We have been hearing rumors of an updated 3rd gen Chromecast for some time now. Well, there is still no official announcement from Google and it’s not expected until October 9th Best Buy has jumped the gun and started to sell them at select stores. (Likely a mistake by that store’s staff.)
According to a post on Reddit with photos, the new 3rd gen Chromecast was for sale at Best Buy this weekend. This 3rd Gen Chromecast has a matte black finish. It also seems to be the same price as the second gen at $35. It still looks to be the standard HD version at $35 as 4K is not mentioned on the box.
There was an FCC filing back in August that let us know a new 3rd gen Chromecast was in the works.
According to the filing, the updated version of the second-gen Chromecast will add 5GHz Wi-Fi and standard Bluetooth 2.4GHz. Currently, the Chromecast second gen uses a low power version of the Bluetooth 2.4GHz standard. This new standard powered 2.4GHz Bluetooth is a higher powered version that will let you connect keyboards or even a possible remote to the Chromecast. The update also adds the newer, more powerful 5GHz Wi-Fi antenna that will allow for faster, smoother streaming.
Details are still thin but check your local Best Buy maybe you will get lucky and find the new 3rd gen Chromecast for sale.
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