Best Buy Accidentally Sells Unannounced Third-Gen Chromecast Ahead Of Google Hardware Event

Google is set to officially reveal its new devices and hardware upgrades during its annual fall hardware event on Oct. 9. It appears though that one of the upgrades has already been leaked ahead of schedule.

Reddit user GroveStreetHomie claimed that he managed to buy an unreleased third-generation Chromecast at a Best Buy that accidentally brought it out for sale.

The Redditor said that he went to purchase a Chromecast for a new TV when he noticed that the packaging and design for the particular device were different from the one that he has.

GroveStreetHomie initially thought that it was just a design refresh but when he was about to pay for the item, he realized that the device could be a next-gen Chromecast that Google is scheduled to announce at the company’s upcoming hardware event.

“When I was at the cashier, they couldn’t scan the item because it wasn’t in the system yet because the release date is on the 9th of October (Same day as the 2018 Google event) but I guess they put it out too early,” GroveStreetHomie shared on Reddit.

“But since I already had it in my hand and was the same price as the 2nd generation Chromecast, they let me have it under the old SKU.”

The device is reportedly thicker than the old model. It also has a matte finish, instead of the glossy plastic used by the second-generation Chromecast. The chrome logo on top was also replaced with a G icon, which matches the Pixel lineup.

The Reddit user was not able to set up the Chromecast because the Google Home app said that it needs to be updated first despite that it is already the newest version.

The Federal Communications Commission certified an updated Chromecast with Bluetooth last month. It still isn’t clear if the Chromecast bought at Best Buy is the same model that passed through the FCC.

According to Android Police, the second-gen Chromecast has an FFC ID of A4RNC2-6A5. The model certified last month has an FFC ID of A4RNC2-6A5B. The photo of the Chromecast box shared on Reddit showed an ID that only says NC2-6A5, which happens to be identical to existing models of Chromecast.

Android Police said the product could be just a visual refresh of existing hardware and is not the updated model. There is also the possibility that Google is not required to have the full FCC ID on the box.