Siri AI is the headline feature, and while it’s not perfect, it works better than the prior version of Siri. Siri was able to pull up multiple movie and TV show recommendations and answer questions about content.
Apple says Siri AI is in beta, and there’s more work to be done. Siri AI wasn’t great at answering follow-up questions, and only did so part of the time.
There are far-field microphones in the set-top box, so you can just say “Hey Siri” to activate Siri without having to use the remote. The Apple TV can recognize up to six people, so you can get personalized recommendations and context when talking to Siri.
The person who sets up the Apple TV needs to have an iPhone or iPad that supports Siri AI for Siri AI to work on the Apple TV, and personal context also requires each user to have their own Siri AI-compatible device. The 2nd- and 3rd-generation Apple TV 4K models will get Siri AI with the upcoming tvOS 27.2.1 update.
Apple didn’t change the design of the Apple TV 4K or update the look of the Siri Remote, but the remote does have new capabilities. It has a speaker built in so you can have it play a sound when it’s lost, and Precision Finding is available if you have an iPhone Air, iPhone Duo, or iPhone 17 and later (excluding iPhone 17e).
The tvOS interface feels faster with the A19 chip, and it should be better for games if you play Apple Arcade titles on your TV. You can also pair four HomePod speakers to the Apple TV for surround sound, a feature that’s unique to the latest model.
Unfortunately, Apple is charging $299 for the 4th-generation Apple TV 4K. It’s twice as expensive as the prior-generation version was at this same time last year, and that’s a wild increase. It’s probably not worth upgrading if you already have a 2nd- or 3rd-generation Apple TV 4K, but if you have something older, it might be worth paying the money to get the new features.
This article, “Hands-On With the New Apple TV 4K and Siri AI” first appeared on MacRumors.com
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