The original Google Chromecast had been announced back in July 2013. This was a major surprise back then considering it was an extremely capable streaming device and it was priced at only $35 at launch. That little dongle was around until September last year when the company introduced the second-gen Google Chromecast along with the Chromecast Audio. The 2nd-gen Chromecast was an evolutionary upgrade to the original, and the company has announced the third iteration of this device today during their press event in San Francisco. That being said, let’s take a closer look at what Google Chromecast has to offer in the specs department.
The all-new Google Chromecast is called the ‘Chromecast Ultra‘, and yes, it offers 4K streaming. The device is coming in November, and it will be quite a bit more expensive than its predecessors, this device will cost $69. This device is actually quite similar to last year’s Chromecast in terms of sheer design, you wouldn’t even be able to tell the difference if Google didn’t include the ‘G’ logo on this year’s model. In any case, the Chromecast Ultra is quite a bit more capable in the speed and connectivity department, as already mentioned, it offers 4K streaming, and it has a processor which is 1.8x faster than the one included in the 2nd-gen Chromecast. This device also comes with integrated Ethernet through the connector. That is more or less all the info Google has shared, we’ll report back once Google releases more info.
The 3rd-gen Google Chromecast is not a huge upgrade over its sibling which landed last year, but it sure is worth it if you’re streaming lots of content, especially 4K content. In any case, this is a nice upgrade over the original, and those of you who really need the 4K streaming feature will surely jump on this offer, even though the Chromecast Ultra is considerably more expensive than its predecessor. That being said, be sure to check out our Google Pixel and Pixel XL coverage from today, and it’s also worth mentioning that Google talked more about the Google Home speaker and their Daydream VR headset today, so check those out as well if you’re interested.
UPDATE: The Google Chromecast Ultra weighs 47 grams, while its adapter weighs 101 grams. The device measures 58.20 x 58.20 x 13.70mm, while it comes with HDMI, Micro USB and Ethernet ports. This device is also equipped with Wi-Fi 802.11ac (2.4GHz / 5GHz), and supports device powered by the following OS’: Android 4.1 and higher, iOS 8 and higher, Mac OS X 10.9 and higher and Windows 7 and higher.
