New leak offers more specs for Google’s rumored Android TV dongle

Android TV plus Chromecast equals whatever this is

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We now know more about the hardware specs forGoogle’s next video streaming device – either a cut-down Android TV dongle or anupgraded Chromecast, however you prefer to think about it – thanks to the early firmware code that’s leaked out.

Details spilled byXDA Developersshow the dongle will come with a Amlogic S905X2 chipset and 2GB of RAM, which is fairly standard for other Android TV devices currently on the market. That will enable4Kand 60 frames per second output, with support forHDRand Dolby Vision.

The code also reveals that the device – codenamed Sabrina – will have an “auto low latency mode”, part of the HDMI 2.1 spec, designed to get video up on your TV more quickly when needed – no doubt useful for reducing lag if you’re thinking of aGoogle Stadiagaming session.

Another interesting nugget of info shows that the special ‘star’ button we saw inprevious leaksis going to be user-programmable – so you’ll be able to set it to go straight to Netflix, orYouTube, or whatever your favorite streaming service happens to be.

Google itself has never put out a fully fledged Android TV device – leaving itto othersinstead – but it has released three generations of the Chromecast, along with the 4K-capableChromecast Ultra.

It would appear this combines the two ideas: a dongle as small as a Chromecast, that slots into the back of your television set, but which also has its own software interface and storage. In other words, you wouldn’t have to control it with your phone.

Rumors about such a device have actually been floating aroundfor years– it seems exactly the sort of device Google would be interested in making. In March weheard frominside sources that an Android TV+Chromecast dongle was on the way, and then earlier this month we got a host ofleaked imagesas well.

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With tech launch schedules all up in the air at the moment, it’s more difficult than it would usually be to predict when such a device would arrive, but it seems a good bet that it’s going to land this year – and we’ll let you know as soon as it does.

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you’ll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.

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