Walmart’s $30 Onn. Android TV Device Does 4K But Not HDR



    With zero fanfare, Walmart has launched its own onn.-branded Android TV streaming media device for the low price of $30. First spotted by 9to5Google, the new streamer comes with a voice-capable remote control and one-button access to popular streaming services like Netflix, and it also supports 4K resolution.

    But the new streamer appears to lack high dynamic range (HDR) formats like HDR10 and Dolby Vision, which we would argue make a bigger difference to picture quality on a compatible TV than 4K.

    The device supports dual-band MIMO Wi-Fi AC, as well as Dolby Audio for up to 5.1 channel surround sound.

    At $30, the onn. Android TV UHD Streaming Device, as Walmart refers to it, competes directly with Amazon’s $30 Fire TV Stick Lite, a smaller, more portable streaming media device that doesn’t do 4K resolution, but does support HDR 10.

    It also competes with the $35 Roku Express 4K, a Walmart-exclusive version of the Roku Express 4K+ that combines 4K with HDR support and even Dolby Atmos on select streaming services.

    Walmart’s onn. Android TV device is an extension of the company’s onn.-branded line of consumer electronics that includes Roku-equipped soundbars and wireless speakers.

    As an Android TV device, it supports both the Google Assistant as well as Chromecast, which lets devices like smartphones and laptops stream audio and video to a TV or mirror the contents of a device’s screen.

    The new streamer does not appear to be getting the Google TV interface that Google launched on its own Chromecast with Google TV, a $50 streaming dongle that supports 4K, HDR, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos. Google TV offers Android TV users a personalized experience that places an emphasis on content curation and discovery, as opposed to the more app-centric approach of the standard Android TV interface.

    The included remote control is very similar to the one that accompanies the Chromecast with Google TV, offering volume, mute, and power controls for a connected TV, as well as a dedicated Google Assistant button that will let you issue voice commands via the built-in microphone. That’s a feature the Walmart-only Roku Express 4K lacks.

    Along with an HDMI cable for connecting the streamer to a TV, there’s also a dedicated power adapter with a hardwired Micro USB connection. This suggests that a TV’s USB port, if it has one, may not provide enough voltage to power the streamer.

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