Apple has not refreshed the Apple TV 4K (2022) for several years, and rumor has it that a new streaming device will be available in 2025. Streaming devices are not upgraded every year, so the current Apple TV is certainly due for an upgrade.

The rumors swirling around the next Apple TV box are odd compared to other Apple products like the iPhone 17 and Apple Watch 11.

Apple is rumored to be launching an OLED TV, a major departure from Apple's abandonment of the concept years ago.

Much of the rumors surrounding the new Apple TV streamer are related to the massive smart home push that Apple is expected to make in 2025. This could include accessing the Apple TV+ via a smart display or controlling a set-top box with an upgraded, smarter Apple HomePod.

Here are the Apple TV streaming device rumors we are following.

Apple is selling two versions of the Apple TV with 64GB and 128GB of storage capacity for $129 and $149, respectively.

A rumor by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman before WWDC 2024 claimed that Apple might release an upgraded, less expensive Apple TV. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed it would sell for around $99.

Other than that, there are no other indications regarding pricing.

As for a release date, no specific date other than early 2025 is known. Allegedly, some sort of smart home device will debut in March 2025, and the Apple TV could be that product, but more likely it will be whatever HomePod concept Apple is toying with.

Apple does not have a specific release window for Apple TV:

The simplest version of the upgraded Apple TV is a lightly redesigned box; rumors before WWDC claimed the streamer would be thinner, design would not change much further.

Code found in Apple's back-end potentially revealed two Apple TV models, but did not reveal any further details. Presumably, the difference between the two models would be storage capacity.

Nevertheless, the combination of an Apple TV and HomePod with FaceTime and a video conferencing camera has been rumored since at least 2021. Mark Garman mentioned this idea in April 2024, stating that Apple is considering adding a built-in camera to future Apple TV boxes. tvOS 17 in 2023 added a FaceTime app to the streamer, which would use the rear camera of a connected iPhone for video calls.

The larger changes will be internal. The discovered Apple code suggests that the same A18 chipset used in the iPhone 16 series will be used, so the CPU may be faster.

Apple is committed to separating production from other companies and will introduce its own modem in next year's iPhone SE 4.

Cupertino is also working on a combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth networking chip that will reportedly be included in the new Apple TV and HomePod Mini. Codenamed Proxima, the chip is expected to appear in the first half of 2025; Proxima will support Wi-Fi 6E, an upgrade over the Wi-Fi 6 chip in current Apple TVs.

Unfortunately, other than the possibility of a faster processor and a new network chip, there is little indication of new features that may be included in the Apple TV 2025.

Many of the rumors surrounding the next generation Apple TV are tied to what Apple will do with HomePod in the future, which could include a 7-inch OLED display, an iPad-like display that could be wall-mounted, or connect to a robotic arm for $1,000

Apple has been working on a new product for years.

Apple reportedly hopes to enter the smart home market in a big way by offering a variety of interconnected devices and potential smart home control centers, such as the Amazon Echo Show 15 and Google Nest Hub.

The new homeOS is reportedly based on tvOS, suggesting a strong integration between the Apple TV and whatever smart home device it becomes.

Allegedly, Apple wants tighter integration between home devices, which suggests that Apple TV could be used as a control center.

In 2024, many of the latest Apple TV rumors are closely tied to the next-generation HomePod, and it seems increasingly likely that new Apple TV devices will be integrated into some kind of smart home interface.

Unlike the iPhone and MacBook, the Apple TV is a device that is not often rumored. Of course, as with any rumor, this is all speculation, so take it with a grain of salt.

Most simply put, the new streaming box will be smaller and faster.

Going further, it could go from an OLED TV to a HomePod or part of a control center.

All of this points to an interesting future for Apple TV, and one that Apple hopes to experiment with in streaming devices when many other companies are playing with sticks and boxes.