New Apple TV 4K Supports WiFi 6, Thread and HDMI 2.1

In addition to a new Siri Remote and a faster A12 processor, the refreshed Apple TV 4K that Apple announced today has a number of other notable hardware improvements.

Apple unveils the next gen of AppleTV4K 042021 big
The new ‌Apple TV‌ 4K is equipped with an HDMI 2.1 port instead of an HDMI 2.0a port, and it offers support for 4K 60 fps HDR video output. Code recently found in tvOS 14.5 suggested the new ‌Apple TV‌ could support 4K 120Hz output, but that does not appear to be the case.

Along with HDMI 2.1, the new ‌Apple TV‌ supports 802.11ax WiFi 6 with MIMO. Apple has been introducing WiFi 6 support in its newest devices, and WiFi 6 is the newest and fastest WiFi protocol available with improved speeds, expanded network capacity, lower latency, better power efficiency, and upgraded performance in locations with many smart home devices.

The ‌Apple TV‌ 4K is the second Apple device that has built-in Thread support, following the HomePod mini. Thread is a low-power networking technology that offers a secure, mesh-based system able to interface with other Thread-enabled smart home devices for improved connectivity.

Though not mentioned in the ‌Apple TV‌ specifications, the tvOS 14.5 beta suggests that the new ‌Apple TV‌ model supports eARC, which offers a bandwidth and speed boost for sending higher-quality audio from the TV to a soundbar or receiver.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Shows Off a Key Reason to Upgrade to the iPhone 17

Saturday February 7, 2026 9:26 am PST by
Apple today shared an ad that shows how the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones improves the process of taking a group selfie. "Watch how the new front facing camera on iPhone 17 Pro takes group selfies that automatically expand and rotate as more people come into frame," says Apple. While the ad is focused on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the regular iPhone...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Apple Says These 7 U.S. States Plan to Offer iPhone Driver's Licenses

Monday February 9, 2026 6:24 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. The feature is currently available in 13 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, and it is expected to launch in at least seven more in the future. To set up the...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

New MacBook Pros Could Now Arrive in March

Sunday February 8, 2026 6:02 am PST by
New MacBook Pro models with the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips could arrive as soon as Monday, March 2, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In today's "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that the release of new MacBook Pro models is tied to the release of macOS Tahoe 26.3. The launch is said to be slated for as early as the week of March 2. He added that the M4 Pro and M4 Max models on sale today...

Top Rated Comments

Force332 Avatar
63 months ago
Since I haven’t seen it promoted anywhere, I’m assuming the remote doesn’t have a U1 chip and work with Find My. I’m also assuming the new AppleTV doesn’t support Spatial Audio. Those both seemed like no-brainers to me. Swing and a miss. Especially at that price.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
snow755 Avatar
63 months ago

Don’t forget the new A12 CPU in it.
I wish that was A14X or M1 on A12 is not much of a upgrade over the A10X I think A12X would have been better
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mastercheif91 Avatar
63 months ago

Though not mentioned in the ‌Apple TV‌ specifications, the tvOS 14.5 beta suggests that the new ‌Apple TV‌ model supports eARC, which offers a bandwidth and speed boost for sending higher-quality audio from the TV to a soundbar or receiver.
What? This doesn't make any sense. "Source" devices like the AppleTV or a Blu Ray Player don't support ARC or eARC, it's a feature of the TV.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
connormw Avatar
63 months ago
Biggest thing is the new remote.

Thank god the old Siri remote is going away. The new remote looks great - keeps Siri and touch controls, but makes the touch not required for basic input. The iPod-like scroll wheel for track jogging looks like an amazing upgrade.

Will be buying a new remote for my current-gen 4K as soon as they're available.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ryanmp Avatar
63 months ago
Any word on audio passthrough with this new model? This is essential to make the Apple TV a true home theatre device.

Although I believe it is software that is limiting this rather than hardware.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jdblas69 Avatar
63 months ago

Recently got a newer Samsung TV and it has AppleTV baked in, not really sure what the benefit is as newer TVs that support 4K HDR, HDMI 2.1 already have Netlifx, Amazon etc. built in. For older non-smart TVs I can see the appeal of an Apple TV but a FireStick Lite is $20.
Best benefit for me is Apple TV will be supported with updates for years to come. Most Smart TV manufacturers are not that reliable when it comes to updates and support.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)