Apple TV

The Apple TV is Apple's set-top box, meant to be connected to television sets. A new version of the Apple TV 4K was announced in October and it's set to launch on November 13. Apple doesn't refresh the Apple TV often, and now is the best time to buy.

The fourth-generation Apple TV 4K has a faster A19 chip with Siri AI support, microphones with voice isolation for hands-free Siri access, more internal storage, an updated Remote with Precision Finding, and support for using four HomePods for surround sound.

With the fourth-generation update, the Apple TV went up in price. There is a single model priced at $299, with no more affordable option available. If you want a cheaper Apple TV, you may want to look for the 2022 model because it too will get Siri AI.

The fourth-generation Apple TV 4K continues to look like the prior-generation version, with a simple black box design that plugs into a television set over HDMI. It is the same size and shape as the previous model, but the status light is now in the middle of the device's front instead of off to the side.

The Apple TV 4K, as the name suggests, offers 4K resolution with support for high frame rate HDR content, including HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. To get the complete experience, it must be paired with a 4K TV or better and 4K content is also required.

There's a faster A19 chip inside the Apple TV 4K offering up to 50 percent faster CPU performance and up to 2× faster GPU performance than the A15 in the prior model. The A19 has a dedicated AV1 decoder for high-quality streaming that uses less bandwidth. Apple says the chip brings greater responsiveness, faster navigation, and smoother animations.

Four HomePod mini 2 or second-generation HomePods can be paired with the Apple TV 4K for home theater surround sound. The speakers work together with the Apple TV to recognize their position in the room to calibrate audio timing and levels. Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos makes for an immersive audio experience.

The fourth-generation Apple TV has three built-in far-field microphones that can be used for talking to Siri hands-free. With the microphones, activating Siri does not require the Siri Remote, and echo cancellation isolates a user's voice from background sound for Siri access even when audio is playing.

Siri AI can answer questions about a range of topics, control smart home products, take systemwide app actions, and hold back-and-forth conversations. On Apple TV, Siri AI makes it easier to find entertainment and get suggestions on what to watch. With a connected Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone, Siri AI can tap into personal context to answer questions.

The Siri Remote has a one-piece aluminum body, which is a design introduced in 2021, and there were no updates to the look. The remote includes a clickpad control wheel with five-way navigation and support for touch gestures. The clickpad's outer ring supports a circular gesture that lets you move through TV and movie content. There's a dedicated power button, volume buttons, a mute button, an option for pausing and fast-forwarding, a menu button, a Siri side button, and a USB-C port for charging.

Find My support is new to the Siri Remote, allowing it to be found more easily if it's lost. The Remote has a speaker so it can play a sound, and it supports Precision Finding.

Like the prior model, the new Apple TV 4K works as a home hub for controlling connected smart home accessories for everyone. Doorbell notifications appear on the Apple TV, and it supports automations, guest mode, and secure local processing of HomeKit Secure Video.

The Apple TV 4K supports Wi-Fi 7 and can connect to the faster 6GHz Wi-Fi band for streaming, plus it has Thread networking technology, Bluetooth 6, HDMI 2.1, and Gigabit Ethernet.

The Apple TV 4K is priced at $299 for 128GB of storage. Apple used to have two models available, but consolidated to one and raised the price by $50 with the launch of the fourth-generation model. The Siri Remote with Find My is also available separately for $59 and is compatible with the last several generations of Apple TV.

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The fourth-generation Apple TV 4K can be pre-ordered from the online Apple Store for $299, and it will launch on November 13.

Apple did not change the design of the Apple TV 4K with the 2026 refresh, and it continues to be a simple black box that's about the size of the palm of your hand. While the design is the same, Apple did move the indicator light from the right side of the device to the center.

It measures in at 3.67 inches on each of its four sides and it is 1.2 inches tall. It weighs 7.6 ounces.

There is an Apple logo at the top, and aside from that, the device is unobtrusive, with the black design blending in well with home decor. It is small enough that it can fit on any shelf or TV unit next to a television set.

There are three far-field microphones in the Apple TV. Apple says the Apple TV uses advanced echo cancellation to isolate a user's voice from background sound for "Hey Siri" recognition even when audio is playing.

The Apple TV 4K has a built-in power supply and comes with the cable to power it. It also features Gigabit Ethernet and HDMI 2.1 ports at the back.

The fourth-generation Apple TV 4K is equipped with an A19 chip. CPU performance is up to 50 percent faster than the prior generation that was equipped with an A15 chip, and GPU performance is up to 2x faster.

Apple says that the Apple TV offers improved responsiveness, faster navigation, and smoother animations. The A19 chip also brings a dedicated AV1 decoder for high-quality streaming that uses less bandwidth.

Connectivity

The 2026 Apple TV 4K is equipped with Apple's N1 networking chip that offers faster Wi-Fi 7 with 2x2 MIMO. With Wi-Fi 7, it can connect to 6GHz Wi-Fi networks.

Along with Wi-Fi 7, the Apple TV has built-in Thread support. 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.

The Apple TV 4K also supports Bluetooth 6 and it comes with an IR receiver for remote input.

Like prior versions of the Apple TV 4K, the fourth-generation Apple TV 4K supports 4K HDR content, along with Dolby Vision and HDR10+ for the best possible quality for movies and TV shows on compatible TVs.

The Apple TV 4K requires a compatible 4K television to display content at a 4K resolution, and features like Dolby Vision require a TV that supports Dolby Vision. The Apple TV 4K connects to a television set using HDMI, and an HDMI cable is not included.

Supported Photo, Video, and Audio Formats

The Apple TV 4K supports SDR/HDR video rates up to 2160p at 60 fps, Dolby Vision (Profile 8.1 and 5), HDR10+, HDR10, HLG, AV1, VP9, H.265/HEVC, H.264/AVC, and MPEG-4 video. It includes support for 21:9 and other cinematic aspect ratios when using compatible projectors and displays

Supported audio formats include HE-AAC (V1), AAC (up to 320 Kbps), protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (up to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Apple Lossless, FLAC, AIFF, and WAV, AC-3 (Dolby Digital 5.1), E-AC-3 (Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 surround sound), and Dolby Atmos.

Photo formats supported include HEIF, JPEG, GIF, and TIFF.

The fourth-generation Apple TV 4K supports Siri AI, the latest version of Siri that's powered by Apple Intelligence.

Siri AI supports personal context understanding from a linked iOS device, can answer a range of questions thanks to broad world knowledge, and can take actions across Apple TV apps. Apple has some sample questions:

• What Apple TV shows won at the Emmy Awards this year?
• More award-winning comedies
• Where was Pluribus filmed?
• Is this appropriate for a 15-year-old?
• Play the show Alinda recommended.

Siri AI responses show up in a compact overlay that offers up useful information without impacting the viewing experience.

Commands involving personal context require an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone.

The Apple TV 4K can be paired with four HomePod speakers for a surround sound experience. Surround sound works with four HomePod mini 2 speakers, four second-generation HomePods, or two HomePods and two HomePod mini 2 speakers. When using a mix, you need the front and rear speaker pairs to match, so two HomePod mini 2s and two HomePods would work, while three HomePod mini 2s and one HomePod would not.

The four speakers are able to work with the Apple TV to recognize their position in the room and calibrate audio timing and levels to the space.

Stereo sound with two HomePods or HomePod mini speakers continues to be supported.

The Apple TV 4K works as a home hub, allowing users to control their smart home accessories from anywhere.

Like the prior version of the Apple TV, it shows doorbell notifications and door unlocking notifications. There is an option to view multiple camera feeds and control smart home devices with quick access buttons.

The device supports automation and guest mode.

The fourth-generation Apple TV comes with a new Siri Remote that has the same design as the prior model. It features a silver aluminum body and a touch-enabled clickpad with gesture support.

A single click on the remote brings you into a TV show or movie, while a swipe moves through long lists of content. The outer part of the clickpad can be swiped across to scrub through shows and movies, fast-forwarding and rewinding as needed. The remote includes a TV/Home button, a Back button, a Play/Pause button, a Mute button, and a set of volume buttons.

There is a dedicated Power button for turning the television off or on, and on the side of the remote, there's a dedicated button for activating Siri.

The new version of the Remote includes Find My with Precision Finding to make it easier to locate if misplaced or lost. The Siri Remote also has a built-in speaker, so it is able to play a sound.

The bottom of the Siri Remote features a USB-C port that can be used to recharge it every few months.

In countries where Siri support is unavailable, the Siri Remote is called the "Apple TV Remote."

Remote App

Along with the physical Siri Remote, the Apple TV can be controlled using a Remote app for the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. The Remote app has a layout that's similar to the Siri Remote, offering virtual controls for navigating the Apple TV interface, accessing Siri, and controlling volume.

Bluetooth Accessories

Popular controllers from PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo can be paired with the Apple TV for gaming purposes, and Apple expects Apple Arcade and other games to be played with a controller rather than the Siri Remote.

The Apple TV 4K can also be paired with Bluetooth keyboards, though typing for searches and other purposes can be done with an iPhone tied to the same Apple Account as well.

tvOS is the operating system that runs on the Apple TV, offering an easy-to-navigate television watching experience on Apple's set-top box. With a full App Store, tvOS supports downloading third-party apps and games that can be used on the Apple TV, and the interface design puts content front and center. Get to what you want to watch using Siri commands, the Apple Remote, or the Remote app on iPhone and Apple Watch, and keep track of shows with "Up Next" and the Apple TV app.

tvOS includes several built-in apps like Photos for accessing your Photo Library, Apple Music, Apple Home for controlling smart home products, Podcasts, and Apple TV, an app that aggregates TV and movie content from tons of sources, including the Apple TV streaming service.

Channels are included in the Apple TV app, so you can subscribe to and watch content from paid services without having to open up a third-party app, and Apple suggests content you might like to watch.

The Apple TV app also includes a feature called "Insight" that provides information about actors, characters, and music from Apple TV movies and shows onscreen in realtime. Users can select an actor to see their background and filmography, or see what song is playing in a scene and add it to an Apple Music playlist.

The Apple TV supports a number of screen saver options, from aerial screen savers captured with drones to collaborations that feature characters like Snoopy.

The current version of tvOS is tvOS 27.2, which was released in October.