Chromecast with Google TV (2020) Review

It’s no secret that Smart TVs can be downright dull-witted. More and more, a Netflix button is the standard for intelligence in the television realm. But if you're after something actually clever, you the new Chromecast can easily educate your TV.

Google’s newest Chromecast is a far cry from previous iterations of the device. While it's always been a nifty gadget, allowing you to wirelessly project content from your handheld device to a larger screen, its Google TV integration makes this device all that you need to significantly upgrade your television.

Where you used to need to browse apps on your phone and cast your content to the TV, the new Chromecast is more of a smart TV expansion pack. Thin, the size of your palm, portable, and available in blue, pink or white matte the device is anything but intrusive. Equipped with an adorable remote control, the size of two fingers, you can control all the basic needs of your television and viewing experiences through the tiny trigger.

The control has just ten functions; directional buttons, select, back, Google Assistant, home, mute, YouTube, Netflix, power, source and two volume toggles on the side. It is incredibly simple, and the kind of remote that I would love to give to my not-so-tech-savvy mum. You really need to try to mess something up with this baby.

To sync the remote with your TV you’ll need to know the brand of TV that you have, and that brand be available in the selection screen. My lovely, and obscure Linsar television was not available but since I know it is produced by the same people who make Hisense I used that option instead and it worked. My hunch is that most other off-brand devices could probably select the overarching manufacturer to some success, but I wasn’t able to test this. All I know is that it worked for me.

Set up, from unboxing to playing a show took a grand total of 15 minutes, which would have been shorter had I not installed almost every available app to the platform. You’ll use your phone and the remote in tandem during the initial set up, but after that your small screen can be used freely rather than being a hub for casting from.

Once you’re in, the home screen acts as a hub for your subscription services, consolidating suggested content from all of your selected services as well as some spicy Google related recommendations. I love this. All of my dark, twisty dramas and ridiculous rom-coms from across Disney+, Netflix, Stan, Amazon Prime and what’s available from Google Play are nestled side by side. No need to scour through to see which streaming service has what I want - they’re all right there.

Of course you can still toggle between your streaming services on the main screen, but being able to see all of my suggested content in one place is just convenient. There are also recommendations based on Google Search Trends which - as someone who deals with the great Google Algorithm - tickles me in all the right ways.

Picture and audio quality are also excellent, with the Chromecast supporting 4K, Dolby Vision, and HDR for those with fancy models. Importantly, you no longer experience the kind of quality degradation that could impact previous models (understandably, given the data has to wireless get from your phone to your TV).   

My TV has a built-in traditional Chromecast, and the quality comparison between the two is stark. Eliminating the need for that extra data exchange has led to a better overall viewing experience.

One thing that always sits slightly off-kilt for me is that Chromecasts still need to be plugged into a wall. While it begs to reason that it requires a significant amount of power to work, it’s such a small device that having a cord and a wall plug seems off. Powered by a USB to USB C cord, I did try to trick the blue beauty by plugging it directly into the TV. Alas, Google met me with a politely designed screen that almost screamed “hah, nice try!” Maybe next year though?

Chromecast with Google TV - Final thoughts

The new Chromecast with Google TV is an absolute delight and a massive improvement from older generations. It is the epitome of simple, elegant design and user interface. For just under $100 it is an easy, effective and affordable way to upgrade your TV.

Anula Wiwatowska

Offsite Editorial Lead | Instagram

Anula is the Off-Site Editorial Lead for WhistleOut Australia, and an award winning tech journalist. She has been writing about the Australian telco industry, and consumer technology for over five years, and has been known to tell her Uber driver which phone they should upgrade to next.

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