Walmart's 4K Google TV streaming box "onn" is the first streaming device to surprise me in a long time. How. because it offers 4K Ultra HD streaming for just $20. That's the cheapest I've ever seen it, even when the 4K Fire Stick and Roku competitors are on sale." Where's the catch?" I wondered.

Of course, I was wary, not only because of the price, but also because of the past history between ONN and Walmart regarding 4K streaming. 2021 ONN's Android TV UHD device had two terrible problems: the remote control would constantly unpair and the on-screen language kept changing. Fortunately, this review of the oonn 4K Google TV streaming box will show you why this device is one of the best streaming devices available.

For $19.99 (before sale discount), Walmart has found the floor for 4K streaming when it comes to the onn 4K Google TV streaming box.

This is $5 less than the Fire TV Stick 4K's previous price (MSRP $49.99, discounted to $24.99) and $4 less than the lowest priced Roku Express 4K Plus (MSRP $39.99, discounted to $24). with Google TV 4K Chromecast (MSRP $49.99, lowest selling price $29.99) is also north.

This low price is the most important feature of the onn 4K Google TV streaming box.

The onn 4K Google TV streaming box was first seen for sale in early May 2023, but has been in and out of stock since then.

The onn 4K Google TV streaming box doesn't necessarily have to look that strange: like the Google TV-powered Chromecast, it packs one wire coming out of each side. Unlike its streaming device, however, it doesn't hang invisibly behind the TV.

Instead, the onn 4K Google TV can be placed on a flat surface if you have the space (I don't) or hidden out of sight; if Walmart would remove the 4K Chromecast's short HDMI cord dongle, the onn 4K Google TV I wouldn't have had to think about the streaming box's cheesy-looking black plastic shell.

On one side is an HDMI port with a reset button, and on the other side is a micro USB for power. This is most similar in appearance to the Roku Express 4K Plus, which also has all ports on the same side.

Google's Chromecast with Google TV and Amazon's Fire TV Stick 4K are better for having the good sense to understand that no one actually wants to see a streaming device. They are out of sight, out of mind, and you will be happy.

Fortunately, the biggest drawback of the previous onn box has been fixed: the remote on the onn 4K Google TV streaming box always stays paired. Yes, the "random unpairing" is a testament to how low-level this device was.

However, it is no wonder that this remote control feels cheap. There is even a sticker on the back that explains how to re-pair the remote control. Considering how much help people need with a non-working Roku remote, I am not shocked.

But at $20, I don't really expect much in the way of a remote control - and I can appreciate how this remote has almost every single button you could ask for.

In addition to the standard navigation buttons, there are dedicated buttons for power, volume, mute, back, home, live, settings, input switching, Google Assistant, user profiles, and somehow channels. In fact, there are way too many buttons, but one is missing.

I would like to see a play/pause button, which is also missing on the regular Chromecast with Google TV remote control (Fire TV and Roku remotes have it). The center/select button in the middle of the navigation dial works, so I would like something more clearly tied to playback and pause.

One annoying flaw I found with the remote control is the Google Assistant button, which does not always activate the Assistant. This problem pops up for me in the app search window of the Google TV interface, i.e. where I don't want to use the on-screen keyboard to type the full app name.

Then, if you prefer to use the Google Home app's built-in remote control. the onn 4K Google TV streaming box has an inconsistent interface, and the navigation menu often does not appear. within two minutes, I get an "Full remote not available. error and an option to display the remote control. This pattern happens frequently and does not always give me the option of a remote.

Connecting a $19.99 4K streaming device creates a moment of doubt. Will this work? Will it start a small fire? We are forced to wait an entire news cycle for it to activate.

None of the above. Just ...... It works. A little slower than I would like, but I am used to more sensitive streaming devices like the Roku Ultra and Apple TV 4K. However, when I compare the load times of the onn 4K Google TV streaming box to the most similar device, the 4K Chromecast with Google TV, I am casually pleased.

Nothing particularly bad or noticeable. This may be more of a knock on the Chromecast, but the load times of the Chromecast, Fire TV Stick 4K, and Roku Express 4K Plus are all in the same realm.

This may be because the Google TV OS is light enough to run on a quad-core Cortex-A35 CPU, Mali-G31 MP2 GPU, and 2GB of RAM. There are occasional stutters and stutters when clicking through menus, but easily acceptable at this price point.

The onn 4K Google TV streaming box runs on the same operating system as Google TV and Chromecast, as its name explains. This is a powerful OS for such an affordable device, although it does give some perks and some downgrades.

Part of the reason for this is standards: the onn 4K Google TV streaming box gives you access to over 10,000 apps, so you can use all the best streaming services: Netflix, Hulu, Peacock, Prime Video, All.

It's rare that Google TV doesn't have the apps I want to use, and in those cases (in the case of Japanese wrestling streaming service NJPW World), I easily cast the feed from my laptop to my TV.

As for the interface and home screen, the Google TV home screen is very similar to the one displayed on the Fire TV. There's a carousel of promoted content, including ads, a "Top picks for you" row, your own apps, a section with shows and movies you haven't finished watching, and more curated content.

And there is a Live section where linear programming can be viewed, as well as over 800 free ad-supported channels from Tubi, Plex, and Haystack News, and subscribers to YouTube TV, Sling, and Philo can also integrate these services can do so.

Also, Google TV's screen saver is great, but goes a little overboard with suggesting podcasts and offering weird Google Assistant prompts.

I may prefer the more spartan interface of the Roku Express 4K Plus, but some may prefer the recommendation-heavy Google TV interface, so this is truly a "tastes vary" situation. I just want a grid of apps.

Having relied on the onn 4K Google TV streaming box for all my TV viewing needs for the past few weeks, I realized something. I might prefer a higher quality streaming device. That's all I need.

Watching the NBA playoffs on Hulu + Live TV did not show any performance degradation, and re-watching "Missing" on Netflix did not notice any flaws. The latter is particularly important in 4K resolution. This is because much of the film requires reading the text on screen, all of which is rendered crisply.

The only major downgrade in audio and video quality on this device is the lack of Dolby Vision, a video standard for better color and more faithful blacks (which the Fire TV Stick 4K and Chromecast with Google TV 4K have). The thing is that it doesn't have it. But in my day-to-day use I can't tell the difference. It supports High Dynamic Range (HDR) content and improves contrast, but there is no specific mention of HDR10.

And that includes when I watched the breakfast sandwich scene from "Birds of Prey" on the onn 4K Google TV streaming box and saw no difference in the orange of the American cheese, the red of the hot sauce, or the yellow of the egg yolk. In short, if you don't know what Dolby Vision is and want to spend $20 on a 4K streaming device, you don't need Dolby Vision. You don't need Dolby Vision.

Walmart's onn brand took a few years off and is back, ready to play against the behemoths of cheap streaming devices. Bugs of the past. It was squashed. Price points that would make even Amazon blush. Check. As this review of the ONN 4K Google TV streaming box shows, this is a serious contender.

If you want a more elegantly designed device, the 4K Chromecast with Google TV is the one I'd choose, especially since the remote app doesn't fail like the oonn. it also has Dolby Vision. Want a cleaner interface, choose the Roku Express 4K Plus.

But for the cheapest 4K streaming device that offers a decent experience, the 4K Google TV streaming box is the way to go. The only trick is finding one in stock.