Apple TV 4K (4th Gen): $299, A19 Chip and Thread Home Hub — Should You Upgrade?

Apple unveiled the Apple TV 4K (4th generation) on October 13. Pre-orders are open, with availability Friday, November 13, at $299 in the U.S. (€349 in France), per Apple Newsroom.

What’s new

• A19 chip: up to 50% faster CPU and up to 2x faster GPU vs. the previous generation, plus a dedicated AV1 decoder.
• Three far-field microphones for hands-free Siri.
• Siri AI at launch in English in the U.S., Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa and the UK (also as a beta on Apple TV 4K 2nd gen or later).
• New Siri Remote with Find My, Precision Finding and a sound to locate it.
• Four-speaker surround with four HomePod mini 2 or HomePod (2nd gen).
• Apple Intelligence camera activity descriptions for HomeKit Secure Video (eligible iCloud+ plan).

DIY angle: do you need a new Thread hub?

• If you already use a recent Apple TV 4K or HomePod mini as a hub, nothing announced makes it obsolete; upgrade for the A19, mics and surround, not for Thread.
• The new model keeps Wi-Fi and Thread built in, automations, guest mode and local HomeKit Secure Video processing — a good base for the upcoming Apple Home Collection, whose devices all support Thread.
• With Home Assistant, a Thread network formed by the Apple TV could in principle be shared using the iPhone’s Thread credentials, as with current Apple hubs. Apple doesn’t document this, so verify once it ships.

Europeans should note that HomeView isn’t sold in the EU, which makes the Apple TV 4K the main Apple hub there.

Sources: Apple Newsroom, Apple Newsroom France.