Walmart says the Onn 4K Pro will ultimately only be available with a backlit remote

The great mystery of the Walmart remote has been solved. Mainly. As you’ll recall from our review of the Onn 4K Pro streaming device, our device came with a remote control that doesn’t have backlit buttons or the unsightly “Free TV” button. But some people who also previously bought a $50 Google TV box had a different remote control – one whose buttons actually light up and with a big blue “Free TV” button in the middle.

We contacted Walmart on May 13 to try to clarify the matter. Here’s what her outside PR agency had to say via email: “It’s worth noting that the pilot has two versions. First wave of products released with a non-backlit version of the remote control. A backlit version will be available with the product soon.”

That’s it. Mainly. As of May 16, the product listing on Walmart’s website shows the same remote control we have. But it wasn’t always like this. Another version of the remote control was mentioned earlier. (Note that backlit buttons are not mentioned either.)

Shop at Walmart Although I only used the remote that came with the device that we purchased from Walmart’s website, I can confidently say that it’s no big deal. And while there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the remote included with the Onn 4K Pro – I still think it’s an improvement over the Chromecast with Google TV remote – it’s not that important. I would argue that the more important features are the customizable star button; ability to assign the YouTube button to YouTube proper, YouTube TV or YouTube Music; and the all-important remote search function – all of these features are available on both versions of the remote control.

Is the backlit remote control — the one that Walmart says will ultimately be the only one shipped with this device — more “premium,” as some people call it? I don’t know. I used many remote controls on a daily basis. I had the Logitech Harmony Elite and the beautifully designed Logitech Harmony Companion. These these are premium remotes.

This is a device that comes with a $50 streaming box and I’m tired of thinking about it.