You have several options if you’re looking for a great streaming device. Each has access to a seemingly endless number of streaming services to watch your favorite shows and discover new ones. Since the first Chromecast with Google TV 4K arrived on the scene in September 2020 and the Chromecast with Google TV (HD) in September 2022, the products have been at the top of our recommendation lists.
While we didn’t get a new streaming device at the Made by Google event on October 4, 2023, as we had hoped, we did get the new Google Pixel Duo and Pixel Watch 2. Despite not getting announcements for a Chromecast with Google TV refresh, we have seen a few leaks and clues to keep us interested in what may be coming.
Chromecast with Google TV (2024): Design and specs
In a January 2023 news report, information was spotted in an update to the Google Home app for a potential third streaming device. The discovery was that Google refers to the Chromecast with Google TV as YTV, the HD model as YTB, and a third device as YTC. While this code name could mean several things, it follows the naming convention set by previous devices. Much of this previously reported news gained more credibility in a new finding on March 1, 2023, with hardware identifiers again popping up in Google Home code.
Google tends to let many details of unreleased products slip through the cracks or release them outright. That isn’t the case for the potential new streaming device. Little is known about the device’s appearance or what internal changes could be inbound. Best guesses are that a new Chromecast with Google TV could replace the original model released in 2020 with beefier specs, as that device arrived with 8GB of internal storage to offer a premium streaming experience.
It’s unlikely that Google will opt for a cheaper model, as the HD version has a retail price of $30, and the 4K model is only $20 more. For $50, you get nearly every high-end streaming spec available with Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+, and 4K. That model also sports an impressive list of audio features with support for DTS, Dolby Digital+, Dolby Audio, and Dolby Atmos. Adding additional storage so that you don’t have to plug a USB-C hub into your Chromecast with Google TV to gain space for your streaming apps makes sense.
There isn’t any information on whether Google plans to change the physical design of the streaming dongle. The 2020 and 2022 models look identical for the dongle and the accompanying remote. The flat, pebble-like device is offered in Snow, Sunrise, and Sky colors for the 4K option. The HD model only has a white option. What we have seen leak regarding hardware changes came in a post on X (formerly Twitter) by Mishaal Rahman with the information he found in an Android 14 beta.
Mishaal found a video that showed off a new remote control that is similar to the existing Chromecast with Google TV remote but with a few changes in a familiar shape. The current remote has two rows of three buttons in the middle, with the circular selection and navigation button at the top and then the power and input selection buttons at the bottom.
The new remote has four round buttons vertically stacked on the left side of the remote below the same selection and navigation button at the top. The right side has a single round button above a long oval button with another round button under it. Aside from the updated buttons and layout, there appears to be a new star button near the bottom where the input selection button is on the current remote.
It’s hard to say for sure what the new buttons and arrangement mean. Rahman pointed out that the new star button would get a new “magic button” customization in Android TV 14, allowing users to choose between opening a favorite app or changing device inputs. The long oval button could be a new volume rocker, moving the current volume controls from the side of the remote to the front with the other buttons, or it could be something else.
Chromecast with Google TV (2024): Software
There’s little info on what could be inbound for software changes on a new Chromecast with Google TV. It seems likely that a new streaming device from Google will launch with the new Android TV 14. However, we haven’t received a new streaming device from Google, and the current models have not been upgraded past Android 12. Even in the latest update to the existing Chromecast with Google TV, it only got a bump in the security patch to the October 2023 level. It’s still unclear how many changes there will be if or when this new OS version arrives. Mishaal Rahman found some interesting bits while digging around in the software.
In the Android TV 14 beta, Rahman found new options for video playback and the ability to receive call notifications on the Android TV device. This is beta software, and nothing is official. Taking a call through your TV could be helpful in some situations. Your television’s speakers would handle audio, and you’d likely use the microphone in the remote you typically use to access your Google Assistant.
You can expect a few other software changes if Google releases a new Chromecast with Google TV. These changes have begun rolling out to the platform. One change is the expansion of live TV channels, which was announced at the end of August 2023. This update brought an additional 27 channels to Google TV, for a total of 104 live channel choices. These channels are accessible without downloading additional apps and live within the Live tab on your home screen.
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The other change announced for the platform is the end of the Google Play Movies and TV app. This is where users have found new movies and TV shows to buy and rent for years. The app was shut down on October 5, 2023. Moving forward, you’ll find your purchases and rentals in the Shop tab at the top of your Google TV home screen. This is also where you’ll look for new content to watch alongside what you own. In addition to this change, existing Chromecast with Google TV users are getting a home screen refresh that would likely launch on any upcoming hardware.
Chromecast with Google TV (2024): Price and release date
This area has the least amount of information. Since Google opted not to unveil this new streaming device along with the Pixel 8 series and Pixel Watch 2, we don’t have any solid info on a release date or a price. Current Chromecast with Google TV models are $30 and $50. Could this rumored device replace the three-year-old 4K model and retain the $50 price tag? Considering that nearly everything has gone up in price, it would likely be more expensive if Google cancels the existing 4K model.
The other option would be for Google to launch a new streaming device. If so, it would have enough upgrades to provide a premium experience closer to what NVIDIA offers with its Shield TV and Shield TV Pro. If that were to happen, anticipate the price to reflect those updates and a three-tier streaming hardware situation so that Google can offer a range of products and features at more price points.
What’s in store for Chromecast with Google TV?
Hopefully, Google won’t leave us hanging and will drop a new Chromecast with Google TV streaming device sooner rather than later. We’ve been using the 4K and HD models. While we’d like them to be a bit snappier in the performance column along with more storage so that we don’t need one of the top USB-C hubs for it, the devices have held up well, especially the 4K model, as it’s now over three and a half years old. When we find new information on the streaming device, we’ll update this article and keep you in the loop.
