Apple has swapped out the A15 Bionic chip from the 2022 model and replaced it with the A19, claiming that it's up to 50 percent faster at CPU tasks and twice as fast at graphics. In iPhone terms, it's like jumping from an iPhone 13 to an iPhone 17. The A19 also comes with double the RAM and a  dedicated decoder for AV1, a newer video compression format that lets services stream at high quality over less bandwidth. Wireless networking has also seen a boost, with Wi-Fi 6 upgraded to Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5 upgraded to Bluetooth 6. Thread support remains unchanged.

Essentially, you're getting double the storage, an Ethernet port, the A19, the new remote and those built-in mics for the extra $100 over the model it replaces. If you're comparing it to the 2022 Ethernet version, you're paying an extra $50 for the newer chip, remote and the mics.

Both the 2022 and 2026 boxes are limited to 4K and 60 fps, so the A19 in the 2026 model will do little for you if all you're doing is streaming. Sure, hands-free Siri is convenient, but, at least on paper, there's nothing big to get your wallet out for. You'd mostly be paying $299 for a box with a faster chip and the convenience of talking to it.