Apple TV 4K is more than a streaming service box. It’s high-performance, techy glue linking your Apple devices, Apple services, and smart home to one of the key devices in many people’s lives—the TV.
At about $129, the current version is more powerful and expensive than most competitor products. Yet, I would argue it is Apple’s best-value product, able to deliver some frequently used features efficiently.
Apple TV 4K – History
Let’s briefly look at the history. This hints at Apple’s next steps for Apple TV and related products.
Initially introduced as a media player, Apple TV quickly evolved into a smart streaming box with enhanced audio-visual performance and integration into Apple’s HomeKit platform. It is another crucial device that unifies Apple’s services, such as FaceTime, Apple Music, and the Apple TV+ subscription service.
Apple TV
1st Generation, 2007 – 720p HD – Digital media player synced with iTunes, streaming from computers to TVs. Built-in hard drive and external cable connections
2nd Generation, 2010 – 720p HD – The hard drive was removed, making this a streaming device linking to services like Netflix and iTunes
3rd Generation, 2012 – 1080p HD – Added services like Hulu and YouTube. Wireless “AirPlay” capability to stream from Apple devices.
3rd Generation Rev A, 2013 – Minor improvements plus HomeKitsupport
4th Generation, 2015 – 1080p video streaming – AKA Apple TV HD, added App Store and game support and a more advanced Siri Remote with voice control.
Apple TV 4K
1st Generation, 2017 – 4K Ultra HD, HDR (including Dolby Vision and HDR10) and Dolby Atmos.
2nd Generation, 2021 – Added A12 Bionic chip for higher frame rate (smoother) 4K HDR content. Redesigned Siri Remote and clickpad. Improved colour balance calibration using iPhone.
3rd Generation, 2022 – Added superior A15 Bionic chip, Two versions: Wi-Fi6 only and Wi-Fi + Gigabit Ethernet (with Thread. Added support for HDR10+ and USB-C charging on the Siri Remote
If you compare those capabilities to other smart streaming boxes, Apple wins or jointly wins every category except Cloud Gaming and price. The company has not been playing technology catch-up for once, so 4K TV’s future lies in improved performance and NEW integrative capabilities.
Apple TV 4K – Growing Competencies
There are many ways that home-based technologies are changing.
Apple Intelligence (AI) is a strategic growth area for Apple. AI is a certainty in the Siri Remote’s function and in adding intelligence around content, e.g., content suggestions. An example elsewhere in the industry is LG’s introduction of an AI TV next year.
Apple Vision – another strategic growth area. Spatial Audio could be synced via TV 4K, video content could be streamed, and Arcade games could be integrated.
Fitness – it’s a growing market, but perhaps the peak wave of its technological innovation is passing. Don’t expect any new capability added to Apple Fitness+ on the next-gen TV 4K.
Wellness – Although another expanding area, I see wellness as the domain of your private, handheld devices (Watch, iPhone) rather than a shared TV.
Gaming (Apple Arcade) is a growing area. How many people see Apple’s 4K TV as a games console? To some degree, that’s what it is.
Homes, People & Things—The location of Things/People and control of Smart Homes are increasingly popular, the latter now standardising on Thread (Matter) protocols. It’s great that my video doorbell image appears on the TV when rung.
Audio Visual Content Performance Technologies – higher resolutions, more immersive audio, in more rooms. TV 4K lacks a camera but can use an iPhone/iPad as a continuity camera.
Apple TV 4K Fourth Generation – Predictions
Apple TV iterates about every two years. It adds technologies to increase integration with its ecosystem and support new software features. The 4th gen product is overdue.
Either it’s not immediately important to Apple’s plans, or it’s being readied for a leap forward to support AI and Vision. We will see a mini shake-up to the 4K product like this.
Versions
A TV 4K PROversion ($250++)
Cheaper, price-competitive base model ($100-$130 or lower)
A17 bionic chip (or A18) – expect a significant boost to the chip in a PRO version alongside a base model based on A15/A16.
Apple Intelligence—The PRO version will support AI (a minimum of the A17 bionic is needed, i.e., the iPhone 15 Pro/16 base).
Apple Vision – The Pro version will support TV 4K control by the Apple Vision headset as a staging point toward deeper content integration
Storage
the PRO version will have to double the existing, somewhat meagre storage boosted to 256Gb
the base model will be unchanged (128Gb)
Siri Remote to be revamped, able to respond to ‘Hey Siri’ rather than a button press, maybe even adding haptic feedback and a much-needed button redesign.
AI will initially be limited to content suggestions and improved voice interactions.
FaceTime – Adding new camera capabilities would improve the Facetime experience (I wouldn’t expect this)
Will use the new Proxima chip from Broadcom that combines and updates Bluetooth and Wi-Fi
Bluetooth 5.3 or higher (from 5.0) – The existing two Bluetooth channels might also be increased (this would help indoor sports usage of TV 4K)
Wi-Fi 7 capabilities
Expanded Thread (Matter) Support: I would expect 4K TV to follow developments to the Thread (Matter) standards within HomeKit Matter 1.4, released in Nov 2024, which supports solar panels and household batteries.
120Hz Support: Smoother video and gaming experience with a higher refresh rate. I see this coming in future iterations to support modern display devices and iPhone 16 Pro’s ability to shoot at 4K 120fps (Vision Pro is 90 fps)
No TV 8K (at least not yet) – 8K support will not come until a subsequent Gen product. There is a relatively low demand for 8K content.
Wellness & Fitness Implications
I don’t see a Fourth-Generation Apple 4K TV adding much here. It’s newly entered the sports and fitness realm and has not even increased Bluetooth connections (Zwift). Fitness+ will continue to add new content. Expanded GymKit support might one day arrive, and the Apple Watch might become a fancier 4K TV controller, but I doubt it. It’s already quite good.
Take Out
Buy 3rd Gen Apple TV4K slightly cheaper on Amazon, and those in the USA get a much better deal than those in Europe. If one is released in 2025, return this one and buy the replacement! It’s such a great product that you’d enjoy it even if a replacement is released in Q1/Q2.2025. Get the Ethernet model…remember it’s the only one with Thread (Matter) support.
Edit: Well, the day after I posted this, 9to5 Mac confirmed the existence of a possible new-format replacement product(HomePod) that combines the TV 4K or HomePod with a small rectangular screen format. If so, that might scupper the immediate chance of an updated TV 4K; instead, we might have to wait 1-2 years for a TV 8K with WiFi7. 9to5 also suggested the HomePod would err toward showing widgets rather than apps…meaning more varied personal data could be displayed like, say, the FindMy position of your kids on their way home from school while you are in the kitchen making a cup of tea (Brit here…that’s what we do). HomePod makes financial sense to me as a new 4K TV will generate a few upgrades, but HomePod would generate a whole new category of sales from existing Apple customers. Interestingly, the new Mac Mini (M4, 2024) offers similar TV-type features (plus many more) in a similar size, albeit at a higher price.
9 thoughts on “Apple TV 4K – Fourth-Generation, 2025 – What to expect”
Now this is novel content, thank you.
I became an AppleTV customer a couple of years ago after being frustrated by the OS interfaces of streaming TVs (LG & Samsung) and streaming services (FireTV and Roku) and was blown away at how much better the AppleTV was to use (I shouldn’t have been surprised as Apple is excellent at UI).
However both of the AppleTV boxes in my house are not the latest gen (not even 4K) and I probably don’t even know what I’m missing with the more recent models.
fitness+, facetime, photos, apple music, video media streaming, homekit integration, arcade – check out the model history at the top
as i said above i think its an underpriced Apple product! (which is a hard thing to say) but, as per this artcile, it could get impressively better (or not) but likely will get a price bump
sure it’s possible but i dont think so soon. more likely to be if it comes out next year
it’ll be based on the innards of the 15 pro, especially if released this year. i’d bet Apple will be using current production for iphone 16 and old stock/production lines for things like a new 4k
If they remove the lock on 2 BLUETOOTH devices, maybe I will think about it. Otherwise, I don’t know the meaning. Noah, I understand this blockage. The phone and the ipad do not have such a limitation. I don’t understand what apple means by blocking up to two devices.
October 29th and no new AppleTV announcement, yet. However with iOS 18.1 being dropped, the old tech with AppleTV 4K 3rd Gen and the Original HomePods, are beginning to show their limitations! After installing iOS 18.1 on my devices, HK used my newest 4KTV box and nine (9) of my twenty-six (26) devices failed to be recognized in HK, that was until I changed my HK Hub to a HomePod mini, walla within a few moments, everything began to come back to life within HK. With this all said, I believe the 4th Gen will be made available by and for Black Friday 2024
hopefully before black friday
but i think the reality is this week or otherwise we have to wait until early next year. As I say at the end of the article, if Apple has a new product format that they think will generate lots of new purchases rather than an upgraded product that will only generate SOME upgrades…they will opt for the former 🙁
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Now this is novel content, thank you.
I became an AppleTV customer a couple of years ago after being frustrated by the OS interfaces of streaming TVs (LG & Samsung) and streaming services (FireTV and Roku) and was blown away at how much better the AppleTV was to use (I shouldn’t have been surprised as Apple is excellent at UI).
However both of the AppleTV boxes in my house are not the latest gen (not even 4K) and I probably don’t even know what I’m missing with the more recent models.
fitness+, facetime, photos, apple music, video media streaming, homekit integration, arcade – check out the model history at the top
as i said above i think its an underpriced Apple product! (which is a hard thing to say) but, as per this artcile, it could get impressively better (or not) but likely will get a price bump
iPhone 16 has WiFi 7 so it’s possible a new Apple TV may also have WiFi 7.
sure it’s possible but i dont think so soon. more likely to be if it comes out next year
it’ll be based on the innards of the 15 pro, especially if released this year. i’d bet Apple will be using current production for iphone 16 and old stock/production lines for things like a new 4k
true, however i do not have a single thing mentioned above all the way to no home.
If they remove the lock on 2 BLUETOOTH devices, maybe I will think about it. Otherwise, I don’t know the meaning. Noah, I understand this blockage. The phone and the ipad do not have such a limitation. I don’t understand what apple means by blocking up to two devices.
October 29th and no new AppleTV announcement, yet. However with iOS 18.1 being dropped, the old tech with AppleTV 4K 3rd Gen and the Original HomePods, are beginning to show their limitations! After installing iOS 18.1 on my devices, HK used my newest 4KTV box and nine (9) of my twenty-six (26) devices failed to be recognized in HK, that was until I changed my HK Hub to a HomePod mini, walla within a few moments, everything began to come back to life within HK. With this all said, I believe the 4th Gen will be made available by and for Black Friday 2024
hopefully before black friday
but i think the reality is this week or otherwise we have to wait until early next year. As I say at the end of the article, if Apple has a new product format that they think will generate lots of new purchases rather than an upgraded product that will only generate SOME upgrades…they will opt for the former 🙁
As long as the new version doesnt support lossless audio passthrough, i have no usecase.