It looks like we have our first look at the upcoming Google Android TV streaming device codenamed Sabrina. The information once again comes from XDA Developers. Coming to the specifications powering the dongle, it is expected to have the Amlogic S905X2 12nm quad-core CPU with 4 ARM Cortex-A53 CPU cores clocked at up to 1.8GHz. The CPU is accompanied by the ARM Mali-G31 MP2 GPU. It also sports 2GB RAM. According to XDA, “The SoC supports video decoding for 4Kp75 10-bit H.265 content, video output at up to 4Kp60 over HDMI 2.1, HDR video playback with HDR10, HLG, and Dolby Vision, and more”. It is good to see that the dongle will support HDMI 2.1 and bring with it features like ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) and it is possible that this feature will be there for Stadia support. Stadia is supported on a Chromecast Ultra, but it looks like this new device could replace the Chromecast Ultra as the go-to Android TV experience device.
Coming back to the SoC powering the Sabrina streaming device, it looks like the S905X2 is a popular SoC for Android TV devices even powering the Xiaomi Mi Stick which was announced recently.
We recently got a look at Sabrina’s design. From the revealed images it looks like the device will have an oval shape as compared to the round shape of Chromecast we have gotten accustomed to. It will also be available in three colour options – black, pink and white. From the image, it looks like the HDMI end of the dongle will still stick out of the device just like it does on the Chromecast. It isn’t visible in the renders, but we think the device will have a USB-C port for power. The Chromecast has a micro USB port.
Coming to the remote control, the design is very reminiscent of what we got with the Google Daydream headset. Only half the remote is visible in the image, but it shows a navigation button, an ok button, back, home, play/pause and mute buttons along with a ‘star’ button. It isn’t clear whether it will have a volume rocker or dedicated OTT buttons. There are some images of the UI as well, and it isn’t clear whether Android TV will get a UI overhaul with this new device.
There is no information about a release date or pricing of the device.