It has been four years since the last update to the Apple TV, but a new fourth-generation 4K model has finally arrived for 2026. Having owned every iteration of this hardware, I figured I’d pick this one up and tell you about it. The most immediate hurdle for many will be the price; it costs twice as much as the previous edition! And, spoiler alert, there’s not much new here to warrant such a huge price escalation.
See my full review here and find it on Amazon here (compensated affiliate link).
On paper, the new Apple TV does offer a significant upgrade in performance. This model features the Apple A19 chip, the same processor found in the iPhone 17. While it is a substantial jump in raw processing and graphical horsepower, the current software environment does not yet offer many applications that fully utilize its potential. Navigating menus and launching apps feels as responsive as ever, but those upgrading from the second or third-generation 4K models will likely find the performance gains difficult to notice in daily use. Connectivity is improved with the inclusion of Wi-Fi 7, and the product line has been simplified so that every model now includes an Ethernet port and 128 gigabytes of onboard storage.
One of the primary functional changes is the addition of an always-listening microphone, allowing for hands-free Siri commands without having to pick up the remote control. In my testing, the feature worked reliably, though it does introduce a conflict if an iPhone is nearby. Often, the phone will intercept the command before the Apple TV can respond. Placing the phone face-down usually resolves this, allowing the television to take priority.
This voice integration also ties into Apple Intelligence, the company’s AI platform. This allows the device to pull information from other parts of the Apple ecosystem. I was able to ask the device for a show recommendation my wife had sent via text message, and the Apple TV successfully found the text message and pulled up her recommendation.
Like prior models, the Apple TV features a tight integration with other parts of the Apple ecosystem. The Photos app brings all of your iCloud photos library to the big screen, and your AirPods will seamlessly connect for private listening.
The remote control remains largely unchanged in its physical design, utilizing USB-C for charging. However, it now includes a hardware tracking feature. Using the Find My app on an iPhone, the remote can act as a beacon, providing a granular search interface to help locate it when it falls between couch cushions.
For those focused on video quality, the device continues to support Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and HDR10+. It now includes hardware decoding for the more efficient AV1 codec, which is becoming more common among streaming services.
To get the most out of the hardware, I still find it necessary to manually enable the “match frame rate” and “match dynamic range” settings. This ensures that 24p film content is displayed correctly and that the television switches to the proper HDR mode only when the content requires it. Unlike many competing streaming boxes that have moved toward an ad-heavy, content-centric home screen, this interface remains focused on a grid of applications.
The gaming experience on the platform remains a point of unfulfilled potential. While the GPU is technically capable of running high-end titles, the library is still mostly comprised of mobile-oriented games through Apple Arcade. There is a lack of AAA titles that would compete with a dedicated game console. There is, however, growing movement in the emulation community. With Apple’s recent shift in policy, apps like RetroArch are now available in the App Store, allowing the device to run older console games nicely. However some more advanced consoles supported by Retroarch do not work on the Apple TV.
The Apple TV remains a high-end choice for those already established in the Apple ecosystem, particularly for features like AirPods integration and synchronized photo libraries. While the high price point makes it a difficult recommendation as a mandatory upgrade for owners of the previous generation, it remains a stable and ad-free platform for those seeking a premium media player. The hardware is now powerful enough to potentially compete with enthusiast devices like the Nvidia Shield, provided that the software and open-source communities continue to develop for it.