Google Will Be Bringing A New 4K Chromecast Model To Customers This Year
It was back in 2020 that Google released the original Chromecast with Google TV 4K. Two years after that, they released a more affordable Chromecast with Google TV HD, but 4K televisions are so common these days that you’d be giving up on crisp picture quality with the lower-end model.
The thing is, four years means that the original Chromecast with Google TV 4K has relatively dated hardware. Sure, there’s a quad-core Amlogic processor with a clock speed of 1.9 GHz and 2GB of RAM which were just alright performance-wise, but 8GB of storage was rather small for a device you can install apps on and download movies to.
Fortunately, this year, based on a report from 9to5Google, we are going to be getting a long-awaited update to the 4K Chromecast model, and with that, there should definitely be a bump in the specs that we get, and it should likely run on Android 14. The folks at 9to5Google reckon that the chip might get updated to an Amlogic processor that’s two generations newer and is built on a 6nm process instead of a 12nm process like the one in the original Chromecast.
It’s not too sure when we might get the updated model, but it is easy to reckon that it will come at some point in 2024 (very likely on the same day as the Pixel 9 launch). We’re due for a new 4K Chromecast model after all this time, and hopefully, it stays at the $50 price point.
The New Chromecast Will Also Come With A Redesigned Remote
Along with a new Chromecast with Google TV 4K model, it also seems set to come with a newly-designed Chromecast Voice Remote. This was spotted in the Android TV 14 beta, which had a video showing a remote that was similar-looking in shape, but with a different button layout.
Instead of three rows of big buttons, there will be four, and the middle two buttons in the right column will be combined into one pill-shaped button, likely for volume control. This means that the volume rocker on the side of the previous remote will be removed entirely. You also get a “star” button as one of the smaller buttons at the bottom, though it’s not too sure what that’ll be for.
A new remote isn’t anything to do backflips over, but it does show that Google intends more of a proper refresh with the new Chromecast model.
