Google TV streamer 'Pro' reference leaves us scratching our heads

The Google TV streamer has finally surfaced, and so have our initial impressions. The new streaming device, which carries the heavy weight of the Chromecast line, comes pre-installed with Android 14 for TVs. Although it is twice the price of the Chromecast with Google TV (4K), it brings additional features that somewhat justify the extra cost.

Instead of sitting behind your TV, this new streaming device can double as a smart home hub and offers double the RAM of its predecessor. From our experience using the device, we found it to be significantly faster than its predecessor.

Now, rumors about a potential Google TV streamer Pro have started surfacing, and we're not sure what to believe anymore.

The mention of a possible Pro version of the streamer was first spotted by Reddit user Penbull-62 on a French retailer’s website (via Android Headlines). On the product listing page for Google TV streamers, it listed Chromecast with Google TV (4K) and Chromecast with Google TV (HD) as "compatible devices." Interestingly, it also referenced Google TV streamer Pro (4K) as a compatible device, leading many to believe that a high-end version of the Chromecast may be on the way.

This rumor is backed by a two-month-old Geekbench leak, which allegedly highlighted the benchmarking specs of a Pro streamer, shedding light on a faster 2 GHz CPU at the time.

Is a higher-end Google TV streamer really on the way?

The first-generation Chromecast was released in 2013, and over its decade-long journey, it has seen multiple iterations, so it’s quite possible that we will see a successor to the Google TV streamer sooner or later. So, what’s going on with these 'Pro' references?

The report suggests that Google was planning to release two Google TV streamers (Pro and Regular) at the same time, but eventually decided to cancel the Pro model. On the other hand, one user on the thread suggested that they found the current Google TV streamer can already reach speeds of 2 GHz (we have yet to verify this independently), which may indicate that the streamer we have now could actually be what Google intended to call the Google TV streamer Pro, but decided to drop both the regular model and the Pro moniker altogether.

This is all speculation, and only time will tell whether we truly see a successor to the streamer. Google, if there is a Pro model, or any kind of successor in the pipeline, please include an HDMI cable with it.