The new Apple TV 4K costs $299. The model it replaces launched at $129 in 2022, so the price has more than doubled, and Apple is also giving its new Siri to older Apple TV boxes as a free update. That makes this an unusual upgrade decision: for a lot of people, the best move is to keep the box they already have.
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The short version
- If your Apple TV 4K is from 2021 or later, wait. Siri AI is coming to it as a free beta update in tvOS 27.2.
- If you have the 2017 Apple TV 4K or an Apple TV HD, the new model is the only way to get Siri AI.
- Pay the $299 if you want to talk to your TV without the remote, or plan to build surround sound from four HomePod speakers.
- Pre-orders are open now, and the new box arrives Nov. 13.
We haven’t tested the new Apple TV 4K yet. This guide is based on Apple’s Oct. 13, 2026 announcement and Best Buy’s listing, checked the same day. We’ll add our own impressions once we have one.
What $299 gets you
| New Apple TV 4K (4th gen, 2026) | Apple TV 4K (2nd and 3rd gen, 2021 and 2022) | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $299 | Already in your living room |
| Siri AI | Yes | Yes, as a free beta in tvOS 27.2 |
| Talk to it without the remote | Yes, three built-in microphones | No, you hold the button on the remote |
| Four-speaker HomePod surround sound | Yes | No |
| Speed | A19 chip, up to 50% faster processing and up to twice the graphics speed of the 2022 model, per Apple | Fine for streaming apps today |
The other upgrades are smaller but real. The A19 chip adds a dedicated decoder for AV1, a video format that streams in high quality using less internet data. The new Siri Remote supports Find My with Precision Finding, which points you straight to it when it disappears into the sofa, and it can play a sound.
Who should pay the $299
- Owners of the 2017 Apple TV 4K or an Apple TV HD. Apple’s Siri AI update only reaches the 2021 model and newer, so this is your way in.
- People who want a hands-free TV. With three far-field microphones, you can say “Siri” from across the room, even with a show playing. That helps if the remote is always missing or if gripping a small button is hard.
- Anyone planning HomePod surround sound. Only the new box can run four HomePod mini 2 or second-generation HomePod speakers as front and rear pairs, with timing and volume set automatically for your room.
- People who play games on the TV. Apple says graphics are up to twice as fast, which matters more for Apple Arcade than for streaming.
Apple TV 4K (4th generation) · paid link
Who should keep the box they have
What changes for you: if your Apple TV 4K is the second generation from 2021 or the third generation from 2022, Apple says Siri AI arrives as a beta in tvOS 27.2. You get the new conversational Siri, the full-screen search and the ability to ask questions about what you’re watching, without buying anything.
There’s one catch in Apple’s fine print. Siri AI on Apple TV needs the person who owns the home in the Apple Home app to have an iPhone or iPad that supports Apple Intelligence, running the latest software with Siri AI switched on. If nobody in the house has a recent enough iPhone, the free update won’t bring the new Siri, and neither will the new box.
Apple hasn’t said when tvOS 27.2 will be released. It’s been in public beta since early October.
How to check which Apple TV you have
- On the TV, open Settings, then General, then About, and look at the model.
- Apple TV 4K (2nd generation, 2021): model A2169. It gets the free Siri AI update.
- Apple TV 4K (3rd generation, 2022): model A2737 or A2843. It gets the free Siri AI update.
- Apple TV 4K (1st generation, 2017): model A1842. It won’t get Siri AI.
- Apple TV HD (2015): model A1625. It won’t get Siri AI.
The new Apple TV 4K: the honest verdict
The downside: $299 is a lot for a streaming box when the main new feature, Siri AI, is coming free to most recent models. The everyday streaming experience on a 2021 or 2022 box will feel much the same.
Skip if: you own a 2021 or 2022 Apple TV 4K and mainly watch streaming apps. Wait for the free update and spend the money elsewhere.
The upshot: this is an easy buy for people on a 2017 box or an Apple TV HD, and for anyone building a HomePod home theater. For everyone else, it’s a nice-to-have.
Building surround sound? Here’s the speaker
HomePod mini 2 costs $149 from Apple and arrives Oct. 30. A four-speaker setup with the new Apple TV 4K needs four of them, or four second-generation HomePods, set up as matching front and rear pairs. That’s about $596 in speakers before the Apple TV itself. Siri AI comes to HomePod mini 2 later in a software update.
HomePod mini 2 · paid link
For everything else Apple announced, including the $299 HomeView display and Apple’s new cameras, read our full rundown of Apple’s Oct. 13 announcements. Apple’s own details are on its Apple TV 4K announcement page.
How we picked
This buying advice is based on Apple’s Oct. 13, 2026 announcement and fine print, and Best Buy’s listings checked the same day. We haven’t used the new Apple TV 4K yet and will update this guide when we have.
