Walmart’s leaked 4K streaming box could be a serious Chromecast rival
Google hasn’t exactly been prolific when it comes to releasing streaming dongles like the Chromecast with Google TV, and it sounds like the next fully featured streaming box with Google TV could come from US retailer Walmart.
YouTube streamer SuperDell TV (through Android Authority) managed to get an Onn 4K Pro box with Google TV. Onn is the name of Walmart’s own tech brand and already sells a basic $20 streaming box with the same name attached to it.
It appears that Walmart has inadvertently put some of these new boxes on sale ahead of an official announcement, with a retail price of $50. That suggests a boost in specs and features over the current box to justify the higher price.
There’s an HDMI port, a USB-A port and an Ethernet port on the back, as shown in this early unboxing. There’s also a built-in microphone (with a physical off switch) to work with Google Assistant.
Specifications are appealing
A shot of the specs on the packaging reveals a quad-core Cortex-A55 CPU, 32GB of storage and 3GB of RAM, as well as support for 4K streaming and Wi-Fi 6. The Onn streaming box that Walmart is currently selling has a Cortex A35 CPU, 8GB of storage and 2GB of RAM, and only goes as high as Wi-Fi 5, although it does support 4K.
The extra processor power and RAM should mean faster app loading and switching between apps, while offering four times the storage obviously means more room for installing apps. You can also transfer audio and video from phones, tablets and computers.
Another change from the current $20 box: the remote is black instead of white. SuperDell-TV also runs a quick demo of the Google TV interface, which is largely the same as on other Google TV devices.
Considering this box was picked up at an actual Walmart store, a full launch may not be far away – and companies like Google, Amazon, and Roku will have another affordable streaming box to contend with. Rumor has it that the next official Chromecast device will also be released soon.