Unlike the Chromecast Ultra, there’s no Ethernet jack on the Chromecast with Google TV, which means it will only work over Wi-Fi. This could be frustrating for anyone who doesn't have many remaining free power outlets in the vicinity of their entertainment center, but most people won’t be bothered by plugging the Chromecast into the wall.

We actually plugged the Chromecast into the back of a new Vizio V-Series TV, and were informed that it couldn’t draw enough power from the set’s USB port. The latest design is slightly more elongated than before, but by and large it’s pretty similar to its predecessors.Īgain you'll connect the Chromecast to your TV via an attached HDMI cable (which, thankfully, uses the latest spec, HDMI 2.1) and draw power from either a wall outlet or via a USB port on your TV… if you’re lucky.

Can be powered by some TVs, or from the wallįor the last three years Google has stuck to a hockey-puck shape for its Chromecast devices, and it’s done so again for the Chromecast with Google TV.

Ovular design akin to the original Chromecast.

Not having Stadia is unfortunate, but not a deal-breaker. The new Chromecast with Google TV, then, fits in neatly as the middle child in the Chromecast family: it can stream 4K HDR with Dolby Vision, making it better than the basic Chromecast, but isn’t capable of streaming games like the Chromecast Ultra. It’s not as good a deal in the UK or Australia – especially when you can get an Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K for £49 / AU$69 – but the price is still lower than, say, the Android TV-based Nvidia Shield that costs nearly three times as much. In terms of price, you’re looking at $49 / £59 / AU$99, which makes it $20 more than the Chromecast (3rd Gen) and $20 less than the Chromecast Ultra. The Chromecast with Google TV is available in three colors (Snow White, Sunrise Peach and Sky Blue) starting on Septemin the US, and is available to pre-order on the Google Store in the UK, Australia, Canada and most of mainland Europe.

The new middle-child of Google’s Chromecast lineup.Available in the US since September 30, 2020.

Google chromecast setup help line