For months, we've been hearing about a new Chromecast device. Rumor had it that the new dongle would be a less expensive version of the existing Chromecast with Google TV, capped at 1080p and offered at the rock-bottom price of just 30 bucks. Today, Google has confirmed the gossip: the Chromecast with Google TV (HD) is, in fact, a 1080p edition of the streaming dongle we've been using for the past two years, offered at a lower price point. There aren't many surprises here — except that the device is available for purchase starting today.
The original Chromecast with Google TV is a great streaming device at a competitive price point, but with an MSRP of $50, it's never quite been able to match the affordability of the original Chromecast, which hit the market nearly a decade ago at $35. For $30, the new Chromecast with Google TV (HD) offers everything legacy Chromecast devices did, plus a robust TV interface and a pretty great remote to navigate it with. Unlike the 4K version, though, the new HD Chromecast is only available in a single colorway — white (or Snow, as Google calls it). The new lower-end version also loses Dolby Vision support, but considering it's meant to be used with older and smaller TVs, that probably won't affect many buyers. It does still support HDR10 and HDR10+.
This is the 4K version, but you wouldn't know that by looking at it.
At a glance, the new 1080p Chromecast is indistinguishable from the existing 4K version. It's the same form factor with the same single USB-C port, and the same remote (featuring the same dedicated Netflix and YouTube buttons). Under the hood, though, it's running Android 12 — though the software experience will be more or less identical to what's available on Google TV based on Android 11. More importantly, the new unit supports AV1 decoding, which should translate to data savings when streaming video. It'll be available in more places than the 4K version, too — while the older Chromecast with Google TV is offered in just a dozen regions, the new 1080p model is available in 19 countries today "with more regions coming soon."
The Chromecast with Google TV (HD) is available starting today for $30 in the US. If you've got a sub-4K display that could use a smart TV refresh, it should be right up your alley.