Apple just announced a new version of its popular 4K media streamer, making it the first new Apple TV hardware since 2017. While much has changed over that period of time, the new Apple TV 4K appears to be a fairly minor update in terms of both design and features. If you already own the old Apple TV 4K, is it worth shelling out $179 to $199 for the new model? We haven't tested it yet, but for now we can compare specs to see if it's worth it.
Design: The Same Old Box
The new Apple TV 4K is the same size and shape as the previous one. It's a fairly chunky black box, measuring 3.9 inches on the sides and 1.4 inches tall. It's tiny compared with game consoles and other home entertainment devices, but among media streamers it's fairly massive. The $119.99 Amazon Fire TV Cube is twice as tall, but its sides are slightly shorter and it features far-field microphones for hands-free voice control. The $99.99 Roku Ultra has wider sides, but it's flatter.
Nearly every other major media streamer uses a much smaller stick-like form factor that plugs directly into the back of your TV and sticks out or dangles freely, completely hidden from view. I was expecting a new Apple TV to be in this format, like a Cupertino equivalent to the $49.99 Chromecast With Google TV. Instead, it's the same size and shape as before, so you'll have to carve out a little space for it in your media console.
Remote: New and Improved
While the device itself hasn't physically changed, the remote has received a significant overhaul. The new Siri Remote is a thin aluminum rectangle, similar in shape to the original Apple TV remote, but with a few important new elements.
Instead of a flat, square touchpad area, the new remote features a circular touch surface that doubles as a clickable directional navigation pad. This is a boon to users who find swiping less comfortable than pressing a button. TV power and mute buttons have been added, and the Siri button has been moved to the side, like on an iPhone.
It's worth noting the new remote is available separately for current Apple TV owners for $59, which is a much less expensive way of upgrading your Apple TV experience.
Hardware: A Faster Chip
Perhaps the most significant upgrade to the Apple TV 4K comes in the form of its processor. The new model uses Apple's A12 Bionic system-on-a-chip, while the previous version uses the A10X. The A12 is significantly faster than the four-year-old A10X, and should offer smoother performance and faster loading times as a result.
Video: Tune Your TV
Both the old and new Apple TV 4K models support 4K video (as suggested by the name), as well as high dynamic range (HDR) compatibility with HDR10 and Dolby Vision. The new Apple TV 4K can play HDR video at up to 60 frames per second, while the older version is capped at 30. This is a minor issue for most TV and movie content, but it should make sports look smoother.
The new Apple TV 4K also introduces a useful-looking tool for making HDR content appear more accurate on your TV. A color balance feature works with a compatible iPhone (equipped with Face ID and running iOS 14.5 or later) to measure colors coming from your TV and adjusting the Apple TV's output to improve color accuracy. It's a similar process to how TVs are professionally calibrated, just with less sensitive hardware than the meters that are normally used.
This is an exciting, potentially upgrade-worthy feature for cinephiles...except it's also rolling out to the existing Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD through a software update. So aside from higher frame rate HDR, the new Apple TV 4K doesn't offer a major upgrade in the video department.
Features: Pretty Much the Same
You won't find any new features on the new Apple TV 4K compared with the previous version. Of course, it's still loaded with existing features, like AirPlay 2, Siri, HomeKit hub functionality, and Apple Arcade support with wireless gamepad functionality. There just really isn't anything new here.
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Price: Still Too Much
The price of the new Apple TV 4K is the same as the previous model, and it remains the biggest sticking point for the device. A version with 32GB of storage is $179, while a 64GB model goes $199. That is very expensive for a media streamer, even a 4K one.
Most of our favorite media streamers, like the Chromecast With Google TV and the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K, cost well under $100. Even the Amazon Fire TV Cube, with hands-free voice control, is only $120. $180 for a media streamer just seems exorbitant. It's disappointing that Apple didn't adjust the price of its media hub to be more in line with its competition.
Verdict: Your Old Apple TV Is Just Fine
We can't answer this question for sure until we get the new Apple TV 4K in for testing. However, based purely on the changes listed above—and the fact that there simply aren't many—you probably shouldn't spend upward of $200 to upgrade from your current Apple TV 4K if you have one. The new remote looks nice, but you can buy one for your existing Apple TV for $59. And the color balance feature seems promising, but it's also coming to previous Apple TV devices, so you don't need to spend a dime to get it on your current Apple TV.
The new Apple TV 4K ships in May, so check back soon for a full review. Until then, head over to the best media streamers we've tested.
Apple's 4/20 event gave us AirTags, an M1 iPad Pro, and a brand new iMac
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