Joe Maring / Android Authority
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The Google TV Streamer was a big swing when it arrived in 2024, marking the end of the company’s Chromecast legacy. It not only dropped the Chromecast name, but also delivered a much more premium experience.
I’ve personally owned Google’s latest streamer for all but the first six months of the product’s lifecycle, and while it’s not perfect, I’ve mostly enjoyed the experience. Of course, two years is a long time in the tech world. While there are rumors that a new model could eventually surface in the not-too-distant future, the bigger question isn’t just how well the hardware holds up. Is the Google TV Streamer line actually an improvement over the company’s older strategy? Honestly, I’m still not fully certain.
With this in mind, I wanted to take a look at what the Google TV Streamer gets right as both a brand and as a hardware product, while also touching on what I’d like to see from Google in the future.
Is Google TV Streamer worth buying two years later?
54 votes
What Google TV Streamer gets right, even two years later
Hadlee Simons / Android Authority
Let’s start by focusing on how the Google TV Streamer’s experience has changed over the years. While Google hasn’t massively overhauled the UI since it first arrived, it has certainly introduced some noticeable changes.
Not only can you now add customized content recommendations around the streaming platforms you actually watch, but pairing Bluetooth headphones has also become much easier compared to older versions of Google TV. Those who prefer Roku’s cleaner UI will also be happy that Google added a “apps only mode” that essentially turns the UI into something that’s much closer to Roku’s plain, apps-focused interface.
Even more importantly, Google TV…