Apple plans to release a new Apple TV and an updated HomePod mini this fall, likely in September or October, according to Bloomberg.
Both devices have been sitting without updates for years, and both are now priced higher than they were just weeks ago.
Anyone who has been waiting to buy either product faces a higher entry point. Apple raised the price of the Apple TV to $199 last month, up from $129.
The HomePod mini moved from $99 to $129 over the same period. Buyers who held off are now paying more, and the hardware they’ve been waiting for hasn’t shipped yet.
Also: 3 new iOS 27 calendar features that will make paying for Fantastical feel a whole lot less necessary
What’s Actually Changing Inside
The current Apple TV runs on the A15 Bionic chip, the same processor Apple put in the iPhone 13. The new model is expected to include the A17 Pro, the oldest chip in Apple’s lineup to support Apple Intelligence.
That matters in a practical sense: the upgrade is less about speed and more about unlocking the AI features Apple has been building toward for the past year.
The HomePod mini, which still uses a chip from the Apple Watch Series 5, is expected to get a newer Apple Watch processor, better sound, and an updated Ultra Wideband chip for more precise device detection.
A red color option has also been rumored. Neither device is getting a design overhaul, and the Apple TV may ship with a refreshed Siri Remote.
Also: 3 new iOS 27 calendar features that will make paying for Fantastical feel a whole lot less necessary
Why Apple Waited This Long
The Apple TV 4K launched in October 2022. The HomePod mini dates back to October 2020. Apple has been quietly holding back new versions of both products while it worked on Siri AI, the overhauled assistant that requires more capable processors to run.
Releasing underpowered hardware before the software was ready would have meant shipping devices that couldn’t fully support the features Apple planned to market alongside them.
Siri AI is currently available in the iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, and visionOS 27 developer betas, with a public release expected in September.
Apple appears to be timing the hardware launch to coincide with that rollout, so both products arrive with the new assistant already available to everyone.
What Buyers Should Know Now
Anyone already using an Apple TV 4K or HomePod mini and wondering whether to upgrade will find the case built primarily around Siri AI access rather than raw performance gains.
For people who don’t yet own either device, the fall window means waiting a few more months could get them significantly newer hardware at the current higher prices.
Apple has not announced whether it intends to bring prices back down after the new models launch.
