Google Looking to Launch New Budget Chromecast
Google Chromecast is a great little digital media device for making your TV smarter. It’s been around since 2013 and the latest generation, the Chromecast with Google TV, was released towards the end of 2020.
With each generation having an average lifespan of around 2 years, rumours are beginning to circulate that a new and cheaper Chromecast is in the works.
For years, the devices were much of a muchness until Google started offering more expensive premium devices like the Chromecast Ultra and Chromecast with Google TV. This rumoured device is expected to be a low-end and cheaper model to combat the chip shortage and threats from Google’s competitors.
Improved Storage
Users are hoping for improved storage as the current generation only includes 8GB for the whole OS and your apps. For most of us, that’s nowhere near enough.
The 2022 Chromecast is rumoured to come with 64GB of storage and there are even mentions of 128GB, but the latter may be a little too optimistic of a jump in storage capacity.
Limited Resolution
Supposedly, this new Chromecast is codenamed “Boreal” and, keeping in line with the current generation, could be dubbed the Chromecast HD with Google TV.
It’s supposed to be a low-end version of the device limited to a maximum resolution of 1080P, but it is said that it will come with a remote.
The Price
Google’s Chromecasts have always been fairly inexpensive devices and most have retailed for $35. However, the Chromecast Ultra and current-gen Chromecast with Google TV retailed for $69 and $49.99 respectively.
The “Boreal”, or Chromecast HD with Google TV (if they decide to stick to the current naming convention), is likely to retail for around $40 due to its limited specs and the availability of similarly-priced devices from Amazon and Roku.
When Will Google Announce It?
As these are just rumours, we can’t be sure when Google will announce it. In the past, they’ve announced hardware in October through a dedicated event like last year’s Pixel 6 event.
In the meantime, we’ll just have to keep our ears to the ground for more updates.