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- Apple’s fourth-generation Apple TV 4K costs $449 in Australia, with pre-orders open from 14 October ahead of a 13 November release.
- The new model features an A19 chip, three built-in far-field microphones and an updated Siri Remote, delivering faster performance and hands-free Siri AI.
- For the first time, the new Apple TV 4K can pair with four compatible HomePods for automatically calibrated surround sound.
Apple has given its little black streaming box a fairly substantial upgrade. The fourth-generation Apple TV 4K now runs on an A19 chip, includes built-in microphones, and can power a four-speaker HomePod surround-sound setup.
Costs for the new Apple TV 4K vary, depending on what exactly you want. If you just want the base model, it’ll set you back AUD $449. However, if you want the full four-speaker HomePod mini 2 setup, which automatically adjusts audio timing and levels to create surround sound without wiring speakers back to an AV receiver, you’re looking at another AUD $916, bringing the total to AUD $1,365.
That kind of premium is hard to overlook for what is essentially a fancy streaming device. And sure, it’s probably one of the more capable ones on the market, which is why Apple is really pushing it as something that you can do more with than just open Netflix. But is it worth dropping close to $500 to experience it on its own?
1/2Hands-Free Siri AI, Without Reaching for the Remote
Anyone who’s spent 10 minutes searching between the cushions will most certainly appreciate this next feature: you don’t need Apple’s new flashy remote to open your favourite streaming app or pause the movie when your iPhone rings. With the Apple TV 4K and Siri AI, you can give hands-free commands from the couch without picking up the remote. But when it’s time to find your missing Siri Remote, you won’t have to look long, since you can now use Find My to make it play a sound.
Three far-field microphones built into the Apple TV 4K listen for “Siri” or “Hey Siri”, allowing you to search for something to watch, pause playback, or control your smart-home accessories. Apple says it uses echo cancellation to help the box pick out your voice even while the television is playing.
The more conversational Siri AI also gets a new full-screen interface for discovering movies and shows. You can ask which Apple TV series won an Emmy, and it can pull up artwork and related recommendations. During playback, questions about where a show was filmed or whether it’s suitable for the little ones in your family appear in a smaller overlay rather than taking over the screen.
Apple says Siri AI can also draw on personal context from a compatible iPhone or iPad, including that show someone recommended three weeks ago, which you’ll probably still ignore when it’s time to pick something to watch.
The box also remains an Apple Home hub, supporting accessories, automations and compatible camera notifications on the television. It sits alongside the new Apple HomeView smart display and HomePod mini 2 in Apple’s wider living-room push.
If you’re reading all of this and thinking about the recent privacy allegations surrounding LG’s smart TVs, I wouldn’t blame you for being a bit concerned about having three microphones listening for commands, let alone the other smart-home accessories LG has just released. Apple has addressed the privacy question with something called Secure Exclaves, which process microphone data separately from the rest of the system. According to Apple, data processed within these protected environments can’t be accessed by tvOS, apps or users; not even Apple itself can access it.
Support For Older Generations of Apple TV
However, there are a few strings attached to the Apple TV-Siri AI integration. Although it’s available at launch for the new generation, it’s still in beta and requires a compatible device for setup. You’ll also need a compatible Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad with the latest software and Siri AI enabled in your settings.
Siri AI will also be available on Apple TV 4K models dating back to the second generation, so the software itself isn’t exclusive to the $449 box. And while the older models lack those built-in far-field microphones for hands-free Siri AI, the remote is at least backwards compatible with Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD.
The updated Siri Remote also adds Precision Finding through Find My on compatible iPhones, plus the ability to play a sound when it’s misplaced. It’s a small change, but arguably one of the most immediately useful.
Faster Performance and Four-Speaker Surround Sound
Running on the A19 chip, the same processor used in the iPhone 17, Apple says the fourth-generation model delivers up to 50 per cent faster CPU performance and twice the GPU performance of the previous Apple TV 4K. There’s also a dedicated AV1 decoder for more efficient streaming of compatible video.
However, the bigger addition to your home theatre is support for a four-speaker HomePod surround-sound setup. Exclusive to the new fourth-generation Apple TV 4K, you can link four HomePod mini 2 speakers, four second-generation HomePods, or a mix of the two, as long as each front and rear pair uses matching speakers.
The new Apple TV 4K supports 4K Dolby Vision, HDR10+ and Dolby Atmos, while Apple says the four HomePods can recognise their positions in the room and automatically calibrate the sound.
For those of you who don’t tinker with Hi-Fi systems as much as I do, Apple offers an interesting alternative to the conventional receiver-and-speaker setup for AUD $1,365. We’ll just have to wait to hear how it actually sounds before we make a final judgment call on Apple HomePod surround sound.
At $449, the new Apple TV 4K asks a fair bit more of consumers as a streaming device beneath your television, which likely can already do a lot of the content viewing duties itself. The faster chip is welcome, but hands-free control and the four-speaker HomePod option could make the biggest difference in daily use.
1/5Apple TV 4K (4th Generation)
- Price: AUD $449
- Processor: Apple A19, with up to 50 per cent faster CPU and 2x GPU performance than the previous generation
- Video: 4K, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, dedicated AV1 decoding
- Audio: Dolby Atmos support; four-speaker HomePod surround sound with automatic calibration
- Voice control: Three far-field microphones, hands-free Siri AI (beta)
- Remote: Siri Remote (4th generation), Find My, Precision Finding with compatible iPhones, and sound playback
- Smart home: Apple Home hub with Wi-Fi and Thread support
- Availability: Pre-orders from 14 October 2026; release on 13 November 2026
The brand new Apple TV 4K (4th generation) is available to pre-order in Australia from Wednesday, 14 October, for $449, before it goes on sale on Friday, 13 November.
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