First look at Chromecast, Google TV successor, with all-new design

From the spherical Nexus Q to the dongle-like Chromecast to the Chromecast with Google TV, Google is no stranger to streaming devices. Its latest attempt is now a set-top box called the Google TV Streamer that will succeed the Chromecast with Google TV (4K) announced in 2020.

The name of the new streaming device and the official renders that give our first look were first reported by 9to5Google. From the images, it’s clear that the Google TV Streamer doesn’t plug directly into the back of your TV like the Chromecast with Google TV, but sits on a table like the Apple TV 4K. The streaming device is shown with a large pill-shaped top that tilts forward and sort of resembles a large wireless charging pad. Two cables are visible connected to the back of the device, but since the image doesn’t show the back, we can’t tell what ports are available.

The Google TV Streamer is being shown in white, but it’s unclear if it will be available in other colors like the Chromecast with Google TV (4K). What we do know is that the streaming box will come with a new remote. The remote looks a lot like the one for the Chromecast with Google TV (4K), although with a few key differences. This new remote is longer thanks to having more buttons on the surface. There’s still a circular directional pad at the top with an enter button, but just below it are the back and home buttons. The latter even has a gray color.

The next row is occupied by a microphone button, which replaces the Google Assistant button. Google has also moved the volume control buttons out of the way, as they are on the side of the remote that comes with the Chromecast with Google TV (4K). There is also a mute button and quick launch buttons for YouTube and Netflix. The last row features the power button and the customizable Magic button that first appeared on Walmart’s Google TV 4K Pro Onn streaming device.

There’s no information on the internals of the Google TV Streamer, but the device is expected to support 4K streaming. It’s also expected to ship with Android TV 14, which is the latest version of Android TV. It’s unclear how much it will cost, but Google may want to keep the $49.99 price tag of the Chromecast with Google TV (4K), which is the same price Walmart is selling the Onn Google TV 4K Pro streaming device for.

Google has scheduled a product launch event on August 13, where it plans to announce the new Pixel 9 series and the Pixel Watch 3. There’s a good chance that the Google TV Streamer will be announced there alongside the Pixel Buds Pro 2 earbuds.