Walmart’s super-cheap Android TV streamers suddenly can’t be purchased online

Ben Schoon | Nov 7 2022 - 6:43 am PT

Walmart joined the Android TV game back in mid-2021 with the release of two incredibly cheap streamers that actually held up pretty well. Suddenly, though, it’s become much harder to buy Walmart’s Android TV streamers, as online sales have disappeared.

Debuted in 2021 for $14.88 and $24.88 respectively, Walmart’s 1080p and 4K Android TV streamers have turned out to be pretty solid devices. They have wide app support, one of the best remotes, and solid performance on the whole. Compared to Roku devices in their price tag, it’s a no-brainer when you weigh out the pros and cons – the use of a Bluetooth remote over IR alone is a huge advantage. Walmart has also done a brilliant job with security updates and bug fixes.

With those prices since having dropped to impossibly low $9.88 and $19.88 price tags, these make a killer impulse buy.

In the past few days Walmart has entirely ceased online sales of the Onn 4K and Onn HD, its two Android TV-powered streaming devices. Some users on Reddit found that they could still add the devices to their carts as of early this morning, but we’re currently seeing the device as not available online at all.

Local stock on these streamers also appears to be limited at best. I couldn’t find a single device in stock in the eight stores near me or any other zip codes I tried.

This isn’t a reason to panic, though. Stocking issues like this happen on Walmart’s website pretty regularly, but the timing is a bit disconcerting with big shopping holidays such as Black Friday right around the corner.

It seems like a strong possibility that Walmart has decided to axe its Android TV streamers, especially when you consider the retailer’s increasingly strong partnership with Roku as of late. Roku’s new smart home efforts, for example, retail exclusively at Walmart. That, combined with the fire sale-level pricing, just feels like a clear sign to me.

Another possibility, of course, is that Walmart is preparing to refresh the hardware on these devices, but since they’ve only been on the market for around 18 months, that seems unlikely. Streaming devices, especially in the Android TV market, usually have a lifespan of at least two years.

We’ll update this post if Walmart restores online stock.