The 2021 Apple TV has been announced: here's everything you need to know
The new Apple TV 4K has just been announced and, if we're honest, it's not quite as exciting as some of the rumours suggested it might be.
So, no, it doesn't have a built-in HomePod speaker and it isn't an Apple soundbar. It doesn't support 120Hz refresh rates either.
That's not to say there aren't still reasons to look forward to the new Apple TV. It runs on the A12 Bionic chip for starters, which allows for 60fps content with baked-in HDR and Dolby Vision. It comes with a new Siri Remote, too. Most intriguing of all, it will – with the help of an iPhone – calibrate its video output to the specific colour balance of your TV.
As you can see from the image above, the new Apple TV 4K will be available to order from 30th April. It will actually arrive in shops (and at your house, if you pre-order) "in the second-half of May".
4K@120Hz is off the table, too, despite the presence of an HDMI 2.1 port, with Apple instead focusing on the new Apple TV 4K's ability to play HDR content in 4K@60Hz. The company admits that such content is currently limited, but says it's in discussions with major content providers regarding streaming High Frame Rate HDR content in the future. In the meantime, if you've got an iPhone 12 Pro you'll be able to use AirPlay to stream videos to the new Apple TV 4K in 60fps with Dolby Vision.
On the subject of HDR formats, Apple has confirmed that Dolby Vision, HLG and standard HDR10 are supported, but there's no mention of HDR10+ being on board. There's no mention of AV1 in the spec list either, but that's currently only really relevant to 8K content, which the Apple TV 4K doesn't support anyway
