Apple TV 4K (4th Gen) vs 3rd Gen: Siri AI and a hands-free remote are among the upgrades
Apple's 4th-gen Apple TV 4K is £299/$299 to pre-order and launches November 13 with Siri AI that the 2022 model does not support. A 2022 owner's decision turns on voice use and HomePod Mini 2 plans, and Trusted Reviews has yet to review the new unit.
The Product Desk
Key figures: the Apple TV 4K (4th Gen) has an RRP of £299. Trusted Reviews has seen the 3rd Gen at around £249 at third-party retailers, with prices varying. Apple says the A19 chip gives up to 50% faster CPU performance than the 3rd Gen's A15.
| Figure | Value | Note | Claim |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple TV 4K (4th Gen) RRP | £299 | 1 | |
| 3rd Gen at third-party retailers, around | £249 | exact price varies | 2 |
| Faster CPU, up to, per Apple | 50% | A19 chip vs the 3rd Gen's A15 | 16 |
What happened
- Apple no longer sells the 3rd-gen model, but third-party retailers still stock it, and Trusted Reviews has seen it at around £249, with prices varying.
- The new remote has three far-field microphones for fully hands-free Siri, where the 2022 remote needs a press of its dedicated Siri button.
- Apple says the A19 chip delivers up to 50% faster CPU and up to 2x faster GPU performance than the A15 in the 3rd-gen model.
- For the first time on an Apple TV 4K, four HomePod Mini 2 speakers can form a surround setup that calibrates timing and levels to the room.
Why it matters
- Who has to decide decision A 2022 owner's choice turns on whether the household already uses voice and plans to add speakers, since most of what changes sits in the assistant and the remote.
- What it costs cost A new buyer pays £50 more for the 4th Gen than for a 3rd Gen at the price Trusted Reviews saw, and the four-speaker surround mode needs HomePod Mini 2 speakers bought on top.
- What it limits constraint Owners who stay on the 2022 model stay on the original Siri, and the personal-context requests need an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone even on the 4th Gen.
- Who's exposed exposure Pre-orders rest on Apple's own speed figures and a spec-sheet comparison, because Trusted Reviews has not yet reviewed the 4th Gen or tested Siri AI on it.
Take a 2022 Apple TV 4K owner who asks the TV for a show by voice. That already works. According to Trusted Reviews, the 3rd Gen's original Siri lets you control the streamer and find a series by voice, and what it lacks is Siri AI [4].
Apple's examples for Siri AI are checking whether a title suits a 15-year-old and asking where a series was filmed [5]. Paired with an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone, it can also act on a request such as "play the series my friend recommended" [6]. Apple calls it a "profoundly more capable and conversational" assistant [3]. Trusted Reviews has not reviewed Siri AI on the Apple TV itself. Dave Ludlow, its Home Technology Editor, has praised Siri AI for "showing signs of promise and being a much-needed upgrade from its predecessor" [7].
Apple's line for the box is the "most immersive home theatre experience yet" [13]. The changes a household would notice are smaller and more specific. The new remote plays a sound when lost, through Find My [9]. The new chip adds an AV1 decoder, which Apple says brings "more efficient, high-quality streaming" with less bandwidth [17]. Both generations work as smart home hubs, showing doorbell notifications and camera streams on the TV [11]. Only the 4th Gen adds automations, guest mode, Apple Intelligence camera activity descriptions and summarised notifications [12].
Trusted Reviews' early verdict, written before its review, is that the new unit is "a solid refinement over its predecessor" [14]. We think a refinement is a weak reason to replace a box that already does what its owner uses it for.
Two questions sort the decision. The first is whether anyone in the house uses the Siri button now. The second is whether you own, or plan to buy, HomePod Mini 2 speakers or smart home gear you control from the TV.
If the answer to both is no, keep the 2022 unit. If voice is yes and home is no, you are buying Siri AI and a hands-free remote that Trusted Reviews has yet to test, and waiting for its review costs you nothing you have today. If home is yes and voice is no, the draw is surround sound and automations, and the speakers need pricing separately before you pre-order. If both are yes, the 4th Gen is the case Apple is making, and November 13 is the date to plan around.
A buyer with no Apple TV can run the same two questions against the price gap.
What to watch
- Trusted Reviews' full review of the 4th Gen, and whether Siri AI on the device matches Apple's examples.
- Whether third-party prices for the 3rd Gen move from around £249 once the 4th Gen launches on November 13.
- The price of HomePod Mini 2 speakers, which sets the real cost of the four-speaker surround setup.
Clarity's read
What the record supports and how the coverage leans. The claims behind it follow.
Reality
- Evidence30
- Adoption
- Not scored
- Hype gap+25
- Incentives
- Not scored
- Confidence40
Claim ledger
Ranked by verification strength, evidence, and original report placement.
- [1]
The Apple TV 4K (4th Gen) has an RRP of £299/$299 and is available to pre-order ahead of its official launch from November 13th.
- [2]
Apple no longer sells the Apple TV 4K (3rd Gen) directly, but third-party retailers still stock it; Trusted Reviews has seen it retail for around £249, and the exact price varies.
- [3]
Apple has hailed Siri AI, its reinvented voice assistant that launched in September, as a "profoundly more capable and conversational" assistant.
- [4]
The 4th Gen features Siri AI; the 3rd Gen does not support it and uses the original Siri, which still lets users control the streamer and find a series by voice.
- [5]
Apple's examples for Siri AI include checking whether something is appropriate for a 15-year-old and asking where a TV series was filmed.
- [6]
When paired with an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone, Siri AI can tap into personal context and answer requests like "play the series my friend recommended".
- [7]
Trusted Reviews has not specifically reviewed Siri AI within the Apple TV 4K (4th Gen), but its Home Technology Editor, Dave Ludlow, has praised Siri AI for showing signs of promise and being a much-needed upgrade from its predecessor.
- [8]
Both generations need their remotes to activate Siri; the 3rd Gen remote requires a press of a dedicated Siri button, while the 4th Gen remote has three far-field microphones that allow completely hands-free speech, plus advanced echo cancellation.
- [9]
The 4th Gen remote supports Find My, which plays a sound on the remote when it is lost.
- [10]
In a first for Apple TV 4K, four HomePod Mini 2 speakers can be paired for a four-speaker surround setup, and Apple says audio timing and levels will be calibrated to the space.
- [11]
Both the 4th Gen and 3rd Gen can be used as smart home hubs, letting users see doorbell notifications and check security camera streams from the TV.
- [12]
Because of its built-in Siri AI, the 4th Gen supports automations, guest mode, and Apple Intelligence-generated camera activity video descriptions and summarised notifications.
- [13]
Apple promises its latest Apple TV 4K delivers the brand's "most immersive home theatre experience yet".
- [14]
Trusted Reviews compared the specs ahead of its review, and its early verdict is that the Apple TV 4K (4th Gen) is "a solid refinement over its predecessor".
- [15]
The 4th Gen's £299 RRP is £50 above the roughly £249 Trusted Reviews has seen for a 3rd Gen at third-party retailers.
- [16]
Apple promises the 4th Gen's A19 chip delivers up to 50% faster CPU performance and up to 2x faster GPU performance than the 3rd Gen's A15 chip.
- [17]
The A19 chip includes a new AV1 decoder, which Apple promises delivers "more efficient, high-quality streaming" while using less bandwidth.
Get this ledger inside ChatGPT. Ask about any of our stories and the answer brings its figure, each claim’s verdict and the sources. Free, no account.
Sources
1 independent publisher whose own reporting we read for this story.
- trustedreviews.comApple TV 4K (4th Gen) vs Apple TV 4K (3rd Gen): What’s new? - Trusted Reviews
1 article · October 14, 2026
Topics and entities
Follow any of these and your For You feed starts watching them — no settings page required.