Apple has announced the new Apple TV 4K 2021, which offers a number of upgrades. It has a faster A12 Bionic chip inside, support for faster frame rates when watching HDR content, a very clever color calibration mode that works with the iPhone. [HDMI 2.1 support and (finally) a new Siri remote control. The new Apple TVs will be available for order on April 30 and will ship in late May.

All the biggest differences between the old and new Apple TV 4K are here.

The new Apple TV 4K, like its predecessor, is available in two models: a 32GB version for $179 and a 64GB version for $199. The new model offers one year of access to Apple TV+, so you can watch Season 2 of "Ted Rathbone," which Apple also announced would be available in June.

Apple has upgraded the CPU in the new Apple TV to an A12 Bionic. This gives the new model more horsepower and should make for a better experience for those who play games on their Apple TV. But that's not all this chip makes possible.

A notable feature here is an increase in the maximum frame rate supported. Previously, Apple TV supported 4K HDR (Dolby Vision) video at 30 frames per second (fps). This has now been increased to 60 fps.

There is a lot of potential for excitement here: adding support for HDR video at 60fps means that anyone with an iPhone 12 can take advantage of Dolby Vision support at 4K/60 and stream it to their box at the highest possible quality

It also means that anyone with an iPhone 12 can take advantage of Dolby Vision support at 4K/60 and stream to the box at the highest possible quality.

In addition, Apple TV offers even more streaming options. Movies tend not to use high frame rates, while TV shows may use high frame rates. Theoretically, if your favorite sports broadcast has an Apple TV app, you might be able to watch the game in HDR and high frame rate in the future.

The original Apple TV 4K had an HDMI 2.0 connection, which has now been upgraded to HDMI 2.1. This allows for faster data transfers, from 18 gbps (gigabits per second) to 48 gbps.

Apple does not support 8K video, and there is no mention of it in the specs. However, the new Apple TV appears to have hardware that can support higher resolution video. The only question is whether the processor can support 8K decoding.

HDMI 2.1 guarantees that, in theory, streaming video quality could be much higher; 4K content on Apple TV and iTunes already looks quite clean. But perhaps in the future we will see even better video quality.

One of the most important new features of Apple TV 4K is the ability to use the iPhone's color sensor in conjunction with Apple TV 4K to calibrate the box to improve the TV picture. This is a great feature that allows you to get the most out of your TV without having to hire an expert to calibrate it.

The system uses the Apple TV's image processing to correct the TV's image profile. While TV calibration undoubtedly produces great results, it can be expensive to hire a professional to do it for you. That is, unless you have both a new iPhone and a new Apple TV.

Update: Since this article was published, it has been clarified that this feature also works with older 4K Apple TVs. To use Calibration Mode, an iPhone with iOS 14.5 and Face ID is required.

Those who used the older Apple TV 4K will be pleased with the new remote control. Gone is the touch surface, replaced by a touch-enabled click pad. This will give owners more control over navigation, which is likely to be a big improvement.

The new remote control uses Bluetooth 5.0, a step up from the previous model's Bluetooth 4.0. The new remote controls consume less power and should last longer on a charge than the older model. The infrared controller is still present and can change the volume on most TVs, soundbars, and AV systems.

On the new remotes, the "menu" button has been replaced by a simple "back" symbol. As far as we can tell, the functionality has not changed, but the new display makes more sense since this button was always a "back" button rather than a return to the main menu. To return to Home, use the button with the TV icon.

Also useful is the new touch wheel, which evokes the nostalgia of the iPod. Holding your finger over the touch-enabled click pad allows you to smoothly scan through programs, which was tricky with the old remote control.

The new specs do not mention the inclusion of an accelerometer and 3-axis gyro. We will have to test the new Apple TV to see if this feature remains. Charging is still done with a Lightning cable, as before, and one is included in the box.

Overall, the new Apple TV 4K remains a premium streaming device, but it offers better performance, higher HDR frame rates, a new Siri remote, and more value. For an in-depth review, see.