Google’s Chromecast range has been a popular one for years if you want to either replace your smart TV experience or make any TV into a “smart TV.” Now, Google thinks the lineup is redundant, though I would heavily disagree on that.
Google has officially discontinued its Chromecast with Google TV (4K and HD) streaming devices. The devices currently show up as “no longer available” on the Google Store, which all but means that the company ran out of stock and will not replenish it. This move was previously announced by Google, so it doesn’t exactly take us as a surprise. You’re not completely left without options as Google has just launched the Google TV Streamer, a higher-end streaming device also powered by Google TV.
That device was conceived as a replacement for the Chromecast range, but it’s also considerably more expensive—it’s also more powerful, but for many, the Chromecast did the trick just fine while staying relatively on the cheap side. The 4K and HD models, released in 2020 and 2022 respectively, were priced at $49.99 and $29.99, making them considerably more affordable than the Streamer.
Google’s official stance on the matter is that the demand for budget streaming devices has diminished, as smart TV functionality is now commonplace, even in lower-priced televisions. This is partly true, but if you get a cheaper TV you might find the built-in smart TV operating system experience to be subpar. Even as it might be comparable in features to what you’d get from a Chromecast—many of them even run Google TV—the specifications might be not what you’re expecting and apps could run extremely slowly, which is why people tend to get streaming devices anyway.
It is a shame to see the Chromecast die, but there’s still tons of cheap streaming devices out there that are still being made.
Source: 9to5Google
