Apple TV: New model before the end of the year?
Apple is probably planning a new multimedia box this year. There could be new hardware elements this time.
Apple TV 4K: Here from 2021.
(Image: Apple)
The rumor mill is largely in agreement: the Apple TV will soon be getting an update. In fact, Apple last updated its multimedia box in November 2022, almost three years ago. An overview of what a fourth-generation Apple TV 4K could look like – and what special functions Apple may be planning.
Old technology from the iPhone 13
Apple's multimedia box is not cheap when compared to streaming sticks with Android TV or Amazon's Fire TV devices. You pay at least 169 euros for the small Apple version of the device (WLAN, 64 GB), with Ethernet and double the storage, even 189 euros (market prices (starting from 152,10 €) are cheaper). In return, you get a comparatively high level of data protection and a well-stocked App Store, including streaming clients and other multimedia programs from almost every provider.
The current Apple TV 4K is already the third generation of hardware that has only ever been minimally improved. The current version comes with an Apple SoC from the A15 Bionic series from the iPhone 13 from 2021, in which a high-performance core has been switched off. The GPU has five cores and now supports HDR10+ including HDMI 2.1 with QMS. The large model can be used as a thread station for HomeKit, while the small version lacks the necessary wireless chip. Another new feature was that Apple now includes a Siri Remote with USB-C for the first time and no longer uses the proprietary Lightning.
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Inner workings plus camera
A fourth-generation Apple TV 4K is likely to bring improvements on the inside. The latest announcements from well-known Apple rumor mongers such as Mark Gurman from Bloomberg speak of a release by winter. First, Apple is likely to jump from the A15 Bionic to something more up-to-date. It could be the A18 from the iPhone 16 – or, if Apple wants to be more future-proof, the not-yet-available A19 from the iPhone 17, which is expected in September. In terms of wireless technology, Apple could install its Bluetooth and WLAN combination chip for the first time, which the company has been working on for some time. However, the maximum supported Wi-Fi standard will only be Wi-Fi 6E, not the newer Wi-Fi 7.
In terms of multimedia, the Apple TV already supports FaceTime video chats. However, this requires an iPhone or iPad as a camera. Apple is said to have had discussions last year about integrating a camera directly into Apple TV boxes. This should also include gesture recognition – conceivably for device control, for example. It is already clear that tvOS 26, the new operating system, will support contact posters like the iPhone, as well as live subtitling of FaceTime calls plus call notifications for incoming calls on the iPhone. All of this points to improvements on the hardware side too.
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