Nearly a month ago, folks at 9To5Mac revealed the possibility of Google readying a second-generation Chromecast for launch later this year. What was special about this upcoming Chromecast Ultra was the fact that it comprised of two separate hardware components — the Chromecast Ultra dongle itself and a separate remote control unit. Today, we can confirm that the same dongle + remote control duo has appeared on the website of Taiwanese certification agency NCC.
From the NCC documents, it is evident that the second-generation Google Chromecast Ultra is called the GPJ110 internally while the remote control unit goes by the GPJ100 moniker. The NCC documents, however, do not contain images of either device. Therefore, we only have the lateral schematic view of the remote that had earlier appeared on the FCC website (which was also shared by 9to5Mac a month ago).
Those familiar with Google Chromecast history should be aware of the fact that historically, Chromecast devices never came with a dedicated remote control unit – unlike the case with Amazon Fire TV Stick, which comes with its own remote control unit.
While details on the features offered by this external remote control remain under wraps, we can confirm that it does appear to have a microphone. This confirms support for voice commands using Google Assistant. The remote will also feature a dedicated button for invoking Google Assistant and can also be programmed to work with your TV.
From what is currently known, there should not be any significant changes to the design and functionality of the second-generation Chromecast Ultra. It will, however, feature subtle design updates (including a refreshed”G” logo) and an HDMI connector that shall resemble the one found on the newer 3rd-generation Chromecast. The most important update, however, will be the fact that the new product will be based on Android TV.
With the appearance of these products on both FCC and NCC, it would not be erroneous of us to assume that Google could launch both these devices shortly. It is likely that the initial plan was to launch this product during the 2020 Google i/O conference, which stands canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
