Apple just held its big “Surprise and shine” event, where it announced a slew of new products, including the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max, the Apple Watch Series 12, the Apple Watch Ultra 4, AirPods 5, and, of course, the star of the show: the iPhone Duo, its first-ever foldable iPhone.
While the iPhone Duo is exciting, and it’s nice to finally see Apple enter the foldable game, it was hard not to notice one product missing from the event: a new Apple TV 4K.
For months, there have been rumors and reports that Apple is preparing to launch a new Apple TV 4K, and its big iPhone event was certainly one of the opportunities for Apple to reveal it. Sadly, though, that wasn’t the case. But fear not. Although the wait for a new Apple TV 4K might be a little longer, it is still coming.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, a reliable source for Apple news, recently reported that a new Apple TV 4K is “nearly ready to launch” and that Apple sources told him it “will be ready this fall.” So while it didn’t appear at Apple’s big iPhone event, it could still arrive sometime in the next month or so.
For reference, Apple released its current third-gen Apple TV 4K in October 2022, so the company may wait until October again to announce and release the new model, meaning a new Apple TV 4K could still be only a few weeks away.
Additionally, with its fall launch seemingly imminent, a new leak has surfaced about the upcoming Apple TV 4K that points to a surprisingly massive hardware upgrade.
The new Apple TV 4K might be much more powerful than expected
It could be powered by the A19 instead of the A17 Pro
For a while now, there have been rumors and reports that the new Apple TV 4K will be powered by Apple’s A17 Pro chipset. This made a lot of sense, given that the A17 Pro was the first chipset Apple made that supports Apple Intelligence. And since Apple Intelligence and support for Siri AI are expected to be hallmark features of the new Apple TV 4K, the A17 Pro would get the job done while also providing a nice performance boost over the A15 Bionic chip in the current third-gen Apple TV 4K.
However, a new report from MacRumors suggests that the chipset upgrade in the new Apple TV 4K could be much larger than anyone expected. MacRumors reports that it found references in Apple’s code indicating the new Apple TV 4K will be powered by an A19-generation chipset rather than the A17 Pro.
This means the new Apple TV 4K could potentially be powered by the A19 or A19 Pro, both of which debuted last year in the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro, respectively. If true, that would represent a massive boost in processing power compared to the A15 Bionic in the current 2022 model.
Quiz
Apple TV
Trivia Challenge
Think you know your Apple TV history inside out — put your knowledge to the ultimate test!
HistoryHardwareSoftwareFeaturesStreaming
In what year did Apple first introduce the original Apple TV?
Correct! The original Apple TV was unveiled by Steve Jobs in January 2007 and began shipping in March of that year. It was initially codenamed ‘iTV’ before Apple settled on its final name.
Not quite. The first Apple TV was announced in January 2007 and started shipping in March 2007. Steve Jobs introduced it at Macworld, describing it as a way to bring your iTunes library to your television.
What was the storage capacity of the original first-generation Apple TV at launch?
Correct! The original Apple TV launched with either a 40GB or 160GB hard drive, as it was designed to store synced media locally from your iTunes library. This was before streaming became the dominant model.
Not quite. The first Apple TV came with either a 40GB or 160GB internal hard drive. Because it was designed to sync content from iTunes rather than purely stream it, local storage was a key part of the original design.
What major redesign did Apple TV receive in 2010 that dramatically changed its form factor?
Correct! The second-generation Apple TV launched in 2010 was a dramatic departure — it shrunk to a tiny black puck and completely removed the internal hard drive, shifting fully to streaming. It also dropped the price to just $99.
Not quite. The 2010 Apple TV (2nd generation) was reimagined as a tiny black puck-shaped device that removed local storage entirely, relying on streaming instead. Steve Jobs famously called the original a ‘hobby’ before this pivotal redesign.
What is the name of the operating system that runs on Apple TV HD and Apple TV 4K?
Correct! tvOS is Apple’s dedicated operating system for the Apple TV platform, first introduced alongside the fourth-generation Apple TV in 2015. It’s based on iOS but optimised for the living room experience.
Not quite. Apple TV runs tvOS, a purpose-built operating system Apple introduced with the fourth-generation Apple TV in 2015. While it shares a foundation with iOS, tvOS is specifically tailored for big-screen, remote-controlled navigation.
Which fourth-generation Apple TV feature allowed users to install third-party apps for the first time?
Correct! The fourth-generation Apple TV in 2015 introduced the App Store to the platform, finally allowing developers to build and distribute apps directly to the TV. This was a landmark moment that transformed Apple TV from a streaming box into a proper platform.
Not quite. The App Store was the defining new feature of the fourth-generation Apple TV launched in 2015. For the first time, users could download games, streaming apps, and utilities directly onto their Apple TV, opening it up as a true app platform.
Which chip powers the Apple TV 4K (3rd generation) released in 2022?
Correct! The third-generation Apple TV 4K, released in November 2022, is powered by the A15 Bionic chip, the same processor found in the iPhone 13 series. This gave it a significant performance boost and enabled smooth 4K HDR playback.
Not quite. The 2022 Apple TV 4K (3rd generation) uses the A15 Bionic chip. Apple often reuses chips from its iPhone lineup in Apple TV, and the A15 offered a meaningful performance improvement over the A12 found in the previous model.
Apple TV+ launched as a streaming service in November 2019. What was notable about its launch pricing in many markets?
Correct! Apple TV+ launched on 1 November 2019 at just $4.99 per month, making it one of the most affordable streaming services at launch. Crucially, Apple also offered a free one-year subscription to anyone who purchased a new Apple device.
Not quite. Apple TV+ launched at $4.99 per month and sweetened the deal by offering a free year of the service to anyone buying a new Apple device. The aggressive pricing was seen as Apple’s strategy to rapidly build a subscriber base for its fledgling original content library.
What is the name of Apple’s feature that allows iPhone users to use their phone as a camera source through Apple TV?
Correct! Continuity Camera, introduced with tvOS 17, allows users to use their iPhone as a webcam for FaceTime calls on their Apple TV. It takes advantage of the iPhone’s superior camera hardware for a much better video calling experience on the big screen.
Not quite. The feature is called Continuity Camera, and it was introduced with tvOS 17. By wirelessly connecting an iPhone to Apple TV, users can enjoy high-quality FaceTime video calls on their television using their iPhone’s powerful camera system.
Your Score
/ 8
Thanks for playing!
The new Apple TV 4K is also rumored to have 8GB or 12GB of RAM to help support Apple Intelligence and Siri AI, which would be another big upgrade over the 4GB of RAM in the current model.
Other rumored upgrades for the new Apple TV 4K include Apple’s N1 networking chip, which brings support for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, as well as a redesigned Siri Remote. What’s expected to stay the same, however, is the design of the box itself, with the new Apple TV 4K reportedly keeping the same small, rounded-square shape. As for pricing, it’s unclear whether Apple will stick to the new $200 price tag it just raised the current Apple TV 4K to, or possibly go even higher.
All in all, while Apple didn’t announce the new Apple TV 4K at its big iPhone event this week, it’s still expected to launch this fall and could debut anytime in the next few weeks. And if this latest leak is accurate, it could come with a much bigger processor upgrade than originally thought, potentially making the jump from the A15 Bionic all the way to the A19 or A19 Pro.
