Apple says both of its new home entertainment devices can serve as a smart home hub, allowing users to control compatible accessories.
Apple's new streaming device comes with far-field microphones
Photo Credit: Apple
Apple expanded its lineup of home entertainment devices with the launch of the new Apple TV 4K (4th Generation) and the HomePod mini 2. The Cupertino-based tech giant claims both devices bring updated hardware, smarter voice controls, and improved audio experiences compared to their predecessors. The refreshed Apple TV 4K is powered by the A19 chip and offers a new Siri AI experience for discovering content, alongside hands-free voice control. Meanwhile, the HomePod mini 2 is offered in new colour options and gets upgraded audio, alongside support for Siri AI.
The Apple TV 4K (4th Generation) is priced at Rs. 39,900 in India. It will go on sale starting November 13.
Meanwhile, the price of the HomePod mini 2 is set at Rs. 18,900, with availability beginning October 30. The speaker is offered in five colour options — Pink, Green, Blue, White, and Midnight.
The Apple TV 4K (4th Generation) is powered by the A19 chip. This, as per the company, delivers up to 50 percent faster CPU performance and up to twice the GPU performance compared with the previous generation. The streaming device gets a dedicated AV1 decoder for more efficient video streaming.
There is support for Siri AI as well. Users can leverage Apple's upgraded voice assistant to discover films and TV shows, and it can provide recommendations and conversational responses, too. Apart from this, they can ask follow-up questions about the content they are watching, and the answers will be relayed in a compact overlay.
For interaction, the Apple TV 4K (4th Generation) comes with three built-in far-field microphones. The streaming device is paired with an updated remote, which adds Find My support alongside Precision Finding. On the audio front, there is a four-speaker surround sound setup when paired with four HomePod mini 2 or HomePod (2nd generation) speakers.
The new Apple TV 4K supports Apple Fitness+, Apple Arcade, FaceTime through Continuity Camera, and personalised photo screensavers.
The HomePod mini 2 is powered by Apple's S10 chip. Apple says it uses computational audio to optimise sound in real time and supports 360-degree audio. Consequently, it can be used individually, in a stereo pair, or as part of a multiroom audio setup. Users can pair up four HomePod mini 2 speakers with the new Apple TV 4K (4th Generation) to create a surround sound system.
Apple offers the HomePod mini 2 in five colour options
Photo Credit: Apple
A new feature on the refreshed model is Sound Glow. As the name suggests, it adds lighting effects to music playback, where the top of the speaker glows and pulses in response to bass and treble. Users can also choose soundscapes, such as rain, to create ambient lighting effects.
While Siri AI is not available out of the box, Apple has confirmed that it will be offered via a future software update for more natural conversations, personalised assistance, and better music discovery. The HomePod mini 2 can also serve as a smart home hub. This allows users to control compatible accessories, run automations, and manage scenes.
Apple says the HomePod mini 2 works with compatible Apple Home Collection accessories, including video doorbells and cameras.
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