Google Home Expected To Sell For $129; 4K Chromecast Ultra Will Be Available For $69

Rumors have already outed that Google’s new Pixel smartphone will sell for around $650. Now, a couple of sources have indicated that the company’s Google Home device will sell for $129, while the new 4k-capable Chromecast Ultra will be available for $69.

Google Home was first announced back in May during Google’s I/O conference. The device is intended to be the company’s answer to Amazon’s Echo speaker system. Home will function very much the same way as Echo. The device will be voice-activated and will be able to stream music, answer questions and manage tasks. The main difference here is that the new device will be running Google Assistant instead of Amazon’s Alexa, according to Android Police.

If the $129 price tag given by the source is accurate, it would place Google Home at a very competitive price. It would be $40 cheaper than the Amazon Echo, while matching the price of the Amazon Tap. The only problem with the pricing is that it would be tough competing with the cheaper $50 Amazon Echo Dot, as pointed out by 9To5Google. The price point would also match that of Google Wifi, a new router that’s also expected to be announced alongside the Pixel smartphones, Home and the new Chromecast.

As for the Chromecast Ultra, sources said that it will retail for $69. If true, it will be twice as expensive as the 2015 Chromecast. That may be an annoyance for some, considering that Chromecasts are supposed to be crazy cheap, but the new Ultra model will be bringing 4K resolution streaming which justifies the higher price. A source also claimed that the new Chromecast Ultra will also have HDR support.

Although there’s no confirmation yet, the 2015 Chromecast will most likely continue to be on sale once Chromecast Ultra is available to buy. This would give consumers a more affordable option. Also, 4K/HDR TVs are still not that ubiquitous and that is the reason why it wouldn’t make sense for Google to stop selling the 2015 version of the device. As of this writing, there's no information yet on what the new Chromecast Ultra will look like.

Google is expected to announce the pricing for Google Home and Chromecast Ultra during its upcoming Oct. 4 event. The event will also see the official unveiling of the company’s new Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones.