Rita says: Buy it
""
Google TV Streamer (4K)
by Google
$99.99
View on AmazonWe may earn a small commission if you buy through this link — it doesn't cost you anything extra.
Rita's Full Review
Right, if your TV's built-in menus are slow, cluttered, or just plain confusing, this little box sorts all of that out.
You plug it into the back of your TV with one cable, and suddenly all your streaming services -- Netflix, YouTube, PBS, whatever you use -- appear in one clean, organized screen. The search is genuinely clever: say what you want to watch out loud and it finds it across every app you have.
It runs noticeably faster than the apps built into most TVs. No more waiting ten seconds for Netflix to load. The remote is small and simple with a proper button for Google Assistant, so you can just ask it to play something instead of typing with that painful on-screen keyboard.
It also doubles as a smart home hub, so if you have Google smart speakers or Nest cameras, it ties them together nicely.
The picture quality goes up to 4K with Dolby Vision -- that's the sharpest, most lifelike image your TV can show -- which is excellent.
My only gripe: no hands-free voice control. You have to press the button on the remote first.
What Rita liked
- Puts all your streaming apps in one clean, easy-to-navigate screen -- much better than most TV menus
- Voice search works across every app at once -- just say what you want to watch
- Doubles as a smart home hub for Google Nest devices -- cameras, speakers, and lights
- 32GB of storage means plenty of room for apps without constantly deleting things
What could be better
- No hands-free voice control -- you must press the remote button to talk to Google Assistant
- Wi-Fi 5 rather than Wi-Fi 6 -- it works fine, but it's not the latest wireless standard
- At $99 it's pricier than a basic Fire TV Stick, though the interface is much better
Key Specifications
| 4K HDR streaming with Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HDR10+ support | |
| Google TV interface with cross-app voice search via remote | |
| 32GB storage, 2GB RAM; processor 22% faster than previous Chromecast | |
| Built-in Ethernet port, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.1, HDMI 2.1 | |
| Matter and Thread smart home hub built in; works with Google Home ecosystem |