Google Chromecast 4K: Release date, rumours and everything you need to know

Google’s Chromecast is going 4K.

It’s been a year since Google updated Chromecast by releasing Chromecast 2 with a new design, improved internals, and a refreshed app. The Mountain View, CA-based company has likely been developing a third-generation model since then, and according to a recent report, that new device should debut this autumn, and it’ll bring support for 4K streams. Here’s everything we know about Google’s upcoming dongle.

Google Chromecast: What is it?

Google launched the first Chromecast in 2013. It’s an affordable HDMI dongle that lets you wirelessly “cast” content to a television. It basically makes most TVs smart. Then, in 2015, Google launched Chromecast 2. It’s faster, more responsive, and just as affordable. And it arrived with an updated Chromecast app that serves as a one-stop shop for finding compatible apps and specific content across those apps.

For more information on Chromecast, see Pocket-lint’s review of Chromecast 2.

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• What is Google Chromecast and why should you care?
• Roku Streaming Stick vs Google Chromecast
• Amazon Fire TV Stick vs Google Chromecast vs Roku Streaming Stick

Google Chromecast 4K: What is it?

Android Police has claimed that Google will soon invited the media to a hardware launch event. At this event, Google will announce two new Pixel smartphones, an updated 4K-capable Chromecast, a Daydream virtual reality device, and more details on its Amazon Echo-like Google Home speaker. Google might call its new Chromecast 4K the “Chromecast Plus” or “Chromecast Ultra”.

Google was reportedly going to launch a 4K version of the Chromecast in autumn 2015, but it instead released Chromecast 2 with a new disc-shaped design. It also released a Chromecast Audio device, which basically makes most speakers smart by allowing you to wirelessly “cast” audio content from a Chromecast-enabled app to a speaker connected to Chromecast Audio.

Google Chromecast 4K: What will it feature?

Chromecast 4K should support 4K Ultra HD content for the benefit of consumers that have upgraded to TV sets that support 4K content. If Google adds support for 4K to its HDMI dongle, it would beat both Amazon Fire TV Stick and Roku Stick, both of which are similar HDMI dongles, but they don’t yet support 4K content. Apple’s fourth-generation Apple TV box doesn’t even support 4K.

We don’t yet know what else Chromecast 4K might feature. Keep in mind Chromecast 2 was updated to be compatible with 5GHz Wi-Fi networks, and it comes with three radios rather than a single-band Wi-Fi antenna, so you experience less interference than you do with the original Chromecast on a 2.4GHz network. It’ll therefore be interesting to see how else Chromecast 4K can be improved over Chromecast 2.

Google Chromecast 4K: What will it look like?

We don’t yet know what Chromecast 4K might look like, but Google just drastically switched up the design last year with the release of Chromecast 2. While the first Chromecast looks like a basic USB stick, Chromecast 2 has an all-new look, with the purpose of making it easier to squeeze between ports behind your TV. It’s a small, plastic, hockey-puck-shaped device with a glossy and colourful front and matte bottom.

Google Chromecast 4K: When will it be available?

Google will supposedly announce the updated 4K-capable Chromecast at a hardware-focused event on 4 October. If that’s true, we expect the device to be available for purchase either immediately or shortly after.

Google Chromecast 4K: How much will it cost?

Google currently sells the current-generation of Chromecast and Chromecast Audio for £30 ($35) each. It is unknown whether the 4K version of Chromecast will cost more.

Want to know more?

Browse Pocket-lint’s Chromecast hub for the latest and breaking news.