The New Apple TV 4K Costs $299. Your Current One Is Getting Siri AI Anyway
The new Apple TV 4K brings an A19 chip, far field microphones, Siri AI and four speaker HomePod surround for $299. Siri AI also reaches older Apple TV 4K models, which changes the upgrade math for existing owners.
When Apple launched the last Apple TV 4K in October 2022, the headline was a lower price: a new starting point of $129. Four years later, the new Apple TV 4K (4th generation) costs $299 (U.S.). That is more than double, for a box that still plugs into the same TV. So the question for anyone with an Apple TV already under the screen is not whether the new one is better. It clearly is. The question is whether the parts that justify $299 are parts you will actually use.
Preorders open today in the U.S. and 29 other countries and regions, and the new Apple TV 4K reaches stores Friday, November 13. Apple also offers it at $49.83 (U.S.) per month for six months through Apple Card Monthly Installments.
What changed in the hardware
The A19 chip replaces the A15 Bionic, and Apple says it delivers up to 50 percent faster CPU performance and up to 2x faster GPU performance than the previous generation. The more practical addition for streaming is a dedicated AV1 decoder, which Apple says enables high quality streaming while using less bandwidth. The spec sheet adds Dolby Vision Profile 8.1 alongside Profile 5, HDMI Quick Media Switching for smoother format changes, and support for 21:9 aspect ratios on compatible projectors and displays.
| Spec | Apple TV 4K (4th gen) | Apple TV 4K (3rd gen) |
|---|---|---|
| Price (U.S.) | $299 | Launched from $129 (2022) |
| Chip | A19 | A15 Bionic |
| Storage | 128GB | 64GB (Wi‑Fi) or 128GB (Wi‑Fi + Ethernet) |
| Wi‑Fi | Wi‑Fi 7 (802.11be), 2x2 MIMO | Wi‑Fi 6 (802.11ax), 2x2 MIMO |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 6 | Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Ethernet and Thread | Gigabit Ethernet and Thread on every unit | 128GB model only |
| Microphones | Three microphone array with voice isolation | None listed |
| Video | AV1 decoder, Dolby Vision Profile 8.1 and 5, HDMI QMS | Dolby Vision Profile 5, HEVC |
| Siri AI | Beta in tvOS 27.2 | Beta in tvOS 27.2 (2nd generation or later) |
| Four speaker HomePod surround | Yes | No |
| Remote | Siri Remote with Find My, Precision Finding and play sound | Siri Remote (3rd generation), Find My supported |
| Weight | 217 g | 208 g (Wi‑Fi), 214 g (Wi‑Fi + Ethernet) |
Sources: Apple Newsroom (2026 and 2022 launch releases), apple.com tech specs, Apple Support tech specs. Highlighted rows differ.
Apple also simplified the lineup. The previous generation came in a 64GB Wi‑Fi model and a 128GB Wi‑Fi + Ethernet model, and only the more expensive one had Thread. The new Apple TV 4K is a single 128GB configuration with Gigabit Ethernet, Thread, Wi‑Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 built in. Part of that price jump, in other words, is that there is no longer a stripped down entry model.
Siri AI comes to the living room, including older Apple TVs
The biggest software story is Siri AI, presented full screen. Ask what Apple TV shows won Emmys this year and Siri answers with poster art from the Apple TV app and follow up suggestions. Ask about a show while it plays, such as where it was filmed or whether it suits a 15 year old, and the answer appears in a small overlay instead of interrupting the episode. With an Apple Intelligence enabled iPhone, Siri can draw on personal context for requests like playing a show a friend recommended.
The detail existing owners should notice is in the fine print: Siri AI is available as a beta in tvOS 27.2 on Apple TV 4K (2nd generation or later), so it reaches boxes many people already own. As with every home device today, it requires the owner of the home in the Home app to have an Apple Intelligence enabled iPhone or iPad running the latest software with Siri AI turned on, it launches in English in the U.S., Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa and the UK, and some server side features carry daily usage limits with paid expanded access promised later. Our breakdown of which iPhones get Siri AI will tell you whether your household meets the bar.
What the new box adds on top is hands free voice. Three far field microphones with echo cancellation let you say "Siri" or "Hey Siri" across the room, even while audio is playing, so you no longer have to find the remote to ask. Apple notes far field support depends on the primary tvOS language, with English, French, German, Mandarin Chinese, Dutch, Finnish, Hebrew, Norwegian and Swedish supported.
The home theater pitch
For the first time, four HomePod speakers can surround you with the new Apple TV 4K. The setup takes four HomePod mini 2 or HomePod (2nd generation) speakers in matching front and rear pairs, and the system detects each speaker's position and calibrates timing and levels automatically. It requires Apple TV 4K (4th generation), so this is one feature that will not come to older boxes. Four HomePod mini 2 speakers plus the new Apple TV 4K come to $895 at list prices.
A smarter remote and a better home hub
The Siri Remote keeps its familiar design but adds Find My with Precision Finding and a play sound option. Precision Finding on the new remote works with iPhone Duo, iPhone Air or iPhone 17 or later (excluding iPhone 17e), and playing a sound is exclusive to the newest Siri Remote. Basic Find My support also reaches the Siri Remote (2nd generation or later). The new remote works with Apple TV HD and Apple TV 4K and is sold separately too.
As a home hub, Apple TV 4K now adds Apple Intelligence generated camera activity descriptions and summarized notifications for HomeKit Secure Video, video doorbell alerts on the TV with two way talk and door unlock, and Siri AI control of accessories and scenes. Built in Thread on every unit matters for anyone building around the new Apple HomeView and Apple Home Collection accessories arriving in December. There are smaller touches too: you can now choose exactly which iCloud photos appear in Memories and Portraits screen savers, and a shuffle mode rotates screen saver categories.
What it means for an existing Apple home
If your current Apple TV 4K is your home hub, nothing breaks today. Apple TV and HomePod remain the hub options under the updated Home architecture, now joined by HomeView, and our home prep guide still covers everything you need before new hardware arrives. The tvOS 27 breakdown explains what the September update already changed on the box you own.
Who should buy it, and who should wait
The new Apple TV 4K makes sense if you want the four speaker HomePod surround setup, if you stream AV1 heavy services and care about efficiency, if you play games where the A19 GPU will matter, or if you still use an Apple TV HD or first generation Apple TV 4K that cannot run Siri AI.
Owners of an Apple TV 4K (2nd or 3rd generation) have the strongest case to wait. Siri AI arrives on those boxes in tvOS 27.2 as a beta, and the remote's basic Find My support reaches the Siri Remote you already own. What you give up by waiting is hands free Siri, surround with four HomePods and the faster chip, and that is a $299 decision only you can price.
What to watch next
November 13 is when the new box reaches real living rooms, and the first thing worth watching is how well Siri AI performs on older Apple TV 4K models compared with the A19. After that, watch how Apple prices those usage limits and whether streaming services lean into the AV1 decoder. Apple has repositioned Apple TV from a cheap streaming box into the anchor of its home theater, and $299 is the price of that ambition.
More from today: Apple also introduced the Apple Home Collection of LG and Schneider accessories, and our roundup of everything Apple announced at its Welcome home event puts the whole lineup in context.