The Nvidia Shield is easily the most beloved streaming device in the Android space, but without an update over the past five years and without one on the horizon, should you be looking at the Google TV Streamer as a replacement? Here’s what you should know.
Google TV Streamer vs Nvidia Shield TV: Specs
The five-year-old Nvidia Shield TV – in this article we’ll be mainly looking at the $199 Pro model – was the king of the spec sheet for ages. But, in 2024, it’s starting to lose some of that charm.
The Shield TV Pro is powered by an Nvidia Tegra X1+ processor. That chip has plenty of raw power and launched in 2019 with the Shield. But the Tegra X1 it’s based on, the same chip that powers Nintendo Switch, first debuted back in 2015, making it almost a decade old. As such, it’s lacking in some important areas. It supports 4K HDR (and Nvidia’s AI upscaling) as well as Dolby Vision and Atmos, but lacks AV1 support, a key codec for the future of streaming. One notable thing the Shield lacks as a result is support for HDR in YouTube.
That chip is paired with 3GB of RAM and 16GB of built-in storage.
Another area the Shield’s specs are showing their age includes the HDMI port, which is still on HDMI 2.0b.
Meanwhile, the Google TV Streamer sports a technically tamer, but more up-to-date package.
The MediaTek 8696 chipset under the hood is the same one found in the Amazon Fire TV Stick Max 4K, which is plenty capable but perhaps not as powerful as the Tegra. But it is paired with 4GB of RAM, which we’ve found helps make the device feel quite snappy and overall comparable to the Shield in terms of experience.
The Google TV Streamer also has twice as much storage at 32GB, supports AV1, and has HDMI 2.1b.
Is the Google TV Streamer matching the Shield TV?
In many ways, still no. Nvidia’s box has a lot more raw power and, despite being out of date in some areas, has shown time and time again that it’s up to the task of complicated home theater setups. The Google TV Streamer still needs to prove itself in that arena.
Hardware: Utility versus style
As far as the hardware goes, the Shield’s design feels very utilitarian compared to Google’s. The Shield has its signature green light, an angular look and feel, but a slim profile that makes use of its size with ports.
On the back of the Shield you’ll find a power port, two USB 3.0 ports, a gigabit Ethernet port, and that HDMI 2.0 port.
With the Google TV Streamer, the design is noticeably cleaner and would better fit in any home theater. But it’s also perhaps a little bigger than it needs to be, seeing as it has fewer ports. There’s a single USB-C port that’s used for power as well as external storage if you hook up an adapter, as well as the HDMI 2.1 port and a gigabit Ethernet port.
Software: The new versus the old
Google TV and Android TV are built on the same platform, but vary considerably.
Android TV is the legacy experience, and the one Google is (mostly) moving away from. As of 2024 it’s got a lot the same features as Google TV including free channels and plenty of ads/recommendations, something the Shield finally gave in to in 2021.
It’s overall a cleaner, if slightly outdated look for the homescreen.
But Google TV has its fair share of advantages.
The homescreen has a more modern design throughout, better integration with your library of content, and a cleaner settings menu too. You’ll also get more content recommendations on the homescreen compared to Android TV – though that’s certainly a matter of preference. There are also new features on Google TV that are unlikely to come to the Android TV experience include the new Home Panel, which also enables Nest Doorbell notifications.
Another advantage you’ll probably find on the Google TV Streamer is longevity.
While Nvidia’s support for the Shield TV over time has been quite literally unprecedented in Android’s history, it seems that it’s drying up as the device hasn’t seen an update since 2022. A Google TV upgrade is also probably never going to happen either, as we’ve not seen that happen to any other device.
Meanwhile, the Google TV Streamer ships with Android 14, a version that’s three updates newer than the Shield’s Android 11 build.
Remotes: Simplicity wins
For both of these devices, the remotes seem to follow a very simple philosophy – simplicity.
The Google TV Streamer and the Shield both have remotes with a limited number of buttons and a simple layout. They also both have a customizable shortcut button.
So who wins? Really, everyone does here, but personally I prefer the ergonomics of the Google TV Streamer’s remote overall. The Shield TV does get some serious points for being backlit, though.
There’s a “Find My Remote” option for both of these devices too, but the Google TV Streamer makes it much easier to use with a button on the back of the device and access through Google Home. The Shield TV Pro requires this through its dedicated mobile app.
The only question that matters: What do you want to do?
To me, the question of whether you should buy a Google TV Streamer or an Nvidia Shield TV is a remarkably simple one to answer, and you can find that answer by simply asking what it is that you want to do.
If you just want to use streaming apps, the Google TV Streamer is the way to go. It’s just as fast, has capable hardware, and is half the price of the Shield TV Pro.
If you want to host streaming content, plug in peripherals, and have improved game streaming support via GeForce Now, the obvious choice is the Shield TV Pro. It has more ports and Plex integration that you won’t find anywhere else. In the past, we’ve also found that the Shield is simply better up to the task of more complex home theater environments compared to others.
Where do you fall? Which one of these devices seems to better suit your needs? Are you considering switching from Shield to the Google TV Streamer? Let us know in the comments below.
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