Google TV Streamer review: The new gold standard

The Chromecast is considered one of Google’s longest-running and most-loved {hardware} merchandise, having launched all the way in which again in 2013. Over a decade, it grew to become one of many easiest and greatest media streamers you might get, capped off with the well-received Chromecast with Google TV (and later an HD-only mannequin). I say “capped off” as a result of, earlier this yr, the corporate unceremoniously introduced the top of the Chromecast line. “However don’t fear,” Google figuratively mentioned to the haters, “We’ve received a fair higher streaming system now.” That higher system is the model new Google TV Streamer.

The Google TV Streamer could be very totally different from a Chromecast. It’s bigger, extra highly effective, and comes with a slew of options the corporate by no means may have supplied in a tiny dongle. It’s additionally much more costly. The query then turns into: was the dying of the Chromecast value it? In my view, the reply is a powerful “sure.”

The very first thing you’ll discover in regards to the Google TV Streamer is that it’s huge — not as chunky as an Apple TV 4K, however far greater than any Chromecast, that’s for certain. Google made it bigger to infuse it with extra energy and, by the way, get it out from behind the TV. Because the starting, Chromecasts have been designed to be hidden away, however the Google TV Streamer is able to take middle stage in your TV console. Extra on the why behind that in a later part.

Being bigger additionally permits for extra ports. The Google TV Streamer has a USB-C port that’s completely for energy, an Ethernet port, and an HDMI 2.1 port. Of the cables you’ll be connecting to those ports, solely the USB-C cable and a wall adapter come within the field. Sadly, you’ll want to supply your personal Ethernet and HDMI cables.

For those who resolve to forego Ethernet, you may at all times join the streamer to your community via Wi-Fi. Nonetheless, I’d advocate utilizing Ethernet if in any respect attainable, as it would drastically enhance your streaming expertise, particularly when you make a behavior out of streaming 4K content material.

There’s yet another factor on the again of the streamer: a tiny button. This serves three capabilities. With a protracted press of between two to 5 seconds, you may provoke the Discover My Distant service. It should inform your distant to start out chirping so you may extra simply find it. You can even ask your good house for assist (“Hey Google, discover my distant”) or begin the chirping from the Google Dwelling app. In different phrases, when you lose your distant with this system, that’s actually on you: Google has carried out all it could. Second, when you maintain down the button a bit longer, it places it into pairing mode, permitting you to attach a gaming controller (though I don’t advocate this), one other distant, or some other supported Bluetooth units. The third operate of the button is to manufacturing unit reset the system. Watch out to not maintain the button down for too lengthy when you simply need to discover your distant.

The included distant management has additionally been redesigned, and I adore it. It’s barely bigger, for one, which is a welcome change contemplating how minuscule the distant was for the unique Chromecast with Google TV. It nonetheless has a giant d-pad-style navigation and choice system on the high, but it surely has had a facelift in terms of buttons. A number of have been rearranged, the Google Assistant button has been changed with a generic microphone button, and the enter choice button has been ditched. In the meantime, the quantity buttons have been moved from the facet to the entrance, which is a really good change (I hated these facet quantity buttons). There’s additionally a model new button: the “star” button on the decrease proper, which is designed to be customizable.

Fortunately, you may customise the brand new star button to duplicate what the enter switcher button did on the older Chromecasts. Nonetheless, you can too use it to shortly launch considered one of your favourite streaming apps (though the distant has devoted YouTube and Netflix buttons, so that you’re coated there) and even launch the brand new Google Dwelling app. Extra on Google Dwelling in a bit.

Lastly, the Google TV Streamer is available in two colours: Porcelain (off-white) and Hazel (gray-green). Porcelain is on the market in every single place, however the Hazel colorway — pictured all through this text — is unique to the Google Retailer.

The surface of the Google TV Streamer could be very totally different from a Chromecast, however the inside can be totally different. Google hasn’t publicly confirmed as a lot, however our analysis exhibits that it has a MediaTek MT8696 SoC inside. In response to Google’s estimates, this enables for 22% sooner CPU efficiency than the Amlogic S905X3 SoC contained in the 2020 Chromecast with Google TV.

Moreover, Google has doubled the RAM on this new streamer, bringing it as much as 4GB. In my expertise, this new SoC and the additional RAM make an enormous distinction. As I used to be navigating across the Google TV interface (which is a pores and skin that lives on high of Android TV), I noticed zero lag. Apps opened shortly and easily, and launching content material occurred almost instantaneously. I don’t know if it was 22% sooner, but it surely’s positively sooner and smoother than the Chromecast with Google TV.

Talking of downloading, with older Chromecasts, you wanted to watch out about putting in an excessive amount of stuff as a result of the measly 8GB of storage crammed up quick. Google addressed this drawback with the brand new streamer by quadrupuling storage, leaping to 32GB. I nonetheless want there have been a microSD card slot (or one other USB-C port to connect exterior storage), however rising storage by 4x continues to be very good.

Lastly, regardless of the inside and outside being totally different, that is nonetheless a Chromecast at coronary heart. Like a Chromecast, it helps casting media to the TV out of your smartphone, pill, or laptop computer. In different phrases, it may not have “Chromecast” within the identify, however it would do all the things you need from a Chromecast.

One of many standout new options of the Google TV Streamer is the Google Dwelling app. This isn’t an “app” within the conventional sense (there’s no launcher icon to be discovered) however slightly a pared-down expertise of the Google Dwelling app that you should use in your TV. Consider it someplace between a widget and an app.

Utilizing the aforementioned customizable shortcut button (or by holding down the house button and deciding on the Google Dwelling tile when you resolve to maintain the star button as an enter switcher, which I heartily advocate), you may launch the Dwelling expertise, which seems as a collection of tiles in a flyout sidebar. Right here, you may management your good lights, local weather management, and even take a look at what’s occurring together with your safety cameras proper in your TV. Granted, most good house customers would use voice instructions for a lot of the options right here, however my accomplice hates speaking to my Google audio system. She actually loved with the ability to flip off the lights utilizing the distant and never have to say “Hey Google” to something.

One of many coolest options of the Google Dwelling expertise on this streamer, although, is integration with the varied iterations of the Google Nest Doorbell. When somebody comes ringing at your door, a notification seems over your content material that means that you can see a stay feed of the doorbell’s digital camera. Sadly, you may’t work together with the feed — you may’t discuss to the individual via the distant and even challenge a canned response like you may on a smartphone — however with the ability to see who’s on the door proper on the large display screen is undeniably handy. Take a look at the video on the high of this text for an illustration of this function.

Google Dwelling entry isn’t the one new good house trick the Google TV Streamer has in its bag. Google has additionally infused it with Matter and Thread powers. Contained in the streamer is a Thread border router, permitting it to behave as a wise house hub for appropriate units. In different phrases, in case you have a wise gentle bulb that requires you to purchase a branded hub — but it surely additionally has Matter help — you don’t want to purchase that hub. As an alternative, the sunshine bulb itself can join on to the Google TV Streamer, which can act because the hub. This cuts down on the variety of units that you must purchase, saves you house, and frees up a wall outlet that will be in any other case taken by that superfluous hub.

After all, Matter help continues to be slowly rolling out, so lots of people studying this may not have any want for a Thread border router. Nonetheless, at the very least some individuals studying this haven’t began a wise house but. If that’s you, it is a excellent place to start out.

Regardless, this is without doubt one of the vital causes behind Google’s push to get this streamer away from the again of the TV. To be an efficient Thread border router, it might do effectively to have an open view of your property. Moreover, the streaming field being uncovered helps with distant connectivity and latency, so it’s simply higher for it to be in your console and never accumulating mud behind your tv.

As an apart, though Google actually, actually desires you to maintain this streamer out from behind the TV, there’s no motive you may’t preserve it again there. I hid mine behind my LG C1 OLED for a bit to check it out, and I didn’t discover any points. Granted, I wouldn’t try this if it have been the middle of my Thread good house, however when you don’t care about that, tucking it away is simply positive.

Just like the Chromecast with Google TV earlier than it, the Google TV Streamer can flip your tv into an enormous digital picture body. By linking your Google Pictures account to the streamer, you may see your albums on the large display screen each time your system has been inactive for a time. Whereas that is good, it’s additionally a bit cringe: seeing my photographs blown as much as 65 inches actually exhibits off how not nice they’re.

For those who don’t need to see your weak pictures abilities blown as much as enormous proportions, you may choose to point out a batch {of professional} photographs as a substitute. Nonetheless, what Google hopes you need to do probably the most is use generative AI to create your personal screensaver photographs.

That’s proper, it’s 2025, and AI is in all the things, even the Google TV Streamer. Utilizing it to create AI screensavers is similar to how you’ll accomplish that with Gemini on the internet. You merely give it a textual content immediate, and it makes one thing for you based mostly on that immediate. All of it occurs off-device and takes about 10 seconds to render, but it surely works as marketed. I had it make a picture of Noel Gallagher as a cat, and it did so, if a bit creepily (it’s the eyes). I don’t see a lot use for this function (I might a lot slightly see the actual photographs from professional photographers as my screensaver), however if you wish to use it, it’s there.

The large downer right here is that none of those photographs transfer. Google doesn’t add a parallax impact and even subtly zoom in on photographs so as to add some cinematic high quality to them. Nope, they simply seem as static photographs, with one slicing on to the following — Google didn’t even hassle so as to add transition results. Hopefully, the corporate will tweak this a bit sooner or later, because it looks as if this is able to be comparatively straightforward so as to add in later.

Elsewhere, AI powers one other function on the Google TV Streamer: AI overviews. While you pull up in style content material on the house display screen, you’ll see generative AI summaries of that content material. This gives you a fast synopsis of what to anticipate from the present or movie in addition to summaries of vital opinions and viewers scores. There’s additionally a ranking abstract to warn you if the content material has nudity, violence, drug use, or different stuff you may not need your children to see.

Just like the generative AI screensaver photographs, I don’t have a lot use for this. Many of the content material I watch has been prompt to me by family and friends, so I’m not likely going to pay any consideration to this data. I additionally don’t have children, so I’m positive with all of the R-rated content material being freely out there. Nonetheless, it’s good to know these summaries are there if I ever want them.

Lastly, Google Assistant is baked into the Google TV Streamer, though the Assistant button has been eliminated. By holding down the microphone button on the distant, you may launch apps, play music, seek for films, and even ask common questions reminiscent of, “What’s the climate proper now?” Throughout my testing, I discovered Assistant to be quick, and the microphone understood all the things I mentioned completely. After all, it’s solely a matter of time earlier than Google replaces Assistant with Gemini right here. For now, although, you’ll be chatting with Assistant on the Google TV Streamer.

After taking part in with the Google TV Streamer, I’m satisfied that that is value seeing the top of the Chromecast. Whereas I admire how tiny and easy a Chromecast is, it could’t compete with the large boys, and the Google TV Streamer can. It has all of the {hardware} essential to do just about something the common individual would need to do with a streaming system whereas tossing in a number of uniquely Google options.

After all, that is Android Authority, a spot the place critical tech nerds hang around. I can already hear most of them saying to themselves, “Why would anybody get this over an NVIDIA Defend TV?” It’s true — the NVIDIA Defend TV ($149 at Amazon) is a extra highly effective and extra versatile product, to say nothing of the NVIDIA Defend TV Professional ($199 at Amazon). Nonetheless, the Google TV Streamer is less expensive, with an inventory worth of simply $99 — 33% cheaper than the Defend TV and 50% cheaper than the Defend TV Professional. When you think about this, the brand new Google streamer provides rather a lot for comparatively little.

Actually, I don’t suppose Google goes after of us utilizing or enthusiastic about shopping for a Defend and even an Apple TV 4K. As an alternative, that is aimed toward people who find themselves utilizing an historic Amazon Fireplace TV Stick, Roku, or, even worse, the built-in working system that comes with their TV. These of us — and there are plenty of them — would doubtless be OK spending $100 in the event that they knew they’d get one thing quick, dependable, feature-rich, and from a trusted model.

While you take this into consideration, the Google TV Streamer is a stable product. The truth is, I’d argue it’s now the gold normal for Android TV streamers. If you’d like all of the bells and whistles, go for a Defend, and if you would like one thing cheaper however nonetheless efficient, go for the years-old Chromecast with Google TV ($49.98 at Amazon). However if you would like the most effective Android TV field you will get with out tipping into overkill territory, that is the streamer to purchase.