Turns out the new Google TV Streamer has a different chip under the hood

What you need to know

• The Google TV Streamer's processor details are still under wraps, but it’s rumored to be the MediaTek MT8696, similar to the chip in Amazon's Fire TV Stick 4K Max.
• The new streaming device significantly upgrades RAM and storage to 4GB and 32GB, a big leap from the old model’s 8GB.
• It uses the Google TV interface, supports a range of TV apps, integrates with Google Home and Nest, and serves as a Matter smart home hub and Thread border router.

Google's back in the high-end streaming scene with its new Google TV Streamer, offering 4K, smart home integration, and a wide app selection. Surprisingly, it may be using a different processor than expected.

Even after unveiling the Chromecast replacement, Google has kept the TV Streamer’s processor details under wraps. The company only promises an "improved" chipset but hasn't revealed the manufacturer or model.

Android Authority recently discovered that the mysterious processor is the MediaTek MT8696. Although details are limited, this chip seems to be a variant of the one in Amazon's Fire TV Stick 4K Max. This suggests support for advanced video codecs like AV1, Dolby Vision, and HDR10+, matching the TV Streamer's features.

Android Central has contacted Google for a comment on the streaming device's chipset and will update this article once we receive a response.

If accurate, Google's choice of a MediaTek chipset for the Google TV Streamer signals a shift from its previous reliance on Amlogic processors. The 2020 4K and 2022 HD Chromecast models used Amlogic's S905X3 and S805X2 SoCs, respectively.

MediaTek has been tight-lipped about the MT8696 processor's specs, including its clock speed. However, by looking at the similar MT8696(T) chipset in Amazon's Fire TV Stick, we can guess some performance details. Amazon's version has a quad-core CPU running up to 2.0GHz, giving us an idea of the Google TV Streamer's potential processing power.

Meanwhile, the Amlogic processors in previous Chromecast models maxed out at 1.9GHz. This implies the MediaTek chipset could offer a performance boost, though we'll need official specs from MediaTek to confirm.

Anyway, the Google TV Streamer solves a major Chromecast shortcoming with a big upgrade in RAM and storage. It comes with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage, a huge leap from the previous model’s 8GB.

The box also uses the familiar Google TV interface (formerly Android TV) to give access to a wide range of TV apps from the Google Play Store. It integrates smoothly with Google Home and Nest smart home systems. Plus, it acts as a Matter smart home hub and Thread border router, making it a key control center for your connected home devices.

In any case, switching from Amlogic to MediaTek for Google’s streaming devices makes sense given their leading roles in the TV chip market.