Apple announced a new Apple TV 4K and a HomePod mini 2 on October 13, 2026. The Apple TV 4K costs $299, gets an A19 chip and ships on November 13. The HomePod mini 2 costs $149 and reaches stores on October 30. Both are built around Siri AI, Apple's new assistant, but only the TV gets it at launch.
The two arrived alongside HomeView, Apple's $299 smart home display, announced the same day.
The new Apple TV 4K
Apple's announcement lists the main changes:
| Feature | Apple TV 4K (4th generation) |
|---|---|
| Price | $299 |
| Chip | A19, up to 50% faster CPU and 2x faster GPU than the last model |
| Video | A dedicated AV1 decoder |
| Microphones | Three far-field microphones for hands-free Siri |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi and Thread |
| Availability | Pre-order October 13, in stores November 13 |
AV1 is a video format that streaming services use to cut bandwidth. Thread is a low-power network for smart home devices.
9to5Mac reports a single model with 128GB of storage and Gigabit Ethernet. Apple's own announcement does not list storage or Ethernet. 9to5Mac also calls it the first Apple TV 4K update in four years. Engadget says the $299 price is $100 more than the previous model.
"The new Apple TV 4K is our most immersive home theater experience yet," said Bob Borchers, Apple's vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing.
Siri AI on the TV
Siri AI on Apple TV is a full-screen assistant. It can answer follow-up questions and control smart home accessories and scenes. With an Apple Intelligence iPhone, it can use a person's personal context. Apple says requests run on the device or in its Private Cloud Compute servers.
It launches in beta, in English. The countries are the US, Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa and the UK. Engadget reports that the beta also comes to the 2021 and 2022 Apple TV 4K models.
The new Siri Remote adds Find My with Precision Finding, so a lost remote can be located from an iPhone. 9to5Mac reports it is also sold separately for $59, and works with every Apple TV 4K and the Apple TV HD.
HomePod mini 2
Image: Apple
The HomePod mini 2 uses Apple's S10 chip. It comes in pink, green, blue, white and midnight, and needs HomePod software 27.2.
Its top now lights up with a feature Apple calls Sound Glow. It pulses with the bass and treble, in colors taken from the album art. The speaker can also listen for smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.
Siri AI is not on the speaker at launch. "Siri AI will be available in a future software update," Apple says, according to MacRumors. When it arrives, it will recognize up to six household voices.
"HomePod mini 2 brings together Siri AI, gorgeous new colors, and incredible audio," said Kaiann Drance, Apple's vice president of Worldwide Home Product Marketing.
The four-speaker setup
The new Apple TV 4K can pair with four speakers for surround sound. Apple says the front and rear pairs must match. They can be two HomePod mini 2 speakers, or two HomePod (2nd generation) speakers. The speakers calibrate themselves to the room.
What this means for developers
- Test AV1 streams. The new dedicated AV1 decoder makes AV1 a practical format on Apple TV. Video apps can check whether serving AV1 to the new model saves bandwidth.
- Expect voice-first navigation. With far-field microphones, users can talk to Siri without the remote. Apps should make sure their content works with Siri requests and deep links.
- Budget for the higher price. At $299, the new box costs $100 more than the last one, per Engadget. Hospitality and office deployments should recheck per-room costs.
- Do not count on Siri AI on the speaker yet. HomePod mini 2 ships without it, and Apple has not dated the update.
- Check EU plans. Apple says Siri AI is not initially available in the EU on iOS and iPadOS, which limits features that depend on it there.
This article was first published on Tech AI Wire.
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Sources
- Apple unveils the new Apple TV 4K, supercharged by Siri AI - Apple Newsroom
- Apple announces the next generation of HomePod mini - Apple Newsroom
- Apple announces new Apple TV 4K with upgraded Siri Remote, A19 chip, more - 9to5Mac
- Apple Announces $149 HomePod Mini 2 With Siri AI, 'Sound Glow', and Four-Speaker Surround Sound - MacRumors
- Everything Announced At Apple's 'Welcome Home' Event - Engadget
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