet:	10/100Base-T	Gigabit
Dolby 7.1:	Yes	Yes
Atmos:	No	No
Wi-Fi:	802.11ac	802.11ac DB
Bluetooth:	4.0	5.0
Remote:	Siri (A1513/A2540*)	Siri (A1962)
Original OS:	tvOS 9.0	tvOS 11
Maximum OS:	Current	Current
Apple Order No:	MGY52LL/A MLNC2LL/A	MQD22LL/A MP7P2LL/A
Apple Model No:	A1625	A1842
EMC No:	2907	3124
Original Price:	US$149, US$199	US$179, US$199
Current Price:	US$149	US$179, US$199

* 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.

So, is the Apple TV 4th Gen (HD) or Apple TV 4K (2017) best for me?

Just compared to each other, and ignoring subsequent models, the Apple TV 4K (2017) is substantially improved compared to the earlier Apple TV 4th Gen (Siri) and only cost US$30 more when both were purchased new.

Of course, if you don't have a 4K television or plans to buy one soon, the Apple TV 4K doesn't offer much that is of immediately obvious value, so you might prefer to purchase a cheaper Apple TV HD (or do without until you also can upgrade your television).

Nevertheless, if you want to buy an Apple TV, EveryMac.com would suggest that the newer Apple TV 4K is the better purchase for most users. Because it is so much faster and more capable, it likely will provide software support for longer and actually cost less over the life of the device if you are the type to perform infrequent upgrades.

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