For coming up on four years, my trusty Apple TV 4K has been tucked away behind my LG OLED TV, quietly doing its thing. I haven’t given any serious thought to upgrading it, and none of the rumors about a revamped Apple TV 4K model are changing my mind.
I purchased my Apple TV 4K, the second-generation model, back in November 2021—or at least, that’s what Apple’s serial number checker told me, as I’d completely lost track of the date. (A third-generation model with slightly speedier performance and a more affordable price tag came out in 2022, and it’s our current Editors’ Choice in media streaming players.)
Since then, the Apple TV box has been running like a champ. The 4K streaming quality is excellent—crisp, colorful, and rarely prone to buffering, thanks in no small part to the device’s gigabit ethernet connection (there’s also Wi-Fi 6 if you want to go wireless). The user interface feels peppy, while an onboard Thread radio allows the player to double as an Apple home hub, complete with Matter support.
I’ve tried other streaming players, such as a Roku Streaming Stick 4K—a fine little streaming device for the price—and always came back to my Apple TV, which just feels so much smoother and responsive. Oh, and the lack of ads in the UI certainly doesn’t hurt.
This is all to say that I’m perfectly happy with my current Apple TV 4K, which is why the latest round of rumors for a new model (which 9to5Mac has nicely summarized) are leaving me cold.
Among the rumors is the near certainty of a new processor, such as the A17 Pro or A18 chips that power more recent iPhones. A beefier processor would open up new possibilities for the Apple TV 4K as a gaming console—great news, if you use your Apple TV 4K for gaming. Personally, I don’t. I have a PlayStation 5 for that.
A new processor would also open the door to Apple Intelligence on Apple TV, but… well, let’s put it like this: I purchased an iPhone 16 Pro partially based on the promise of Apple Intelligence, and I’m feeling pretty burned. I refuse to make the same mistake with a new Apple TV 4K. Once Apple Intelligence starts being actually useful for something, we’ll talk.
There are also rumblings that Apple may debut a new wireless chipset on an upcoming Apple TV 4K, one that combines Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. The new chip could theoretically allow Apple products to “work more closely together and synchronize data more quickly,” Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman writes. But I suspect the best thing about the new Bluetooth/Wi-Fi combo chip is that Apple makes it in-house, thus reducing its reliance on Qualcomm. Great news for Apple, I suppose, but as a consumer, I’m shrugging my shoulders.
Finally, there’s chatter that a new Apple TV 4K might have an integrated camera, meaning no need to pair your iPhone with the box for big-screen FaceTime calls. That sounds like a good idea at first blush, but on second thought, I have issues.
First, I have no interest in having an internet-connected camera trained on my living room sofa at all times. Would a physical lens shutter solve that problem? Yes, but even so, I like having my Apple TV 4K out of sight behind my TV, not front-and-center where it would need to be for its camera to be of any use. Finally, pairing my iPhone with my Apple TV isn’t that big of a deal, and you then benefit from what would doubtless be the iPhone’s far superior camera quality.
This feature is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best media-streaming devices.
Now, if you’re in the market for your first Apple TV 4K, then by all means, hang tight for the newer model. It’s been roughly three years since the third-generation Apple TV 4K arrived, so you might as well wait a tad longer for the latest hardware. And even ignoring the rumors, the Apple TV 4K is a great streaming player that I heartily recommend.
But as far as an upgrade goes? Short of a surprise killer feature, I’m just not feeling it.
