Chromecast with Google Android TV HD – great smart features at a lower price (AV review)

The Chromecast with Google TV HD offers all the features of its 4K big brother at $59.

Our review Chromecast with Google TV 4K (review) called that device a must-have for many reasons. It adds Google TV (Android TV 11) to any TV with an HDMI port and opens up millions of ‘dumb’ TVs to the world of Netflix, YouTube, Digital local TV stations and thousands of Apps.

Well, Chromecast with Google TV HD is the same, except that being 1080p HD, it does not need as much Wi-Fi bandwidth to stream content and if you have a 4K TV, that automatically upscales it anyway.

Australian Review: Chromecast with Google TV HD

Website	Product page
Price	$59
From	Google Store, JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman, Officeworks, The Good Guys and many other retailers coming soon. Don’t buy a grey market one unless you’ve confirmed it has GA03131-AU on the barcode markings (region locks)
Warranty	12 months
Country of Origin	China
About	Google is that giant company that started with a search engine and is now one of the largest advertising platforms in the world and is behind the Android and Chrome operating systems.
More	Cybershack Google news and reviews

We use Fail (below expectations), Pass (meets expectations) and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. We occasionally give a Pass(able) rating that is not as good as it should be and a Pass ‘+’ rating to show it is good but does not quite make it to Exceed.

You can click on most images for an enlargement.

First Impression – Snow – Pass+

Google has wisely kept the same format at the 4K version – except that it is Snow instead of Sky/Sunrise/Snow. I like the oval-shaped design as it has a flexible HDMI cable connector that is handy to get into hard-to-access ports.

It is powered by a 5V/1.5A/7.5W USB-C charger (inbox), but some recent TVs have 2A USB-A ports, so you can use those too.

The voice remote (with a push button mic) is simple yet quite intuitive as it is just to access the Google TV home screen, so you don’t need a plethora of alpha and numeric buttons. It uses Bluetooth and IR to control the Dongle, TV and soundbar.

Difference between the 4K and HD version

The key difference is that this has HDR10, HDR10+ and HLG but loses Dolby Vision support. It still supports all audio streams – Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby Atmos via HDMI passthrough.

It supports up to 1080p@60fps with HDR.

Setup – easy if you have a Gmail address and Android phone – Pass+

Plug it into power and a spare HDMI port on a 1080p (or 4K) monitor or TV. It will run you through the setup – you need a Google Gmail account. If you have an Android phone, it can use your Gmail account settings.

The remote links via Bluetooth, so it does not need a line of sight to work.

Streaming content – Loads – Exceed

Google TV pre-loads the most popular Australian TV streaming apps YouTube, Netflix, Spotify, Prime Video, Disney+, Stan, YouTube Music, ABC iView, 9Now, 7Plus, SBS OnDemand, and 10 play. There are hundreds more on the Google TV App store. Check before you buy if it has the apps you want, and yes, it has Foxtel, Kayo, Binge, Paramount+ and many more. The chances are that it has everything you need.

And if it does not, it supports 1080p Chromecast, so you can stream from your Android phone.

Google TV is the latest version of Android TV, and It is a nice layout with more intelligence to help recommend based on what you have watched.

Search is also across all installed streaming apps with no favour for a steaming service.

It also supports OK Google, and the searches are not influenced by a store trying to sell you its content. It can act as a Google Assistant Hub for smart home integration.

There is a parental control and the ability to limit it to kid-friendly content via profiles.

Hardware – Pass+

It is HDMI 2.0 ARC, but you are likely using that port to connect a soundbar, so don’t expect it to control TV power, volume, etc. It is Netflix certified as well.

Wi-Fi 5 AC is dual band (866Mbps half-duplex). In tests, it will stream 1080p@60Hz content up to 10 metres from the NETGEAR AX11000 (currently the most powerful router available here).

Bluetooth also connects mono/stereo speakers, game controllers, keyboards and mice.

Reliability – Pass+

Reliability is more about Wi-Fi quality than dongle hardware. We tried over our home network, and it was rock solid. It can also stream music, and it was perfect. Hardware-wise – glitch-free.

We also tested over 4G LTE, and it is better than the 4K version as it does not chew up as much bandwidth – a maximum of 5 Mbps versus 25Mbps for 4K. It won’t use as much data, which makes this ideal for travellers.

Privacy – Pass+

Google has a privacy statement that we have read, and are satisfied that your viewing data is safe. It’s a lot better than other dongles that track and sell your TV viewing habits.

Cybershack view – Chromecast with Google TV HD is great

Chromecast with Google TV HD ticks all the boxes – the widest range of apps, Chromecast, and not trying to sell Google content etc.

This is a better choice if you travel then and use hotel Wi-Fi or 4G mobile.