Google plans Chromecast Ultra 2nd-gen: Android-based and with new remote

(Image credit: Google)

Top news for Google, Android and Chromecast fans: Google could be launching a second-generation Chromecast Ultra this year, based on Android TV. The device is a dongle much like the current Google Chromecast, with one purported major addition in the works: an external remote.

As first reported by 9to5Google, a "source familiar with the device" said that the product is codenamed 'Sabrina' and, as you’d expect, it will support 4K HDR content as well as Chromecast Bluetooth and wi-fi connectivity.

The new Chromecast Ultra dongle will allegedly look a lot like the third-gen Google Chromecast that's been headlining Google's books since 2018 (pictured above) with that softer, rounder finish, the typical “G” logo but with an HDMI connector similar to the original 2016 Chromecast Ultra.

Pricing or availability for the second-generation Google Chromecast Ultra isn't yet known, but when we know, we'll update you sharpish.

Becky has been a full-time staff writer at What Hi-Fi? since March 2019. Prior to gaining her MA in Journalism in 2018, she freelanced as an arts critic alongside a 20-year career as a professional dancer and aerialist – any love of dance is of course tethered to a love of music. Becky has previously contributed to Stuff, FourFourTwo, This is Cabaret and The Stage. When not writing, she dances, spins in the air, drinks coffee, watches football or surfs in Cornwall with her other half – a football writer whose talent knows no bounds.