Macworld
At its “Welcome Home” experience, Apple today introduced the all-new HomeView hub, along with the HomePod mini 2 and Apple TV 4K 4. These devices mark Siri AI’s official smart home expansion, bringing its world knowledge and personal context to big screens and smart speakers around the house.
While you may be tempted to rush over to Apple’s website and pre-order a $299 4th-gen Apple TV 4K before the first batch sells out, it may be worth taking a moment to consider if that’s really the right decision. Instead relax, slow down, and read this list of five reasons why I’m not upgrading to the brand-new Apple TV 4K, and why I don’t think you should either.
Common senseSiri AI publicly launched on iPhones, iPads, Macs, and even Apple Watches with OS 27 last month, and it’s been truly refreshing having a virtual assistant that can actually help. The Apple TV 4K 4 finally adopts this AI-powered foundation, making your smart TVs smarter than ever before. Naturally, most users will want to replace classic Siri with Siri AI in their living rooms, enticing them to buy the 4th-generation Apple TV 4K.
But here’s the thing: Siri AI is not actually exclusive to the Apple TV 4K 4. With the tvOS 27.2 update, the company is also making it available to the 2nd- and 3rd-gen models released in 2021 and 2022.
As long as you’ve paired the device with a compatible iPhone or iPad, you’ll get the same main set of upgraded artificial intelligence tools on your older Apple TV 4K. These include having richer conversations with Siri, executing more complex tasks, tapping into your personal context, and analyzing what’s on your screen.
If you have a 3rd-gen Apple TV 4K, you’ll get the new Siri AI.
Foundry
Already listeningTo make Siri AI more easily accessible, the Apple TV 4K 4 integrates always-on microphones—sparing you from having to dig out your Siri Remote to trigger the voice assistant. This lets you control the TV in a hands-free manner by uttering the “Siri” or “Hey Siri” hotwords. But what if I told you I’ve already been using Siri on my Apple TV 4K 3 for years without touching its remote?
While the Apple TV 4K 3 and older models don’t independently listen to the wake words, there’s an official workaround that functions reliably. If you depend on a HomePod or HomePod stereo pair for Apple TV 4K audio output, your smart speakers already detect when you summon Siri using your voice and, by default, perform your requests on the paired Apple TV 4K. For example, I yell “Siri, turn on my TV” then “Siri, launch YouTube” all the time, and it correctly opens the app on the big screen—despite the command being processed on the HomePod itself.
Old TV, new remoteSpeaking of finding the Siri Remote, the new Apple TV 4K comes with a 4th-gen Siri Remote that introduces proper Find My support. This lets you precisely locate it and have it beep using your iPhone, just like an AirTag. It’s a massive upgrade over the existing location feature, which can’t always pinpoint the lost remote’s whereabouts.
But the good news is that you don’t have to spend $299 to enjoy the benefits of the new Siri Remote.
Apple sells the Siri Remote 4 individually for just $59 (or £59 in the U.K.), and it works with all Apple TV HD and Apple TV 4K models released in 2015 and later. If you often misplace your remote, you can easily remedy the situation by buying a new one separately and pairing it with your current Apple TV box.
Apple
Wasted potentialPerhaps my biggest disappointment lies in the Apple TV 4K 4’s failure to fully leverage its flagship A19 chip. Said processor launched last year with the iPhone 17, making it extraordinarily potent for a media consumption platform like tvOS.
I had hoped Apple would introduce demanding perks that harness the high processing power or announce AAA game partnerships that transform the Apple TV 4K 4 into a mini video game console. Alas, while existing games may run more smoothly on the latest model, the tvOS game library remains exceptionally limited and unappealing to many casual gamers, let alone serious ones. Opting for an A19 set-top box to stream Netflix is objectively wasteful, especially when it costs $299.
Look elsewhereThis brings us to the final argument: what the heck was Apple thinking when it decided to sell the new model for a whopping $299?! For reference, the entry-level Apple TV 4K 3 (64GB, WiFi-only) launched for just $129 in 2022, while the 128GB model with an Ethernet port cost $149 at the time.
While the Apple TV 4K now comes with 128GB of storage and Ethernet support by default, it’s forcing all customers to pay more than twice as much for technology they may not need. Most casual users opt for a Wi-Fi connection, and streaming apps don’t consume a ton of disk space. A Wi-Fi-only configuration would have softened the price hike blow by eliminating unnecessary features that many users won’t touch.
If an upgrade is due, I advise you to buy an Apple TV 4K 3 while you still can (check the price-comparison widget below for any available deals in your area), or look for third-party alternatives such as the $149.99 Google Streamer 4K or Amazon’s even cheaper Fire TV devices. While you won’t get the same Apple ecosystem integrations and personal data sync, they’re arguably not as relevant on a TV. You’ll still be able to download all of your movie streaming apps, including the Apple TV service.