The Google TV Streamer is here, and as expected, it's more like the Apple TV 4K (2022) than the Chromecast with Google TV that it replaces, as a more standalone box.
The Google TV Streamer looks good, has an impressive specification, and is priced very aggressively – but how does it compare to its key rival, the Apple TV 4K, and does it look like a better buy, based on what we know so far? Let's dig into the details.
Google TV Streamer vs Apple TV 4K: price and release date
- Google TV Streamer is $99.99
- Apple TV 4K starts from $129
- Apple TV 4K is out now, Google TV Streamer launches in September 2024
The new Google TV Streamer is $99.99 (about £78 / AU$150). Pre-orders are open from August 6, 2024, and deliveries begin on September 24, 2024.
The Apple TV 4K (2022) has been available since, yes, 2022 and costs $129 / £149 / AU$219 for the 64GB model and $149 / £169 / AU$249 for the 128GB model, which also has Ethernet and Thread smart home support.
Google TV Streamer vs Apple TV 4K: design
- New tabletop design for Google's streamer
- Apple's box is bigger
- Google TV has the better remote by far
The Google TV Streamer is a new design for Google's box, switching from a tiny device that literally hangs off the back of your TV to a wedge shape that sits on a surface, and kind of looks like a wireless charger. It comes in an off-white Porcelain color, or a pale green Hazel that is exclusive to the US Google Store.
Apple's streaming box is a black cuboid, and in some ways is more typical of home theater equipment. It's chunkier than the Google box, though is still very small overall.
Both devices have all their connections on the back, and will require an HDMI connection to your TV, as well as a power connection. The Google TV Streamer has Ethernet on the back; only the more expensive Apple TV model offers this.
The Google TV Streamer also has a redesigned voice remote for Google Assistant with a better button layout and new customizable action button that you can set to launch a favorite app, switch inputs or go to the smart home section. You can also use voice commands (or press a button on the back of the Streamer box) to have your remote make a noise if you've misplaced it.
Apple's remote is a bit more zen-looking and can be a little opaque and frustrating because there are so few controls. It too offers voice search and Find My features.
Google TV Streamer vs Apple TV 4K: features
- Apple TV is more powerful, has faster Wi-Fi, and more storage
- Both deliver 4K HDR at 60fps
- Both are smart home hubs (but only the more expensive Apple TV)
The new Google TV Streamer has a processor that according to Google is 22% faster than before, with double the memory: storage is 32GB. That should mean a significantly smoother experience than the existing Chromecast.
The Apple TV 4K has the A15 Bionic chip, as originally seen in the iPhone 13, which is very powerful for this kind of use. Storage is either 64GB or 128GB.
The Apple TV 4K runs Apple's own tvOS, while Google's runs Google TV. Both platforms deliver the core streaming apps – Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+ and so on – but Google also has a huge collection of hundreds of live streaming TV channels.
The Google TV Streamer supports resolutions of up to 4K HDR at 60 fps, and it's compatible with Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+, HLG, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, and Dolby Atmos.
The Apple TV 4K also streams 4K HDR at up to 60 fps, and supports HDR10+/HDR10/HLG, Dolby Vision, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby Atmos.
The Google TV Streamer is also a smart home hub with support for Matter and Google Home, with a Thread router built in and the Google Home Panel built in. Apple's box has Thread too, but only in the most expensive 128GB model.
Google's streamer has dual-band Wi-Fi to 802.11ac and Bluetooth 5.1. Its HDMI connector is HDMI 2.1, and it also has USB-C and 10/100/1000Mbps Ethernet.
The Apple TV 4K has two versions, one with gigabit Ethernet and one without. The Wi-Fi here is up to Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) and Bluetooth is 5.0. The HDMI connector is HDMI 2.1 with eARC and Quick Media Switching.
You can stream to the Google TV Streamer using Chromecast, or to the Apple TV 4K using AirPlay 2. The Apple TV 4K supports seamless switching to listen to your TV's sound via the best AirPods, including head-tracked spatial sudio support.
The Google TV Streamer has Google's Gemini AI assistant to provide summaries, reviews and synopses of shows. Apple TV 4K has the current (non-AI) version of Siri; there's no official date for when the smart Apple Intelligence-powered version of Siri, as seen in iOS 18, will arrive on tvOS – and if it does, whether it will work on existing models.
Both streaming devices can turn your TV into a gallery when you're not watching something: they can display your Google or Apple photo libraries respectively. Apple has a selection of animated photographic screensavers and Google offers AI-generated, one-of-a-kind screensavers that you can create using voice commands.
Google TV Streamer vs Apple TV 4K: verdict
- Apple has more power and home theater features...
- ...but Google has more free streaming channels
- You've probably picked a side already
Let's assume you haven't already picked a side in the Apple vs Android market and you don't already have a library of bought entertainment from either company.
In purely hardware terms, the Apple TV 4K is the more powerful device with a better processor, more storage, and some home theater-specific features, and AirPods support.
But the Google TV platform has a large amount of extra free streaming channels, it's much cheaper, Google's remote is better, and the processor and storage improvements mean it should deliver significantly better performance than its predecessor. So all things being equal, it would probably be the better value buy.
But of course, these devices are part of wider ecosystems, and they play most nicely with other parts of the same ecosystem – Apple with Apple hardware and services such as Apple Fitness+ and Apple Arcade, and Google with Google, Nest and Android. That's particularly important if you're interested in the streamer's smart home capabilities, where we think Apple is falling behind.
What that means in effect is that it's not so much a case of picking a device as picking a platform – and that choice will be dictated as much by what kind of phone you have as by how two of the best TV streaming devices compare.
