You know a product's about to launch when the leaks start to come from retailers. And that's now the case with the Google Chromecast with Google TV (HD), which is about to go on sale.
A new leak from Snoopytech on Twitter reports that the US price is set and that many retailers already have the device in stock, so a launch is clearly imminent.
The Chromecast with Google TV (HD) is the slightly lower spec and more affordable version of the Chromecast with Google TV, which we said is "as good as affordable video streamers currently get".
But the newer HD model is going to be even cheaper: where the current Chromecast has a RRP of £59 / $50 / AU$99, the US price is reportedly $40 – which translates as £40 in the UK and $60 in Australia. So it's cheaper, but not by much.
Should you buy the Chromecast with Google TV (HD)?
I wouldn't rush if I were you. I've just chucked the current model into a price checking website and I've found multiple versions coming in at around 20% to 30% lower than the RRP, so it's coming in cheaper than the new model's price – and for the same money you're getting the full-fat 4K version, not the HD version.
And of course, there's Amazon to consider here too. At the time of writing Amazon UK is charging £49 for the Fire TV Stick 4K and £54.99 for the Fire TV Stick 4K Max; in the US the 4K Max is $46. Those prices are without discounts, and I'd expect to see much better deals in the coming weeks and many more on Black Friday. I've owned several Fire TV sticks and while the first few generations were rather underpowered that's not the case any more: they're fast, fluid and have all the key streaming apps.
If you're not too bothered about which smart assistant your TV dongle has, I'd hang on for discounts and then go with whatever's cheapest. Functionally there's not a huge difference between a Chromecast and a Fire TV Stick now that Amazon has loosened the restrictions on streaming to its devices: both platforms enable you to stream from local devices to your TV and both have stacks of streaming apps in addition to their own services.
