New Apple TV 4K Announced With A19 Chip, Updated Siri Remote, More
Apple today announced the fourth-generation Apple TV 4K, with key features including an A19 chip, Siri AI support, an updated Siri Remote that has Find My support with Precision Finding, built in far-field microphones, support for surround sound with four HomePods in front and rear pairs, and more.
The A19 chip in the new Apple TV 4K delivers up to 50% faster CPU performance and up to twice as fast graphics performance compared to the previous-generation model with the A15 Bionic chip, according to Apple. With the A19 chip, the Apple TV likely has an increased 8GB of RAM as well, up from 4GB in the previous model.
The more personalized and intelligent Siri AI powered by Apple Intelligence is now on Apple TV. The new Apple TV 4K has three far-field microphones that allow users to talk to Siri AI in a hands-free manner, but the updated Siri Remote still has a microphone and a Siri button on its side if you prefer to use the assistant that way.
For example, Apple said users can simply ask Siri which Apple TV shows won at the Emmy Awards this year and see poster art pulled directly from the Apple TV app, along with relevant suggestions like "more award-winning comedies."
Siri AI support does not require the new model. According to Apple, it is available in beta on the Apple TV 4K (2nd generation) and later running an upcoming tvOS 27.2 beta. At launch, Siri AI on the Apple TV will be limited to English in the U.S., Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, and the U.K.
Siri AI on the Apple TV requires a paired iPhone or iPad that supports Apple Intelligence for requests that involve a user's personal context.
As for the far-field microphones, Apple explained that "advanced echo cancellation intelligently isolates a user's voice from background sound to deliver crystal-clear 'Hey Siri' or 'Siri' recognition, even while audio is playing."
Far-field Siri is supported when tvOS is set to English, Mandarin Chinese, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hebrew, Norwegian, or Swedish.
Beyond the microphones and the status light now being centered on the front of the Apple TV 4K, there are no other obvious external design changes compared to the previous model. A future teardown will reveal internal changes.
The updated Siri Remote now supports the Precision Finding feature in the Find My app, making it easier to find. The remote now has a speaker built into it, allowing you to play a sound through the Find My app to help with locating it. The remote's overall design has not changed, and it still has a USB-C charging port.
For the first time, users can create a four-speaker surround sound experience with the new Apple TV 4K and the new HomePod mini 2 and the existing second-generation full-sized HomePod. You can have HomePod mini 2 speakers in front-left, front-right, rear-left, and right-right positions, or you can mix and match HomePod mini and HomePod speakers, so long as the front and rear pairs match. For example, you could have two full-sized HomePods up front and two HomePod mini 2 speakers in the rear.
The new Apple TV 4K can be pre-ordered starting today and launches on Friday, November 13. In the U.S., pricing is set at $299, with only a single configuration available now with 128GB of storage, Wi-Fi 7 support, and a Gigabit Ethernet port. The device is also equipped with a rear HDMI 2.1 port and supports Bluetooth 6.