It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but the affordable new Chromecast with Google TV delivers 4K HDR with Dolby Vision and, for the first time, comes with a remote.
Google’s Chromecast with Google TV (2020) is a revelation – it fixes something that wasn’t broken, and improves a nearly perfect technology in a tangible way. And it’s all thanks to the remote and Google’s ‘new’ software, Google TV. Combined, the two offer a massive uptick in usability over previous Chromecasts that required you to use your phone or tablet to Cast content rather than giving you an on-screen interface to interact with. But now that Google has added a dedicated TV interface that you control with a remote, you have instant access to most of the major streaming services, including Disney Plus, HBO Max and even the streaming app of its biggest competitor, Amazon Prime Video. On top of that, there are a number of apps that have been carried over from Android TV, Google TV’s predecessor, that bring games and productivity apps to the streamer. The result is a retooled streaming device that might resemble its predecessors, but which offers a whole new experience that’s more user-friendly for folks who are used to using a remote control and an easily navigable interface. The Chromecast with Google TV is available in three colors (Snow White, Sunrise Peach and Sky Blue) starting on September 30 2020 in the US, and is available to pre-order on the Google Store in the UK, Australia, Canada and most of mainland Europe. In terms of price, you’re looking at $49 / £59 / AU$99, which makes it $20 more than the Chromecast (3rd Gen) and $20 less than the Chromecast Ultra. It’s not as good a deal in the UK or Australia – especially when you can get an Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K for £49 / AU$69 (and that price is set to drop around Amazon Prime Day) – but the price is still lower than, say, the Android TV-based Nvidia Shield that costs nearly three times as much. The new Chromecast with Google TV, then, fits in neatly as the middle child in the Chromecast family: it can stream 4K HDR with Dolby Vision, making it better than the basic Chromecast, but isn’t capable of streaming games like the Chromecast Ultra. Not having Stadia is unfortunate, but not a deal-breaker. For the last three years Google has stuck to a hockey-puck shape for its Chromecast devices, and it’s done so again for the Chromecast with Google TV. The latest design is slightly more elongated than before, but by and large it’s pretty similar to its predecessors. Again you’ll connect the Chromecast to your TV via an attached HDMI cable (which, thankfully, uses the latest spec, HDMI 2.1) and draw power from either a wall outlet or via a USB port on your TV… if you’re lucky. We actually plugged the Chromecast into the back of a new Vizio V-Series TV, and were informed that it couldn’t draw enough power from the set’s USB port. This could be frustrating for anyone who doesn’t have many remaining free power outlets in the vicinity of their entertainment center, but most people won’t be bothered by plugging the Chromecast into the wall.
