Apple TV 4K 2nd Generation
Discontinued 18 Oct 2022
Latest release
20 Apr 2021
Discontinued
18 Oct 2022
Lifespan
1 year, 5 months
Starting price
$179
- Category
- Apple TV
- Status
- Discontinued
- Apple support status
- Discontinued, not yet Vintage
- Release type
- Refresh of an existing model
- Previous model
- Apple TV 4K 1st Generation
- Replaced by
- Apple TV 4K 3rd Generation
- Official Apple page
- apple.com ↗
- More information
- Apple TV 4K 2nd Generation (Wiki) ↗
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Notes
The Apple TV 4k second generation looked identical to the outgoing model, same small black puck, same $179 (32GB) and $199 (64GB) pricing, but almost everything inside and in the box changed. The new A12 Bionic chip, the same family used in that generation's iPhones and iPads, gave a solid boost to video decoding, graphics and general responsiveness over the older A10X model.
The redesigned Siri Remote was the more obvious change. It moved to an all-aluminium body (made from 100% recycled aluminium), added a five-way clickpad for more precise navigation, and included a circular touch-sensitive ring around the edge for jogging quickly through video, similar to how an iPod click wheel worked. The Siri button also moved to the side of the remote, closer to where a volume or power button typically sits.
A new colour balance feature let you point an iPhone at the TV screen, and using the phone's light sensor it would automatically calibrate the picture output for more accurate colour and contrast, no separate calibration tool needed. On the connectivity side, it gained HDMI 2.1, Wi-Fi 6, Thread support for smart home devices, and the ability to play HDR content with Dolby Vision at a full 60 frames per second rather than the lower frame rates the previous box was limited to.
Release history
- 2022
-
18 Oct 2022
Apple TV 4K 3rd Generation
Apple TV 4K 2nd Generation
- ↑ 1 year, 5 months later
- 2021
-
20 Apr 2021
Apple TV 4K 2nd Generation
Apple TV 4K 1st Generation
- ↑ 3 years, 7 months later
- 2017
-
12 Sept 2017
Apple TV 4K 1st Generation
Apple TV (HD) 4th Generation
- ↑ 1 year, 10 months later
- 2015
-
30 Oct 2015
Apple TV (HD) 4th Generation
Apple TV 3rd Generation
- ↑ 3 years, 7 months later
- 2012
-
7 Mar 2012
Apple TV 3rd Generation
Apple TV 2nd Generation
- ↑ 1 year, 5 months later
- 2010
-
30 Sept 2010
Apple TV 2nd Generation
Apple TV 1st Generation
- ↑ 3 years, 6 months later
- 2007
-
21 Mar 2007
Apple TV 1st Generation