The hardware refresh for the Apple TV 4K set top box will soon be available. The current generation was released in spring 2022 and is equipped with the A15 bionic chip.
The new generation is expected to feature new Apple-designed WiFi and Bluetooth chips, as well as CPU upgrades. The MacRumors report cites a code reference that shows you actually get the A17 Pro chip, the same processor that actually drives the essence to your iPhone 15 Pro.
The jump from the A15 to the A17 clearly gives a big boost to CPU and GPU performance. Increases by about 15-30%, as tested with synthetic benchmarks.
However, the bigger breakpoint was the first A-Series chip in which the A17 Pro chip supports all the large-scale language model features associated with Apple Intelligence.
Because Apple Intelligence is a combination of on-device and server infrastructure, compatible devices must have relatively strong computing power and ample RAM. So, while current Apple TVs are not strong enough to perform Apple Intelligence functions, they are possible with the new Apple TV with the A17 Pro.
However, even if the chip is technically capable, Apple’s plans for Apple Intelligence in the living room are currently unknown. Most suites of current Apple Intelligence features are not actually translated into a set-top box environment.
For example, the features of the flagship Apple Intelligence, such as writing tools, notification summaries, and visual intelligence, are meaningless for Apple TV.
Perhaps Apple can upgrade TVOS with TV-specific AI features. This includes the ability to jump to a specific scene in a TV show just by explaining it in natural language. You can also imagine how a heavily upgraded Siri can make your Apple TV experience even better. However, Apple is currently in the process of overhauling Siri with a new foundation. This is a project that will not be shipped early until spring 2026.
So I don’t think the next Apple TV will be on sale based on Apple Intelligence features. The A17 Pro chip can help Apple TV improve gaming performance and maintain it in the future to take advantage of new Siri features in the future.
Assuming a new Apple TV will be released in 2025, it will likely be presented as an update to the relatively low key spec bump. The remote eventually adds speakers so you can find me to make it beep when you lose it at the back of the sofa.
