Source: Google plans to launch a second-gen Chromecast Ultra dongle later this year, based on Android TV, with 4K HDR support and a standalone remote
According to a reliable source familiar with the company's plans, Google is planning to launch a second-generation Chromecast Ultra this year based on Android TV.
Context & Ripple Effects
The Chromecast Ultra has been a cast-only device since its debut — the 2016 reporting pegged it at $69 with 4K support but no way to navigate content without a phone. This report says Google is rebuilding it on Android TV with a standalone remote, turning an accessory into a full streaming interface.
That direction is what eventually shipped: the Chromecast with Google TV (HD) arrived in 2022 with a remote at $30, alongside a $50 4K model — below the original Ultra's price. By 2024, leaked images of the pill-shaped Google TV Streamer showed Google planning to retire the dongle form factor entirely.
First-order effects
- Buyers of the new Ultra get native app navigation via the bundled remote instead of casting from a phone, making the device a primary TV interface rather than a cast target.
- Moving the Ultra onto Android TV puts Google's own 4K dongle on the same software base as partner TVs, ending the split between cast-only Chromecasts and Android TV devices.
Second-order effects
- A remote-equipped Ultra competes head-on with Google's cheaper cast-only sticks, pressuring the lineup toward consolidation — which is exactly where the 2022 $30/$50 Chromecast with Google TV pricing landed.
- Bundling a remote raises the bill of materials versus a pure cast dongle, so Google has to justify the premium through the Android TV interface rather than 4K alone, since the first-gen Ultra already offered 4K at $69.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern holds, Google's streaming hardware converges on one Android TV-based product line with a remote — culminating in the set-top-box Google TV Streamer that replaces the dongle shape altogether.
- The standalone remote becomes table stakes for Google's TV strategy, aligning its first-party hardware with the Android TV ecosystem it licenses to TV makers.
The trend: Google's streaming hardware is evolving from cast-only dongles toward full Android TV interfaces with remotes, ultimately consolidating into a single set-top box.