Walmart's Google TV box is better than Roku

Last year Walmart shocked many with the launch of its super-affordable Onn-branded Android TV streaming devices, and now the retailer is back with a new generation. The new Walmart Onn Google TV box is insanely affordable and, like its predecessor, shockingly fantastic for its under-$20 price point.

Over the past week, I’ve been using Walmart’s new Google TV streaming box – which is finally, actually available at this point. The launch was a mess.

This is a streaming box designed to be cheap and easy to use, all with the goal of simply delivering content to your TV. The short version of this review is that it does that job wonderfully.

The box is very simple by design. It’s made from a cheap but sturdy plastic that has an HDMI plug on one side and microUSB on the other for power. I would have loved to see USB-C implemented here for flexibility, as that standard works better for using adapters, but I can’t really complain at this price. This is a set-it-and-forget-it device, so the power plug doesn’t really matter. A nice touch on that note, too, is a little sticky pad that comes included with the box to mount the Onn device to the back of your TV.

What does matter is what’s under the hood. There, you’ll find the quad-core Amlogic S905Y4. This chip is nearly identical to the S905Y2 found in the prior model, with the addition of AV1 decoding support and… that’s basically it. But the newer chip does help give this model a slight performance boost, which is nice to see. Performance felt comparable, if not a bit better than Chromecast with Google TV. That’s not really a compliment, but it’s hard to complain at this price. 

It’ll be interesting to see how performance does with time, but it’s already an improvement. Last time around I was seeing the device freeze at random and running into issues with certain apps, but my experience thus far with the new generation has been flawless. I’ve also got high hopes for software support on this device, as Walmart did a great job keeping the prior model up to date.

You’ll still be limited on RAM and storage, though, at 2GB and 8GB respectively. 

It’s really that storage limitation that you’ll find most restrictive, especially over time as we’ve noted on Google’s Chromecast. But still, there’s a good chunk to work with here. Between pre-loaded apps and the ones I installed (Netflix, YouTube, Prime Video, Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max, ESPN, Apple TV, YouTube Music, YouTube TV, Peacock, Paramount+, Sling, and Spotify), I was left with 2.7GB of free space, which is plenty to work with for other streaming apps I might install in the future. Really, unless you’re playing games, you’re unlikely to hit the ceiling on storage within the first year of use, especially if this isn’t being used as a primary TV.

The Google TV experience you’ll get on Walmart’s streamer is also identical to that of Chromecast. The homescreen powers recommendations and shows your apps, and you’ll have Google Assistant available for voice commands, controlling smart home devices, and more. The screensaver can also integrate with Google Photos, for a personal touch when the TV is idle. 

It’s a solid experience, even if it is getting a bit heavier on ads.

Walmart also stuck with Google’s reference design for the remote. It’s a slim plastic remote that has tactile buttons and a good, easy to understand layout. We’ve praised this design in the past, and it remains one of the biggest highlights of this device. New this year is a shortcut button for Paramount+ alongside the other three shortcuts for YouTube, Netflix, and Disney+. This was almost surely added as a result of Walmart’s tight relationship with Paramount+, with the streaming service available for free to subscribers of Walmart+.

This remote is also notably using Bluetooth, meaning you don’t have to position the streaming box in view as you do with comparably-priced Rokus. I appreciate that there are also instructions for pairing the remote on the back, but I don’t appreciate that they’re plastered on with a cheap paper sticker that’s impossible to remote without residue.

But how’s the experience when you’re actually streaming?

In standard content, like YouTube, Walmart’s Google TV box does great. It’s in HDR content that you’ll find things a little hit or miss.

Because there’s no support for Dolby Vision or Atmos, this device would struggle to be the centerpiece of a “home theater,” but it does support HDR and surround sound – some early users have run into HDR issues, but I can’t replicate those problems. I was primarily using this device in my home office, for streaming TV shows while I’m working. In that use, it does great, and I think that’s Walmart’s primary focus here – secondary TVs. This would be an especially killer device for a bedroom TV, especially one that doesn’t already have smart features baked in.

I’ll also give Walmart credit where it’s due, as HDMI CEC controls on this device work brilliantly. You can also assign the remote to control IR devices, which certainly comes in handy.

At just $19.88, Walmart’s Google TV box is a fantastic deal – I’ll happily call it the best deal in streaming. It’s far more capable and reliable than a comparably priced Roku, and doesn’t really give up anything crucial to get there. The core offer is compelling – access to tens of thousands of apps and services, Google TV’s powerful recommendation and search engines, and the flexibility of Android to top it all off, and all for less than the cost of a single month of Netflix’s top-tier subscription.

Walmart really nailed it with this device.

You can buy the Walmart Onn Google TV box now from Walmart’s website for $19.88 – it’s only sold there officially, and only in the US.

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