Google TV Streamer vs Onn 4K Pro: A Comparative Review

The world of streaming devices has expanded significantly with the introduction of Google TV streamers and the Onn 4K Pro. Both devices promise to bring a seamless viewing experience, but which one should you choose? In this article, we'll delve into the features, performance, and pricing of both devices to help you make an informed decision.

The Experience: A Tale of Two Devices

So, what's the experience like on both devices? The answer is surprisingly similar. Both the Onn 4K Pro and the Google TV streamer offer a robust streaming experience with minimal lag and smooth playback. The remote control is equally impressive, with features such as a remote finder that makes it easy to locate the device. For instance, the Onn 4K Pro has a remote finder feature, while the Google TV streamer also boasts this convenient feature. These similarities make it challenging to distinguish between the two devices.

The Smart Home Panel: A Shared Feature

Another feature that's shared by both devices is the smart home panel on the home screen. This feature allows you to control and manage your smart home devices with ease. However, what sets the Google TV streamer apart is its inclusion of AI-generated ambient art as a screen saver option. This feature uses machine learning algorithms to generate unique and dynamic artwork that can be used instead of traditional screensavers.

The Price Difference: A Make-or-Break Decision

One major difference between the two devices is their pricing. The Onn 4K Pro retails for $50, while the Google TV streamer costs $100. While this may seem like a significant price gap, it's essential to consider the long-term implications of your purchase. If you're looking for a device that will receive regular software updates and support from Google, the $50 difference becomes negligible.

Brand Loyalty: A Reason to Choose Google

As a brand snob when it comes to streaming devices, I trust Google more than other manufacturers. I believe that Google is more likely to prioritize software updates, security patches, and feature enhancements over its competitors. This loyalty factor plays a significant role in my decision-making process. If you're also a fan of Google's ecosystem or want the latest and greatest software features, the Google TV streamer may be the better choice.

The Security Update: A Crucial Consideration

Another critical aspect to consider is the security update cycle. The Onn 4K Pro is still running Android 12 with the original security update that was pushed out when it was first released. This lack of timely updates raises concerns about the device's long-term reliability and vulnerability to security threats. In contrast, the Google TV streamer is more likely to receive regular software updates from Google, ensuring that it stays secure and up-to-date.

The Verdict: A Choice Between Convenience and Value

In conclusion, both devices offer a similar streaming experience with some notable differences. The Google TV streamer excels in terms of its smart home features and AI-generated ambient art, while the Onn 4K Pro offers better value for those who prioritize pricing over software updates. Ultimately, my decision to choose the Google TV streamer is based on my brand loyalty and confidence in Google's ability to provide timely software support. If you're looking for a device that will last a long time with minimal maintenance, I recommend opting for the Google TV streamer.

If you have a lot of smart home devices at home and need a hub to tie them all together, the Onn 4K Pro is still an excellent choice. However, if you value software updates and want a device that will receive regular feature enhancements from Google, the $50 difference becomes more palatable. Ultimately, it's essential to weigh your priorities and consider which features matter most to you when making a decision between these two streaming devices.

In the end, while both devices offer similar experiences, I firmly believe that the Google TV streamer is the better choice due to its superior software support and long-term reliability. If you agree or disagree with my assessment, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below or shoot me an email. We'll be back soon with more content.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enIt's been a busy year for Google TV, relatively speaking. In May, we got the first new device  since Chromecast with Google TV, and that's been, what, years now, right? That was the Onn 4K Pro—a  Walmart exclusive, of all things. Later, in September, we got the really exciting thing:  Google TV Streamer. Horrible name, really cool device. But more important than that  are the new features—much more powerful, and yeah, double the price at 100 bucks.I'm Phil Nickinson, and I've been using Google TV since long before it was Google TV, actually. I'm  pretty old! So, let's take a look at these two: Google TV Streamer and the Onn 4K Pro, and figure  out which one's right for you. But first, you know what to do, right? Go hit that subscribe button,  hit the notification bell, tell your friends, tell your family. I will stand here and wait  until you do it—I’ve got all day. All right, good, thanks. Oh, and by the way, we've got a new  subscription membership thing here on YouTube. You definitely need to check that out. Go do that too.All right, let's do it. Let's get into some Google TV.So, let's start with the Onn 4K Pro. Now, I actually did a whole review of that already,  so you should take a minute—when you're done here, or before, whatever—be sure to watch  that. Here are the broad strokes of the Onn 4K Pro though: it is a Walmart-brand exclusive that  sells for 50 bucks, or the same as the old 4K Chromecast with Google TV. But seeing as how  it's newer and more powerful, it's actually a good bit faster than Chromecast with Google TV,  and that's important—that thing was a lag. Otherwise, same Google TV experience,  same home screen, same apps, same notifications, all that stuff. And probably most important:  all of the same streaming services. Same as it ever was; really, nothing's changed there.All right, the biggest difference with Onn 4K Pro is that it's a box and not a dongle,  and that means a few things, right? First is that it's a little harder to hide behind the TV,  but it also means there's room for new features like USB and Ethernet, and it has microphones.  That's right, it's got an always-listening array of microphones on board, and probably  more important than that, a switch so you can turn them off if you don't want to use them. So yeah,  it's essentially like an Amazon Fire TV Cube or an Echo speaker, or a Google Home Hub thing,  right? One of those always listening for you so you can yell voice commands at it.Now, the remote control—and I need to preface this by saying yours might or might not look like mine,  it was a whole thing—anyway, the remote has a remote control finder chirping thing in it. So,  if you lose the remote control, you push the button on the front of the Onn 4K Pro box,  and the remote starts chirping to make it easier to find. Very cool. Everything should have that.Now, Onn 4K Pro is not the most powerful device in the world—I can hear the Nvidia  Shield fans yelling already—you are absolutely correct. But it is  definitely better than Chromecast, I feel 100% fine in saying that.Now, the new hotness, though, is the Google TV Streamer, and this is the device that is  officially putting Chromecast out to pasture. Now, as I record this,  you can still buy a Chromecast with Google TV—I don't know how long that's going to keep going on,  though; eventually, they will all be gone. The biggest difference here is in how they look. Now,  obviously, they're part of the same family, but Google TV Streamer—and that's a really  awkward name to say over and over again, I hate it so much—well, it's meant to be out  in the open and not dongled behind a TV, and that's mostly because of some extra hardware  inside. We're going to get to that in a minute. And that doesn't mean you can't  put it behind a TV—I’ve seen people do it—that's not really how Google intended it to be, though.Now, Google TV Streamer also has a newer processor and more RAM than Chromecast,  so it's definitely faster. I think it's maybe a little bit faster than the Onn 4K Pro box. It  could be because of the extra gig of RAM, it could just be because it's newer, a different processor,  or some Google special sauce—don't know. And that's kind of anecdotal, but I think  it's just a tad bit faster. Or it could also be that it has newer software—another possibility.Speaking of which, Google TV Streamer launched with Android 14, and again, as of the time of  this recording, it's the only device I have that's running Android TV 14. Onn 4K Pro and  Chromecast are still on Android 12. So, does that make a big difference? Maybe, maybe not.So, the bigger deal is that there's a bunch of smart home stuff baked into this,  and that starts with the software. So, new this time is a home panel that lives over in the menu  drawer thing. The easiest way to get to it is just to hold down the home button, and basically,  anything that lives in the Google Home app can show up here. It will depend on what you have,  of course. Now me, I have a few Nest cameras, a Nest doorbell, some Philips Hue lights, some Govee  lights, and a Nest thermostat, so I've got plenty of stuff that'll show up in here. And probably  more important is that it all works. I can turn lights off and on, I can change the temperature,  I can look at my cameras—very cool. Now, the doorbell is fun because if someone rings it,  I'll get a popup notification on the TV and can see who it is from there. But again,  as of the time I'm recording this—and I'm going to say that over and over again—there is a pretty  big delay between the time that somebody hits the bell and the notification actually pops up on the  screen. For me, it's been about 7 or 8 seconds. Now, that might not seem like a lot of time,  but as you're waiting for it to pop up so you can see who it is, instead of just,  you know, going to the door, it feels like an eternity. And before you say it's my network—no,  it's not. And before you say it's my ISP—no, it's not. That's just how long it's taken right now.Another thing that bothers me a little bit: I can't talk back to the person who's at the  door. I can do it from my phone, I can do it from other devices, but I can't do it from Google TV  Streamer, despite the fact that, you know, there's a microphone built into the remote control. One  other major hiccup—I call it major anyway—is that I don't actually have all my cameras on all the  time. Some of them are, like the doorbell, but some don't turn on until I leave the house. But  here's the thing: they show up in the Google Home panel on Google TV Streamer all the time,  whether or not they’re turned on. So I have just a big black box—it's not really helpful. And I  can't actually turn those cameras on from the TV. Google told me that's a security thing—they  want you to have to do it from the Google Home app on your phone or from a web browser. Fine,  but it feels like it's just taking up space and showing me something that I can't see. Like,  how is that useful? It's not. I do love the thermostat control, though—no notes.So, more smart home stuff. Google TV Streamer supports a couple things called Matter and  Thread. Now, I absolutely hate talking about smart home protocols—it bores me to death. All  you need to know is that those things allow all the connected smart things in your house that also  support Matter and Thread to, uh, talk to each other a little better. Not better—just at all,  actually. And they'll work cross-platform. So, if something supports Matter,  it'll work on Google Home, or it'll work on Samsung SmartThings, or even, as I found out,  Apple TV, which is really cool if you want to use HomeKit for a lot of stuff. All right, fine.Now, another new thing on Google TV Streamer is the remote control. Now, I don't think we need  to overthink it—it's still a remote control, and it basically looks and feels like the Chromecast  remote, only a little better. It's a little bigger, the volume buttons have moved to a much  more natural spot—from the side to the face—and it has that customizable magic star button thing  that we first saw on the Onn 4K Pro remote. You can tie it to a specific app or map it to  an input on your TV. The YouTube button also can be mapped to either YouTube proper, YouTube TV,  or YouTube Music, depending on which ones you have installed. Onn 4K Pro did that first too. Oh, and  remember how the Onn 4K Pro has a remote finder? So does Google TV Streamer. I said it should be on  every device, and it's on this one too. It's really simple: just push the button on the  back of the device, and your remote control will start chirping. Don't hold that button down—that  will actually reset the whole box—but just push it once, the remote starts chirping, easy to find.Now, the smart home panel that you see in the home screen—that's coming to other Google devices,  and we're already starting to see it in, uh, the public preview for Chromecast. But another  one that's coming is this new AI-generated ambient art. It's the screen savers. So,  behind me right now, I have pictures of my family, but if you don't want to use those,  you can use this AI-generated art, or you can click through the various sort of, uh,  suggestions it has and create art that way. It's kind of fun for a few minutes, I guess,  but I don't want to spend that much time thinking about generating new art when I have a camera,  and I take plenty of pictures of my family and things I actually want to see. So again,  cool option to have—not something I would necessarily buy this device for.So, all things being equal, we have what are really the same experience on both devices,  on both the On 4K Pro and the new Google TV streamer. So, which one should you get? Now,  I'm just going to come out and say it: I'm a brand snob when it comes to this sort of  thing. I trust Google more than I trust other manufacturers with a device like this. I trust  Google to keep the software more up-to-date. I trust it to pay more attention to this device  than it does some other manufacturer's device. That's not actually a slight against the On 4K  Pro—it's really good. And we should talk about the price again, right? 50 bucks for the On 4K Pro,  100 bucks when not on sale for Google TV streamer. I get it—that's, you know, an easy decision for  some people to make. But On 4K Pro is already a little behind on the software front. It's still  running Android 12 (again, as of the time of this recording), and more important to me is  that it's still running on the original security update that it pushed out with—that hasn't been  updated yet. So, me, for my money, I would spend the extra $50 and get the Google TV streamer.It's not a different experience at all. Uh, if you do have a lot of smart home stuff at home  and need a hub to tie it all together, it's what you're going to want. If you absolutely  want to make sure that you're going to have the latest and greatest software from Google,  Google TV streamer—it's in the name, right? At the end of the day, for me,  I'm going to go with a device that I am 99.9% sure Google is going to pay more attention to,  and hopefully that means it's the device that's going to last a long, long time.So that's it—Google TV streamer versus On 4K Pro. Again, pretty much the same  experience. One's maybe a little faster, it's definitely twice as expensive,  but I think it's the one Google's going to keep up with. If you think I'm wrong,  let me know down in the comments, shoot me an email. We'll be back real soon with more. See you.\n"