{"id":21119,"date":"2015-09-30T17:43:21","date_gmt":"2015-10-01T00:43:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bensbargains.com\/thecheckout\/?p=21119"},"modified":"2015-10-01T14:58:37","modified_gmt":"2015-10-01T21:58:37","slug":"google-chromecast-2015-review-need-speed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bensbargains.com\/thecheckout\/reviews\/google-chromecast-2015-review-need-speed\/","title":{"rendered":"Google Chromecast 2015 Review: A Need for Speed"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Announced just yesterday<\/a>, the 2015 version of the Google Chromecast offers up both\u00a0a revision in design as well as upgraded internal hardware for a faster generation of mobile devices. Specifically, Google has upgraded the original’s\u00a0802.11b\/g\/n Wi-Fi to\u00a0802.11ac\u00a0Wi-Fi. The upgraded Wi-Fi allows users to operate on the 5GHz bandwidth, a less crowded space for streaming high definition\u00a0video. (Click here<\/a> to see our 2013\u00a0review of the original Chromecast<\/em>.)<\/p>\n

T<\/span>he form factor\u00a0has shifted considerably from the original, moving from a traditional USB stick design to a round puck-like design. The device has gotten more colorful as well, offering up both yellow and coral as options. Of course, when the Chromecast is plugged into an\u00a0HDMI port on the back of a television, you will never be able to appreciate the color. If I had to guess, the new color options will be ideal for anyone that travels extensively with the Chromecast. Spotting a yellow or bright red Chromecast in a laptop bag or suitcase is much easier than the old black color.<\/p>\n

\"chromecast-2015-box-front-back\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Packaging is roughly the same size as the original Chromecast. In the box, you will find the new Chromecast dongle as well as a removable tray that’s hiding the power adapter and USB cable. Google decided\u00a0to leave out the HDMI extender cable this time, because it’s now\u00a0basically\u00a0attached to the device. That HDMI cable includes a magnet\u00a0that snaps onto the back of the Chromecast, ideal for traveling. The power adapter has a better design this go-around, shifting away from the side-sitting model\u00a0of the old version that potentially blocked other outlets on your power strip.<\/p>\n

Setup has been streamlined from the original version, namely the user interface that walks you through the process. A new Chromecast owner simply goes to\u00a0chromecast.com\/setup<\/a> in order to start the process. After downloading the mobile app, setup takes approximately five minutes.<\/p>\n

\"chromecast-2015-box-open\"<\/a><\/p>\n

You will need to link your home’s Wi-Fi network to the device as well as watch a short intro video while the device sets up for the first time. In addition, a day-one update will load on the device, basically upgrading the software to the latest version. Similar to the old Chromecast, these updates will happen automatically when you most likely aren’t using the device.<\/p>\n

O<\/span>ne other big change isn’t related to\u00a0the hardware; it’s the mobile app’s integration into the background wallpaper that appears on your television during downtime. You can\u00a0stream in photos from Facebook, Flickr or Google Photos,\u00a0for instance. Other sliders in the Backdrop section of the app allow you to change the speed at which the images change, flip weather information on or off as well as pull in a curated cache of photos from the Web; mostly art or Google Earth satellite images.<\/p>\n

How much faster is the new Chromecast?<\/h3>\n

In order to illustrate\u00a0the speed difference between the two devices, I repeated the same timing tests that I ran two years ago in my original review of the Chromecast<\/a>. This test measures the point which I tap a show’s play button to start streaming and the point\u00a0which the show actually starts playing on the television.<\/p>\n

\"chromecast-2015-vs-original\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Timing Tests of the 2013 Chromecast<\/strong> (originally with iPhone 5 over wireless\u00a0802.11g Wi-Fi)<\/p>\n