3 Best Media Streaming Devices of 2026

Top choice

This well-designed Google TV box comes with a zippy, reliable user experience and leading search and customization features, but doubles the previous price.

Google TV Streamer (4K) takes everything we loved about the Chromecast with the now-defunct Google TV (our previous choice) and repackages it into a portable tablet box. This 4K HDR-capable streamer is faster and more powerful than any previous Google media streaming device while offering the intuitive interface and organizational benefits that make Google TV the preferred streaming interface.

Google TV offers an all-inclusive approach to content. Most media streaming devices have a content agenda. Amazon’s Fire TV devices give you access to all the apps, but would be preferable if you were a Prime subscriber watching Prime Video specials. Accordingly, Apple TV 4K is designed first and foremost for iTunes, Apple Music, and Apple TV+ content.

Google and, to some extent, Roku are taking advantage of this trend simply because they are the biggest content producers, so they are more information agnostic in their search results and recommendations. When you’re searching for a TV show or movie, Google TV usually does a better job of showing all the places it’s available to rent or buy — yes, including the Google Play Store — without pushing the original storefront.

Puts the content you’re viewing on the home screen for quick access. Open the Roku interface, and you’ll see apps for Disney+, Hulu, Max, Netflix, or Prime Video, but nothing about what you were watching.

The Google TV home page, on the other hand, will show you a half-finished YouTube video, the next episode of what you were watching on Netflix, and the movie you forgot to start on Max. It’s pretty simple compared to everything else out there, and it’s nice not having to worry about remembering what you’ve been watching or where you’ve been watching it.

Naturally this functionality will be very attractive to users who pay for multiple subscriptions to all streaming apps. If you only use a few apps, you probably don’t need a $100 media streaming device.

It’s happily fast most of the time. I use a lot of media streaming devices in my work and life, but for the past year I’ve been using my TV’s built-in TV box to watch content. If you asked me a month ago how it was, I would have said, “Okay.”

After using the TV Streamer (4K), my answer would be, “Slightly like molasses.” Compared to expensive smart TVs – and many similarly priced media streaming devices – the TV Streamer (4K) is lightning in a bottle. Apps launch instantly, many running simultaneously in the background, allowing you to seamlessly jump from one to another.

I tested the 2024 version of the Roku Ultra just after using the Google TV Streamer (4K) for a few weeks. Both are $100, but the Roku felt so sluggish in comparison that I wondered if there was something wrong with it in the first place. While I doubt the TV Streamer (4K) will be this fast if it’s not new, it has enough bandwidth to not be annoyingly cluttered for at least a few years, thanks to its 32 gigabytes of storage (compared to the Chromecast’s 4 GB).

The streaming processing power is manually supported by the included voice remote, which doesn’t deviate much from the design of the remote control included with the previous Chromecast 4K dongle. Unlike the sometimes flimsy remote included with the latest Apple TV 4K device, I find the Google remote’s navigation pad surprisingly fast and intuitive. Aside from a few snafus, this broadcaster almost automatically identified the content I was searching for with the voice remote and loaded it onto the screen.

You will be happy to see it on your tablet. Google moved away from the Chromecast dongle/stick package when designing the TV Streamer (4K), instead taking a page from the books of Apple TV 4K and Roku Ultra. The result is, in my opinion, the best looking media streaming device you can buy right now.

Available in white or hazel, the sleek, boxy design angles back from the flat front to the far end at the back to make room for a USB-C input (for power or a potential docking station), a gigabit-capable ethernet port, and an HDMI output. Unfortunately, your $100 doesn’t get you an HDMI cable in the box.

You will find a small button that acts as a remote control finder. As long as the TV Streamer (4K) and its remote are already paired, pressing this button will cause the remote to make a sound to help you find it. You can also use the Google Home app for remote control.

This box is also a smart home gateway, if you need it. Most people probably don’t buy media streaming devices to use as smart-home hubs. But if you like that, you’ll be happy to know that Google TV Streamer (4K) is not only a fully functional Google Home hub, it also supports Matter and Matter-over-Thread protocols.

I don’t have many smart devices, and I haven’t tested all of this functionality, but in theory, the Google Home interface could let you see your camera feed on the screen or get smart device notifications while you’re watching stuff.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

It’s expensive, but it’s also not. The TV Streamer (4K) is twice the price of the previous Chromecast dongle, and at first blush it may seem overpriced, given that its basic functionality is not so similar to the old Google device or our chosen budget.

However, in my testing I found that I prefer this $100 streamer to the $100 Roku Ultra. It’s quick and easy to jump back into what I’m watching.

If you’d like to get what Google TV does without paying more for a fancy design, a strong fast connection, or smart home hub capabilities, check out our budget picks.

You only get the Wi-Fi 5 protocol. Routers equipped with Wi-Fi 6 are faster, cope with congestion better, and handle routing data from multiple devices effectively, so it would be nice if TV Streamer (4K) could use those rules, especially if you stream high-bandwidth content.

You can’t use it hands-free. Some people swear by devices like the Amazon Fire TV Cube that allow full hands-free use. But here, your only voice command option is to press the microphone button on the remote control, as there are no microphones on the body of the device.

Ironically, our budget pick – a Google TV device that’s half the price of this one – doesn’t allow hands-free use.

Android-centric. No support for Amazon Alexa, Siri, or AirPlay 2 is available here. Say “Hey Google,” Chromecast, and Bluetooth.