The new Google Chromecast is fast and intuitive, but the attractive little dongle is behind the times.

Fast performance; Inexpensive; Intuitive interface

Boring; stripped-down design; Still no Amazon Video; No significant improvements over second gen

The new Chromecast might not replace your Roku or Fire TV, but it can be a nice supplement to those devices.

A solid speed upgrade for first-gen Chromecast owners; Google Assistant enables powerful home automation; Launching videos by phone can be faster than...

No infrared control for TV volume or A/V gear; The Google Home app is bad at aggregating and searching for content; Pausing or adjusting volume by...

The original Google Chromecast was introduced in 2013 and was an inexpensive and convenient way to stream content to your TV. The Chromecast 2 followed in 2015 and enjoyed a rather long shelf life.

The second-generation is nearly three-years-old now, and Google has decided that now's the right time to give it a (very minor) makeover. So how do you improve on close-to-perfection

For years Chromecast has been the best value in HD streaming video players, and that hasn’t changed with the 3rd Generation model that released in 2018. If you want to turn any TV into a smart TV capable of streaming Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video and many, many more, this is the cheapest - and...

Marginally faster streaming; Nifty; versatile design; Same low price

Doesn’t stream in 4K; No remote control

The Chromecast is still a great streaming device, but there are 4K options that don't cost much more....