Meet the new Google TV Streamer, a speedy 4K streaming device that looks like a top-shelf challenger for the title of best streaming device. This sleek and elegant streaming box is packed full of all the features you’d expect for $100, with much faster performance than a Chromecast with Google TV dongle. But the Google TV Streamer is just as interesting for the ripple effect it’s creating.
The Google TV Streamer isn’t going to sit alongside the Chromecast with Google TV 4K and HD for long, as the latter’s dongles will no longer being produced and will be unavailable once existing units run out. Google apparently noticed that those who want a dedicated streaming device (and not just to use the ecosystems built into the best TVs) are more demanding than ever, and users want an even better option than before. Let’s dig into the good news and bad news, so you can decide if you want to preorder now.
Featuring a faster?engine under the hood and many more quality-of-life upgrades, the Google TV Streamer?is a premium new?Chromecast that will replace Google's existing streaming device.
A new design delivers two big features and minimalist details
Unlike the Chromecast with Google TV, the Google TV Streamer doesn’t simply hide behind your TV. Google ditched the iconic dangling dongle design for a slim, slightly angled white (which Google calls Porcelain) or Hazel (a Google Store exclusive shade of green) curved streaming box.
It looks like it should easily blend into most home entertainment setups, provided it’s not surrounded by black devices, such as the towering Xbox Series X on my console. But this new look also contains two big tricks. On its back, you’ll see an Ethernet port, a welcome addition that seeks to improve streaming stability for all of us who have too many Wi-Fi connected devices at home; this is something the Chromecast has never offered. Then there’s a small rear button that looks like it could be a reset switch. Don’t overlook it, though, as it actually activates a “lost remote” chime that will sing from the Google TV Streamer’s clicker.
The Google TV Streamer makes the Chromecast’s remote even better
As someone who’s used and tested the previous Chromecast with Google TV devices, I am pleased to note that the Google TV Streamer’s remote features a few notable upgrades. Now you get a textured underside for easier grip (hopefully it’s similar to what Roku gives you), so it won’t easily slip out of the hand. This new remote is also more likely to stay in your palm because it’s a bit longer.
Google fixed another past mistake with this increased length by putting the volume up and down buttons on the actual remote and not hiding them off to the side. You also get a programmable button, which is where the input select button used to be. Fortunately, folks with a ton of HDMI-connected devices can (and I will) program that button to change the input anyway, but you can also assign it to open specific apps or to go to the smart home control panel.
The Google TV Streamer boasts higher specs for faster performance
The existing Chromecast with Google TV models are a bit on the slower side when it comes to performance, so much so that I was wowed by how snappy Walmart’s $50 Onn 4K Pro was in my testing. Google looks to claw itself back to its own throne with an under-the-hood upgrade, starting with a new CPU that promises 22% faster performance than what the Chromecast with Google TV packs. There’s also twice as much memory (4GB, up from 2GB) and four times the storage (32GB, up from 8GB).
The CPU and RAM boosts should deliver faster load times for menus and applications, which might be your biggest complaint. Power users, though, may appreciate the quadrupled internal storage just as much, as the original’s on-board drive could have been prohibitive for keeping many apps installed at once.
All these upgrades are meant to make Google TV’s content-first, recommendations-focused operating system get you from searching to streaming a bit faster. Oh, and it also supports the premium Dolby Vision HDR standard as well as Dolby Atmos audio, which the 4K Chromecast also offered.
A new smart home section and Google Gemini’s generative AI “help” too
Much like the Google Pixel Tablet, the Google TV Streamer is positioned as a hub for smart homes with its support of Matter and Google Home-compatible devices. It’s all accessible from the home panel, which pops out from the right side of the screen and contains everything from lighting and climate controls to live views from your cameras and access to your routines.
Speaking of smart home tech, the Google TV Streamer also supports the newly announced?Nest Learning Thermostat.
Because we’re in 2024, there’s also a little bit of Google’s Gemini AI in Google TV. No, this isn’t about the recommendations (which Google says are AI-powered). Instead, it’s designed to give you extended overviews of your next potential binge-watch, streamlining summaries, reviews and season-specific descriptions. I’m curious to see how it works for myself, especially since you can find a lot of this information in publicly available databases already. Generative AI’s tendency to make things up and imagine things doesn’t exactly seem like a perfect fit, and I’m not sure I need its take on the “Lost” and “The Sopranos” finales. You’ll also be able to make your own AI-generated screensavers, just as you can on the newest Chromebooks, though I never really thought that the Chromecast was lacking for those.
A new baseline price for Google TV streaming devices
All this good news comes with one bit that makes me frustrated: The Google TV Streamer costs $100, which is twice as much as the Chromecast with Google TV 4K it’s replacing. We hope this price drops over time considering how $50 has become the standard price for a good (if not great) streaming device
Until then, I’ll continue to tell people about the best Google TV streaming box I’ve ever tested: the speedy $50 Onn 4K Pro. Yes, Walmart made the best Google TV device of 2024 so far. Funny, right? I prefer the Google TV Streamer’s design and its remote, but when Walmart’s Onn 4K Pro packs Ethernet connectivity and hands-free voice controls for half the price of Google’s new option, I think the new Google box might be a hard sell.
A bit of a wait from preorder to release date
My only other complaint is a bit of a meta quibble: While you can preorder the Google TV Streamer starting today, Aug. 6, you’re going to be waiting over a month for it to drop. Yes, Google’s set a Sept. 24 release date for this streaming box, which is kind of a long ways away from now.
The takeaway
The world of Google TV is clearly changing. While you’ll still be able to “cast” video from one device to another, the Chromecast brand is basically being taken to a scenic farm in Silicon Valley and being put to rest. If the Google TV Streamer’s performance is as good as we hope it is, the company has a chance to restore the feeling when it comes to its own streaming devices. Oh, and if you own an existing Chromecast, know that a Google representative told CNN Underscored the company intends to “continue to support all existing Chromecast devices with ongoing?updates.”
The higher price tag may be too much for some, though no other Chromecast offered Ethernet or a lost remote finder, so you are getting a little more at this pricier bottom line. As noted above, Walmart currently leads the pack in 2024 when it comes to standalone Google TV hardware, so I’m not surprised to see Google fight back for the keys to the kingdom.
