Google has officially started selling the Chromecast Ultra. The speedier and 4K-supporting casting device just went live in the Google Store for $69. Back in the October Google event, where the Pixel lineup and Google Home were announced, this new update to the Chromecast was also presented. The biggest improvement is the support for 4K video. With so many 4K televisions out there now, support for UltraHD is somewhat necessary at this point and it is good to see it come to the Chromecast which, to this point, has been limited to 1080P.
Chromecast Ultra in the Google Store
If you have never used a Chromecast, they are super simple to use and configure. Just plug it into an HDMI port on your television and use the Google Home app to configure it. Once you do that, you can use your Android phone, tablet or iPhone to control it and cast various apps to your television. Plus, if you have a new Google Home, you can tell it to play YouTube (with more apps coming)
on your TV with the “Hey Google” command.
If you don’t have a 4K television, the 2015 Chromecast is still readily available at the store and is $35. The 2015 model doesn’t have quite as much horsepower as the Ultra but given you aren’t driving 4K out of it, you’ll not really notice any difference.