Google brings 4K to Chromecast with Chromecast Ultra

Vaughn Highfield October 4, 2016

Google has finally brought 4K to its phenomenal Chromecast streamer with the Chromecast Ultra, a HDMI dongle with 4K, HDR and Dolby Vision support.

Google brings 4K to Chromecast with Chromecast Ultra

Just like the 2015 Chromecast refresh and Chromecast Audio, the Chromecast Ultra is a puck-shaped device that’s just a little bit thinner than a Mr. Kipling bakewell tart with a HDMI ribbon to plug it into your TV. The Chromecast Ultra plug also features an Ethernet port to help with the heavy lifting when streaming 4K content if your Wi-Fi network isn’t fast enough to handle it.

As you can imagine, Chromecast Ultra also works in exactly the same way as your other Chromecast devices and integrates with Google Home if you fancy asking your little voice-activated vase to throw on some Stranger Things. Chromecast Ultra is also 1.8x faster than the 2015 Chromecast, so no more hanging around for content to load when switching apps.

All the same Chromecast apps work with the Chromecast Ultra and Netflix users can benefit from 4K HDR content straight away. No doubt other apps will follow, but the bigger question you need to ask yourself is, do you really need a Chromecast Ultra?

google_chromecast_4k_ultra_close_up

Most 4K HDR TVs are smart TVs equipped with all the apps that support 4K, most of which will also be on Chromecast Ultra. If you have a 4K TV, why bother buying a £70 dongle to watch all the apps and services your TV already has?

Granted, there’s definitely a market for people who want to stream their own 4K content easily to their TV. You could also argue that there may be a slew of Chromecast games apps people may want to play. However, the main draw is probably Sky’s Now TV app which supports Chromecast but isn’t included as a standard smart TV app – but that doesn’t support Full HD streaming, let alone 4K.

The Chromecast Ultra launches this November for £69 from the Google Play Store and will, presumably, end up at high-street retailers around the same time. We’ll have a review up closer to the time, so make sure to check back closer to launch.