The closest thing to a Chromecast successor for only $30

When the Onn 4K Pro arrived in 2024, I felt it was a superior choice to the since-retired Chromecast with Google TV in many ways. And even with the arrival of the Google TV Streamer as a pseudo Chromecast replacement, Onn’s most expensive model remains a strong budget streamer, boasting a few advantages even over Google’s latest device at less than half the price.

While the Pro likely won’t see a direct successor for another year or so, that hasn’t stopped Walmart’s in-store tech brand from introducing new streaming hardware. Enter the Onn 4K Plus, an even cheaper alternative priced at just $30 that wants to take the place of the departed Chromecast as the cheap Android TV streamer of choice.

I decided to give the new unit a test drive to see how the Onn 4K Plus compares to other budget streaming devices powered by Android and topped by Google TV, like the Chromecast with Google TV or the Onn 4K Pro.

The Android 14-powered Onn 4K Plus is Walmart’s latest streaming device, acting as a direct successor to the 2023 Onn 4K rather than competing directly with the still-available 4K Pro. The Pro featured premium capabilities like hands-free voice control, a remote finder, and a full USB 3.0 port for connecting external drives and wired controllers. All of these features are notably absent on the 4K Plus.

Instead, the 4K Plus offers a much smaller form factor, making it easier to conceal behind your TV. The remote closely resembles the Pro’s remote, aside from its white color and minor button layout adjustments, including a new “Free TV” button placed just below the Home key.

Despite missing out on some of the Pro’s special features, the Plus does have a significant advantage: a faster processor. The Pro used the older Amlogic S905X4, whereas the 4K Plus upgrades to the newer S905X5M. This updated processor outperforms the 4K Pro, Chromecast with Google TV, and even the Google TV Streamer in terms of benchmark performance. Although benchmarks don’t always translate directly to real-world use, the new chip is clearly up for the job based on my experience.

Of course, the Plus does sacrifice in terms of RAM and storage as you get just 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, versus 3GB of RAM and double the storage on the Pro. Thankfully, you won’t notice these limitations during typical streaming sessions. I found the Onn 4K Plus handled the UI smoothly and quickly loaded apps, often feeling more responsive than the Pro in daily use.

While I never felt my Onn 4K Pro was slow, sometimes certain menu options would see minor pauses and stutters. At the time, this wasn’t a big deal because I experienced worse lag with the Chromecast with Google TV. Now that I’ve used the Plus, I find myself noticing little performance hiccups on the Pro that weren’t apparent when pitting it against the older Chromecast. Be aware that the differences are subtle, though, so don’t expect a night-and-day difference here.

I would also argue that the Plus might end up holding up better as well, as most of the glitches around my Pro have been related to hands-free voice and the remote finder, both of which are absent on the Plus, regardless. Still, the Pro performs well, just maybe a hair slower than the Plus in some tasks.

It might not be quite as fast in the processing department, but the Pro is still better suited for DIY tweaks, gaming, basic emulation, and other extended uses. I attempted to sideload a few games and utilities on the Plus, and while it was still possible by using a hub to extend its built-in USB-C port, the experience just wasn’t the same. For one, the USB-C port is just 2.0, so that’s already a limiter over the faster full-size port on the Pro. Games and other utilities also tend to be more RAM-heavy, which was another bottleneck I ran into when stress testing the Onn 4K Plus.

Considering it’s even cheaper than the Onn 4K Pro, it’s shouldn’t come as a surprise that the 4K Plus doesn’t compete directly with Google’s premium streamer in terms of features, even though its newer Amlogic processor can theoretically outperform Google’s MediaTek MT8696 chipset.

However, if you’re simply looking for a straightforward streamer with Google TV without added frills, the daily experience on the 4K Plus is comparable to the more expensive Google device — minus the advanced smart hub, increased RAM, and expanded storage. Given that Google’s latest streamer is twice the Chromecast’s original price, the Onn 4K Plus nicely fills the vacuum left by the Chromecast’s discontinuation.

The Plus mirrors the Chromecast’s streamlined approach: no full USB port, remote finder, or hands-free control here. Its compact design and simple functionality align closely with the Chromecast, albeit packaged in a small box rather than a dongle. Performance-wise, the Plus clearly outpaces the aging Chromecast with Google TV, boasting a faster CPU, GPU, and double the storage. Both devices are limited to just 2GB of RAM, but I honestly never felt like the Onn 4K Plus was slow while streaming, and everything I did felt much smoother than it did on the aging Chromecast.

With the Chromecast brand now retired and no direct, official successor on the horizon, the Onn 4K Plus fills a niche as an excellent replacement for the Chromecast with Google TV if you’re primarily satisfied with basic streaming functionality in 4K quality. The Plus feels faster and smoother without dramatically altering the line’s basic Google TV user experience. At $30, it’s also very budget-friendly, saving you around $20 compared to the Onn 4K Pro or $70 over Google’s Google TV Streamer.

On the flipside, if you felt like the Chromecast with Google TV was missing functionality, the Onn 4K Pro ($49.88 at Walmart) adds hands-free voice, more storage, a full USB port, and several other upgrades that make it feel like more than just a “faster Chromecast in a new form factor.” Personally, I’d go with the Pro simply because the price gap is very small here.

The Onn 4K Plus has a faster GPU and CPU, which makes it a bit snappier in some use cases, but the 4K Plus’ superior performance is also mostly limited to streaming apps anyway due to its less robust hardware and lower RAM total. Once a program starts, you won’t be able to see any performance differences in your shows and videos, and if you really want a powerhouse streamer, you’ll want to look at something like an NVIDIA Shield TV ($149 at Amazon) instead.

Of course, if you still want Google TV and all the extra frills of the Google ecosystem, the Google TV Streamer ($99.99 at Best Buy) is still the best bet as its smart home hub functionality adds a ton of value.