Key Takeaways
- The new Google TV Streamer ditched the dongle design and looks more like a set-top box
- The device is wider than it is deep and the images show a white model.
- The official announcement is scheduled for August 13th at the Made by Google event.
That’s the end of the road for Chromecast. 9to5Google has published images of Google’s next streamer, but the dongle is gone. The new “Google TV Streamer” is a set-top box design, consigning both the dongle design and the Chromecast name to the history books.
The new device has a sloping, wide, pill-shaped design that’s much wider than it is deep, and the images released show a white model — as with the Chromecast with Google TV, it’s unclear if other color options will be available.
The new streaming device is expected to be officially unveiled at the Made by Google event on August 13, when the Google Pixel 9 will officially launch, although the Pixel 9 Pro has already been announced.
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No more Chromecast dongles
The device will be Google’s first set-top box.
9to5Google
Previous versions of Chromecast were hidden dongles that plugged into an HDMI port and hung off the back of your TV like a vestigial tail. The first-generation model was the only version without a flexible cable, designed as a rigid wand.
The new Google TV Streamer marks a big new direction for Google’s streaming devices, marking the first time the company has made a set-top box designed to sit in front of your TV instead of hidden behind it.
The image also shows a new remote control, which is similar but not exactly the same as the one that comes with the Chromecast with Google TV. Beneath the directional pad on top, it appears to retain the same eight buttons as the previous model, including home, mute, back, YouTube, Netflix, power, and input/source. The Google Assistant button has been replaced with a simple microphone icon, but it presumably serves the same function.
The biggest change is that the volume controls have been moved to the rocker on the front of the remote; on the Chromecast with Google TV, they’re on the right side. This makes the remote easier to use, especially for right-handed people, who find the side buttons harder to reach.
Why is Google developing a set-top box?
It may be more than just a rival to Apple TV
9to5Google
There are a few possible reasons why Google might have made this move — the most obvious being that it wants a product that can compete with other popular set-top boxes like Apple TV — but the shape of the new design might hint at another reason.
Many devices allow you to start streaming audio or video from one device to another just by bringing them close together. For example, if you’re playing music on your iPhone, you can have the HomePod take over by simply bringing your iPhone close to it. Google’s Pixel phones and tablets have a similar feature that lets you cast music from your phone to your tablet and vice versa, just by bringing the devices close together.
The Google TV Streamer’s long, flat design could be intended to bring your phone closer to your set-top box so you can stream content to your TV, though this is pure speculation and it could just be an attempt to mimic the giant pill-shaped camera bump on the upcoming Pixel 9 Pro.
Chromecast with Google TV
Google’s latest version of Chromecast lets you stream from all your favorite services on a small, affordable device that hides behind your TV.
