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Apple TV 4K's new Siri remote is one of the most requested updates

Your Apple TV remote might actually be good now.

David Katzmaier Editorial Director -- Personal Tech
David reviews TVs and leads the Personal Tech team at CNET, covering mobile, software, computing, streaming and home entertainment. We provide helpful, expert reviews, advice and videos on what gadget or service to buy and how to get the most out of it.
Expertise A 20-year CNET veteran, David has been reviewing TVs since the days of CRT, rear-projection and plasma. Prior to CNET he worked at Sound & Vision magazine and eTown.com. He is known to two people on Twitter as the Cormac McCarthy of consumer electronics. Credentials
  • Although still awaiting his Oscar for Best Picture Reviewer, David does hold certifications from the Imaging Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Standards and Technology on display calibration and evaluation.
David Katzmaier
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The new Apple TV 4K remote. 

Apple/Screenshot by Eli Blumenthal and Sarah Tew/CNET

There's a new Apple TV 4K after all these years. Announced as part of Apple's Spring Loaded event, it has a faster A12 processor and a nifty TV calibration feature, but the best part is an all-new Siri remote.

The new clicker features an all-aluminum body, a new layout and the ability to control your TV. The biggest change is to the touch keypad at the top. The old Siri remote for Apple TV had a blank, black square of space that you swiped your thumb across to control menus and playback. It was novel at the time but often too sensitive or imprecise, causing complaints from many users.

Watch this: New Apple TV 4K finally gets a better remote

The new version still relies on a touchpad, but with more visual and tactile cues. It's circular, with an outer ring and four dots in the cardinal directions. Apple says there's a gesture that controls up and down motions if you move your thumb in a circle, and touts five-way navigation for better accuracy.

A dedicated TV power button allows you to switch your TV on and off, and Apple has moved the Siri button, which summons the company's voice assistant, to the side.

The remote is silver, which should show up better than the black version it replaces, and is made from 100% recycled aluminum.

The new Siri remote comes with the all-new Apple TV 4K, available for preorder April 30 and shipping in May, starting at $179 (£169, AU$249).

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