Chips & Hardware
Apple refreshes Apple TV 4K with Siri AI and remote-free voice control
Apple launched a new $299 Apple TV 4K with an upgraded chip, deeper Siri AI integration for content discovery, and built-in microphones that let users give voice commands without the remote.
Apple introduced a refreshed $299 Apple TV 4K today, four years after the device’s 2022 launch, adding an upgraded A19 chip to power new AI features and three far-field microphones that let users talk to Siri without a remote or a paired HomePod. The company said users can now get four-speaker surround sound by pairing Apple TV 4K with HomePod mini 2 or HomePod 2 speakers.
The included remote also gets an update: it now has a small built-in speaker, making it easier to locate when it’s lost in a couch or left in another room. Apple had already added a way to find the remote via Siri and Find My in 2023, but that relied on on-screen directions rather than an audible sound.
With Siri AI now rolling out across Apple’s platforms, the company’s main pitch for Apple TV is better personalization and content recommendations — viewers can ask questions like “Which Apple TV shows won at the Emmy Awards this year?” or “Where was ‘Pluribus’ filmed?” to search for content or get more information about shows. Rivals Google and Amazon have also added AI-driven content suggestions to their own platforms in recent years.
The device doesn’t get refreshed as often as other Apple hardware — this update arrives four years after Apple TV 4K’s 2022 launch. Bloomberg reported that Apple had wanted to launch the new device in 2024, but delays in rolling out the AI-powered Siri forced the company to push back the launch of new home devices as well. Consumers can preorder the new Apple TV 4K starting today, with availability beginning November 13.
Why it matters
Tying Apple TV’s content discovery to the same Siri AI overhaul rolling out across the company’s devices signals Apple is betting its living-room hardware will benefit from — rather than be held back by — the broader Siri relaunch that has already delayed several product lines.