Apple announced a fourth-generation Apple TV 4K at its Welcome Home event in New York City on October 13. It is the first Apple TV to support the Siri AI voice assistant. Far-field microphones let people speak to Siri hands-free, while the Siri Remote now has Find My.
The streaming box costs $299, more than twice the prior generation’s launch price and $50 more than the current top-of-the-line model, which Apple is discontinuing. It keeps that model’s 128GB of storage, Ethernet port, and Thread and Matter support. Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 are new. The box and remote retain their existing designs.
The announcement is part of Apple’s broader smart home push. Apple also introduced the $299 HomeView smart display, the $149 HomePod Mini 2, and smart home devices developed with LG Electronics and Schneider Electric.
Read nextApple launches HomeView smart display for $299Siri AI adds search and personal context
An A19 chip, first seen in last year’s iPhone 17, enables Siri AI on the new Apple TV 4K. The assistant will launch in beta in English in eight countries: the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, and India. Apple says people can make natural-language requests through the remote or built-in microphones, including “What are the best nature docs on Apple TV right now?”
Siri’s answers appear on screen rather than being spoken aloud, as they are on HomePod and HomeView. Content searches fill the screen; general knowledge answers appear in a text bubble. In a demo, a question about a soccer team shown in an episode of Ted Lasso produced a short answer in the screen’s top-right corner explaining that the team was fictional.
Google’s TV Streamer with Gemini and Amazon’s Fire TV with Alexa Plus already offer AI-powered search. Apple is also adding personal context from an Apple Intelligence-capable iPhone. Apple says a request such as “Play that show my friend texted me” can use text messages to find the title.
The box supports four HomePod speakers
The new Apple TV 4K can connect to four compatible HomePods for surround sound, up from two on current models. The speakers must form two comparable pairs. Supported setups are four second-generation HomePods, four HomePod Mini 2s, or one pair of each. Apple says the speakers automatically determine their positions in the room and adjust audio levels. This four-speaker feature is exclusive to the new box.
The Siri Remote can now ring when someone asks, “Hey Siri, can you find the remote?” The Find My app on an iPhone can also show its precise location. Apple uses Bluetooth channel sounding for that feature, a location technology similar to ultra-wideband that does not require a UWB chip.
Preorders open October 13. The new Apple TV 4K will be available November 13.
