The latest Apple TV 4K is almost “ready to ship” according to a tech analyst who has accurately leaked details about the company’s plans in the past. 

The new Apple TV 4K will sport the company’s more advanced A12X processor, and will come with up to 128GB of storage, said Jon Prosser of Front Page Tech on his Twitter account. He added that the new system is being developed under the codename “Neptune T1125”. 

The current Apple TV 4K was launched in September 2017 and runs the older A10X processor, and so a refresh of the hardware is certainly due. 

The new A12X is a system chip that first made its debut in the iPad Pro in 2018. At the time, Apple said the A12X is equal to the Xbox One S console in terms of graphics performance. Apple has since switched to using a variant of that chip, called the A12Z, in its most recent 2020 iPad Pro. 

The increased power of the new Apple TV 4K device is likely to cater for games developers that wish to add new titles to the Apple Arcade subscription service. While the current box doesn’t have any issues in running games, a little more processing power certainly wouldn’t hurt, enabling more realistic graphics and faster gameplay. 

It’s not clear if the new box will provide any benefits for those who just want to watch movies, however. The current Apple TV 4K already offers HDR content and Dolby Atmos, and there’s no mention of an upgrade to 8K resolution. 

Prosser also confirmed the new Apple TV 4K box will feature the same aesthetic design as the existing box, with options of 64GB or 128GB of storage space, which is more than double that of the current model. He said he has seen images of the new device, but is unable to share them as they have employee and specifications details on them. The increased storage is a big deal as it means users will be able to download and install more games and content from the App Store and Apple Arcade. 

Although Prosser says the new box is ready to ship, there is no concrete release date available. The tipster said he will let people know if and when he hears of a release date. 

“Who knows, maybe Apple can keep it a secret from me,” he said. 

Apple has suffered a number of leaks in recent weeks. References in leaked code from Apple’s new tvOS 14 operating system indicate the company is planning to debut a new remote control, a fitness app and expanded AirPlay 2 functionality that enables AirPlay 2 devices such as the Apple HomePod to be used as permanent TV speakers.