**The new Apple TV 4K reaches stores on 13 November at $299, with three far-field microphones built in to listen for Hey Siri without the remote**
Apple will put the new Apple TV 4K in stores on Friday 13 November 2026 at $299 in the United States, with three far-field microphones built into the box so the device picks up “Hey Siri” or “Siri” without anyone reaching for the remote. The company set out the hardware and the date in a newsroom release on 13 October 2026.
*Image credit: “Apple TV 4K (3rd Generation, 2022) with Siri Remote” by Dillan Payne, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Stand-in image: this is the third-generation (2022) Apple TV 4K, not the new fourth-generation model.*
Pre-orders opened the same day for customers in the United States and 29 other countries and regions, through apple.com/store and the Apple Store app. Apple does not name the other 29 markets in the release. US buyers can also spread the cost at $49.83 per month for six months through Apple Card Monthly Installments, a US-only figure that is subject to credit approval.
The box is the fourth-generation Apple TV 4K, and Apple frames the built-in microphones as the route to what it calls a fully hands-free experience.
“With Siri AI, finding something to watch becomes a full-screen, conversational experience, and with built-in far-field microphones, it’s completely hands-free,” said Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, in the release.
Three microphones, and the languages they work in
Apple says the three far-field microphones let users control what they are watching and discover new shows hands-free, with echo cancellation that isolates a voice from background sound so the box still registers “Hey Siri” or “Siri” while audio is playing.
That support is not available everywhere.
A footnote in the same release says far-field microphone support for Siri varies by region and language, and that it works when the primary tvOS language is set to Mandarin Chinese, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Hebrew, Norwegian or Swedish. Apple states the condition as a positive: hands-free Siri is supported when the primary tvOS language is one of those nine, and support also varies by region. A box set to any other primary language sits outside what Apple says it supports.
Apple says microphone data is handled by Secure Exclaves, which it says the Apple TV 4K and the A19 chip both include, and describes as protected and compartmentalised runtimes used to process microphone data separately from the rest of the system. Data processed there cannot be accessed by tvOS, apps, the user or Apple, according to the company.
The remote stays in the box
The Siri Remote has not been dropped. Apple says the new remote keeps its familiar design and adds Find My support with Precision Finding, plus an option to play a sound on the remote itself to help locate it.
Precision Finding comes with conditions. Apple’s footnote says it works on the Siri Remote (4th generation) paired with iPhone Duo, iPhone Air, or iPhone 17 or later, excluding the iPhone 17e, running the latest iOS software, and that availability varies by region. Playing a sound to find the remote is limited to the newest Siri Remote.
The A19 chip inside the new box delivers up to 50 per cent faster CPU performance and up to twice the GPU performance of the previous generation, Apple says, which it links to faster navigation and smoother animations in the interface.
The chip also carries a dedicated AV1 decoder, which Apple says enables more efficient, high-quality streaming while using less bandwidth. The release does not state how much storage the box has.
Siri AI in beta, and four-speaker sound
The headline software feature is Siri AI, which Apple describes as an entirely new version of Siri powered by the next generation of Apple Intelligence, presented on Apple TV as a full-screen experience with poster art pulled from the Apple TV app.
It ships as a beta. Apple says Siri AI is available in beta in tvOS 27.2, and at launch it runs in English in the United States, Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa and the UK. It also works in beta on Apple TV 4K (2nd generation or later), so the software is not confined to the new hardware.
There are further requirements. Apple says Siri AI needs the owner of the home in the Home app to have an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad running the latest software, with Siri AI turned on and set to a supported language. The company adds that Siri AI will not be initially available in the EU in iOS or iPadOS.
Apple gives examples of what the assistant is meant to handle, including follow-up questions while a show is playing, such as where a programme was filmed or whether it is appropriate for a 15-year-old, with answers appearing in what Apple calls a compact, subtle overlay. Some features that rely on server-side models are subject to daily usage limits, Apple says.
On audio, the company says that for the first time users can create a four-speaker surround sound setup with Apple TV 4K (4th generation) and HomePod mini 2. The four speakers recognise their position in the room, and audio timing and levels are calibrated to the space automatically.
HomePod (2nd generation) can also be used in that four-speaker arrangement, Apple says, as long as the front and rear speaker pairs match.
The box continues to act as a home hub. Apple says notifications from a compatible doorbell appear on the television, with the option to speak to a visitor and unlock the door, and that HomeKit Secure Video is processed locally, with Apple Intelligence-generated camera activity descriptions and summarised notifications in the Home app. Wi-Fi and Thread are built in.
The new Siri Remote is compatible with Apple TV HD and Apple TV 4K and is sold separately, and Find My support is available on the Siri Remote (2nd generation or later).
Sources: