Walmart has previous form when it comes to making its own-brand, affordable Google TV streaming devices, but its next launch in this category was somewhat spoiled by a leaked unboxing earlier this month. Now we have confirmation that a new piece of hardware is indeed on the way.
In a statement sent to 9to5Google, Walmart has announced that the Onn Pro is arriving “this month” – and indeed it seems to already be on sale at some locations. The price of the device is set at $49.88 (around £40 / AU$75).
That's significantly more expensive than Walmart's previous Onn streamer, but the specs are much improved: there's more RAM, more storage, more ports, and always-on mics to pick any Google Assistant voice commands you might want to speak out.
The Onn Pro “offers incredible new features like 4K streaming, Dolby/DTS audio and smart hub capabilities, including hands-free voice control and compatibility with Google Home devices”, Walmart says in its statement.
Specs bump
We don't really need Walmart to tell us about this streaming box, because we've already seen YouTuber SuperDell-TV run through the specs and features on a livestream. The specs are apparently set at a quad-core Cortex-A55 CPU, 3GB of RAM, and 32GB of storage, and there's support for 4K streaming and Wi-Fi 6.
As for ports, you've got an HDMI port, a USB-A port, and an Ethernet port around the back of the device. If you're worried about privacy, there's a physical off switch for the mics if you're sure you don't want to talk to Google Assistant.
Those upgraded specs should mean a smoother experience when running apps on the Onn Pro, and of course more space to install apps in the first place. As with every Google TV device, you'll be able to use it as a Chromecast too, and beam content over to it.
Google's own Chromecast with Google TV is starting to feel a little dated by comparison, though rumors of a new model continue to swirl. We might hear more about Google TV updates at the Google I/O 2024 event happening tomorrow, May 14.
