Chromecast with Google TV in the test: Better than the Fire TV Stick 4K Max?

The Chromecast with Google TV is the fourth generation of the streaming player and has been on the market since 2020. With a retail price of around 60 euros, the latest Chromecast variant is in the mid-range price range – i.e. more expensive than the budget devices from Roku and the Fire TV Stick Lite, but significantly cheaper than the Apple TV and Fire TV Cube set-top boxes.

Within the Chromecast device line, the majority of which are no longer available as new, the Chromecast with Google TV stands out with a significantly larger hard drive for apps and data, expanded working memory and the highest image quality with 4K-UHD, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision.

setup and connection

The scope of delivery includes a USB-C charging cable with power supply, a remote control including batteries and the somewhat bulky streaming dongle itself. Thanks to the flexible HDMI connection, the latter can be easily attached to the desired connection on the TV or receiver despite its bulkiness.

With the Internet you connect the Chromecast with Google TV via your home WLAN. If you prefer a connection via LAN cable for your Chromecast, this is also fundamentally possible – but you will need an Ethernet adapter. This is available in the Google store for around 20 euros.

The use of the personalized Google TV user interface on the Chromecast is only possible to a very limited extent without a Google account: Essential functions such as the Google Assistant, the Play media library and even the installation of apps are only activated if you are logged in with your Google account .

And even with an existing Google account, setting up the Chromecast with Google TV takes quite a while – so the cumbersome setup is a huge barrier for plug-and-play fans or people with limited digital skills.

use

Once set up, the handy remote control that comes with the device enables you to navigate as smoothly and pleasantly intuitively as possible via the Google TV user interface. Similar to the relatively shamelessly copied Apple TV, the users’ favorite streaming services and their content are bundled here:

Films and series from Netflix, Disney+ and Prime Video are offered to you relatively intelligently in such a way that you don’t necessarily have to click through to the depths of each app yourself. You can also activate the Google Assistant using the voice button on the remote control and ask about your target content.

Chromecast with Google TV in pictures

Pictures of testing the Chromecast with Google TV

But no matter how user-friendly the Google TV interface may be – the big disappointment is not long in coming: important apps such as the Sky streaming service Wow and Sky Q cannot be installed as a native app, which makes the device an absolute must for many users in Germany flop makes. The Chromecast-typical option of screen mirroring from third-party devices doesn’t really help either.

If it doesn’t necessarily have to be Sky services, the Chromecast with Google TV but with apps from Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, DAZN, Waipu.tv, Zattoo, Joyn, RTL+ and MagentaTV has a gratifyingly large selection of national and international streaming offers up your sleeve.

Technology

From a purely technical point of view, the Chromecast with Google TV is flawlessly equipped: 4K UHD streaming at 60 fps, plus image optimization at the highest level with HDR10+ – the mid-range device doesn’t have to hide here, even if it’s several years old. With Dolby Atmos, a high sound standard is also supported.

The hard drive storage of around 8 gigabytes (GB) is just as sufficient as the main memory of 2 GB. This is a significant increase compared to the previous models, which can largely be described as obsolete and are only available on the used market or as residual items.

Chromecast with Google TV or Fire TV Stick 4K Max?

The decision for or against the Chromecast with Google TV essentially depends on whether you want to integrate the streaming platform into a smart home environment. If you use Amazon devices from the Echo series with the voice assistant Alexa at home, you should probably use a Fire TV Stick 4K or 4K Max.

Because even if most device types from different manufacturers can now also interact with those of the competition, it is much more convenient and therefore makes more sense to rely on a closed system with few outliers.

This means: If your smart living environment is based on Google Home and Google Nest and you speak more to the Google Assistant than to Alexa anyway, the Chromecast with Google TV is the logical choice.

Unless you’re a smart home hobbyist and don’t plan to be anytime soon, choosing between Chromecast and Fire TV is largely a matter of taste. While Google TV has a much cleaner user interface than Fire TV, essential streaming apps like Wow and Sky Q are missing on the Chromecast.

Google Chromecast with Google TV

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Google Chromecast with Google TV: The Best Alternatives

Don’t you agree? Are you looking for suitable alternatives? Below are the best Google Chromecast with Google TV alternatives.

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Google Chromecast with Google TV: data sheet

Here you can find the technical data for Google Chromecast with Google TV. You can easily compare size, weight and other properties with other products.

Type	Stick
connections	HDMI, USB-C
Internal memory	no information
maximum resolution	4K
image formats	no information
sound formats	no information
Netflix app available?	✔ Yes
Amazon Prime Video app available?	✔ Yes
Disney+ available?	✔ Yes
receive linear television	✔ Yes
games	✔ Yes
browsers	✘ no
remote control included?	✔ Yes