Google TV Streamer: everything you need to know about the Chromecast follow-up
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Google's new streamer is official. The Google TV Streamer replaces the excellent Chromecast with Google TV – and the big news is it's the end of the line for the Chromecast brand.
But this isn't just a change of name – the Google TV Streamer is a different beast entirely. It looks different, has more power, better connectivity and a new remote.
The Chromecast With Google TV was one of the best streamers of recent years, picking up What Hi-Fi? Awards in 2021, 2022 and 2023. Let's see how the new model compares.
Google TV streamer: price and release date
The Google TV Streamer is a significant upgrade on the Chromecast with Google TV, and the price reflects that. In the US, it's twice as expensive – $99 (around ￡80 / AU$150) to the Chromecast's $49. UK and Australian pricing and release dates are yet to be announced.
While pricier than its predecessor, the Google TV Streamer is still cheaper than the Apple TV 4K, which retails at ￡149 / $130 / AU$219. That's also cheaper than the Amazon Fire TV Cube, although more expensive than the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K.
It goes on sale in the US on 24th September, but you can pre-order it now.
Google TV streamer: design
The biggest change is the design. The Google TV Streamer looks completely different to the Chromecast with Google TV – it's now a streaming box that sits alongside your TV, as opposed to a dongle that hangs out of the HDMI socket around back.
It has the same smooth, pebble-inspired aesthetic of the Pixel phones and Pixel tablets, and comes in a choice of Porcelain or Hazel (the latter is exclusive to the Google Store).
The remote has also changed. It looks much the same shape to us, but according to Google it has "improved ergonomics", as well as a more convenient button layout, a better grip and a customisable shortcut button. The Google Assistant button now has a more generic microphone symbol, which will be clearer to more people that it activates voice controls, and the volume controls have moved from the side to the front of the remote.
Google TV streamer: features
The new streamer has some new tricks up its sleeve. For starters, there's a new Google Assistant-powered "find my remote" command that plays a tone from the remote, helping you find it should it be mislaid.
For the first time since the Chromecast Ultra, there's an ethernet port for wired internet connectivity, providing a more robust connection. That should mean smoother streaming and less buffering. It supports the same 4K resolution, and HDR10+ and Dolby Vision formats of HDR. Dolby Atmos audio is also onboard, whereas its predecessor only had Dolby-encoded audio via HDMI passthrough.
Storage has been beefed up considerably – the 32GB is four times its predecessor. It again works as a Matter hub for connecting all your smart home devices, but this time has a Thread border router built-in, which negates the need for a separate smart home hub.
The Google TV operating system is also onboard, and it should be slicker than ever, thanks to the upgraded processor and double the RAM of the previous Chromecast. Google TV includes Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus and local streaming apps, and is a doddle to navigate.
And because it's 2024, Google has added artificial intelligence to the mix. The Google TV Streamer uses the company's own Gemini AI to generate content summaries, find reviews and even create a season-by-season breakdown to get you up to speed with TV shows. It can spruce up your lounge too by creating artwork to display on your TV when it's in idle mode. Just keep it clean.
Google TV streamer: early verdict
So, farewell Chromecast. The Google TV Streamer looks like being more than a fitting replacement for the four-year old Chromecast with Google TV – it's more powerful, with better connectivity, more storage and enhanced features. The Google TV UI will be familiar to many, and we're sure it can continue the same winning sound and picture quality that earned its predecessor so many What Hi-Fi? Awards.
The pricing is interesting. It 's positioned as a mid-range device between the budget Amazon Fire TV Stick and high-end Apple TV 4K. That's new territory for Google, so we'll have to see if there are enough people looking for a middle ground between these two extremes. And while its predecessor remains at its discounted price, it's an absolute bargain.
We'll bring you a full a Google TV Streamer review as soon as we can.
MORE:
Read the full Google Chromecast with Google TV review
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