Chromecast is great because it allows you to share content from your phone or laptop directly to your TV, from a majority of streaming apps. (Though, technically, what you’re sharing is a URL that the TV then goes to to stream the content. That way, your phone or tablet are free to keep doing something else.) Although Chromecast is closely associated with Google products, and a core feature of Google’s Android TV, it’s not an exclusive arrangement. You can also find Chromecast built into other smart TVs from some other TV makers like Sony, TCL, Hisense and Vizio. In fact, of the dozens of TVs we review each year, several of the best TVs have Chromecast inside. Here are some of our favorites.
What are the best TVs with Chromecast?
The TVs that come with built-in Chromecast run the gamut from premium to ultra-affordable, and our picks for the best Chromecast TVs are just as varied. For the best TV with Chromecast, the Sony Bravia XR A80J OLED TV is one of the best TVs you can buy, with a gorgeous OLED display, incredible sound and the excellent Google TV interface, which we consider the best you can get on current smart TVs.
The best TVs with Chromecast you can buy
If you want impeccable quality and next-gen capabilities, we love the Sony Bravia XR A80J. This 4K OLED boasts built-in Chromecast, but it’s absolutely packed with other top-notch technologies, too: HDR (including Dolby Vision), a 120 Hz refresh rate, ATSC 3.0 tuner, Google TV, Sony’s own Bravia Core streaming service, Acoustic Surface Audio+ technology… the list goes on. Sure, not everyone will need everything here, but it’s nice to have the option. Just as importantly, it also excels at the basics — contrast is superb, colors are rich and varied, viewing angles are impressive and it handles upscaling well. Sound is also excellent and Google TV is a big upgrade on the older Android TV. Against that, the XR A80J requires a little more tweaking in order to look its best; it’s fine out of the box, but to really reach its full potential, you’ll want to play around with various modes. It’s not the cheapest, but as an all-round package, the A80J is a great choice. Read our full Sony Bravia XR A80J review. The TCL 5-Series Google TV (S546) wowed us with its combination of smart TV features, solid performance and great value for your dollar. Building on the foundation of the already-good 5-Series Roku TV, the move to Google TV gives the affordable 4K smart TV a more premium smart TV platform, one that offers personalized and customizable suggestions, a huge assortment of smart features, built-in Chromecast and deep Google Assistant integration that makes it a viable center for the entire home of connected gadgets. But it also offers a step up in other aspects of the TV. From color quality to lag times, the 5-Series Google TV is a more polished version of the 5-Series TV, delivering an excellent QLED 4K display, a slick remote control, and a surprisingly wide array of gaming features for a 60Hz TV. For a smart TV that sells for under $1,000 for most size options, it’s easily one of the best TVs on the market. Read our full TCL 5-Series Google TV (S546) review. The Sony Bravia X95K Mini LED TV, the brand’s first set powered by Mini LED backlighting, is a great Google TV if you want powerful performance. It has the kind of HDR performance that rivals the movie theaters, pairing the set’s high luminance and targeted backlight control with plenty of nuance and practical vibrancy. In our tests, the Sony Bravia X95K Mini LED TV covered 99.89% of the Rec 709 color space, which is a nearly perfect reach to the average viewer with an LED TV. The X95K’s best Delta E score came in at an excellent 1.88 in Filmmaker Mode, which isn’t surprising as Sony has long emphasized preserving the filmmaker’s intent in picture processing. Pretty on-brand for a TV manufacturer that’s also a movie studio. It’s a little pricey and is out-performed by the OLED in our top spot, but folks who need something a little brighter that still sports Google TV will appreciate the X95K. Read our full Sony Bravia X95K Mini LED TV review. The Hisense U8H Mini-LED TV is all about bringing high-end features to a mid-level price bracket. To wit, it’s packing a light sensor for Dolby Vision IQ that can raise or lower the brightness to match the ambient light in the room and a Mini-LED panel that has up to 528 local dimming zones. Its peak brightness exceeds any TV around that price, and its color reproduction is as good as some of this year’s best TVs. Not only does it have some smart-looking specs under its belt, it has some killer additional features — there’s two HDMI 2.1 ports that support 4K@120Hz and on-board Google TV 11 with Chromecast Built-in. Around back you’ll find a hefty sound system that delivers bass in spades, though it could be a bit stronger in the mid-range. Of course, there’s also an ATSC 3.0 tuner inside, too. The bad news? As powerful as a TV as this is, Hisense’s upscaling and motion processing skills aren’t on par with that of LG, Samsung or Sony’s, which means some scenes you’re going to notice poor motion smoothing and color banding. If those terms don’t mean much to you, these issues won’t ruin your experience — but videophiles might notice them and they can turn an otherwise positive experience into a sub-par one. Read our full Hisense U8H review. Vizio’s first foray into OLED TVs is a big step for the budget TV maker, but a giant leap for affordable OLED TVs. With the 55-inch model selling for $1,299 and often dipping below the $1,000 mark during sales, Vizio’s OLED TV is a value monster, delivering all of the quality you expect from OLED without the premium pricing. The Vizio OLED delivers premium picture quality for hundreds of dollars less than the competition, and pairs it with great sound that has better-than-average bass. Vizio SmartCast has also shaped up to become a solid smart TV platform, with an expanded app selection and built-in support for Google Chromecast and AirPlay 2. It’s one of the best 4K TV values of the year. Read our full Vizio OLED TV review. The Hisense U7G Android TV is being marketed as a TV built for gaming, and the specs make it easy to see why: The Quantum Dot display boasts good color and sharp images, the panel’s 120Hz refresh rate will handle the most demanding game console output, and a pair of HDMI 2.1 ports offer the best connectivity you can get for high-frame rate gaming. Easy app sharing with Chromecast is just icing on the cake. And any TV that’s good for gamers will usually do pretty well at everything else. Handling both Dolby Vision and HDR10 Plus formats, it’s got some of the best HDR support available, and Dolby Atmos sound means it has the audio to match. It impressed us in our testing, and it’s more affordable than you’d expect given the feature set. Gamer or not, the Hisense U7G Android TV is a solid 4K smart TV. Read our full Hisense U7G Android TV review.
What is Google Chromecast?
Google Chromecast is Google’s answer to the problem of sharing content between your phone and your TV. By letting you share content from Netflix, YouTube, Hulu and other apps and services, it makes any HDMI-equipped TV into a smart TV. Debuting in 2013, the Chromecast was an important step in popularizing smart TV functionality at a time when there were very few smart TVs on the market. By bridging the gap between the smartphone and TV, it opened up streaming services such as Netflix to TV owners who had never considered buying a set with smart functionality. As both smart TVs and the streaming ecosystem have matured, Chromecast has evolved to keep up. Initially sold as a standalone device that plugged into your TV’s HDMI port, the latest version of Chromecast has gone beyond simple screen casting and now has a version that boasts a fully-featured version of Google TV, another with Google Stadia gaming support, and you can control it all by voice using a phone or Google Home speaker. Check out our Chromecast with Google TV review to see the latest and best version of the streaming device. You can still buy the Google Chromecast as a separate device, but with so many TVs offering the same functionality as part of the smart TV system, there’s no need. Several brands now carry TVs with Chromecast capability built-in, but not every brand or smart TV platform has this feature. Look for Google TV models from Sony and TCL, Android TVs from Hisense, and Vizio SmartCast TVs.
How to pick the best TV with Chromecast for you
Size: You won’t have to compromise on screen size. Our recommendations above include great options at 55, 65 and even 75-inch sizes, so your budget doesn’t have to prevent you from getting a TV that’s just as big as you want. Find the screen size that works best for you in our article What size TV should you buy? HDR: For the best picture, we recommend getting a set that offers high dynamic range (HDR) support. HDR10 is the base standard, while Dolby Vision is a higher-caliber format, and we recommend opting for Dolby Vision support when you have the choice. Pay attention to ports: We recommend getting a TV with 4 HDMI ports whenever possible. And even though they do cost more, we prefer TVs that have HDMI 2.1 connections. They offer better gaming features and will keep your TV up to date for much longer. Smart TV features: Pretty much every TV on the market is smart these days, so don’t hesitate to get a smart TV. However, make sure that the operating system of the TV in question has the apps you want, because not all of them do. And some platforms offer advanced features like smart home controls and voice assistant capability. From smart functions to port selection, we offer plenty of advice in our TV buying guide, which explains the ins and outs of features like HDR, different types of display, and even extended warranties. And if you still have questions about smart TV features and capabilities, check out Smart TVs: Everything you need to know.
How we test TVs with Chromecast
Every TV review, whether it has Chromecast built-in or not, is put through a standardized set of benchmark tests to measure the key elements of TV performance. Our lab tests measure several elements of picture quality, such as color accuracy, color gamut, brightness and contrast. In addition to lab testing, every TV is also evaluated by the reviewer with extensive hands-on use. We’ll watch movie clips, play test footage, and hook up one of the latest game consoles to see how well the TV performs in real world use. These objective test results and personal evaluations combine in our reviews to give readers as accurate a description as possible of how well a TV performs. How does it look, sound and function? From the design of the remote to the smart functions and port selection, we look at every piece of the TV puzzle to help you know whether a TV is right for you. If you’ve narrowed down your TV shopping by brand, price range or screen size, check out our picks for the best TVs in each. Best TVs | Best 4K TVs | Best smart TVs for streaming | Best TVs for gaming The best TVs under $1000 | The best TVs under $500 Best TV brands | Best Samsung TVs | Best TCL TVs | Best LG TVs | Best Roku TVs | Best Google TVs | Best OLED TVs | Best QLED TVs | Best 8K TVs | Best HDMI 2.1 TV | Best TVs with ATSC 3.0 | Best TVs with Chromecast The smallest smart TVs | Best 43-inch TVs | Best 50-inch TVs | Best 55-inch TVs | Best 65-inch TVs | Best 70-inch TVs | Best 75-inch TVs | Best 85-inch TVs
