Google's journey in the streaming device market has been marked by various form factors. From the short-lived Nexus Q sphere to the widely popular Chromecast dongle, the company has continually experimented. Now, it looks like Google is moving away from the dongle design with its new offering, the Google TV Streamer.
Leaked by 9to5Google, this new device showcases a different design compared to the Chromecast with Google TV (4K) released in 2020. Instead of a dongle, the Google TV Streamer adopts a more conventional set-top box design.
Design and Form
Visually, the Google TV Streamer resembles a large, white pill. Unlike the Chromecast, it is not meant to be plugged directly into your TV’s HDMI port. Instead, it sits on a table like other traditional streaming devices.
The design features a tilting top section, and the back of the device has two cables. However, the specific ports these cables connect to are not shown in the image.
Remote Control Changes
The remote also comes with some significant changes. While it maintains a layout similar to the Chromecast with Google TV remote, it is now longer to fit additional buttons.
The circular navigation pad and center button layout remain familiar, but there are now dedicated back and home buttons, with the latter accented in grey.
A notable change is the replacement of the Google Assistant button with a microphone button. Additionally, the volume control buttons have been moved from the side to the front, next to a dedicated mute button.
For ease of use, there are quick launch buttons for YouTube and Netflix. The bottom row features the power button and a customizable Magic button, first seen on Walmart’s Onn Google TV 4K Pro Streaming Device.
Expected Features
Although details on the internal hardware are limited, the Google TV Streamer is anticipated to support 4K streaming and will run the latest version of Android TV, currently Android TV 14. Google is expected to unveil the streaming device at the Made by Google event on August 13th.
