Apple TV 8K/4K (120Hz) – Gen 4, 2026 – What to expect

updated: 9 Feb 2026 (significantly updated 2024 content)

The Apple rumour mill has been speculating on a next-gen 4K TV replacement for well over a year. Here I’ll take a critical look beyond the so-called rumours and wish lists to analyse what Apple is likely to add if it ever makes a replacement product – will it be a superior streaming device, TV 8K? A screen- or camera-enabled AI communicator? Or a powerhouse of your smart home? Some of those facets have been leaked, some speculated, and others can be deduced. Put them all together, and you get this article.

What is the current Apple TV 4K?

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, delivering some frequently used features in a very efficient and user-friendly way.

3rd Gen Base: UK:  £149, USA: $129, EU: 169€

Gigabit Ethernet + Matter: UK: £169, USA: $149, EU: 189€

More: Detailed Apple TV 4K Review – 3rd/Third Gen

Apple TV 4K – History

Apple’s history and the changes made with each iteration hint at the 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, including FaceTime, Apple Music, Fitness+, and the Apple TV/TV+ subscription service. That’s what Apple does: hardware, ecosystems, and subscriptions. Remember that.

1. Apple TV (hardware)
   • 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 HomeKit support
   • 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.
2. Apple TV 4K
   • 1st Generation, 2017 – 4K Ultra HD, HDR (including Dolby Vision and HDR10) and Dolby Atmos.
   • 2nd Generation, 2021 – Added an A12 Bionic chip for higher frame rates (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 or Wi-Fi6 + 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 catch-up with this particular technology, so the future of 4K TVs lies in improved performance and new integrative capabilities that create a base product capable of handling another 3-4 years of evolution in our home habits.

Apple TV 4K – Growing Competencies

There are many ways that home-based technologies and our behaviours are changing.

• Apple Intelligence (AI) is a strategic growth area for Apple. AI is a certainty for the next-gen 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 this 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 is a growing market, but perhaps the peak of its technological innovation is passing. Don’t expect any significantly new capabilities added to Apple Fitness+ on the next-gen model (a few minor ones are leaked for 2026)
• Wellness – Although another expanding area, I see private wellness insights as the domain of your handheld devices (Watch, iPhone) rather than a shared TV. There will be a Health+ subscription in 2026, but I doubt it will support TV 4K.
• 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, but my partner’s location can’t be shown as Apple would need to put that kind of information behind a secure TV 4K log-in. i.e. locational information can’t be shared on TV 4K.
• Audio Visual Content Performance Technologies – higher resolutions, more immersive audio, in more rooms. TV 4K lacks a camera, microphone and speaker, but can use an iPhone/iPad as a continuity camera.
• Core multimedia technologies – higher resolutions (8k), smoother imaging with higher refresh rates (120Hz), and other new video and audio standards are emerging.

Apple TV 4K Fourth Generation – Predictions

Apple’s “silicon milestone” came with the M3/A17 Pro architecture in 2023. All Apple’s products now have the potential for step-change improvements. Notably, these three…

Apple TV 4K was initially updated every two years, but that refresh cadence has since stopped. The 4th-gen product is 2 years overdue. Apple intentionally skipped a sensible update point, suggesting a 2026 model could be a significantly more capable device, with core home support extending into the late 2020s.

Either it’s not immediately important to Apple’s plans, or a new TV-4K is being readied for a leap forward in support of AI, Vision and new media formats. We will see a shake-up to the 4K product line like this.

• Gen 4 Versions
  • A TV 4K PRO version ($350++, 1Gb LAN Port, WiFi 7 Access Point, Thread Border Router, Matter Controller, possible WiFi Mesh Node)
  • Cheaper, price-competitive base model ($100-$200, WiFi7 Access Point, Thread Border Router, Matter Controller)
• A19 chip– expect a significant boost to the chip in a PRO version.
• Apple Intelligence—The PRO version must support AI (a minimum A17 Pro chip is required).
  • AI personalised content, voice control
• Apple Vision – The TV 4K Pro version will support TV 4K control by the Apple Vision headset as a staging point toward deeper content integration
• Memory
  • The PRO version will have a significant boost to 256GB (Base 128GB)
  • 8 GB RAM
• Siri Remote to be revamped
  • mics moved to the base station
  • button sensitivity improvements
• New Multimedia interfaces
  • Microphone – this can be used as an alternative or adjunct to any remaining audio capability on the remote.
  • Inbuilt (Continuity) Camera – To improve the FaceTime experience (highly unlikely, use an iPhone instead)
  • Speaker – Unlikely, use a HomePod
• Will use the new N1 communications chip from TSMC that combines and updates Bluetooth and Wi-Fi
  • Bluetooth 6.0 or higher (from 5.0) – The existing two Bluetooth channels might also be increased (this would help indoor sports tech usage of TV 4K)
  • Wi-Fi 7 (160MHz) – 40% faster, adding mesh abilities to combine with other, newer wifi points as a mesh/thread network capabilities
  • Expanded Thread (Matter) Support: Expect 4K TV to follow developments beyond existing Matter 1.5 and Thread 1.4 standards as they evolve.
  • Improved reliability for AirDrop, AirPlay, and Personal Hotspots.
• Extended standard support
  • Switch the HDMI 2.1 port from TMDS to full 48Gbps FRL signalling to enable higher resolutions/refresh rates, such as 4K 120Hz or 8K. This must happen.
  • 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 17 Pro’s ability to shoot at 4K 120fps (Vision Pro is 90 fps)
  • Dolby Vision 2 is thus made possible by the previous capabilities.
• Active Fan – required for some of the above and to support AAA games.

Here’s what it won’t or can’t be and why.

• The remote cannot be an active listening device for Siri, which would kill the battery. Either the remote button stays, or the mic moves to the base station.
• 8K Support won’t happen, as it exceeds the current capability of the iPhone 17 Pro. There is insufficient content to stream and high bandwidth requirements to temper demand for its uptake.
• Important: It would seem obvious that Apple is moving towards a Mesh Wi-Fi along with revamped dual-purpose HomePods, and that the TV 4K is the ideal device to serve as the Hub/Controller – conveniently, usually located near the ONT. However, Apple will not place these extra burdens on TV 4K: security isolation, a fan (noise), full network device management, and more than one LAN port. The same argument applies to the rumoured HomePod (J490). The leaked J229 Network Accessory could serve as the hub of a Wi-Fi MESH network (sitting between the ONT and the next-gen TV 4K).
• Haptics cannot be added to the remote; this would consume too much battery

Wellness & Fitness Implications

I don’t see a Fourth-Generation Apple TV 4K adding much capability to the fitness realm beyond a couple of extra Bluetooth connections.

The Fitness+ service 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 the 3rd Gen Apple TV4K slightly cheaper on Amazon, and those in the USA get a much better deal than those in Europe. If a fourth-gen replacement is released in 2026, 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 2026. Remember, the Ethernet model is the only one with Thread (Matter) support – if you have a big house you’ll also need additional Homepods to make the Thread network function properly.

3rd Gen Base: UK:  £149, USA: $129, EU: 169€

Gigabit Ethernet + Matter: UK: £169, USA: $149, EU: 189€

Last Updated on 9 February 2026 by the5krunner

the5krunner

tfk is the founder and author of the5krunner, an independent endurance sports technology publication. With 20 years of hands-on testing of GPS watches and wearables, and competing in triathlons at an international age-group level, tfk provides in-depth expert analysis of fitness technology for serious athletes and endurance sport competitors.