Replaced by a dearer fourth generation
Apple's US, UK and German stores now sell only the fourth-generation Apple TV 4K, announced on October 13, 2026 and due on November 13. It comes in one 128 GB configuration with an A19 chip, Wi-Fi 7, Gigabit Ethernet, Thread and a three-microphone array for hands-free Siri. It costs $50 more in the US and UK, and €50 more in Germany, than Apple charged for this third-generation 128 GB model in September. Any new third-generation box now comes from remaining retailer stock.
The 128 GB Wi-Fi + Ethernet model keeps doing what made it the Apple TV to choose for Apple Home. It is an Apple home hub and Thread border router, and its Gigabit Ethernet port takes the box's own network connection off Wi-Fi. Home Assistant lists this exact model as a usable Thread border router, although Home Assistant supplies its own Matter controller. Apple says the Siri AI beta in tvOS 27.2 also runs on Apple TV 4K (2nd generation) and later, so this box is not shut out of the new assistant. The beta is English-only in the US, UK and six other countries, not Germany, and the home's owner needs an Apple Intelligence iPhone or iPad.
Keep it unless the TV needs more
If you own one, keep it. Apple announced no Matter or Thread capability for the new model that this box lacks, and Ethernet still does not extend to your locks and sensors, which talk to the separate Thread radio. A TV cabinet at one end of the house is not automatically the best place for that radio either, and a newer box does not change the location.
The fourth generation pulls ahead on the television side. It has a faster chip, Wi-Fi 7, a dedicated AV1 decoder and built-in microphones for hands-free Siri, and it is the only Apple TV that works with Apple's new four-speaker surround setup using HomePod mini 2 or second-generation HomePod speakers. Upgrade for those if the TV or the speakers justify the cost, not for the smart home.
Check the storage label on leftover stock
The two third-generation versions look nearly identical, and clearance listings make the cheaper one tempting. Only the 128 GB Wi-Fi + Ethernet model has Thread and Ethernet. The 64 GB Wi-Fi model has neither, so a discounted one can stream, but it cannot be the Thread hub for a new lock or sensor.
A leftover 128 GB box is worth buying only well below the new model's price. Close to Apple's old price, the small extra for the fourth generation buys the faster chip, newer Wi-Fi and microphones in the same hub role. Either generation needs an HDMI cable you supply, and neither includes a USB-C cable for charging the remote.
If you only need a hub
A streaming box is the expensive way to get an Apple home hub. HomePod mini 2, shipping from October 30, does the same Apple home hub and Thread job for about half the new Apple TV's price, and a discounted original HomePod mini does it too. Choose an Apple TV when the television and the smart home both benefit from the purchase. Our report on Apple's October launches compares the new Apple TV 4K, HomePod mini 2 and HomeView.
Apple Home and Thread details
- Thread role
- RouterRelays Thread traffic for nearby devices.
We list only values our sources state. Values shown were taken from this review's sources and are awaiting an editor's check.
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