Nvidia Shield TV pro and Shield TV Dongle 2020 model
We all heard rumours, we all saw some leaks but this time is official. We have the first official leaks of the two Nvidia Shield TV 2020 models that were pubblished by mistake on Amazon. And as a matter of fact we will have two different models. The first almost identical to the previous models as far as aesthetics are concerned and the second it is Nvidia’s response to the Amazon Firestick.
Nvidia Shield TV PRO 2020
Starting at $199 the brand new NVIDIA Shield TV Pro 2020 is powered by the Nvidia’s proprietary CPU, the Tegra X1+ processor. NVIDIA claims that it makes the SHIELD TV Pro 25 percent faster than its predecessor. The Tegra X1+ is now paired with 3GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage as well.
On the back of the New Shield TV Pro 2020 we find 2 X USB 3.0, an HDMI 2.0, a Gigabit Ethernet port and the same power in socket.
In addition to the new Tegra X1+ SoC, the SHIELD TV Pro expands the HDR support of the SHIELD TV with the inclusion of Dolby Vision HDR support along with Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital Plus. Another interesting feature is the HD to 4K upscaling using Artificial Intelligence. That is something that personally can’t wait to try since it looks very promising and this is Nvidia we are talking about.
Nvidia Shield TV Dongle
And here comes at $179 also the NVIDIA Shield TV Dongle. In a very compact device Nvidia brings the same CPU and same capabilities of the Nvidia Shield TV Pro, a part from the 2 X USB 3.0 and adds also a micro SD. Other than the AC WiFi as the bigger brother, the dongle will also have in the sam super-compact device a built-in power supply so essentialy you just need to attach the power cable to the device. Of course being a powerful device that it is, it will not be powered just by a USB cable as the Amazon Firestick. The perfomance gap is immense amaong the two devices as it is also the price.
New Remote Control
Both devices share the same remote control. I was a huge fan of the first remote control. The device and build quality was top notch (especially the model with the re-chargable battery) and it was only lacking in the volume department. That touch control was cool but in all honesty not so practical. In a bold move, Nvidia decided to rebuild the remote and the design feels strange in some extent. Instead of building on top of the very loved remote they decided to play it safe while adding a lot of buttons and dedicating a button to Netflix too. This time the remote comes with AAA batteries and also supports backlight. Great the addition of a remote finder so you will never lose your remote again. I will not share more on my feelings on the remote until I use it because knowing Nvidia I believe it is better than it looks.
Nvidia Shield TV 2020 Price and Availablity
As metioned before, the two models come at a very interesting price. The Nvidia Shield TV pro sales for $199 which is the same price as the Nvidia Shield TV when it first launched 4 years ago. The Nvidia Shield TV Dongle will beat the price of the predecessor for $179 which is the price that the “old” model costs right now on Amazon. Both devices will launch on October 28th and I can’t wait to test them both. The devices were both list on Amazon but now the listing has been removed.