The new Apple TV 4K is here, and it costs a lot more. Apple’s streaming box now starts at $299, more than double its price at the start of the year. That’s a tough sell for a streaming box, especially in a household split between iPhones and Android phones, since many of its best new features lean on Apple’s own devices.
According to MacRumors, the new Apple TV 4K comes in only one configuration: 128GB of storage, Wi-Fi 7, and an Ethernet port. Before June, the previous model cost $129 for the 64GB version and $149 for the 128GB version. Apple then raised those prices to $199 and $249. Now, the starting price has gone from $129 to $299 in a single year.
So what do you get for that money? Quite a bit, to be fair. According to Apple, the A19 chip delivers up to 50% faster CPU performance and up to twice the GPU performance of the previous model. It also adds a dedicated AV1 decoder for more efficient streaming.
The headline feature is Siri AI, which brings a full-screen, conversational Siri to your TV. Thanks to three new far-field microphones, you can talk to it completely hands-free. The Siri Remote also finally gets Find My support with Precision Finding, though that requires an iPhone 17 or newer.
You might not need to upgrade
Here’s the part Apple isn’t shouting about. Siri AI is also coming as a beta to the Apple TV 4K (2nd generation) and later. The new Siri Remote is sold separately, and it works with older Apple TV models too. So if you already own a recent Apple TV, you can get the biggest new features without spending $299.
The other big addition is surround sound. Pair the new Apple TV 4K with four HomePod mini 2 speakers, and you get Apple’s first four-speaker home theater setup. At $149 each, that’s $596 in speakers on top of the $299 Apple TV, which adds up to $895 for the full setup.
The new Apple TV 4K is available to pre-order now and ships on November 13. You can also pay $49.83 a month for six months through Apple Card.
Rising memory costs are hitting everything this year, and Apple clearly isn’t immune. But for most people, especially if you’re not deep in Apple’s smart home ecosystem, $299 is a lot to pay when Siri AI is coming to the Apple TV you might already own.
The post The New Apple TV 4K Costs $299, and You Probably Don’t Need It appeared first on Android Headlines.
