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Google Refreshes Its Streaming Dongle: Unveils $69 Chromecast Ultra With 4K and HDR Capabilities (engadget.com)
On the sidelines of Pixel smartphones announcement and $79 Daydream View VR headset, Google also announced a refresh for its streaming dongle. Called the Chromecast Ultra, the dongle offers 4K and HDR capabilities. The Chromecast Ultra, the company says, is the fastest Chromecast it has event made (it can load videos about 1.8 times faster than the standard Chromecast (all thanks to improved Wi-Fi connectivity). The Chromecast Ultra also includes an Ethernet port on the power adapter. Engadget adds: It's still a svelte puck like the earlier models, but it has a bit of a stealth bomber aesthetic. And at $69, it's far more expensive than the current $35 Chromecast. Still, it comes in $10 less than Roku's cheapest 4K player, and will be useful for anyone who wants to quickly stream high-res video to their new 4K TV.
They've had an ethernet adapter as an option since the original Chromecast 2 years ago, it was like $20 or $25 though I think. I bought it because I was sick of my 1st gen Chromecast not working well on congested 2.4 ghz wifi. It still works on my 2nd gen / 5 Ghz Chromecast too. Basically the price of the "old" chromecast + price of ethernet adapter = price of the new Chromecast. It's likely the exact same power/ethernet adapter.