It’s been four years since Google released its Chromecast with Google TV streaming device, and the company has remained quiet on its plans to unveil the follow-up model. Thanks to recently leaked photos, it’s likely that the ‘Google TV Streamer’ will be the next model from Google to battle the best streaming devices.
The leaked images come from an article by 9to5Google showing what we can expect the device and its redesigned remote to look like. Not only is Google leaving the ‘Chromecast’ name in the past, but it seems to be abandoning the classic dongle you plug into the back of your TV out of sight, and is instead adopting a wedge design that sits out on full display under your TV.
In contrast to other on-display streaming devices like the Apple TV 4K (2022) or Amazon Fire TV Cube, the Google TV Streamer looks thinner and features a slanted top in a minimal design similar to other Google products. The image also shows that the device will come with two cables, which we assume will be power and HDMI.
The Google TV streamer will also come with a new remote that looks similar to the one that comes with Chromecast with Google TV, but is now longer with a redesigned button pad. Its classic D-Pad remains the same, as do its YouTube and Netflix shortcut buttons, but the big differences are its volume buttons which now appears on the remote’s face instead of its side – and then there’s the addition of Google’s ‘Magic’ button, which may enable customized shortcuts.
We’ve been reporting on rumors of a new Chromecast with Google TV since they were sparked in January 2023, and back in April it looked like it could arrive soon and come with a brand new remote. And with Google’s next hardware event approaching, we could be introduced to the Google TV Streamer sooner than you think.
What do we want to see?
While these images don’t account for an official announcement, the upcoming Google hardware event on August 13 could be the day we see the new streaming, alongside the already-teased Google Pixel 9 Pro. The images are an exciting peek at the Google TV Streamer, but they don’t point to any new functions we can expect, so there are a few upgrades we’d hope to see.
The last time we expressed what we wanted to see in the next-gen Chromecast, we highlighted that the next model would need to have a major storage upgrade, as the Chromecast’s limited 8GB can be quickly occupied by apps. We also pointed to Google Gemini’s growing presence across Android products, and since it’s slowly phasing out Google Assistant, it would only make sense for Gemini to take over as the designated voice assistant for the Google TV Streamer.
The good thing is that you may not have to wait much longer for an announcement, as the next Google hardware event is just a few weeks away. Four years is a long time to wait, so we have our fingers crossed that the Google TV Streamer will live up to its anticipation.
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rowan.davies@futurenet.com (Rowan Davies)
