Google TV Streamer is the most powerful streaming app on the web – here’s how to pre-order

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Google has unveiled its latest streaming device and it’s quite different from the company’s previous offerings. Called Google TV Streamer, this new media player drops the Chromecast name used on older models. It also replaces the Chromecast dongle design in favor of a sleek, top-mounted style meant to sit on your entertainment console.

Based on the specs, Google TV Streamer has all the features we want in a streaming device, including 4K HDR support, Dolby Atmos decoding, and one simple voice. It also promises faster performance than its predecessor, Chromecast with Google TV, and built-in smart home connectivity.

We’re aiming to get Google TV Streamer rolling soon, but until then, we’ve broken down everything we know so far, including pricing and key features.

How to buy Google TV Streamer

The Google TV Streamer is now available to pre-order for $100 from Amazon, Best Buy, and the Google Store. Pre-orders are expected to ship on September 24, when the device will officially launch at retailers. Customers can choose between porcelain and hazel colors, but the latter is only available on the Google Store.

Google TV Streamer can challenge Apple TV 4K and Roku Ultra

Google TV Streamer is clearly designed to compete with the best devices from Apple and Roku. And on paper, it looks like it has the data to fight well.

Previous Google devices, which used the Chromecast brand, had a dongle design that hung from the TV’s HDMI port. But the Google TV Streamer is a slim set-top box designed to sit on top of your entertainment console and connect to your TV via a separate HDMI cable. It also has an Ethernet port in addition to WiFi support, so you can use a wired connection if you have problems with your wireless setup.

Google TV Streamer supports 4K playback with HDR, including Dolby Vision and HDR10+ compatibility. It also has built-in support for Dolby Atmos audio decoding. This puts it on par with the video and audio capabilities of Apple TV 4K and Roku Ultra.

Under the hood, the Google TV Streamer has 32GB of built-in storage, which is solid but less than the 64GB you get with the cheaper Apple TV 4K. While it remains to be seen how browsing speed stacks up against the competition, Google says the new model has a faster processor than its previous streaming devices, with an increase of 22% ts in the process. It’s great to hear because it was always one of our only issues with the last version of Chromecast.

Of course, the device uses the Google TV operating system (OS). Although we prefer Roku’s interface, Google TV is a solid OS and the company is now using AI to make recommendations and provide content summaries and reviews.

There is also a new environment that can display screensavers, similar to the feature offered on other Amazon Fire TV devices. Smart home connectivity is included with support for the Matter protocol, an integrated Thread border router, and an on-screen Google Home feature to monitor your cameras and other devices on your TV.

Finally, Google has taken a lesson from Roku and transferred one of our favorite features available on devices of that type: the lost chime remote. If you lose your Google TV Streamer voice remote, you can press a button on the device or use a mobile device to ring the chime.

Should you pre-order Google TV Streamer?

We can’t fully recommend Google TV Streamer until we get to grips with it. However, its specifications point to a promising player that could be the popular streaming tool that Google fans have been waiting for. At $100, it’s cheaper than the Apple TV 4K and matches the cost of the Roku Ultra while offering the same features.

Similarly, it seems that its increased speed could provide a solid upgrade option for Chromecast owners who already like the Google TV interface but wish to have a lighter experience. We look forward to testing the app, so stay tuned for our feedback.