The next Apple TV coming in 2025 is increasingly looking like a major upgrade with significant hardware boosts that could unlock serious console-quality gaming.
In a major slip yesterday, Apple accidentally included hardware identifiers in its code, and MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris has combed through it and discovered some interesting details about the next Apple TV 4K arriving later this year.
For example, it looks like the device will use Apple’s A17 Pro chip that could enable Apple Intelligence in your living room and better games as the A17 Pro is about 15-30 percent faster in synthetic benchmarks than the current Apple TV’s A15 chip.
The next Apple TV 4K vs. the current model
Apple typically upgrades the Apple TV every three or so years. The current third-generation model was last updated in November 2022 with the A15 Bionic chip from the iPhone 13 series (2021) vs. the A12 Bionic from the iPhone XS series (2018), which powers the second-generation Apple TV.
The upgraded processor enabled support for HDR10+ video. The third-generation Apple TV 4K also comes in two versions: Wi-Fi only (64 GB) and Wi-Fi + Ethernet (128 GB) with Thread radios for enhanced smart home features.
If code leaks are anything to go by, the next Apple TV will bring the following benefits over the current third-generation model.
| Feature | Current Apple TV (2022) | Next Apple TV (2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Chip | A15 Bionic is fast enough for smooth 4K HDR video streaming and casual Apple Arcade gaming | A17 Pro brings a major jump graphics power, along with a much faster Neural Engine for AI tasks |
| AI | No Apple Intelligence features | Possible Apple Intelligence support for imagined capabilities, such as smarter navigation and content suggestions |
| Wireless | Broadcom Wi-Fi/Bluetooth | Apple-designed Wi-Fi + Bluetooth combo chip for smoother Continuity features and AirPlay |
| Camera | No built-in camera | Possible built-in camera for FaceTime calls and future gesture controls |
| Gaming | Basic Apple Arcade titles run OK | High-end games with smoother graphics and frame rates |
| Note: All listed features for the next Apple TV are based on and extrapolated from rumors and code findings. | ||
Performance boost: The A17 Pro debuted in the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models (2023), and was later used in the seventh-generation iPad mini (2024). It utilizes TSMC’s 3nm process and sports a 6-core CPU (2 high-performance cores and 4 efficiency cores) and a 6-core GPU. In comparison, the A15 in the current Apple TV is built on a 5nm process, has a 6-core CPU (2 high-performance and 4 efficiency cores) and a 4-core GPU, and doesn’t support Apple Intelligence.
Better gaming: The A17 Pro brings quite a leap in raw processing power from the current Apple TV’s A15 Bionic. As a result, the next Apple TV should be able to run much better iOS-style games with console-quality graphics.
Apple Intelligence on the big screen: Thanks to the A17 Pro’s 16-core Neural Engine capable of 35 trillion operations per second, the next Apple TV may bring Apple Intelligence for the first time to the biggest screen in your home. One could imagine AI-powered suggestions tailored to your mood, on-screen information in real time, the ability to jump to “that funny part” of the movie, etc.
Faster Wi-Fi and Bluetooth: The device would ditch Broadcom for an in-house wireless chip, dubbed “Proxima,” bringing faster Wi-Fi 6E for smoother streaming and Bluetooth 5.3 for smoother AirPlay and future Continuity enhancements .
FaceTime camera with gesture control: Earlier rumors mentioned the possibility of a built-in camera for FaceTime calls with support for in-air gestures.
Apple might introduce the next Apple TV in September alongside the iPhone 17 lineup and an upgraded HomePod mini speaker, or in October alongside new Macs.