Google has a bit of a battle ahead of them with their "TV Streamer 4K", which, by the way, is a pretty poor name and is just the end of a long line of misleading and bizarre naming conventions for this particular part of the business. First of all, there's already a plethora of apps, all the ones you need, in pretty much every TV from LG, Samsung, Sony - you name it, but those who don't use them usually have an Apple TV - or a Chromecast. TV Streamer 4K also has Chromecast built in, but Google has decided to distance itself from that particular name - for whatever reason.
Fortunately, behind these strange marketing decisions is a product that is far simpler to understand and love. First of all, this new, redesigned device costs £99, which is about 30% less than an equivalent Apple TV 4K, and the hardware is uninspired to say the least. Google has largely retained the same remote control they launched with the latest "Chromecast with Google TV" product, and that's actually pretty key good news. It's small, subtle, functional and features all the rounded, pleasing lines that once defined Google's hardware design principles. It works to the letter, with neat shortcuts to Netflix and YouTube and easy-to-understand icons that make it extremely easy for anyone to understand.
It's the device itself that has received the wider redesign and the final look is downright striking. It looks like a conference call speaker from the future and is almost impossibly thin. It's meant to be placed under the TV, or on the TV stand, where it will come decidedly close to looking downright beautiful. There's Ethernet on the back, as well as USB-C for power and regular HDMI, and it's all easy to understand. It's also worth really emphasising a brilliant extra feature, which is that there's a little button on the back of the device and if you press it, your remote control emits so it's easy to find - brilliant.
Technically, this little streaming box offers 4K with HDR Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos sound, 32GB of space and 4GB of RAM - twice as much as the latest Chromecast from Google. Combined with a more modern SoC, and you should have a streamer here from Google that stays speedy for longer. First of all, both Google Assistant (or Gemini) works really well for voice commands, and the redesigned Home app actually makes it quite nice to control key functions in smart homes via the TV.
Overall, there are a number of small quirks, such as Google Photos wallpapers, notifications and video from a Google doorbell (or any other associated with Google Home) and stupid Gemini-generated AI wallpapers (which suck).
So, is it better than a cheaper Chromecast, which is still sold by Google? Or better than an Nvidia Shield? It's hard to answer, but what Google has done is design an interface, a remote control, a feature set and paradigm that works for anyone, really anyone. This is the friendliest way to use a smart TV on the market, I'm pretty sure, and combined with Gemini, Home integration and all the other great features, this is another victory for Google, who are on a bit of a hardware renaissance.