Is This Google's Long Rumored Nest-Branded Android TV Dongle?
One of the first new devices to debut with the new Android TV UI has now leaked thanks to the fine folks over at XDA-Developers. Developed under the codename Sabrina, Google's new Android TV device takes on the form of a dongle that plugs into the back of your television. And unlike previous Chromecast devices that rely solely on a smartphone to control, Google's new Android TV dongle will actually come with a physical remote control.
An image of the remote shows a navigational thumbpad at the top along with dedicated buttons for the Home, Back, Mute, and the Google Assistant (among others). As for the Android TV device itself, it's rumored to fit under the Nest brand, which is increasingly becoming Google's go-to for smart home products.
We should note that the images that you see in this article are from an internal Google video that was produced back in October 2019. With that in mind, some of the details surrounding the actual hardware (dongle, remote) and the Android TV UI may have changed since then. So, we don't know if the white, black, and flesh-colored tones will make it to production, but we at least dig the former two. Regardless, these images should at least give us a general idea of what to expect when Google does release it new hardware and software platforms.
It's also rumored that the device will have Dolby Vision support (provided by an Amlogic SoC) and that it will launch sometime this summer, perhaps alongside the mythical Pixel 4a mid-range smartphone. At this time, exact pricing is unknown, but the report suggests a cost of around $70.
