Google Chromecast HD With Google TV Launching Soon With Android 12, 1.5GB RAM

The budget Chromecast with Google TV has been rumoured for months, and now a new leak is disclosing additional software information, specifications, and even the apparent “Chromecast HD” branding. A developer on Twitter named Kuba Wojciechowski claims to have received a complete software build for Google’s new Chromecast, which provides a number of details about the device.

The device is referred to as “Chromecast HD” directly in the code, which is the first major insight. Although it isn’t a 100 percent certain, it seems reasonable to assume that this is how Google would promote the product. An Amlogic S805X2 chipset will be powering this device. The chip is still inferior to the 4K variant but does enable AV1 decoding, which the current Chromecast does not. Due to the chip’s limitations, the video output will be limited to 1080p. This new Chromecast HD will also include 8GB of internal storage and 1.5GB of RAM.

The software will be built on Android 12, making this the first Google TV 12 player. The greatest improvement here is that this device will come with support for smooth virtual A/B updates with compression. This approach streamlines the process and puts less demand on updates. Despite this, there is no guarantee that the new Chromecast will receive the Android 13 upgrade due to the newer Android’s 2GB RAM limitation.

This new Chromecast was also seen on Bluetooth SIG, providing a clue that it may come next month in conjunction with the Pixel 7 line. Regarding the pricing, we anticipate that this model will be half as expensive as the 4K model.