Recent leaks suggest that Google intends to launch a cheaper Chromecast streaming stick in the near future, and from what we know so far, the cheaper Chromecast will reportedly stream in HD only, and will likely come with a remote.
Now, according to developer Kuba Wojciechowski (@Za_Raczke) on Twitter (via AndroidPolice), who was able to get their hands on the full software build for the new streaming stick, the new Chromecast will reportedly run on Android 12 with Google TV, and will be likely branded as “Chromecast HD” on Google’s store.
The build I obtained is from July and is most likely the same as the one that will be preinstalled on the device. It is based on Android 12 with Google TV. It does also confirm the “Chromecast HD” branding. pic.twitter.com/KHL02I9uRW
— kamila 🌸🏳️⚧️ (@Za_Raczke) September 12, 2022
Furthermore, according to Wojciechowski, the stick will feature Amlogic’s S805X2 CPU with AV1 decoding and 1.5GB RAM, down from the 2GB RAM found in the 4K Chromecast, which should result in either a trade-off in terms of features or lower performance.
Furthermore, according to Google’s recent GMS update, any device featuring less than 2GB of RAM would not be able to update to Android 13, and that seems to be the case for the new budget Chromecast.
On the connectivity side of things, the upcoming Chromecast relies on the NXP 88W8987 chipset for dual-band Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity, and for updates, the Chromecast HD will support A/B updates, which, according to Wojciechowski will allow the update to be directly streamed to the stick’s virtual partitions instead of being downloaded to its storage.
The firmware also has a diagram of a remote that is similar – or maybe identical – to the one from the 4K model. pic.twitter.com/J5Fm2LbZbI
— kamila 🌸🏳️⚧️ (@Za_Raczke) September 12, 2022
While we are not entirely certain when and if Google will release the new Chromecast HD, its fall Pixel 7 event seems to be the right time and place to do it.
Source: @Za_Raczke, via AndroidPolice
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