Apple TV 4K preorder 2026 opens with $299 price and Siri AI

The Apple TV 4K (4th generation) goes on sale November 13 in the US for $299. You can preorder it from Best Buy, Target, Amazon, B&H Photo or Apple itself.

Early buyers should get theirs on launch day, but stock has tightened. Apple’s estimated delivery dates in the US now vary by ZIP code, with some areas showing November 23 to December 1 and others November 30 to December 7. If you want it for a specific date, check the estimate at checkout before you order.

There is only one model this time. Apple dropped the cheaper 64GB version, so every box has 128GB of storage and a Gigabit Ethernet port. That is part of why the price jumped: the 2022 model started at half the price before rising to $249 a few months ago.

The new box runs on the A19, the chip from the iPhone 17. The 2022 model used the A15 Bionic from 2021. Apple says the A19 gives up to 50 percent faster CPU performance and up to twice the graphics speed, which should mean snappier menus and smoother games. It also adds a dedicated AV1 decoder, a more efficient video format that lets services like Netflix stream high-quality video using less bandwidth.

The bigger change for daily use is a set of three far-field microphones with voice isolation built into the box. You can just say Siri or Hey Siri from the couch, even while a show is playing, without pressing the remote. Siri answers with short text in the corner of the screen rather than talking over your movie, which early hands-on testers called a clean touch.

Wireless also gets an upgrade, from Wi-Fi 6 to Wi-Fi 7 and from Bluetooth 5.0 to Bluetooth 6. Thread, the low-power network many smart home devices use, now comes on every model.

Apple HomeView is… cute. More soon! pic.twitter.com/XLNU5xHwdI

— Joanna Stern (@JoannaStern) October 13, 2026

Siri AI, Apple’s more conversational assistant, launches in beta on the new box. It understands personal context and broad general knowledge, so you can ask things like where a show was filmed, whether something suits a 15-year-old, or to play the series a friend recommended. Good news for current owners: Apple says Siri AI is also coming to second- and third-generation Apple TV 4K models.

The Siri Remote now supports Find My with Precision Finding, the same step-by-step directions you get for a lost AirTag, plus a built-in speaker that plays a sound. The new remote is sold separately for $59 and works with older Apple TV 4K boxes, so you can get the lost-remote fix without buying a new box.

For home theater fans, the new Apple TV 4K can use four HomePods as surround speakers. Use matching pairs, like two HomePod 2 speakers in front and two HomePod mini 2 speakers behind, and the system works out where each one sits and calibrates the sound to your room.

Early impressions from major tech reviewers praise the speed and hands-free voice control. The microphones worked reliably in a quiet demo, and the beeping remote solves a real problem for anyone who loses it in the cushions.

The criticism is about price and missing extras. At $299, the box costs about $200 more than a Roku Ultra and several times more than basic streaming sticks. One senior TV reviewer pointed out that after four years of waiting, it still lacks long-requested home theater features: 4K at 120Hz output for gaming, audio passthrough to AV receivers, an HDMI input and a digital optical output.

For most people with the 2022 Apple TV 4K, the answer is probably not yet. It is still fast, and it will get Siri AI through a software update. If losing the remote is your main frustration, the $59 remote fixes that on its own.

The new box makes more sense if you want hands-free Siri, plan to build a HomePod surround setup, or own an older model without Thread or Ethernet. If you just want to stream, Apple sells the 2022 model refurbished for $209, and it shares many of the same features, including Thread, Ethernet, 128GB of storage and HDMI 2.1.