Aficionados and journalists can sometimes skew your view of how the average person treats technology. I say this because if you follow a lot of YouTube channels and news sites — Pocket-lint included — you might get the impression the majority of people are upgrading their smartphones every year or two, and swapping out laptops and tablets just a little less frequently. The reality is that a lot of shoppers hold onto devices as long as possible, whether to save money or because they see no need to change things up. Had I known there would be so little difference, I might've kept my iPhone 13 a little longer rather than upgrade to an iPhone 16 Pro.
Along those lines, some people keep their smart TVs and media streamers as long as they can instead of chasing the latest specs. If you want to embrace that philosophy, here's a quick primer on how long you can expect Google TV devices to last — including not just dedicated sets, but Google's Streamer and Chromecast add-ons.
How long does Google TV hardware last?
Largely good news for everyone
There's no hard ceiling on how long a Chromecast or Google TV Streamer might run barring defects. The Streamer is too new to have meaningful data on that point, and a few people are successfully keeping 2013 Chromecasts alive. Chances are, if your device shipped in 2020 or later, it still has several years ahead of it.
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