The next Android TV soundbar may be coming from an unlikely place

Some long-awaited audio competition

Between Google’s latest Chromecast, Roku’s ever-growing lineup of streaming boxes, and the ever-popular Amazon Fire TV series, you’d expect new entries to be a rare occurrence. Instead, new ways to stream Netflix or Disney+ just won’t stop coming — often from the companies you least expect. Verizon put out its first Android TV box back in 2019, and two years later, it looks to be expanding into a new product category: soundbars.

Android TV Guide managed to catch this new gadget passing through the FCC, and although the listing doesn’t contain a ton of concrete details, there are a couple of noteworthy aspects. While this soundbar sports Verizon branding, it’s actually manufactured by Askey, a company owned by Asus. It’s also running Android 11 out of the box — no need to wait for a promised upgrade down the road. Though we don’t know the product name just yet, considering Verizon has released two different “Stream TV” boxes, you can expect this model to follow suit.

While streaming sticks and boxes might be a dime a dozen, we haven’t seen all that many soundbars running Android TV. JBL’s excellent Link Bar arrived on the scene in 2019, but it hasn’t faced much competition since. Verizon might be an unexpected challenger, but if you’ve been waiting for a new soundbar — likely one that’s priced far cheaper than JBL’s unit — you finally have something to keep your eye on. If it’s anything like past gadgets, Verizon Fios and 5G Home customers will see a substantial discount on the company’s new hardware.

About The Author