When Apple tweaked its third generation Apple TV earlier this year, rumors suggested it might use Apple's A5X chip instead of the A5 chip. However it's now been confirmed that the tweaked Apple TV uses an A5 chip, although it's slightly smaller than the A5 chip found in the previous model.
MacRumors cracked one of the new Apple TVs open and found the smaller A5 chip. The 2012 Apple TV's chip measured 8.19 mm by 8.68 mm, while the new 2013 model's chip measures just 6 mm by 6 mm.
While users shouldn't notice any difference between the models, the smaller A5 chip in the new model could represent an important shift for Apple. As MacRumors notes