The Google TV Streamer 4K Proves Killing the Chromecast Was Worth It
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The Good
- Smooth UI navigation with no lag
- Ethernet port adds more streaming stability
- Upgraded remote control that can ring when lost
- Quadrupled storage means no more running out of space for apps
The Bad- 2x the price of the previous generation
- Limited to Wi-Fi 5
- Google Home integration is a nice addition but needs to be beefed up
Table of Contents
I think, over the years, I’ve tested every streaming device that Google has put out. From the ill-fated (and weirdly spherical) Nexus Q, to the first generations of the Chromecast dongle, and most recently the Chromcast with Google TV dongle that launched in 2020 and has been my TV’s life-partner ever since. So it pleases me to tell you that I can confidently say the Google TV Streamer 4K is easily the best one the company has made yet, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement.
The basics
For starters, the Google TV Streamer 4K is about a couple inches long and about a half inch wider and thicker than the last generation, coming in at 6.3-inches long, 3 inches-wide, and 1-inch thick. It's also, notably, a set top box. This is a bit of a departure for Google, because Chromecasts have always been dongles with built-in HDMI cables, which you're supposed to hand from your TV. That said it’s still almost certainly the smallest thing you’ll connect to your TV, and the functionality is similar to the last generation Chromecast with Google TV, even if this is the first to drop Chromecast from the name.
The extra size is well worth it, because the Streamer packs in a 22-percent faster processor, double the RAM (4GB up from 2GB), and four times the storage (32GB up from just 8GB, which was so small it caused me to run out of room for apps). You also get an ethernet port on the back, which should increase throughput and make your streams even more stable. The new streamer now supports the emerging AV1 codec, too, which a lot of streaming services (including YouTube and Netflix) are starting to transition to for higher quality at lower bitrates. The HDMI is upgraded from HDMI 2.0 to HDMI 2.1, but unfortunately the price has also increased from $50 to $100.
The remote control got a bit bigger, too. It’s longer now, which actually makes it a bit more comfortable to hold. All of the buttons have moved to the front of the device (the last generation’s volume buttons were on the side) which makes it more ergonomic to use. The new remote also now features a customizable button which you can use to start your favorite app, open Google Home (more on that in a sec), or my favorite, switch inputs on your TV.
Setup
Upon opening the box it came in, I was hit with an unfortunate surprise: The Streamer 4K doesn’t come with an HDMI cable. Considering that all the previous generations had one built-in as a necessary part of their dongle style design, this left me in a bit of a lurch. Worse, if you’re just replacing one of these aforementioned models and want a cable of a similar length, it can be tricky to find a one-foot cable that supports HDMI 2.1. I ended up ordering one from Cable2Go, and it works perfectly.
Once the cable arrived, setup was extremely easy. I just signed into my Google account, connected to my home wifi, and the box immediately gave me the option to download all of the apps I had on my last device. All of the major streaming apps you'd hope for are there, including Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, Max, Disney+, Apple TV, ESPN, TNT, Redbull, Crunchyroll, and more. You get the idea. There are some games available through the onboard store (some you can play with the remote, and some you'll need to pair a controller to play), but this system is way lower horsepower than current gen smartphones, and the games reflect that, so don't get too excited. You don't have access to the full Google Play app store here, but there are a handful of non-streaming apps available, such as Mullvad VPN.
You still have to sign back into your accounts on those apps individually, but you can do that over time, as needed. To connect the Streamer 4K to Google Home, I just had to approve a notification I got on my phone. This also ran me through the remote control setup, where I linked the remote to my LG TV, so I could use it to power on/off the TV and switch source inputs as well. For my setup, it’s now the only remote I use 99-percent of the time.
The new stuff
The addition of Google Home is a new feature here. If you have compatible devices, you can now use your TV as a control and monitoring center, sort of. For example, I have a few Nest security cameras. I can now open Google Home on the Streamer 4K and get a live feed from any camera that’s on. I also have some Philips Hue smart lightbulbs, which I can turn on or off (either individually or a whole room at a time) with the remote now. I can even start my Roborock vacuum with it. It’s also now compatible with Matter and Threads, though I didn’t end up using these myself.
The best feature, though, is the increased speed. Unlike the Chromecast with Google TV, the UI flows without a hitch. Apps open quickly, and I didn’t experience any lag when scrolling through long menus. The additional memory makes switching between apps quicker, too. The wifi connected to my router with full bars and didn’t have any issues, though I was disappointed to learn that it’s still limited to Wi-Fi 5, even while Wi-Fi 7 devices are starting to emerge. Connect the ethernet cable, though, and it doesn’t matter. This automatically disables the wifi and delivers a fast and extremely stable connection. 4K streams looked fantastic, and I never experienced any of those moments where resolution dropped because the network was struggling. You can still Cast from your phone or computer when the Streamer 4K is on ethernet, too. There’s really no downside, other than having to buy and route another cable.
This is a noticeable upgrade from the Chromecast with Google TV streamer. With that device, I found that it could sometimes get overwhelmed while processing, which would cause delays in opening apps and lag when pressing buttons and navigating the UI, sometimes resulting in accidental double-presses. And while the streaming speed wasn't bad on that unit, I would experience times when the quality would drop to the point of being pretty unwatchable in order to keep the stream live, which was frustrating. Thus far, I haven't experienced any of those issues with the Google TV Streamer 4K.
The Google TV UI has a few new features, too, some more successful than others. Most prominent is the new Sports hub. Click it, and it’s almost like opening an entirely new app, laid-out a lot like Netflix. It features a grid of content, broken down into categories, and it looks very slick. It’s frustratingly limited, though. For example, I couldn't select the Warriors as a team I want to follow. There's a list of upcoming live games, but if I click on one, it lists six different ways to watch them, none of which were services I’m subscribed to. That's despite the fact that the game was also on NBA League Pass, which I am subscribed to and have installed already. That’s pretty bad. Even worse, you can't even filter by sport, so it feels a bit half-baked.
The For You page (which you might think of as the home screen) has similar issues. Here, the interface does a decent job of curating things you might be interested in watching, but again, the recommendations seem to come from a random hodgepodge of services which you may or may not be subscribed to.
On the other hand, under the Live tab, you can find Google TV Freeplay, which has 150+ channels of live TV for you to get lost in (complete with a detailed guide channel). I found everything from Murder She Wrote, to '90s action movies, to Nightline, to CBC News, to professional billiards. I don't have an antenna set up, and it's nice to have some live TV options for free, especially when there’s breaking news. There’s more chaff than wheat, but isn't that always the way with live TV?
Another slick feature is that you can get personalized spatial audio if you own a pair of Google’s Pixel Buds. I have the Pixel Buds 2 Pro, and the moment I opened their case, the Streamer 4K asked me if I wanted to pair them. It was as easy as that. Now, if I’m watching something and I pop my Buds in, the audio automatically switches to my headphones. But, because the earbuds can connect to multiple devices as the same time, if I pause the TV, it will default back to using my phone as the source. It's all pretty seamless, and if you've used AirPods with an Apple TV, you should already be pretty familiar with the idea.
Importantly, when the Streamer sends audio to my earbuds, it's full, immersive, and lag-free. I tested it watching Andor on Disney+, which has 5.1 surround sound, and while it is certainly not the same as a true home theatre setup, it beats the hell out of the crappy speakers on my TV. More so, if it’s late and you want to watch an action movie but don’t want to disturb others, it’s a great option. I used it to drown out the noise of my robot vacuum, and that worked perfectly. You can pair the Streamer 4K with pretty much any Bluetooth earbuds, but not all will support spatial audio and some may have audio lag issues.
On the less exciting side, there’s a new Custom AI Art screensaver feature, but really, we don't need to be wasting the electricity on this. I asked it to create a series of surfers riding massive waves on fantastical alien planets. It said it couldn't show people. So, I asked for a robot surfer. After several tries and attempts to make my request ever simpler, it finally generated a single image. I thought it was going to generate a screensaver slideshow of images like that, but nope, you have to create them one at a time. Thankfully, you can still choose standard photo galleries or use your own albums from Google Photos instead.
If you get tired of AI, Google Assistant is here, for a more traditional experience. I can ask it to show me movies with Adam Driver, and I can ask it to find videos of wood turning (which brings up YouTube). These simple requests worked fine. So, I tried something more complicated. I long-pressed the microphone button on the remote and said, "Find the movie starring Ben Stiller and Patricia Arquette," and it correctly recommended 1999's Flirting with Disaster (I recommend it, too). I asked it to show me "My snowboarding photos" and it started displaying snowboarding pics from my Google Photos library. But when I asked it the common ingredients in a soufflé, it just took me to some recipe videos on YouTube. "How far is Saturn from Venus?" just takes me to a list of YouTube videos about the solar system. Not terrible, but also not the short answer I wanted. It’s nice to be able to control my home devices using the Assistant, but since I already have Google Home speakers, it's easier to just talk to those instead. I do wonder when Gemini will be coming to the TV (supposedly, it's sometime this year).
As for the smart home, while I like that the Google Home app is now included, this feature needs a lot of work. For instance, you can view cameras that are already turned on, but you cannot use the remote to turn cameras on or off. You still have to pull out your phone to do that, which is annoying. You can turn Hue bulbs on/off and dim them, but you can’t change the color or select a scene you’ve created. With my Roborock, it’s either “clean the whole apartment in your default settings” or nothing. More nuance and more control here would be appreciated.
One last simple, but fantastic feature: the remote control can ring. If you ever lose your little white remote, you can just tap the button on the back of the Streamer 4K and the remote will start chiming. If you have smart speakers or your phone linked to it, you can also just say, “Hey Google, where’s my remote?” and it’ll ring away. It’s one of those little features I’ve dreamed of for decades, and it’s every bit as good as I imagined.
The competition
The closest competitors to this device would be the Apple TV 4K and the Roku Ultra. Like the Google TV Streamer 4K, both of these set-top boxes stream 4K, Dolby Vision, and HDR10+. Both of these players support Wi-Fi 6, which is one level above the Google TV Streamer, and both have remote controls and an ethernet port (though ethernet is only available on the more expensive version of the Apple TV). The Roku Ultra goes for $80, while the Apple TV 4K is $130 for wifi only, and $150 for the option with ethernet.
Personally, I lean toward the Google TV Streamer 4K, and the main reason is the UI. I've always found that Roku's UI is a bit cumbersome and have run into a lot of bugs over the years. Apple's UI is more polished, but I still find it tougher to navigate around with its little remote control, and Siri is just wildly inferior to Google's Assistant. If you're deeply invested in the Apple ecosystem the Apple TV 4K might make more sense, because it can do a few tricks like turning your TV into a screen while you're FaceTiming (though you still need to use your phone or tablet as the camera), and easily access your iTunes library. For most people, I think the Google TV Streamer 4K is the better device, though I do wish it supported Wi-Fi 6 (at least).
The Google TV Streamer 4K is worth the upgrade
Ultimately, the Google TV Streamer 4K is excellent. It’s not rewriting history, but it’s a solid upgrade from the previous generation. It’s just a lot faster and smoother throughout the whole experience, and even more so if you use the ethernet port. The remote is better, the Pixel Buds compatibility is great, and you can still Cast like always. There’s still room for improvement on the software side, and newer Wi-Fi protocols would be appreciated, but for $100, this thing is great, intuitive to use, and will be a significant upgrade from the garbage streaming hub that’s built into your smart TV.
Brent Rose is a journalist, producer, host, and photographer based out of Los Angeles (after 5+ years of vanlife around the U.S. and Canada). He covers a wide range of consumer tech, travel and adventure, health and fitness, environmental and social justice, NASA, and whatever else piques his curiosity.
