Streaming devices are one part of the consumer tech market that has been truly ravaged by ongoing component shortages, which have pushed up prices on everything from smartphones to consoles and desktop PCs.
Both Roku and Amazon have pumped up the prices of their flagship streaming sticks in the past few months, and now, Google is following suit.
Google’s TV Streamer now costs $150, a full 50% price hike from when it debuted in September 2024, replacing the Chromecast. Some third-party retailers like Best Buy have already bumped the price up 50%, though you can still find the 4K model for just over $100 on Amazon at the time of writing if you act quickly.
Unlike its competitors, Google didn’t announce the reason behind the move.
Why Google’s Streaming Stick is no longer a cheap option
Roku and Amazon now provide similar value
Until Google’s recent price hike, it had a solid edge on comparable mid-range streaming devices like the Roku Ultra and Amazon Fire TV — but no longer.
2024’s Roku Ultra currently retails at $150, putting it neck-and-neck with the Google TV Streamer in terms of price.
Both devices support up to 4K resolution at 60fps, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and Dolby Atmos audio. The Roku Ultra has Wi-Fi 6, however, giving it the edge when it comes to connectivity. Roku is light on marketing numbers, but the figures exist: the Ultra ships with 2GB of RAM and 4GB of storage, compared with the Google TV Streamer’s 4GB and 32GB. But that’s where the big difference kicks in: Google’s box has double the memory and eight times the storage, though in practice most people will hit the ad load before they hit the storage ceiling on either device.
The Amazon Fire TV Cube currently retails at $200, making it a slightly pricier option. It offers broadly the same specs as the Google TV Streamer, but has built-in microphones, meaning you can use Alexa to control it without getting off the couch. The Fire Cube also supports Wi-Fi 6E, meaning it offers the fastest connectivity of the bunch if you have a modern enough router to support it. Its integrations with other Amazon smart home devices like Ring or Echo could also be a deal-breaker for some, depending on their existing hardware ecosystems.
Is Walmart’s Onn 4K Pro the real winner?
Same platform, half the price
For my money, the Walmart Onn 4K Pro at just $59.98 is the better option. Despite offering much the same feature set as the Google TV Streamer, it now costs a fraction of the price.
The Onn 4K Pro runs Google TV, giving you the exact same software platform as Google’s own Chromecast and Google TV Streamer, just with different hardware. This means you’ll get the exact same interface, including access to the Google Play Store and some Gemini AI features.
Its under-the-hood specs also compare surprisingly well. The Onn 4K Pro offers 32GB of storage and 3GB RAM, just 1GB less RAM than the TV Streamer, despite its much slimmer price tag, meaning you shouldn’t fall for dreaded advertising lag too often!
- Brand
-
Onn
- Operating System
-
GoogleTV
- Downloadable Apps
-
Google Play
- Resolution
-
4K
- Ports
-
USB-C
- RAM/storage
-
2GB RAM/16GB storage
The Onn 4K Plus Streaming Box is a budget-friendly media player offering premium features for $30. Powered by an advanced Amlogic processor, it features 16GB storage, Wi-Fi 6, USB-C, and Google TV 14. With native Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos support, it delivers exceptional 4K performance that rivals expensive streaming devices.