When the Onn 4K Professional arrived in 2024, I felt it was a superior selection to the since-retired Chromecast with Google TV in some ways. And even with the arrival of the Google TV Streamer as a pseudo Chromecast alternative, Onn’s most costly mannequin stays a sturdy price range streamer, boasting a few benefits even over Google’s newest system at lower than half the value.

Whereas the Professional seemingly gained’t see a direct successor for an additional yr or so, that hasn’t stopped Walmart’s in-store tech model from introducing new streaming {hardware}. Enter the Onn 4K Plus, a good cheaper various priced at simply $30 that wishes to take the place of the departed Chromecast as the low cost Android TV streamer of selection.

I made a decision to give the new unit a check drive to see how the Onn 4K Plus compares to different price range streaming units powered by Android and topped by Google TV, like the Chromecast with Google TV or the Onn 4K Professional.

The Android 14-powered Onn 4K Plus is Walmart’s newest streaming system, performing as a direct successor to the 2023 Onn 4K quite than competing straight with the still-available 4K Professional. The Professional featured premium capabilities like hands-free voice management, a distant finder, and a full USB 3.0 port for connecting exterior drives and wired controllers. All of those options are notably absent on the 4K Plus.

As a substitute, the 4K Plus provides a a lot smaller kind issue, making it simpler to conceal behind your TV. The distant carefully resembles the Professional’s distant, apart from its white shade and minor button structure changes, together with a new “Free TV” button positioned just under the Residence key.

Regardless of lacking out on a few of the Professional’s particular options, the Plus does have a vital benefit: a quicker processor. The Professional used the older Amlogic S905X4, whereas the 4K Plus upgrades to the newer S905X5M. This up to date processor outperforms the 4K Professional, Chromecast with Google TV, and even the Google TV Streamer when it comes to benchmark performance. Though benchmarks don’t all the time translate straight to real-world use, the new chip is clearly up for the job based mostly on my expertise.

After all, the Plus does sacrifice when it comes to RAM and storage as you get simply 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, versus 3GB of RAM and double the storage on the Professional. Fortunately, you gained’t discover these limitations throughout typical streaming classes. I found the Onn 4K Plus dealt with the UI easily and rapidly loaded apps, typically feeling extra responsive than the Professional in each day use.

Whereas I by no means felt my Onn 4K Professional was sluggish, generally sure menu choices would see minor pauses and stutters. At the time, this wasn’t a large deal as a result of I skilled worse lag with the Chromecast with Google TV. Now that I’ve used the Plus, I discover myself noticing little efficiency hiccups on the Professional that weren’t obvious when pitting it in opposition to the older Chromecast. Bear in mind that the variations are refined, although, so don’t anticipate a night-and-day distinction right here.

I’d additionally argue that the Plus would possibly find yourself holding up higher as effectively, as most of the glitches round my Professional have been associated to hands-free voice and the distant finder, each of that are absent on the Plus, regardless. Nonetheless, the Professional performs effectively, simply possibly a hair slower than the Plus in some duties.

It won’t be fairly as quick in the processing division, however the Professional is nonetheless higher suited to DIY tweaks, gaming, primary emulation, and different prolonged makes use of. I tried to sideload a few video games and utilities on the Plus, and whereas it was nonetheless potential by utilizing a hub to lengthen its built-in USB-C port, the expertise simply wasn’t the identical. For one, the USB-C port is simply 2.0, so that’s already a limiter over the quicker full-size port on the Professional. Video games and different utilities additionally have a tendency to be extra RAM-heavy, which was one other bottleneck I bumped into when stress testing the Onn 4K Plus.

Contemplating it’s even cheaper than the Onn 4K Professional, it’s shouldn’t come as a shock that the 4K Plus doesn’t compete straight with Google’s premium streamer when it comes to options, although its newer Amlogic processor can theoretically outperform Google’s MediaTek MT8696 chipset.

Nevertheless, in the event you’re merely searching for a easy streamer with Google TV with out added frills, the each day expertise on the 4K Plus is comparable to the costlier Google system — minus the superior good hub, elevated RAM, and expanded storage. On condition that Google’s newest streamer is twice the Chromecast’s authentic value, the Onn 4K Plus properly fills the vacuum left by the Chromecast’s discontinuation.

The Plus mirrors the Chromecast’s streamlined method: no full USB port, distant finder, or hands-free management right here. Its compact design and easy performance align carefully with the Chromecast, albeit packaged in a small box quite than a dongle. Efficiency-wise, the Plus clearly outpaces the ageing Chromecast with Google TV, boasting a quicker CPU, GPU, and double the storage. Each units are restricted to simply 2GB of RAM, however I actually by no means felt like the Onn 4K Plus was sluggish whereas streaming, and the whole lot I did felt a lot smoother than it did on the ageing Chromecast.

With the Chromecast model now retired and no direct, official successor on the horizon, the Onn 4K Plus fills a area of interest as a wonderful alternative for the Chromecast with Google TV in the event you’re primarily glad with primary streaming performance in 4K high quality. The Plus feels quicker and smoother with out dramatically altering the line’s primary Google TV consumer expertise. At $30, it’s additionally very budget-friendly, saving you round $20 in contrast to the Onn 4K Professional or $70 over Google’s Google TV Streamer.

On the flipside, in the event you felt like the Chromecast with Google TV was lacking performance, the Onn 4K Professional ($49.88 at Walmart) provides hands-free voice, extra storage, a full USB port, and several other different upgrades that make it really feel like extra than simply a “quicker Chromecast in a new kind issue.” Personally, I’d go along with the Professional just because the value hole is very small right here.

The Onn 4K Plus has a quicker GPU and CPU, which makes it a bit snappier in some use instances, however the 4K Plus’ superior efficiency is additionally largely restricted to streaming apps anyway due to its much less sturdy {hardware} and decrease RAM complete. As soon as a program begins, you gained’t have the ability to see any efficiency variations in your reveals and movies, and in the event you actually need a powerhouse streamer, you’ll need to take a look at one thing like an NVIDIA Defend TV ($149 at Amazon) as an alternative.

After all, in the event you nonetheless need Google TV and all the further frills of the Google ecosystem, the Google TV Streamer ($99.99 at Best Buy) is nonetheless the finest guess as its good residence hub performance provides a ton of worth.