This $20 Google TV 4K streamer from Walmart crushes the Amazon Fire TV for value
The super-cheap streaming box could be the cheap upgrade your older 4K TV needs
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If you’ve got an older smart TV that can’t keep up with the latest streaming service launches and updates, Walmart may have the perfect cheap upgrade for you: a $20 streaming box powered byGoogleTV, with support for4KTVs.
It’s called the Onn Google TV 4K Streaming Box, and you cansee it at Walmart right hereif you want to take a look directly.
At this price, it’s less than half of the cost of theAmazon Fire TV Stick 4K, which was already notable for being pretty damn cheap. And because it’s powered by Google TV, the Onn should be generally very easy to navigate and find what you want, and it should support all thebest streaming services, no matter how many new ones appear orchange their name to something dumb.
Google TV can also be found (unsurprisingly) on theChromecast with Google TV, as well asSonyTVs such as theSony X90K(among others), and is one of the easiest-to-use smart TV platforms – which makes it perfect for something like this.
I imagine the main target for this is, as I mentioned above, people with older 4K TVs who don’t really want to replace them right now, even though the TVs maybe don’t keep up as well as they used to. One of the reasons the Onn box is so cheap is that, while it supports 4K, it doesn’t have anyHDRor Dolby Atmos support. But neither did most of the older TVs I’m talking about, so it’s a perfect match.
I should note here that Google TV’s ads and data collection will also be a reason why it’s cheap, so the privacy-conscious may want to consider another option.
Just right for the money-cautious
When it comes to specs and image quality, the Onn Google TV 4K Streaming Box clearly isn’t going to knock theApple TV 4K (2022)off the top of our list of thebest streaming devices– and it’s also clearly not trying to.
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This is for people who want to be able to easily find what they want to watch in the streaming age (Google TV is very good at bringing things together from multiple services right on the home screen) without buying a whole new television.
The remote has buttons to take you directly toNetflix,Disney Plus,Paramount Plus, andYouTube, making it easy in that way too (and, as another factor in keeping the price low, these are likely to have been paid for by the services).
The remote’s layout is pretty simple and typical of streaming remotes, which can also be a big help for people who aren’t used to newer smart TV systems. And it has voice control, though I find that’s pretty hit-and-miss with people – it might make it easier for some people to find things, but a lot of people just don’t want to use it. But still, it’s there.
Basically, I think this looks like an excellent buy for the people it’s intended for, assuming that it actually works smoothly and slickly. We’ll find you a full review as soon as we can –but you can see it at Walmart for $19.88 right now.
Matt is TechRadar’s Managing Editor for Entertainment, meaning he’s in charge of persuading our team of writers and reviewers to watch the latest TV shows and movies on gorgeous TVs and listen to fantastic speakers and headphones. It’s a tough task, as you can imagine. Matt has over a decade of experience in tech publishing, and previously ran the TV & audio coverage for our colleagues at T3.com, and before that he edited T3 magazine. During his career, he’s also contributed to places as varied as Creative Bloq, PC Gamer, PetsRadar, MacLife, and Edge. TV and movie nerdism is his speciality, and he goes to the cinema three times a week. He’s always happy to explain the virtues of Dolby Vision over a drink, but he might need to use props, like he’s explaining the offside rule.
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