Google is working on an upgraded Google TV Streamer box with several hardware upgrades, according to 9to5Google.
Amazon recently upgraded its Fire TV 4K Stick, while Apple is rumored to launch a new Apple TV 4K within days. Google also appears to be gearing up to upgrade its Google TV Streamer, which replaced the Chromecast with Google TV devices.
-“The big upgrade is the presence of microphones on the Google TV Streamer itself. There are cutouts on the slanted, pill-shaped surface that will listen for “Hey Google” commands. Another new hardware feature is presence sensing,” reports 9to5Google.
The presence sensor could serve as a smart home component. For example, TCL uses presence sensing to automatically activate screensavers on its Google TVs.
Faster chip, more storage
The new Google TV Streamer is expected to retain largely the same design, albeit with a slightly narrower profile. The remote will feature additional buttons for sponsored apps.
According to 9to5Google’s sources, the new model will also feature a faster chip and more than the 32GB of storage offered by the current version. The existing model relies on the aging, relatively slow MediaTek MT8696 chip.
It will run Google TV but no new software features were highlighted. Most recently, Google has added Gemini AI features, Matter over Thread for smart home controls and wireless audio pairing with Google Home Speakers. However, these already work with the current version of the box.
It already supports 4K, HDR10, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.
It remains unclear when the new Google TV Streamer will launch and at what price. Google recently increased the price of its streaming box.
- Source: 9to5Google
