Rumors persist that Apple may launch new Apple TV 4K hardware soon, and two expected features are upgraded chips: the A17 Pro and N1. Here’s why these new chips excite me.
A17 Pro and N1 chips could enable new and improved tvOS features
Out of the rumored improvements for the forthcoming Apple TV 4K, two stand out:
- A17 Pro chip
- N1 wireless chip
A17 Pro will be an upgrade over the current A15 Bionic in the 2022 Apple TV model. And N1 will be the first time Apple uses its in-house wireless chip for an Apple TV’s Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Thread networking.
These two chips are expected to enable both new and improved software features in tvOS.
The A17 Pro, per Bloomberg, will unlock Apple Intelligence support on the Apple TV.
Nobody needs Genmoji, writing tools, or Photos Clean Up on their big screen.
But what could truly improve the tvOS experience is a more intelligent Siri.
If an AI-infused Siri can offer more relevant content recommendations, better search results, and faster performance, that will all be a win. tvOS’s InSight feature seems like a no-brainer for an AI upgrade too.
The N1 chip excites me because of its potential to improve one of my favorite tvOS features.
Apple TV 4K lets you use your iPhone’s keyboard to input text whenever a text field pops up. This is extremely convenient when logging into a streaming app with a lengthy username and password.
N1 first launched in the iPhone 17 lineup with this description:
The iPhone 17 lineup also introduces N1, a new Apple-designed wireless networking chip that enables Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. In addition to powering the latest generation of wireless technologies, N1 improves the overall performance and reliability of features like Personal Hotspot and AirDrop.
Top comment by OrangeFries
Dual streaming/picture-in-picture would be great. My TV in the 90s could do this, not sure why modern streaming boxes seem to struggle with this capability.
Personal Hotspot and AirDrop are named as examples, but tvOS’s iPhone keyboard feature is a similar type of Continuity offering that I strongly suspect will benefit from N1.
As much as I love the keyboard feature, reliability can be hit or miss with the current Apple TV 4K. Once the new model arrives, however, I expect that having N1 in both my Apple TV and iPhone will change that.
What changes do you hope the new Apple TV 4K chips will enable? Let us know in the comments.
Best Apple TV 4K accessories
- AirPods Pro 3
- Anti-slip silicone case for Siri Remote, AirTag compatible
- TotalMount for mounting Apple TV
- iPhone Continuity Camera mount for Apple TV
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