David Imel / Android Authority
TL; DR
- The specs of the upcoming cheaper Chromecast have been leaked thanks to a firmware build.
- It confirms the official name of Google’s new streaming dongle and also reveals hardware details.
- The device could solve one of the biggest problems of the current 4K Chromecast.
The specs of the upcoming Google Chromecast streaming dongle have been leaked, thanks to a firmware check from developer Kuba Wojciechowski. After seeing leaked photos of the device last week, new information reveals the meat of the matter, namely the hardware and software details and official branding of the new Chromecast.
The build I got is from July and most likely the same one that will be pre-installed on the device. Based on Android 12 with Google TV. It also endorses the “Chromecast HD” branding. pic.twitter.com/KHL02I9uRW
According to Wojciechowski’s findings, the cheaper Chromecast coming soon will be called “Chromecast HD”. This is because it only supports 1080p streaming instead of 4K as before. Chromecast with Google TV. However, the new model will also carry the Google TV user interface.
The existing Chromecast with Google TV has one major flaw that the new model can fix.
The good news is that the new Chromecast software is based on Android 12. The 4K Chromecast with Google TV is still stuck on Android 10 two years after its launch. This is because it has one major flaw – limited storage. The device only has 8GB of internal storage making it impossible to upgrade the operating system and also has enough space for new apps and app updates. Not to mention the cached data that apps create over time. It’s hard for Google to even make regular security updates to the device because of the small storage space.
No more storage problems?
Apparently the so-called Chromecast HD can fix this problem. Wojciechowski reports that the device will support A/B updates. These updates, also called seamless updates, stream new software to A/B devices, eliminating the need to download the package before installing it. Flow means that the device does not need to have enough free space to store the update package.
Therefore, even if the new Chromecast comes with a limited amount of storage, it may continue to support future system updates. Android 13 and beyond. However, Wojciechowski also states that the upcoming dongle has 1.5GB of RAM instead of 2GB in 4K Chromecast. This may deter future Android updates because Google requires devices to already have at least 2GB of RAM to support Android 13. However, this restriction may not apply to the following. Android TV devices.
At a minimum, the new A/B update system should provide timely security updates and bug fixes by Google. We’ll have to wait and see how the rest of the major Android updates turn out.
Incidentally, the firmware accessed by Wojciechowski also includes a remote control scheme that looks identical to the remote that comes with the current Chromecast. It also reveals that the new HD broadcaster will have Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity.
