I’ve been meaning to write an article like this for a long time, partly because I’ve already tested quite a few of these devices, partly because I wanted to organize all the information, and partly because readers have asked me to do it more than once. I’ll probably also post general coupons for TV boxes from Gearbest here.
First, a few words about how this topic will be organized. I’m not sure yet how it will turn out in the end. Maybe someone can suggest a more convenient format, but for now, here’s the plan: 1. Group the boxes by processor manufacturer. 2. List the newest model in each group first, followed by older ones, down to the oldest—or rather, the one I reviewed first. 3. For now, I won’t split them up by processor model. 4. At the very beginning, there’ll be a spoiler listing the model names and the dates they were added to the roundup, starting from the publication date of this article.
Each TV box entry will include: 1. A link to the store, the price at the time of publication, and the technical specifications. 3. A link to the full review 4. Photos of the exterior 5. Port layout 6. A couple of photos of the internals. 7. A screenshot of the “desktop” and preinstalled apps, possibly a screenshot of the settings menu and something else 8. Conclusions
You’ll often see me use the word “processor” in this article. Strictly speaking, that’s not quite right; “SoC” (system on a chip) would be more accurate, but “processor” is easier to understand.
Also, please don’t post questions like these in this topic: I have a TV box, model ZZZ. It was working, but now it’s broken. What should I do? I have a TV box, model YYY. Where can I find firmware for it?
There’s a review or forum thread for questions like these, so it’s better to ask there. For firmware, it’s best to look for it right away on the well-known “blue site.”
An updated summary table of all the TV boxes I’ve tested. The latest device I tested is usually highlighted in the table.
Amlogic. A fairly large company; its processors are used in about half of the TV boxes I’ve tested. The processors are pretty good, but they have their drawbacks: no AFR (automatic refresh-rate switching to match the video’s frame rate) and compatibility issues with some older TV models. Processor models I’ve come across: S815 S812 S905 S905X S905X-H S905W S912 T962E
X9T This is a completely unbranded TV box—it doesn’t even have a manufacturer’s name. Still, it turned out to work pretty well, which was a pleasant surprise. Approximate price: $45. Full review: link
Specifications: CPU — Amlogic S912 Number of cores — 8 Graphics — Mali-T820MP3 RAM — 2GB DDR3 Flash storage — 16GB WiFi: 2.4 GHz Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.1 LAN — 1000Mbit Ports: 2xUSB2.0, HDMI, RJ45, S/PDIF, microSD card Operating system — Android 6.0 Dimensions — 103 x 103 x 25 mm
Package contents: 1. X9T TV box 2. Remote control 3. Power adapter 4. HDMI cable. 5. Manual
There is nothing new about this TV box's design; it's the same old black square box.
The front panel has an indicator that displays the current time. The back has the standard set of ports: S/PDIF, a pair of USB ports, LAN, HDMI, and the power connector. There's a reset button hole between S/PDIF and USB. The right side has a memory card slot; when inserted, the card sits deep inside and is almost invisible. There are four soft rubber feet on the bottom.
The display glows a comfortable green—not too bright, and at least it isn't irritating. It only shows the current time.
There's a metal plate inside the case that serves as an improvised heatsink—or, more likely, increases the thermal mass of the main heatsink.
If the remote's circuit board weren't crooked, I'd say it was simple and neat. As it is, I'll just say it's simple.
It has protection on the USB ports, as well as basic protection on HDMI. Everything else is standard.
A painfully familiar interface, nothing new. What I didn't like was the smooth transition effect as you move between icons, which makes the interface feel a bit sluggish.
The settings menu has the usual multiple levels. By default, you get access to the basic, simplified interface, where you can choose the most essential options.
In my opinion, this TV box is quite good, even though it's unbranded. There are a few caveats: for example, YouTube was limited to Full HD, AFR wasn't really automatic, and WiFi wasn't very fast. Otherwise, it worked reliably. It has a remote, gigabit Ethernet, and doesn't overheat too much—something that's easy to reduce significantly, if not eliminate altogether. It handles various video files and online TV well. What would I like to see? To start with, USB 3.0—at least one port. 5 GHz WiFi wouldn't hurt either. Otherwise, it seems to have everything. One thing to note: although this TV box supports output at 570p and 480p, you can't connect an analog TV to it. It also has no analog audio output, so keep that in mind when choosing.
In short, this is a TV box with nothing unnecessary, but that's just my opinion.
Mecool M8S Plus L Another box from Mecool. In my opinion, it's one of the most "prolific" companies, churning out a huge number of different models that, however, aren't all that different from one another. The approximate price is around 45-50 dollars. Full review — link
Specifications: CPU — Amlogic S912 Number of cores — 8 Graphics — Mali-T820MP3 RAM — 2 GB DDR3 Flash memory — 16 GB WiFi: 2.4 GHz Bluetooth: No LAN — No Ports: 2x USB 2.0, HDMI, AV Operating system — Android 7.1
Package contents: 1. Mecool M8S Plus L TV box 2. Power supply 3. IR remote control 4. HDMI cable 5. Manual.
It looks very much like a Xiaomi TV box.
There are very few ports. In fact, this is almost a complete copy of the Xiaomi TV box: there's no wired LAN or memory card slot, though it does have two USB ports.
The inside is noticeably simpler, but still quite neatly put together.
A large steel plate is used for cooling, but the processor here is also more powerful than the one in the MiBox.
The power input seems to have some kind of protection, though I wouldn't count on it too much. There is no protection on either HDMI or USB, though the HDMI data lines run through resistor arrays rather than directly, as is more often the case. As usual, the reset button is located behind the 3.5 mm jack.
The home screen has a familiar look, with a few minor changes, at least in its color scheme.
The settings menu is very simple. The first tab lets you configure network and VPN access. The second tab contains video and audio settings, as well as the CEC function, which is disabled by default. The third tab lets you choose the language, set the time, and access your Google account.
You could call this TV box "one of many." It would be pretty good in terms of performance, and could even outperform its "prototype," the Xiaomi MiBox 3, if not for the cooling issues. I mentioned above that these two TV boxes are very similar, and even have comparable case dimensions and heatsink designs. But the Xiaomi MiBox 3 has a less powerful processor, and its heatsink is enough. Here, the manufacturer tried to improve things to some extent, but it turned out as usual... Otherwise, this TV box is very similar to its "siblings" from the same company, Mecool. The settings menu is a little awkward, and some video files have minor frame drops, though they're barely noticeable. I also couldn't get it to run at 4K 60 Hz, which is a little strange. I won't claim with 100% certainty that it tops out at 30 Hz, though; I'd be more inclined to expect decent Full HD performance. Also, the lack of high-speed interfaces means you won't be able to watch high-bitrate 4K video, so you'll have to settle for either Full HD or 4K at up to 80 Mbps.
Speaking of interfaces, the lack of 5 GHz WiFi is even more disappointing than the lack of wired Ethernet. And having no Bluetooth at all is just strange.
There were no stability issues. During testing, the TV box rebooted on its own just once, when I tried connecting an external hard drive. Even after rebooting, it still couldn't handle the drive, though it was a 7200 rpm hard drive.
Mecool KM8 A very well-known company that makes a ton of different TV box models of fairly good quality, but often with inadequate cooling. The company has also made some "people's choice" models, which are included in the examples below. This model is built around a decent processor and has everything needed for comfortable use. It's advertised as having certified Android TV, but as far as I know, the latest models were already shipping without certification. The approximate price is around $60. Full review — link.
Specifications: CPU — Amlogic S905X Number of cores — 4 Graphics — Mali-450 RAM — 2 GB DDR3 Flash storage — 16 GB WiFi: 2.4 GHz Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.1 LAN — 100 Mbit Ports: 2x USB 2.0, HDMI, RJ45, AV, microSD card Operating system — Android 8.0 Dimensions — 98 x 98 x 26 mm
Package contents: 1. TV box 2. Power supply 3. HDMI cable 4. Remote control 5. Antenna 6. Manual
One notable difference from other models is the external antenna.
There aren't many ports. On the back you'll find: 1. Analog audio and video output; the required cable is not included. 2. Wired network connection 3. HDMI output for connecting to a TV or monitor 4. Antenna connector 5. 5 V power input.
Everything inside is neatly assembled, but the antenna cable is soldered in place, so take care when opening it.
The heatsink is frankly too small, even for a relatively low-power processor like the S905X. It's adequate for watching video, but gaming may cause overheating.
On the plus side, the HDMI port is properly protected—they didn't cut corners here, which is good to see. On the left side of the board, you can see the footprint for a USB hub and a microUSB connector.
It uses a somewhat unusual launcher.
The settings menu is almost identical to those on previous TV box models, with one exception: there's no option to switch to the more familiar “old” menu, and Advanced settings takes you to the video output settings.
The TV box itself works reasonably well. I liked how YouTube runs and how it plays various video formats. Voice control also works nicely. I criticized this feature a bit in my Mecool M8S PRO L review, but this time I actually liked it. Build quality is also pretty good. The HDMI and USB ports are protected, which is less common these days, but the heatsink is disappointing. I suspect that's why some of the performance test results were worse. Also, there may be problems with some external hard drives. I had trouble with a fairly power-hungry 7200 rpm model and an HDMI-to-VGA converter connected.
One software quirk: when you move the mouse cursor to the upper-left corner of the screen, it briefly jumps all the way to the top-left edge. I haven't seen that before. It doesn't really get in the way, but it's a little annoying.
It's hard for me to say much about the price, but at $60, I think it should have had gigabit Ethernet or at least 5 GHz WiFi. It's strange that they skimped on that. Compared with the Mecool M8S PRO L I mentioned in this review, I think that one is a better deal: for just $10 more, it has a more powerful processor, more RAM, 32 GB of flash storage, and 5 GHz WiFi.
Xiaomi MiBox 3 A TV box from a well-known manufacturer, with an estimated price of around $55–60, link Full review — link. It's built around the S905X-H processor, which is essentially the same as the S905X but with a paid license for Dolby Digital, DTS, and DTS-HD.
Device specifications: CPU — Amlogic S905X-H Number of cores — 4 Graphics — Mali 450 750MHz RAM — 2GB DDR3 Flash storage — 8GB (eMMC5.1) WiFi: 2.4 / 5 GHz Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.1 + EDR Connectors: USB2.0, HDMI, 3.5mm audio mini jack / optical mini toslink Operating system — Android TV 6.0 Dimensions — 101 x 101 x 19.5 mm
Package contents: 1. Mibox 3 TV box (MDZ-16-AB) 2. Remote control (Bluetooth with microphone) 3. Power supply 4. HDMI cable 5. Manual
It's compact, and its unusual case design makes it look very thin.
There are very few connectors; the list includes only: 1. Power connector 2. USB 2.0 port 3. HDMI output 4. 3.5mm analog audio output + optical S/PDIF.
Despite the TV box's very modest dimensions, it has a fairly well-designed cooling system. At least, I wasn't able to make it overheat.
Build quality is excellent. There are protective shields over the processor, flash memory, and RAM, as well as protection on the HDMI and USB outputs.
This TV box runs Android TV 6.0, which differs a little from regular Android. For one thing, there is no separate Apps menu, so it may take some getting used to at first. But it all works reliably and very well.
The settings menu is standard for Android devices, so there shouldn't be any problems configuring it.
Conclusion: A very well-made TV box with no overheating issues and a thoughtfully designed build. Its drawbacks are the small number of USB ports and the lack of a wired network connection. If you plan to watch videos and YouTube, and your router is nearby, it's a very good option.
Alfawise S95 A relatively budget-friendly TV box based on the S905W SoC, better suited to undemanding users or for use in the kitchen or at a country house—in other words, places where a TV box is usually used for watching TV and movies in the background. The approximate price is around 40 dollars, link Full review — link.
Specifications. CPU — Amlogic S905W Number of cores — 4 (Quad Core ARM Cortex-A53) Graphics — Mali-450 RAM — 2 GB DDR3 Flash storage — 16 GB WiFi: 2.4 GHz 802.11b/g/n Bluetooth: none LAN — Ethernet 10/100M Video output — HDMI 2.0 Ports: 2xUSB2.0, Optical S/PDIF, RJ45, microSD card Operating system — Android 7.1 64bit Dimensions — 105 x 105 x 15 mm
Package contents 1. TV box 2. Power supply 3. IR remote control 4. HDMI cable 5. Manual
The TV box is compact, but the manufacturer still managed to fit a clock on the front panel. As usual, though, the clock needs an internet connection to synchronize.
The selection of ports is nothing special either. It includes: Rear — analog audio and video, S/PDIF, Ethernet, HDMI, and a power supply connector. Right side — two USB 2.0 ports and a memory card slot.
A steel plate screwed to the top cover serves as the heatsink. Heat is transferred to it through a fairly thick thermal rubber pad.
Build quality is good; the HDMI and USB ports have no protection.
Android 7.1.2 is preinstalled. The interface is very standard, but I find it quite convenient.
It comes with the usual set of apps preinstalled.
A very basic TV box model: no 5 GHz Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, but it works, although it gets noticeably hot under heavy load. What saves this box, I think, is the good balance of RAM and flash storage—2 and 16 GB, respectively—as well as the wired network connection.
Mecool M8S PRO L An updated version of the Mecool M8S TV box, with voice control added via a microphone built into the remote. The estimated price is around $75, link,. Full review - link.
Specifications: CPU — Amlogic S912 Number of cores — 8 Graphics — Mali-T820MP3 RAM — 3 GB DDR3 Flash storage — 32 GB (a 16 GB model is also available) Wi-Fi: 2.4 / 5 GHz Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.1 LAN — 100 Mbit Ports: 2x USB 2.0, HDMI, RJ45, AV, microSD card Operating system — Android 7.1 Dimensions — 100 x 100 x 21 mm
Package contents: 1. Mecool M8S PRO L TV box 2. HDMI cable 3. Power supply 4. Remote control 5. Manual
The remote uses Bluetooth rather than IR, and has a dedicated button for voice control.
The TV box is fairly compact. There are ventilation holes around the case to improve cooling.
Ports for connecting external devices: Rear — analog audio and video output, LAN, HDMI, and power. Left side — two USB 2.0 ports and a memory card slot.
There is no heat-spreading plate inside the case. A relatively large heatsink is attached to the processor, but cooling is only average, and the device can get quite hot under heavy load.
There is no HDMI or USB protection, but there is some kind of protection circuit on the power input.
It comes with Android 7.1.1 preinstalled. The interface is very convenient and looks nice—a thumbs-up.
The selection of preinstalled apps is fairly limited. YouTube and Play Store are probably the only essentials.
This is an interesting TV box. I was pleased with how reliably YouTube runs, the wide selection of apps, and the Bluetooth remote, but disappointed by the lousy cooling, which undermines all the good things about this TV box. So it's probably best suited to people who are handy with a screwdriver: improve the cooling and you can end up with a very good TV box. The one thing it could still use is gigabit Ethernet.
Alfawise H96 Mini A very unusual TV box model. Besides its uncommon processor, it also has an HDMI input—not just for switching sources, but also for adjusting brightness and contrast and applying other image enhancements. The estimated price is around $60, link,. Full review - link.
Specifications CPU — Amlogic T962E Number of cores — 4 Graphics — Mali-450MP RAM — 2 GB LPDDR3 Flash storage — 16 GB WiFi: 2.4 / 5 GHz IEEE 802.11 b/g/n/ac Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.0 LAN — Ethernet 10/100M Video output — HDMI 2.0, CEC and HDCP 2.2, resolutions up to 4K*2K @ 60Hz Connectors: 2x USB 2.0, Optical S/PDIF, RJ45, microSD card, AV, HDMI IN. Operating system — Android 7.1 64-bit Dimensions — 100 x 100 x 18 mm
Package contents 1. Alfawise H96 Mini TV box 2. Power supply 3. IR remote control 4. HDMI cable 5. Manual
The package contents are pretty basic, but it does include a programmable remote that can control both the TV box and the TV. The power supply is very cheap; it's better to replace it.
The TV box looks a little plain, and you could say it doesn't look like it costs what it does.
Right side microSD card slot, AV output, and two USB 2.0 ports.
No particular issues with the construction; the backlighting is implemented in an original way using a light guide.
The HDMI input and USB ports are protected.
But the heatsink is very small, and the TV box tends to overheat. I eventually had to replace it; you can read about that in the review.
The interface is nothing out of the ordinary, but it's easy to use.
A standard set of apps, with TVapp being perhaps the only notable addition.
Launching TVapp activates the video input. Since the TV box can process the signal coming in through it, there are quite a few settings. The review covers them in more detail; here are just a few examples.
A rare case where the device looks better inside than out. Yes, it isn't a performance powerhouse, it overheats and needs some modification, but so far it's the only TV box that can process a video signal passing through it in real time.
Beelink GT1 Ultimate An upgraded version of the GT1 from the well-known company Beelink. A powerful and quite interesting TV box, although the main difference from the previous version is simply the increased RAM capacity of 3 GB. The estimated price is around 70 dollars, link. Full review - link.
Specifications: CPU — Amlogic S912 Number of cores — 8 Graphics — Mali-T820MP3 RAM — 3 GB DDR4 Flash memory — 32 GB WiFi: 2.4 / 5 GHz IEEE 802.11 b/g/n/ac Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.0 LAN — Ethernet 10/100M/1000M Video output — HDMI 2.0, HDR, CEC and HDCP 2.2 support, and 4K*2K @ 60Hz resolution Connectors: 2x USB 2.0, Optical S/PDIF, RJ45, microSD card Operating system — Android 7.1 Dimensions — 96 x 96 x 16 mm
Package contents: 1. Beelink GT1 Ultimate TV box 2. Power supply 3. HDMI cable 4. IR remote control 5. User manual
The remote is quite convenient, with several programmable buttons as well as a numeric keypad.
The design is relatively understated: a square box with the company logo on top.
The selection of ports is standard for devices like this, but in my opinion, two USB ports are a bit too few for a device in this class. Rear: power, USB, HDMI, LAN, Optical S/PDIF Left side: USB and a microSD card slot.
The part of the board with the processor is covered by a metal shield. Heat is transferred to a metal plate through a special thermal compound. The cooling system works reasonably well overall, but the design itself doesn't help keep temperatures low, so temperatures will still get high under sustained maximum load.
As you'd expect from a device in this class, the HDMI port and USB connectors are protected. Overall, it's clear that the build quality is noticeably better than that of most cheap alternatives.
The TV box runs Android 7.1. Its interface is a little different from those on most TV boxes, but still has a lot in common with them. It's easy to use.
There are surprisingly few preinstalled apps. I expected the usual pile of everything under the sun, but in this case the manufacturer simply decided that everyone would install whatever they preferred.
The TV box left me with mixed feelings. The build and component quality are quite good, and there's an attempt to improve the cooling system, but the system itself is poorly thought out. The TV box stays below 65-72 degrees while playing video, which is tolerable, but under a full load it can easily reach 80 degrees. I'd also point out the small power supply. It works great in normal use (HDMI connection and an external hard drive), but if you also connect an HDMI-to-VGA converter to the output, you won't be able to start the hard drive. I had no particular issues with multimedia playback. The lack of AC3 support may be worked around by using alternative media players. The 5 GHz wireless connection works great; 2.4 GHz is average. No issues at all with the wired connection.
Wechip V8 A budget TV box based on the S905W. Nothing unusual—just a simple TV box for watching movies. The estimated price is around 40 dollars, link. Full review - link.
Specifications CPU — Amlogic S905W Number of cores — 4 (Quad Core ARM Cortex-A53) Graphics — Mali-450 RAM — 2 GB DDR3 Flash storage — 16 GB WiFi: 2.4 GHz 802.11b/g/n Bluetooth: none LAN — Ethernet 10/100M Video output — HDMI 2.0 Ports: 2x USB 2.0, S/PDIF, RJ45, microSD card Operating system — Android 7.1 Dimensions — 93 x 93 x 15 mm
Package contents: 1. Wechip V8 TV box 2. Power supply 3. IR remote control 4. HDMI cable 5. Manual and some mysterious piece of paper.
The power supply is a basic, cheap one, but the remote, while simple, is quite neatly made.
The design is very simple: a small, unremarkable black box.
The usual set of ports on the back: 1. 5 V power input 2. HDMI 3. Analog audio and video output (no adapter is included, and without one you only get audio) 4. Ethernet 5. 3.5 mm S/PDIF jack.
There are two USB 2.0 ports and a memory card slot on the right.
Cooling is handled by a small heatsink, with some of the heat transferred to a metal plate attached to the bottom cover. It's a well-known solution, and an ineffective one, but that only becomes apparent under maximum load. I had no particular problems while watching video.
Although this is a budget TV box, the build quality is reasonably good.
There is no port protection, though that was to be expected.
The interface isn't exactly cutting-edge either; you see it on nearly half of the popular models. The TV box runs Android 7.1
The app selection is much the same as on other models, but you'll have to install YouTube separately.
Overall, the TV box runs reliably and doesn't freeze, and WiFi works pretty well too. It uses Samsung flash memory and Micron RAM, which improves the odds of reliable operation. The price is also appealing for a version with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of flash storage—it's pretty good. But I can't leave out the problems with video playback and IPTV. There's also the S905W chip's limitation: it doesn't output video at Full HD resolution. At least, I couldn't confirm that the box can correctly display Full HD by scaling it down to 1280x720. In my personal opinion, the biggest drawback is the IPTV playback issues, followed by video playback. When paired with an HD TV, there's no point in watching 4K content, and everything works fine in HD.
Tanix TX3 The first TV box based on Amlogic's new budget S905W processor. Despite its very low price, it has 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of flash storage, which is not that common. The approximate price is around $30, link. Full review — link.
Specifications. CPU — Amlogic S905W Number of cores — 4 (Quad Core ARM Cortex-A53) Graphics — Mali-450 RAM — 2 GB DDR3 Flash storage — 16 GB WiFi: 2.4 GHz 802.11b/g/n Bluetooth: none LAN — Ethernet 10/100M Video output — HDMI 2.0 Ports: 2xUSB2.0, Optical S/PDIF, RJ45, microSD card Operating system — Android 7.1 Dimensions — 105 x 105 x 15 mm
Package contents: 1. Tanix TX3 Mini TV box 2. Power adapter 3. IR remote control 4. HDMI cable 5. Manual
Everything is very basic, although the remote looks neat.
The case has the familiar square design, with a glossy insert.
I was very surprised to learn that, despite the very low price, the manufacturer had managed to fit a display here as well. It shows the current time and operating mode.
There is no aluminum heatsink; all the heat is transferred to a steel plate through a thermal pad. Strangely enough, though, overheating is practically nonexistent.
The board has protection on the power input, but none on HDMI or USB. Unfortunately, this is the case with almost all cheap models.
The interface is one of the most common, but that's partly why it's convenient: it has all the essentials.
The app menu comes with basic software preinstalled, including Kodi, YouTube, and Play Market.
Unfortunately, I found a common issue with TV boxes based on the S905W: Full HD video output isn't quite right. For that reason, I'd recommend this TV box only to the least demanding users.
The TV box is well built, doesn't overheat, has very good wireless connectivity, and its software runs stably. But the new processor version performed worse than its predecessors, both in terms of speed and multimedia support. Problems range from being unable to play some video formats to video output being limited to 1280x720. I should also mention the eMMC storage: it's branded, but slow. So, on the one hand, it's an interesting little box, especially with its lack of overheating and decent WiFi—features that are far from universal. On the other hand, it has such a limitation on video output. The only use for it is with analog TVs or TVs that support HD resolution.
Vorke Z6 I've reviewed mini PCs from Vorke, but it turns out they also make TV boxes. This model is clearly not a budget option, as it's built around an S912 processor and comes with 3 GB of RAM and a full 32 GB of flash storage.. The estimated price is around 75 dollars, link. Full review - link.
Specifications CPU — Amlogic S912 Number of cores — 8 Graphics — Mali-T820MP3 RAM — 3 GB DDR4 Flash storage — 32 GB WiFi: 2.4 / 5 GHz IEEE 802.11 b/g/n/ac Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.1 LAN — Ethernet 10/100M/1000M RGMII Video output — HDMI 2.0 with HDR, CEC and HDCP 2.2 support, and resolutions up to 4K*2K @ 60Hz Ports: 2x USB 2.0, Optical S/PDIF, RJ45, microSD card Operating system — Android 7.1.2 Dimensions — 113 x 113 x 26 mm
Package contents: 1. Vorke Z6 TV box 2. IR remote control 3. Power supply 4. HDMI cable 5. User manual.
Strangely enough, the package is quite basic for this price range—not so much in terms of quantity as quality. I expected a more advanced remote, but they included the most basic one, the kind that comes with very budget models.
The design is fairly restrained, but the manufacturer decided to keep the power button, even though it's becoming less and less common these days.
1. The front has a small LED display window. 2. As usual, most of the ports are on the back: power, HDMI, Ethernet, 2 USB 2.0 ports, a reset button hole, and a 3.5 mm S/PDIF output jack. There is no analog audio output. 3. The memory card slot is on the left. 4. The right side has only ventilation holes.
There are ventilation holes on two of the four sides, but unfortunately they're small and only on the sides, so they don't do much to help with cooling.
The front has an LED indicator that displays the current time, the network connection type (WiFi or Ethernet), a USB flash drive or hard drive connection, and a timer icon.
Interestingly, the button and status indicator are connected via a connector, while the WiFi antenna cable is simply soldered to the board. The processor has a small heatsink, and there's a large steel plate on the top of the case to dissipate some of the heat. It's a reasonably good solution: the plate is more often installed on the bottom of the case, which ends up heating the TV box. Here it's on top, so cooling is better. I didn't notice any significant overheating of the TV box.
The board is very well made, but there's no port protection, which is strange for a device in this price range.
The TV box has an unusual interface; I haven't come across one like it before. It consists of three sections: 1. Main menu. 2. Settings and added apps for quick access… 3, 4. Installed apps menu.
Quite a lot of apps are preinstalled, and I'd probably remove some of them. The important ones are Kodi, YouTube, and Play Store. You can download the rest.
Among the advantages are the huge number of TV box settings—I've never seen anything like it in similar models. I'd also point out the pretty decent design and adequate cooling, gigabit Ethernet, and 5 GHz WiFi, though it lacks USB 3.0. I had many more issues with multimedia. There's nothing to complain about when it comes to support for different formats or video playback in general, but using online TV apps can be tricky. For example, tests of TorrentTV and LOL!TV showed that things aren't quite so smooth, and they may not be usable in practice.
MECOOL M8S PRO A very well-known model from an equally well-known company. It works well as a secondary device for the kitchen or country house, as well as a primary device for watching movies and YouTube and browsing the internet. For this model, the manufacturer chose DDR4 memory instead of DDR3. The approximate price is around $60, link. Full review - link.
Device specifications. CPU — Amlogic S912 Number of cores — 8 Graphics — Mali-T820MP3 RAM — 3 GB DDR4 (a 2 GB version is also available) Flash storage — 16 GB WiFi: 2.4 / 5 GHz Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.0 LAN — 100 Mbit Ports: 2x USB 2.0, HDMI, RJ45, AV, microSD card Operating system — Android 7.1 Dimensions — 100 x 100 x 21 mm
Package contents: 1. TV box 2. Power supply 3. IR remote control 4. HDMI cable 5. Manual
The included remote is very convenient and also has several programmable buttons that can be used to control the TV.
The device has a very simple design, but the manufacturer added quite a few ventilation slots around the case to improve airflow.
On the left are a memory card slot and a pair of USB ports. On the back are an audio jack combined with an analog video output, a LAN port, an HDMI output, and the power supply jack.
The design is very compact, especially considering that it houses a fairly powerful processor, along with 3 GB of RAM and 16 GB of flash storage.
But the heatsink is clearly too small for a processor that puts out a fair amount of heat. Unfortunately, this is a problem with many Chinese devices. There is no port protection either, though it would have been welcome at this price point.
Mecool uses its own interface here, which differs somewhat from the more common ones. The result is a kind of hybrid between a tablet and a TV box, though it's easy to use.
The preinstalled apps include popular ones like YouTube and Play Store, as well as the less commonly seen MX Player.
Overall, it's a decent box, but I didn't notice anything new or particularly distinctive compared with the others. It does have the advertised DDR4 memory, but its speed turned out to be lower than that of a TV box with DDR3. Overall performance in games and other tasks is no different from similar TV boxes. I didn't notice any overheating during video playback, but the cooling is just barely adequate; the perforated case helps. The 5 GHz WiFi performance is quite good.
Sunvell T95K Pro This TV box impressed me not only with its looks but also with how well it works. It's perfectly suitable as your main device for watching movies. The approximate price is around $55–60, link. Full review - link.
Technical specifications. CPU — Amlogic S912 Number of cores — 8 Graphics — Mali-T820MP3 RAM — 2 GB Flash storage — 16 GB WiFi: 2.4 / 5 GHz Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.0 LAN — Gigabit Ethernet Connectors: 2xUSB2.0, Optical S/PDIF, HDMI, RJ45, AV, microSD card Operating system — Android 6.0 Dimensions — 130 x 130 x 30 mm
The package is no different from that of the vast majority of other TV boxes: 1. Sunvell T95K Pro TV box 2. Power supply 3. HDMI cable 4. IR remote control 5. Manual. I'll note right away that the remote is decent, and can also be taught several commands for controlling your TV.
And how could I not mention the original design? It's definitely not the same old black box.
There's a display on the front.
The selection of ports is already familiar to most TV box users, especially those with newer models. The rear panel has: S/PDIF optical output Analog audio and video output. The reset button is also located behind this connector. HDMI port for connecting a monitor or TV RJ45 port for wired Gigabit Ethernet One of the USB ports Power input.
The left side is much simpler: The second USB port MicroSD card slot
The boards are held in place by five more self-tapping screws, and the front-panel board connects via a connector. The heatsink is very modest for an S912, so the TV box tends to overheat under a heavy, sustained load, such as during gaming.
But the overall build is quite neat.
The home screen will also look very familiar to many TV box users. For those who haven't seen it before, here's the gist: it brings together the main menu items and the apps you're expected to use most often.
There aren't many preinstalled apps, and I don't see much point in describing them all, so I'll just list the main ones. Gallery for viewing photos. Browser for surfing the internet Film on Life, for watching online TV Kodi, a universal “all-in-one” app for watching anything you can watch and listening to anything you can listen to. Movie player and Music are simple, separate apps for watching videos and listening to music. Netflix, another online TV service, though it's not very useful PlayStore, for installing apps online. PPPoE, for configuring an internet connection using this protocol QuickSupport—I haven't even tried it. As far as I can tell, it's for remote control; the TeamViewer icon is a hint. Skype, Twitter, and YouTube are probably familiar to everyone, or at least most people.
Clicking the + icon in the main menu lets you choose which apps appear on the home screen.
First of all, I want to say that this is a rather unusual set-top box. It definitely looks original, and I didn't notice any problems in use either, so perhaps the software has been well polished. Another sign of that is that the CPU frequency is now displayed correctly. As for actual drawbacks, the only one I'd mention is the cooling, which isn't very well implemented. The AC3 issue can be fixed, and WiFi only works poorly when the signal is genuinely bad. And as I always say, it's better to use a wired connection (where possible, of course). Still, WiFi problems are so common with all sorts of TV boxes that I'm surprised nobody has managed to get this right—even external antennas don't help. The higher-quality power supply also showed its worth in that the wireless keyboard works well; with poor-quality power supplies, its range drops significantly.
Nexbox A95X A small but very decent TV box. An optimal balance of RAM, flash storage, and processor performance. The approximate price is around 40 dollars, link. Full review - link.
Specifications CPU — Amlogic S905X Number of cores — 4 Graphics — Mali-450 RAM — 2 GB Flash storage — 16 GB WiFi: 2.4/5 GHz Bluetooth: Yes LAN — 100 Mb Ethernet Ports: 2x USB 2.0, SPDIF, HDMI, RJ45, micro SD card H.265 format support Supports 4K resolution Operating system — Android 6 Dimensions — 93 x 93 x 11 mm
What's included 1. TV box 2. IR remote control 3. Power supply 4. HDMI cable 5. Manual 6. Power supply adapter.
The included remote is actually pretty good
Unlike more common remotes, this one can be programmed to partially replace your TV's original remote.
The TV box is very compact.
There are two USB 2.0 ports and a memory card slot on the side of the case. Everything else is on the back: the power connector, HDMI output, analog audio and video output, Ethernet port, and SPDIF output, which uses a 3.5 mm jack. Naturally, no adapters are included.
A fairly large part of the bottom cover is taken up by a heat-spreading plate, which receives heat through a thermal pad. This is a reasonable solution in principle, especially given how thin the heatsink is. The downside is that the plate is on the bottom, so all the heat transferred to it eventually rises upward. That's why I recommend standing the box on its side or placing it upside down.
The board looks very neat, but I was disappointed by the tiny heatsink on the processor. It even looks as if it overheated during cutting. The heatsink is probably the only thing worth criticizing.
Overall quality is acceptable, but there is no port protection.
The launcher is very simple but quite convenient. It also displays weather information.
There are quite a lot of preinstalled apps, but most are either unnecessary or don't work here.
Pros Very neat construction 2.4/5 GHz WiFi Analog video output 2 GB RAM and 16 GB flash storage Convenient remote
Cons Weak WiFi Small heatsink; overheating is possible under heavy load. Budget power supply. The current price is too high for this device. 100 Mbps network.
MECOOL BB2 A very interesting TV box from a well-known brand, suitable for watching movies as well as gaming. It costs around $65, link. Full review - link.
Specifications stated by the manufacturer: CPU — Amlogic S912 Number of cores — 8 Graphics — Mali-T820MP3 RAM — 2 GB Flash storage — 16 GB Wi-Fi: 2.4 / 5 GHz (5 GHz is still uncertain; see the review for details) Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.0 LAN — Gigabit Ethernet Ports: 2x USB 2.0, SPDIF, HDMI, RJ45, AV, micro SD card H.265 support Supports 4K resolution Operating system — Android 6.0 Dimensions — 109 x 109 x 21 mm
What's included: 1. TV box 2. Power supply 3. HDMI cable 4. IR remote control 5. Manual
The box looks pretty good, with a metal-look finish and a protective film on top.
1. The front has an IR receiver window and a power button. Lately, I'd almost forgotten that a TV box could have a button on the front panel. 2. The right side has a socket for connecting the Wi-Fi antenna. 3. The left side has two USB 2.0 ports and a memory card slot. 4. All the remaining ports are on the back: Ethernet port Optical digital audio output Analog audio and video are carried over a 3.5 mm jack, but the adapter cable isn't included. HDMI port for connecting a monitor or TV Power input.
When I turned it on, I found that in addition to the LED on the front, the lettering on the top cover also lights up: blue during operation and red in standby.
The design is decent, but they could have used a larger heatsink. There's also no heat-spreading plate; its place is taken by the logo backlight panel.
Build quality is decent. In general, this company's products are usually put together well.
The box's interface is very simple; it even reminded me of some devices from the Android 4.x era.
It comes with the bare minimum of necessary apps preinstalled, which is actually a good thing—nothing gets in the way.
Pros Decent design and build quality, neat appearance. External Wi-Fi antenna that can be replaced. Power button on the box (never thought I'd list this as a plus). AC3 audio decoding support out of the box Wi-Fi works pretty well at short and medium range. Gigabit Ethernet. Decent power supply Analog video output
Cons Undersized processor heatsink In poor conditions, Wi-Fi performance is no better than on devices with a built-in antenna.
YUNDOO Y2 A powerful processor, decent design, and a good balance of RAM and flash storage. Estimated price: around $65, link. Full review — link.
Specifications CPU — Amlogic S912 Number of cores — 8 Graphics — Mali-T820MP3 RAM — 2 GB Flash storage — 16 GB Wi-Fi: 2.4 / 5 GHz Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.0 LAN — Gigabit Ethernet Ports: 2x USB 2.0, SPDIF, HDMI, RJ45, AV, SD card H.265 support Supports 4K resolution Operating system — Android 6.0 Dimensions — 135 x 100 x 25 mm
Package contents 1. TV box 2. Power supply 3. HDMI cable 4. IR remote control. 5. Manual
The included remote is small and quite convenient. It uses standard AAA batteries, two of them. For some reason, there's an LED at the top, even though the remote isn't programmable.
It's quite compact, with a plastic case that looks neat.
The case shape stands out from the usual “square” alternatives. There's an SD card slot on the left side.
All the ports are on the back of the case. 1. Power connector 2. Digital optical audio output. 3. 3.5 mm AV output for analog audio and video. Cable not included. 4. Ethernet port. 5. HDMI output 6. Two USB 2.0 ports.
There's a substantial steel plate on the top cover, which draws some of the heat away from the processor through a thermal pad. I'll say right away: the box barely gets warm during use.
The board is packed quite tightly, with almost no unused space. There are unpopulated connectors along the front edge. It even has proper port protection.
When you turn it on, this is the interface that greets you. I've seen something similar before, but this one also has some “eye candy” in the form of animations as you move between menu items. It looks simple, yet a little unusual—and actually quite nice.
And here are the apps themselves. At first, I thought there weren't many, but when I started preparing the review and testing various programs, it turned out there were more than I expected. Most of them can be deleted right away, though, since they're useless. More on that later.
As far as the hardware goes, the only thing I can fault is the Wi-Fi reception, which is average. Yes, average, since I've seen both worse and better. Otherwise, no complaints: components (Hynix and Samsung memory), good cooling, dual-band Wi-Fi, 2/16 GB of memory, a decent power supply (barely warm in use), and a neat remote control. It's been a long time since I've come across a box with no overheating issues at all. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about the software. A lot of apps are installed, but most are useless. Some apps have problems (those that access the Wi-Fi module), and Epic Citadel renders incorrectly (I suspect this is the case with all boxes using the 912 processor). It's worth noting, though, that if an app doesn't work, it still won't work on the tenth launch; and if it does work, it will work fine on the tenth launch too. In other words, the software is stable.
Mini M8S II A very interesting TV box, with a near-optimal balance of RAM and flash storage, a low price, and a pretty decent processor. The estimated price is around $35, link. Full review — link.
TV box specifications: CPU — Amlogic S905X Number of cores — 4 Graphics — Mali-450 RAM — 2 GB Flash memory — 8 GB WiFi: 2.4 GHz Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.0 LAN — 100 Mb Ethernet Ports: 2x USB 2.0, SPDIF, HDMI, RJ45, micro SD card H.265 support Supports 4K resolution Operating system — Android 6.0.1 Dimensions — 110 x 110 x 17 mm
Package contents: 1. TV box 2. Power supply 3. HDMI cable 4. IR remote control 5. User manual.
The TV box looks much like any other "black box".
There’s a memory card slot and two USB ports on the side. The back has an optical SPDIF port, LAN, HDMI, and a 5 V power input.
A steel plate covering most of the case serves as the heatsink. Steel is certainly far from the best thermal conductor, but that’s not a major issue here; it’s more than adequate for this box. At least it works noticeably better than a small aluminum heatsink and a separate plate.
The circuit board is very well made, and interestingly, even though the device is inexpensive, the manufacturer has added port protection.
The home screen is pretty standard for an inexpensive TV box, but that doesn’t make it any less convenient to use.
There aren’t many apps; the manufacturer has installed only the essentials.
Putting aside the poor WiFi performance and the frankly budget-grade power supply, it’s a decent media player overall. Otherwise, it’s a perfectly decent box. It works well if placed near the router or connected by cable (which is better), runs reasonably cool, apps don’t crash, and it has 2 GB of RAM. You could complain that it has only 2 USB ports, but that’s enough for most uses, especially since it also has Bluetooth.
NEXBOX MXQ PRO A very inexpensive, heavily cut-down but perfectly usable TV box, well suited to watching video at relatively low resolutions. The approximate price is around 25 dollars, link. Full review — link.
Set-top box specifications: SoC — Amlogic S905 Number of cores — 4 Graphics — Mali-450 RAM — 1 GB Flash storage — 8 GB WiFi: 2.4/5 GHz (claimed, not confirmed) LAN — 100 Mb Ethernet Ports: 4x USB 2.0, SPDIF, HDMI, RJ45, AV, TF card H.265 support Supports 4K resolution Operating system — Android 5.1 Dimensions — 116 x 116 x 27 mm
Package contents: 1. TV box 2. Power supply 3. IR remote control 4. HDMI cable 5. User manual.
The design is pretty familiar, and I've already reviewed TV boxes in similar cases. A small, square case with no power button. That's become fashionable lately: the TV box turns on when power is connected and is switched off with the remote. The top is matte, with a glossy finish around the sides.
They haven't skimped on ports: we get — An SD memory card slot (not microSD), which seems like a rather odd choice to me. MicroSD cards are more common, but this slot can take both types of card, so it's arguably more versatile—though you'll need an adapter. 4 USB ports: three on the right side and one on the back. SPDIF audio output, but not optical as is often the case; it's a 3.5 mm jack instead. Analog audio and video output; the cable isn't included. HDMI video output. Ethernet port. And, of course, the power jack.
A substantial metal plate is screwed to the top of the case, but it isn't directly connected to the processor heatsink. Unfortunately, the box tends to overheat.
I have no complaints about the board's appearance.
It comes with a fairly familiar launcher, with large tile-style buttons for the most commonly used functions.
There aren't that many apps installed. But basically, it has the bare minimum; presumably, users are expected to install the rest themselves. That may be the right approach—why do we need extra software?
A very ordinary TV box, with the usual pros and cons. One small plus is that the processor heatsink isn't tiny, so temperatures are reasonably manageable. 1 GB of RAM is obviously not much, but it's more than enough if you're using it to watch videos. The SPDIF output may come in handy, as may the option to connect it to TVs without HDMI, though video quality in that setup will be quite limited. And it doesn't have the promised 5 GHz WiFi, either.
Sunvell T95 A TV box model that's hard to recommend: relatively expensive for its rather modest capabilities. The approximate price is around 35–40 dollars, link Full review — link.
Specifications. CPU — Amlogic S905 Number of cores — 4 Graphics — Mali-450 RAM — 1 GB (a version with 2 GB of RAM is also available) Flash storage — 8 GB Wi-Fi: 2.4 GHz LAN — 100 Mb Ethernet Ports: 2x USB 2.0, MicroUSB, HDMI, RJ45, TF card Analog audio/video output H.265 support Supports 4K resolution Operating system — Android 5.1 Dimensions — 113 x 113 x 20 mm
What's included with this TV box: 1. Sunvell T95 TV box 2. Power supply 3. IR remote control 4. HDMI cable 5. User manual
The remote is simple, but surprisingly different from the usual remotes that typically come with set-top boxes. The remote for the box under review is on the left; the MX4 remote is on the right.
The box really does look neat. It has a black metal case, compact dimensions, and no glossy finish.
The right side of the case has a memory card slot and USB ports: two standard ones and one micro-USB port. There aren't many ports on the back either: Power input, analog audio/video output, Ethernet port, and HDMI video output. And, of course, a Wi-Fi antenna.
The TV box has a display. It shows the current time and some operating modes (Wi-Fi, USB). The box doesn't remember the time; when switched on, it gets it from the internet.
When you turn it on, you first have to sit through a long splash screen—which you'll see later in the video—and then you get this interface. The weather is displayed at the top. It wasn't enabled by default; I turned it on by accident, but it's very handy :)
The case's internal construction is a little unusual. I expected a single-piece design, but it turns out the case consists of two parts: an inner section with standoffs for the board, and a decorative outer shell. The inner section is attached to the outer one with double-sided tape. I wouldn't call this a good solution. Overall, it's definitely better than a plastic case, but a one-piece design would have been much better.
The TV box's circuit board. Apart from the crookedly attached, obviously undersized heatsink, it looks pretty good. At the top left, you can see a footprint for an unidentified connector, presumably SPDIF. There's also a connector footprint at the bottom right, but I don't know what it's for.
Quite a lot of apps are installed (if only they all worked); they wouldn't even fit in one screenshot.
It's hard to call this box a success, but I don't want to call it a failure either. On one side of the scales: a decent processor, pretty good performance, and a nice appearance. On the other: some apps crash, not all the bundled apps work, and the cooling system is weak. I haven't mentioned the weak Wi-Fi here because, on the one hand, it's a common problem with many set-top boxes, and on the other, I usually recommend connecting by cable anyway. I was glad to see three USB ports instead of two, which can be useful given the lack of Bluetooth. The software situation is just confusing. Epic Citadel passed the test at medium quality, but the interface sometimes lagged and the app crashed at maximum quality. PCMark was unstable once, but then worked normally, albeit in “tablet” mode. Tests like AnTuTu ran correctly, although you could see the interface lagging in version 6.x. A confusing situation. I expected higher Wi-Fi speeds than I got, especially since the antenna is external. But even with the router right next to it, I couldn't get speeds above 11 Mbps. The cooling situation is also unclear. This box has a noticeably smaller heatsink than similar models released earlier, but replacing the heatsink made no difference. I suspect the box might perform better under heavy, sustained loads, but at this point the test results are identical to those before the modification.
Mini M8S A pretty good TV box—or, more accurately, a whole series of TV boxes, since quite a few versions were released. You could even call it a "people's choice" model. The approximate price is around $35–40, link. Full review - link.
TV box specifications: CPU — Amlogic S905 Number of cores — 4 Graphics — Mali-450 RAM — 2 GB Flash memory — 8 GB WiFi: 2.4 GHz Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.0 LAN — 100 Mb Ethernet Ports: 2x USB 2.0, SPDIF, HDMI, RJ45, TF Card H.265 support Supports 4K resolution Operating system — Android 5.1 Dimensions — 110 x 110 x 17 mm
Package contents. 1. TV box 2. Power adapter 3. HDMI cable 4. IR remote control 5. Manual
It looks neat and very austere, which is exactly what I liked about it.
The manufacturer stuck to the same Spartan philosophy with the ports: nothing unnecessary. The right side has a memory card slot and one of the USB ports. On the back are the SPDIF optical output, Ethernet, HDMI, the second USB port, and the power input.
A fairly substantial metal plate carries heat away from the processor. Heat is transferred to it through a piece of thermal pad. You could improve things a little by replacing the pad with a metal shim and thermal paste, but I didn't see the need, since I found no overheating issues.
The assembly is good and the board is clean; I didn't spot any sloppy soldering or crookedly installed components. I'd even call it a textbook example of how Chinese devices should be assembled. It even has port protection.
When I turned it on, I was greeted by a fairly bright interface made up of several gigantic buttons (there's really no other word for them).
It comes with the bare minimum of apps.
I'd call this an excellent TV box if it weren't for the Full HD video output accuracy test. I'm not saying it's terrible: I only noticed the issue during the test, and didn't notice it while watching videos. Still, it's a flaw. I also mentioned above that the WiFi is weak, but I always say: if you want a reliable connection, forget about WiFi right away. And that's regardless of what results you get in SpeedTest. Otherwise, I have no complaints. Everything works, it doesn't get very hot, and it handles 4K video at 100 Mbps without any problems. You can even play a few games on it. This TV box sits somewhere between the budget models based on the RK3229 and the gaming models.
K1 plus Surprisingly good TV box, despite having a fairly small amount of RAM and flash memory. The approximate price is around $40, link. Full review - link.
TV box specifications: CPU — Amlogic S905 Number of cores — 4 Graphics — Mali-450 RAM — 1 GB Flash memory — 8 GB WiFi: 2.4 GHz Bluetooth: none LAN — 100 Mb Ethernet Ports: 4x USB 2.0, SPDIF, HDMI, AV, RJ45, TF Card H.265 support Supports 4K resolution Operating system — Android 5.1.1 Dimensions — 130 x 100 x 30 mm
Package contents 1. TV box 2. Power adapter 3. HDMI cable 4. IR remote control. 5. Manual.
I'd say it's on the larger side. The exterior is nothing unusual either; you can tell the designers didn't go out of their way to add any flourishes.
The USB ports are on the left side, along with perhaps the only feature that could be called a «decoration»: the power button, made as a translucent insert.
There are four USB ports on the left side. That's what set this box apart from one of its better-known rivals, which had only two. Just to the left is a microSD card slot. The manufacturer specifies a maximum capacity of 32 GB; unfortunately, I can't test a larger card. The ports on the back are probably all very familiar. 1. 3.5 mm jack carrying video and stereo audio output. This port will come in handy if you have an older TV with neither HDMI nor VGA. 2. Ethernet port. The usual 100 Mbps, keeping things budget-friendly. 3. HDMI (for some reason labeled HDTV). For those whose TV has this port :) 4. S/PDIF, an optical digital output for sending audio to a receiver. 5. Power connector.
The design is very simple, and the heatsink is small, so the TV box tends to overheat under heavy load.
No complaints about the board's assembly quality: it's simple, but neat and clean.
The home screen is very basic: simple gray and black tones, with large «buttons».
There aren't many apps installed out of the box, which is a good thing: no Chinese-language apps that can sometimes be a pain to remove. Let's just say it has all the essentials: a browser, media players, an image viewer, and a file manager.
The developers clearly followed the principle that «beauty lies in simplicity». Since this is a budget device, that approach is perfectly reasonable—as long as it doesn't compromise the device's technical capabilities. I can forgive an unremarkable design, a poor-quality cable, and a plastic case, but not substandard components or unstable operation. Some of my reviews show examples of developers making a good-looking device with impressive specs on paper, only for it to turn out noticeably worse in practice. In this case, they struck a sensible compromise.
MXIII-G An old but interesting TV box in its own way, one of the few that doesn't need its cooling modified. Too bad it's outdated. The approximate price is around $65, link. Full review - link.
CPU — Amlogic S812 Number of cores — 4 Graphics — Mali-450 RAM — 2 GB (a 1 GB version is also available) Flash storage — 8 GB WiFi: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, 5 GHz support claimed Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.0 LAN — Gigabit Ethernet Ports: OTG, 2x USB 2.0, SPDIF, HDMI, AV, RJ45, TF card H.265 support Supports 4K resolution Operating system — Android 4.4 Dimensions — 114 x 114 x 20 mm
Everything included in the package: TV box Power adapter Remote control HDMI cable microUSB-to-USB OTG cable Manual
The case is black. The top has a soft-touch feel, while the sides are glossy. The top has a power and sleep button, with a two-color LED next to it. It glows red in standby and blue when running. The light is soft and not too bright, which is definitely a nice touch.
The ports are located on the right side and the back of the case. On the right are a MicroSD card slot, a microUSB port, and two full-size USB 2.0 ports. There is also a slot with no obvious purpose. On the back are the power connector, an audio/video output (the cable is not included), an Ethernet port, HDMI, and S/PDIF. A reset button is recessed inside the case behind the audio/video connector; you can press it with a matchstick.
There are many more components on the main side of the circuit board. A board with the power button and LED, as well as the WiFi antenna, is mounted in the top of the case.
There is thermal paste between the processor and the heatsink. I didn't specifically measure the heatsink temperature during operation, but the tests showed that it doesn't get particularly hot.
On first startup, you're greeted with this launcher. I wouldn't call it super convenient, but it certainly isn't off-putting. In fact, it's quite handy in its own way.
There aren't many apps, and I've already installed some of them. They are: AnTuTu mark AnTuTu video test ES File Explorer
Even with the gigabit issue, I can still say that this TV box turned out well. There's a similar model with 1 GB of RAM, but in my opinion, the price difference isn't that big, so the 2 GB RAM model is probably the better buy. That's why I chose it for this review. I was very pleased that the TV box needed no modifications, either for cooling or for a firmware update.
MXQ S85 This is a very old TV box model and is no longer relevant, but when I wrote the review, I found it worked quite well. The approximate price is around $55, link. Full review — link.
1 GB of RAM (they could have put in a bit more) 8 GB of internal storage, which I think is enough; at least it can be expanded. Wi-Fi and its available operating modes, which is standard on many devices. 5 V, 2 A power supply. Bluetooth 4.0 And the software version: Android 4.4.2
Here’s what comes with the device. 1 — The TV box itself. 2 — Remote control (AAA batteries not included). 3 — HDMI cable 4 — Audio/video cable 5 — Short OTG cable 6 — Power adapter 7 — Manual.
The TV box has a plastic case with a soft-touch finish. It feels slightly textured and pleasant to the touch, but it picks up fingerprints very easily and is translucent in bright light.
Some of the interface connectors are on one side. A microSD card slot, an OTG port, and two USB 2.0 ports.
The back has the usual set of connectors. Power, a standard 5.5×2.1 connector Audio/video output, 3.5 mm jack. Ethernet port. Standard HDMI SPDIF output
After completely disassembling the device, I found an unusual solution for dissipating some of the heat. A small flexible plate, which feels like very thick foil, is stuck to the processor and RAM. You can also see a board screwed to the top cover. It has the device’s power button (hardware power-off) and a two-color LED: blue when powered on, orange when shut down via software.
When switched on, the device offers a choice of two interfaces. The first is more typical of Android.
The second looks more like Windows 8. To be honest, the first seems simpler, more familiar, and more convenient to me, even though I have no experience using Android.
Not many apps are installed; I added a couple while experimenting.
Pros. It works quite well; I didn’t notice any glitches during use. It doesn’t get very hot. In my opinion, performance is quite adequate, as long as you don’t expect to use this device as a game console. Quite attractive appearance, though it does show fingerprints. Good build quality Analog video output for connecting to older TVs.
Cons. I’d like more USB ports; three is a bit on the low side. There’s no backup battery for the clock, so the time resets when power is disconnected. Until it syncs with the internet or you set it manually, browsers report a certificate error for web pages. The resolution sent to the analog video output is essentially a downscaled version of 1920×1080. This makes browsing very difficult in that mode. Naturally, this isn’t an issue when connected via HDMI. Not quite enough RAM.
RockChip is essentially Amlogic’s main competitor, producing both more budget-friendly chip models and more powerful ones. In my opinion, RockChip covers a wider price range of devices, but somehow I’ve ended up testing more budget models, even though there’s at least one that was much faster than Amlogic’s flagship processor, the S912. So far, I’ve tested TV boxes with the following processors: RK3328 RK3229 RK3368 RK3399
H96 MAX It would be a good option if not for one problem: it gets very hot, so I had to make some substantial modifications. This model lets you adjust brightness, contrast, and color, which is very rare. Estimated price: $50–55. Full review, including the modifications: link.
Set-top box specifications: CPU — RK3328 Number of cores — 4 (ARM Cortex-A53 CPU clocked at 1.5 GHz) Graphics — Mali-450MP2 RAM — 4 GB Flash storage — 32 GB Wi-Fi: 2.4/5 GHz Bluetooth — 4.0 LAN — 100 Mb Ethernet Ports: 3×USB 2.0 + 1×USB 3.0, S/PDIF, HDMI, AV, RJ45, SD card H.265 support 4K resolution support Operating system — Android 7.1 Dimensions — 98 x 98 x 24 mm
The package contents are simple: 1. TV box 2. IR remote control 3. Power adapter 4. TV cable 5. Manual.
After the glut of black boxes, its appearance is quite nice; at least it catches the eye.
There are plenty of ports: four USB ports, one of them USB 3.0, an AV output and S/PDIF, plus, of course, HDMI and LAN. One important difference: it has an SD card slot, not microSD.
I usually take everything apart before testing. This one is very easy to open: there are four screws under the rubber feet, and the bottom panel has no clips at all. Very convenient.
The board is densely packed, although there are some empty spaces, probably for an upgraded version of the TV box.
And here's the heatsink. It's so tiny, it's almost painful to look at.
There's no protection on the HDMI port.
I'll get ahead of myself and say that all my modifications ended with fitting a heatsink of this size
The home screen could be called classic, since you see it very often.
When you open Settings, a sidebar slides out. Personally, I'm not a big fan of this layout; I'm more used to the standard white Android menu.
Image adjustment menu.
Overall, I can say that the TV box itself is decent, but it feels a little unbalanced. It has plenty of ports, including USB 3.0, 5 GHz Wi-Fi, 4 GB of RAM and 32 GB of flash storage, but it's all powered by a weak processor—just like that old joke: “Now let's see if it can get off the ground with all this.” But overall, it works very well. Give this box a slightly faster processor and gigabit Ethernet, and it would be a popular model. But this is what we've got.
The cooling was a major disappointment; it was completely poorly thought out. In the end, I installed a much larger heatsink to get stable, reliable operation. As far as I know, there's an H2 model with a proper heatsink, but it only has two USB ports and a microSD card slot.
Tanix TX28 A fairly well-known company, at least by name. The approximate price is around $60, link Full review — link.
Specifications CPU — RK3328 Number of cores — 4 (ARM Cortex A53 CPU clocked at 1.5 GHz) Graphics — Mali-450MP2 RAM — 4 GB DDR3 Flash storage — 32 GB WiFi: 2.4/5 GHz LAN — 100 Mbit Bluetooth — Bluetooth 4.1 Ports: 2xUSB 2.0 + 1xUSB 3.0, HDMI, RJ45, microSD, S/PDIF H.265 support Supports 4K resolution Operating system — Android 7.1 Dimensions — 104 x 104 x 26 mm
Package contents. 1. Tanix TX28 TV box 2. IR remote control 3. Power supply 4. HDMI cable 5. WiFi antenna 6. Manual
This fairly large TV box has an almost standard design. Its most distinctive feature is probably the external WiFi antenna.
It comes with a standard 5 V power supply and a basic remote control.
There are enough ports for peripherals that you won't need an additional USB hub. It has both USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports.
There's also a clock on the front panel. It isn't very bright, so it won't be annoying at night.
Heat is dissipated through a large steel plate, but under heavy loads the box can get noticeably hot because the plate is on the bottom of the case. Placing the TV box on its side helps a lot.
The inside is quite tidy, which is a pleasant surprise.
It even has protection for the HDMI and USB ports, which is quite unusual for Chinese devices.
Android 7.1 is preinstalled, with an interface that's standard for most TV boxes.
One unusual feature worth mentioning is the ability to adjust the brightness, contrast, and color of the video output, which is quite rare.
The selection of apps isn't very large, but it has everything you need to watch videos without installing anything else.
Conclusion An interesting TV box with plenty of RAM and flash storage, good build quality, all the ports you need for hassle-free use, and decent performance. Its only real drawback is noticeable heating under heavy loads (games, etc.).
Alfawise A95X R1 This TV box is firmly in the budget category, so it doesn't offer any particularly "exciting" features. The estimated price is around 25 dollars, link. Full review - link.
Specifications. OS: Android 6 CPU: RK3229 Quad-core Cortex A7 1.5GHz 32Bit GPU: Mali-400MP2 RAM: 1GB DDR3; ROM: 8GB EMMC Flash TF Card: up to 64GB Wi-Fi: IEEE.802.11 b/g/n (2.4 GHz) Ethernet:10/100M, RJ-45 HDMI: HDMI 2.0 4K*2K 60Hz 2x USB 2.0, S/PDIF, AV Power: DC 5V 2A Dimensions: 93x93x15 mm
Package contents 2. Power supply 3. IR remote control 4. HDMI cable 5. Manual.
A very compact model, with a translucent dark panel on the front.
Most of the connectors are on the back: Power HDMI output Analog audio and video Ethernet S/PDIF
Two USB 2.0 ports and a memory card slot are on the left side of the case.
The cooling system is about as bare-bones as it gets: just a small heatsink. Temperatures under load are quite high.
As usual, there is no port protection, but I have no complaints about the board itself.
It runs the somewhat dated Android 6.0.1. The interface is common but quite colorful, and I have no complaints about usability.
There are quite a few apps installed, but some can safely be removed.
This TV box is suitable only for undemanding users. Also, its limited RAM means you'll need to choose your media playback software carefully and configure it thoroughly. It tries to handle 4K, but the results are pretty poor. Full HD works fine, though YouTube, for example, stuttered even at 720p. The cooling system is pushed to its limits. The temperature dropped to 40-45 degrees at idle, but when I tried to launch any resource-intensive software, it quickly rose to 65-75, and sometimes higher. Occasionally, an app would load the TV box so heavily that the temperature climbed above 85-88 degrees, and everything started running very slowly.
Alfawise Z28 Pro A mid-range model, somewhere between the very cheap options and the more expensive ones. Its advantages include a good RAM/flash storage balance of 2/16 GB and 5 GHz Wi-Fi. The estimated price is around 35 dollars, link. Full review - link.
Specifications CPU — RK3328 Number of cores — 4 (1.5 GHz ARM Cortex-A53 CPU) Graphics — Mali-450MP2 RAM — 2 GB Flash storage — 16 GB WiFi: 2.4/5 GHz LAN — Gigabit Ethernet Bluetooth — Bluetooth 4.0 Ports: 2x USB 2.0 + 1x USB 3.0, HDMI, RJ45, microSD, optical S/PDIF H.265 support Supports 4K resolution Operating system — Android 7.1 64-bit Dimensions — 100 x 100 x 16 mm
Package contents: 1. Alfawise Z28 Pro TV box 2. Power supply 3. HDMI cable 4. IR remote control
In terms of design, the manufacturer tried to make its product stand out a little from the crowd, although at the end of the day it's still just another little black square box.
1. The front panel is blank, although there's an indicator LED behind it. Its brightness is reasonable; it doesn't make your eyes pop out :) 2. The USB ports are on the right side. It's good to have at least one USB 3.0 port; it came in very handy during testing, since at least one test file requires a speed of around 40 MB/s. 3. On the back are the HDMI output, a 3.5 mm jack for analog audio and video, optical S/PDIF, Ethernet, and the power connector. 4. A microSD card slot is on the left side.
The case isn't designed to be opened; the antennas are glued to the cover, and their cables are soldered to the board. There are two antennas, which is the right way to do it for dual-band wireless modules.
The Ethernet port's galvanic isolation is also implemented properly.
There's no port protection, and the heatsink looks pretty pathetic.
I've seen this launcher before, though it's not as common as others. It has plenty of slots for shortcuts to installed apps, and is quite convenient overall.
This is the first TV box I've seen with so few preinstalled apps. I've seen some stripped-down versions, of course, but this takes the cake :)
On the plus side, I found no issues with YouTube or video playback. WiFi was very stable. Apps for watching online TV, such as Torrent TV and LOL!TV, work, but some channels occasionally start acting up, breaking into blocks. Though I think the player is more likely to blame than the TV box, since there are no problems with even large files in the stock Chinese player. On the downside, there isn't all that much. MX Player won't hardware-decode video—or, more precisely, it won't display it, showing the “Malevich square” instead. It's also a little unusual to see almost no preinstalled software, along with such a strange heatsink design.
SCISHION V88 Mars II A very budget-friendly model, but the manufacturer still gave it 2 GB of RAM. Flash storage is only 8 GB, though; to cut costs, they also removed Bluetooth and left it with only 100 Mbps networking. The estimated price is around $25, link. Full review — link.
Specifications. CPU — RK3229 Number of cores — 4 (ARM Cortex-A7 CPU clocked at 1.5 GHz) Graphics — Mali-400MP2 RAM — 2 GB Flash storage — 8 GB WiFi: 2.4 GHz (WiFi chip: 6051P) LAN — 100 Mb Ethernet Bluetooth — none Ports: 2x USB 2.0, HDMI, AV, RJ45, microSD H.265 support Supports 4K resolution HDMI control: CEC Operating system — Android 6.0.1 Dimensions — 92 x 92 x 17 mm
Package contents: 1. SCISHION V88 Mars II TV box 2. Power adapter 3. HDMI cable 4. Remote control 5. Manual.
Everything here is as budget-friendly as it gets, which is probably obvious from the TV box's low price.
The design is a black square box, so nothing fancy.
The number of ports is also fairly modest. That's usually enough for a budget device, but keep in mind that there's no Bluetooth here. On the right are two USB 2.0 ports, a memory card slot, and a reset button hole. On the back are an HDMI output, a 3.5 mm AV jack (analog audio and video), Ethernet, and the power input.
The WiFi antenna is printed directly on the TV box's circuit board, which is extremely rare. The heatsink is quite small, but since the processor isn't very powerful, it doesn't generate much heat. Still, in my opinion, it could overheat under a heavy, sustained load.
There's no port protection, and the board itself looks a little... basic.
There are three launcher options. The first is quite well known, as it's probably found on at least a third, if not half, of devices like this.
The other two are alternatives: one is familiar from other TV box models, while the other will probably look familiar to tablet users.
Quite a lot of apps are preinstalled, but in my opinion, many of them are unnecessary.
This TV box is a very mixed bag—that's the only way to put it. The problem is that it combines painfully slow flash storage with performance issues and trouble playing 4K video. At the same time, I had no problems playing Full HD video or using Kodi, YouTube, and TorrentTV. That's rare these days; it's even rarer for everything to work without problems at the same time.
MX9 PRO Another budget TV box, but this one has heavily cut-down specs: just 1 GB of RAM. It's only suitable for very basic tasks, unless you're careful about which software you install. It's unusual to see a USB 3.0 port in this price range. The estimated price is around $30, link Full review — link.
Specifications: CPU — RK3328 Number of cores — 4 (1.5 GHz ARM Cortex-A53 CPU) Graphics — Mali-450MP2 RAM — 1 GB Flash storage — 8 GB Wi-Fi: 2.4 GHz (AM8189 chip) LAN — 100 Mb Ethernet Bluetooth — none Ports: 1×USB 2.0 + 1×USB 3.0, HDMI, RJ45, microSD H.265 support Supports 4K resolution Operating system — Android 7.1 Dimensions — 82 x 82 x 20 mm
Package contents: 1. TV box 2. Power adapter 3. HDMI cable 4. IR remote control 5. User manual.
Of the included accessories, the remote is probably the most unusual. It differs only in appearance, really, but I haven't come across another one like it.
The case is very compact, with a hint of design in the form of a triangular protrusion on the top cover.
It has the bare minimum of ports: 1. Ethernet 2. Analog video and audio output 3. HDMI 4. Power 5. USB 3.0 6. USB 2.0 7. microSD card slot.
The design was clearly intended for mass production. There's not even an external Wi-Fi antenna; it's built right onto the TV box's circuit board. The heatsink is a little small, but it's adequate for watching videos normally; it's unlikely anyone will be gaming on this device. Under maximum load, temperatures get very high, around 90–95 degrees.
There is no port protection, but that's nothing unusual for a budget model.
The interface can be summed up in one word: cheerful :) It works, of course, and is even easy to use, but the look and color scheme are quite unusual.
Not many apps are installed. The most popular app for this TV box is probably YouTube; in my opinion, that's what the box is best suited for.
It has no trouble handling different video and audio formats or bitrates. It played video with a bitrate of over 240 Mbps without any problems, and also played AC3 audio out of the box. It turns out you can even play games on it. During testing, I found that 1 GB of RAM is quite enough, although you may run into problems if your internet connection is slow or the TV box is connected over Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi performance is average, there's no Bluetooth at all, and there are only two USB ports. That's not great, but you can use one port for a keyboard and the other for an external hard drive. A third port certainly wouldn't have hurt. Third-party apps for watching movies and TV shows are hit or miss, ranging from not working at all to working perfectly well, so you'll need to try a few. Some apps may simply not be optimized for this processor model. The biggest drawback is the high CPU temperature. Although the TV box runs stably, I think the heatsink is still too small, or perhaps the thermal interface material isn't very good.
YUNDOO Y8 The most powerful Android TV box I've ever had my hands on. It would work well as a gaming device, but in practice it turned out not to be so good at video playback, although, by and large, that depends more on the software and firmware. The approximate price is around $120, link. Full review — link.
Specifications CPU — RK3399 Number of cores — 2 (ARM Cortex-A72 at 2.0 GHz) + 4 (ARM Cortex-A53) Graphics — ARM Mali-T864 GPU RAM — 4 GB Flash storage — 32 GB WiFi: 2.4/5 GHz Bluetooth — BT 4.1 + EDR LAN — 1000 Mb Ethernet Ports: 2xUSB2.0, 1xUSB3.0, 1xUSB3.0 Type-C, S/PDIF, HDMI, RJ45, SD (128 GB) Video output — HDMI 2.0 Video codec — 4K2K 10-bit H.265 Operating system — Android 6.0 Dimensions — 116x115x23 mm
The package includes: 1. TV box 2. Power supply 3. HDMI cable 4. IR remote control 5. Manual and an inexplicable card.
The power supply is a little more powerful than the ones usually included: 5 V, 2.5 A.
The remote can learn some commands and is genuinely convenient to use.
The case hints at a design, but somehow seemed a bit small for such a powerful device.
The high-speed interfaces are on the left side. In this case, that means not only USB 3.0 but also Type-C. Though I still can't figure out why this device needs Type-C. The SD card slot is also on the left.
Most of the ports are where you'd expect them on the back: Power connector S/PDIF output Connector marked with an R; it's not mentioned in the manual, but presumably it's for remote control Ethernet port HDMI video output Two USB 2.0 ports.
The cooling system is a little better than on most of the TV boxes I've tested: the heatsink is larger, and there's also a steel plate attached to the case.
There are two WiFi antennas, one on the lid and the other on the front panel.
The pad between the heatsink and the processor is quite thick, which hurts cooling performance. I'd recommend replacing it.
The board looks neat and quite... packed. The USB ports are protected, but they cut corners a bit on the HDMI port.
The manufacturer didn't bother much with the interface, using the familiar one found on many cheaper TV boxes.
They didn't go to much trouble with the apps either: they installed only the bare minimum. There's not even YouTube, though Kodi and the Play Store are there.
As far as I'm concerned, the new processor delivers. Performance is genuinely high; compared with it, the Amlogic 912 seems like a turtle, never mind the 905 and so on. You can see it not just in benchmark scores but in everyday use too—it feels like things happen before you even select them :) The video format support is also impressive. I only ran into trouble playing the IXBT test clip; otherwise, the box played everything I threw at it. The same goes for AC3 audio playback, which is unusual. Some time later, it turned out that a few videos do stutter a little, but I think they've sorted that out by now.
Z28 A TV box with a very short name, but interesting hardware inside. It has an optimal balance of RAM and flash storage, as well as a relatively new processor, so it should be a good fit for multimedia, web browsing, and casual games. The estimated price is around $45, link. Full review — link.
Specifications CPU — RK3328 Number of cores — 4 (1.5 GHz ARM Cortex A53 CPU) Graphics — Mali-450MP2) RAM — 2 GB Flash storage — 16 GB WiFi: 2.4 GHz LAN — 100Mb Ethernet Ports: 1xUSB2.0 + 1xUSB 3.0, S/PDIF, HDMI, RJ45, microSD H.265 support 4K resolution support Operating system — Android 7.1 Dimensions — 110 x 110 x 20 mm
The package is rather modest: 1. TV box 2. Power supply 3. IR remote control 4. HDMI cable
The case is square and black, but overall it looks quite neat, at least in my opinion.
The selection of interfaces is also very modest; only the bare minimum is provided: On the left: 1xUSB 3.0, 1xUSB 2.0, and a microSD card slot. The card slot's spring is quite stiff, and the card sits flush with the case, so be careful. On the back: Ethernet, HDMI, S/PDIF, and the power input. As you can see, there are no analog audio or video outputs, and the number of USB ports is kept to a bare minimum. Still, it's nice to see USB 3.0—manufacturers don't seem to favor it.
A steel plate serves as the heatsink. It's not the best solution, but at least it's located in the upper part of the case, which helps somewhat. The box gets warm, but never overheats.
The board is very well made, though it doesn't cost 25 bucks either.
They did skimp on HDMI protection, that's for sure. There's no separate Ethernet controller either; it's integrated into the SoC. But that's true of the vast majority of modern budget TV boxes.
It boots very quickly, in about ten seconds. The “desktop” looks a little different from the ones I've seen before, though mostly just in appearance.
There aren't many preinstalled apps, but the essentials—Kodi, YouTube, and Play Store—are there.
In terms of performance, this TV box is roughly on par with the better-known Amlogic S912, but has fewer video playback issues. Also, I haven't heard of any incompatibility with certain TV models, which is an issue with Amlogic. I'd also like to point out the quality components and very neat assembly. And of course, the WiFi: I hadn't come across a TV box with a built-in antenna and decent reception in a long time, so I was a little surprised. Having USB 3.0 on board is certainly nice, although I'm not quite sure what advantage it offers in a TV box. But I was disappointed that there are only two USB ports; a third would have been useful. During testing, I used a keyboard, mouse, and flash drive (in addition to the microSD card), so I had to unplug something.
A95X King A very basic, budget model, although it was relatively expensive when it was on sale. It doesn't have much going for it, except perhaps the clock display :) The approximate price is around 35 dollars, link Full review — link.
Specifications CPU — RK3229 Number of cores — 4 (ARM Cortex-A7 CPU clocked at 1.5 GHz) Graphics — Mali-400 (ARM Mali-400MP2 GPU) RAM — 1 GB Flash storage — 8 GB Wi-Fi: 2.4 GHz LAN — 100 Mb Ethernet Ports: 2x USB 2.0, S/PDIF, HDMI, RJ45, microSD H.265 support Supports 4K resolution Operating system — Android 5.1 Dimensions — 120 x 110 x 20 mm
Package contents: 1. A95X King TV box 2. Power supply 3. IR remote control 4. HDMI cable
5. User manual Despite the device's simplicity, it comes with a decent learning remote that can be programmed to control your TV.
It looks very neat. At first I couldn't figure out why it needed an antenna, then I realized the case is metal :) The paint job is good; it looks fine.
There are only two USB ports, and there's also a memory card slot on the side. The back has a fairly standard set of ports: a 3.5 mm S/PDIF jack, 100 Mbps Ethernet, a 3.5 mm audio/video output, HDMI, and power.
It looks perfectly fine, and the display's viewing angle is even wider than on other TV boxes. The indicator shows the current time, power status, and whether it's connected to Wi-Fi. In standby, only one icon is lit; when switched off, the display is completely dark.
The case design is unusual: the board slides inside along guide rails.
The heatsink is very modest. The TV box was only saved from serious overheating by the processor's low power consumption and the metal case.
I couldn't find any protection on the HDMI signal lines, but I did “find” a reset button :)
The interface is very familiar; this one has been showing up on most TV boxes lately. The bottom navigation bar is hidden by default. To bring it up, move the cursor from the top of the screen downwards.
A lot of apps are installed, and some of them are completely unfamiliar to me.
When I read people's reviews complaining that TV boxes with 1 GB of RAM were “sluggish,” I usually replied that it was enough in practice. Now I have to say I strongly suspect there's not enough RAM. Though the overall sluggishness could also be due to the slow flash storage. This TV box isn't suitable for gaming, except perhaps for games that aren't too demanding. As for watching 4K video, I can say it will work. So what is this TV box good for? In my opinion, watching regular Full HD video from a flash drive or over the network, as well as watching videos on YouTube. Maybe occasionally browsing the internet and checking the news.
MX4 A cheap and very basic TV box. Its only real advantage is probably the price. The approximate price is around 25 dollars, link. Full review — link.
CPU — RK3229 Number of cores — 4 (ARM Cortex-A7 CPU, 1.5 GHz) Graphics — Mali-400 (ARM Mali-400MP2 GPU) RAM — 1 GB Flash storage — 8 GB WiFi: 2.4 GHz Bluetooth 2.1 LAN — 100 Mb Ethernet Ports: 4x USB 2.0, SPDIF (3.5 mm jack), HDMI, RJ45, SD Card Analog audio/video output H.265 support 4K resolution support Operating system — Android 4.4 Dimensions — 117 x 117 x 27 mm
The complete package looks like this. 1. TV box 2. Power supply 3. HDMI cable 4. IR remote control 5. Manual
Its dimensions are closer to average. Compared with the previous “comrade,” this model is taller, and the whole thing seems bigger to me. The top of the case is matte, slightly rough, and attracts dust; the sides are glossy.
On the right side panel: 1. Memory card slot. This model uses a full-size SD card rather than the usual MicroSD. It's a rather odd choice; I've come across it before, but still don't understand it. You can also use MicroSD cards with an adapter. On the one hand, it's a more versatile solution; on the other, it's less convenient. 2. Three USB ports. There are even more ports on the back: 1. Another USB port. 2. Digital audio output, but via a 3.5 mm jack rather than the usual RCA connector or optical output. 3. Analog audio and video output. 4. HDMI video output for connecting a monitor or TV 5. 100 Mbps Ethernet port for connecting to a local network. 6. 5 V power input.
The board is connected to the top of the case by a thin coaxial cable attached to the WiFi antenna. A fairly large metal plate is also screwed to the top cover. It makes the box feel quite heavy and less likely to slide around on the table, and also helps dissipate heat a little… It's worth noting that although I can't measure the temperature while it's running, the case doesn't feel very hot. I'd even say the TV box is warm.
The top side is also very neat; the processor is covered by a small heatsink. The heatsink is glued on, and I didn't try to pry it off. I don't think that's important, especially since I already showed what the processor looks like in my previous review.
The home screen is no different from those on most budget TV boxes.
Strictly speaking, of all the apps installed on this TV box, only two are really worth mentioning: Kodi and YouTube. That's it.
A pretty good TV box for the money. Of course, gaming performance will be poor, but that was entirely predictable even without testing. The TV box has plenty of USB ports, which is really nice: you can connect flash drives, a mouse, and a keyboard. And since it also has Bluetooth, you can free up one more port if you need that interface. I was a little surprised that the developers used a full-size memory card slot instead of a microSD one, but I was also surprised by the lack of a power button and the fact that it turns on automatically when power is applied. Automatic startup can be useful when the TV box is running unattended. I don't remember who, but someone once asked me about this feature. The components were a pleasant surprise. I expected to find flash memory made by Foresee inside, but it turned out to be a perfectly decent SKhynix.
Mini MXQ A basic, cheap TV box with a low price, limited capabilities, and a small amount of RAM. The approximate price is around 30 dollars, link. Full review — link.
CPU — RK3229 Number of cores — 4 (ARM Cortex-A7 CPU clocked at 1.5 GHz) Graphics — Mali-400 (ARM Mali-400MP2 GPU) RAM — 1 GB Flash storage — 8 GB WiFi: 2.4 GHz LAN — 100 Mb Ethernet Ports: 2x USB 2.0, SPDIF, HDMI, RJ45, TF card H.265 support Supports 4K resolution Operating system — Android 4.4 Dimensions — 110 x 110 x 17 mm
Package contents 1. TV box 2. IR remote control 3. HDMI cable 4. Power supply 5. Manual
The top is matte, while the sides are glossy.
The right side has a slot for a microSD card, with a USB port next to it. There are more ports on the back: SPDIF digital optical audio output Ethernet port HDMI port Second USB port Power input.
A steel plate is used as a heatsink—a very old-fashioned way to cool devices like this. But interestingly, the plate was usually just glued to the case. Here, they did a more thorough job: there’s a dedicated spot for it on the top cover, and the plate itself is held in place by several clips.
The board is a nice shade of blue. The area around the CPU and RAM chips is bordered by an exposed copper trace and has mounting points for a cover. In other words, a heat spreader was probably part of the original design, but the cost-cutters decided it wasn’t needed.
It’s interesting that even this cheap, basic TV box has port protection.
You can choose between two launchers in the settings menu. The more colorful, tile-style one is installed by default.
The second launcher is much better known, so there’s no point showing it. I’ll just show the apps screen.
I’m not going to sing this TV box’s praises—there’s not much to praise it for. But I don’t really want to criticize it either, since it works pretty well. As I mentioned above, I was pleased with the WiFi quality, which I’ve had nothing but complaints about lately. There aren’t many USB ports. I used a wireless keyboard and mouse (one port) and a flash drive (the second port), but I’d have liked at least one more free port. Build quality is good, and everything is neatly assembled. The only crookedly soldered component is the IR receiver, though it looks like that was done on purpose. The package contents are, well, budget-level, but not excessively so. It’s a shame I couldn’t figure out how to decode 10-bit H.264, since that feature should noticeably improve the picture quality. This box is best thought of as a device for watching and reading—that is, watching movies and browsing the internet. You can play a few games, but only a few: 1 GB of RAM, Mali-400 graphics, and a rather weak CPU will limit your choice of games, and demanding games will lag noticeably.
Beelink i68 A mixed bag of a TV box. Everything seems to work, and the quality is decent, but I didn’t like it in the end, and the price is a bit high. The estimated price is around $70, link. Full review — link.
Package contents 1. TV box 2. Power supply 3. HDMI cable 4. MicroUSB-USB OTG cable 5. Remote control 6. Manual.
At first glance, it's just a black square box, with I68 printed in one corner and IONE in the other (it's barely visible).
On the right side There's an SD card slot (remember I mentioned that the manual said microSD). To be honest, this slot surprised me a little. I can't remember seeing one in any device I've reviewed. No, it's convenient in its own way: you can use either an SD card or a MicroSD card with an adapter, but it's unusual, that's for sure. Above the memory card slot are two ventilation holes—don't mistake them for the card slot :) I don't know how much they help, but previous Android boxes had them too. Maybe it's a tradition? To the right are a pair of full-size USB ports, mounted vertically. That's convenient in its own way, since you can plug in wide USB devices. The thing is, some USB devices don't conform to the standard and won't fit into horizontally mounted ports. Tucked inconspicuously next to the larger ports is a MicroUSB port, used either with an adapter to connect standard devices or to update the firmware when connected to a computer.
On the rear panel The list here is a little longer. First there's the power button (and, naturally, the off button too). Next is the power supply connector. The manufacturer used a standard 5.5/2.1 mm jack. It's a great choice for a reliable connection and easy plug replacement, but a poor one for safety, since 12 V power supplies use the same connector. There's also a third full-size USB port on the back. There's only one way to connect this box to a monitor or TV: with an HDMI cable. There's no analog output, either audio or video. On the one hand, the manufacturer removed a rather archaic connector in the digital age. On the other, it took away the option of connecting speakers via analog, which can sometimes be handy. Next to the HDMI port is an Ethernet port for connecting to a local network with a cable. A cable is good; a cable is reliable. Even if Wi-Fi goes down, the cable will keep working. To the right is another rather archaic connector, S/PDIF, for sending audio to a receiver. And last on the list is a small, unassuming hole, behind which is the Reset button (what would we do without it?)
Everything inside looks neat. There's a heatsink to cool the processor, and the large SD card slot is clearly visible.
This TV box uses a Rockchip RK3368 processor.
When it booted, this is the “desktop” I got. A reminder: we're dealing with Android 5.1. I'd say it's rather bare-bones.
Quite a lot of apps are preinstalled on the TV box. Some could easily have been left out, but that's what we got. The main ones are Kodi and YouTube; I consider the rest more like extras.
I had no particular complaints about the hardware or the appearance; everything is excellent. The remote is convenient, the construction is neat, and the board is well made. In general, I've never had much to complain about with Beelink's build quality. But the software left the opposite impression. I still can't figure out how the MXIII-G ended up being better than the I68 despite costing less. The only thing I can blame is Android 5, compared with Android 4 on the MXIII. Of course, I can't rule out hardware issues completely, but there was no overheating, and almost all the components are the same as in the MXIII (apart from the processor, obviously). But what's even harder to understand is the stuttering when playing 4K video. Not that it matters much to me—I don't have anything to watch 4K on anyway—but it's still strange.
Realtek has been making various computer components for a long time, but it's still a newcomer to the TV box SoC market. In this case, though, instead of simply competing for FPS and "parrots," it went ahead and made a processor that can not only play video but also record it from an HDMI input—a very rare feature in TV boxes. Its chip also supports OpenWRT, which may make it interesting to enthusiasts.
LAKE I Another TV box with a Realtek RTD1295 processor. It's not much different from the Beelink Sea—in fact, the main difference is the case. As before, its key features aren't performance or anything like that, but the ability to install a hard drive and record video from an HDMI input. Estimated price: around $75, link. Full review - link.
Specifications. CPU — Realtek RTD1295 Number of cores — 4 (ARM Cortex-A53 at 1.4 GHz) Graphics — Mali-T820MP3 GPU RAM — 2 GB Flash storage — 16 GB WiFi: 2.4/5 GHz Bluetooth — BT 4.0 LAN — 1000Mb Ethernet Ports: 1xUSB2.0, 1xUSB3.0, S/PDIF, 2xHDMI, RJ45, SD (128GB), SATA Hardware decoding support for UHD 4K 60fps, with support for many formats including H.265 10-bit, H.264 and AVS+ Operating system — Android 6.0 Dimensions — 132x124x27 mm
Package contents: 1. LAKE I TV box 2. IR remote control. 3. Power supply 4. HDMI cable 5. Manual.
It comes with a fairly convenient remote that can learn commands from other remotes, and a powerful 12 V 1.5 A power supply, compared with the 5 V 2 A supplies found in most TV boxes.
The device looks more like a router than a TV box.
The only obvious external differences are the clock on the front panel and the HDMI ports.
Ports for connecting external devices Rear — 1. HDMI output 2. HDMI input 3. Gigabit Ethernet 4. S/PDIF 5. 12 V power input.
Left side — 1. USB 3.0 2. USB 2.0 3. SD memory card.
There is a compartment on the bottom for a 2.5-inch hard drive.
The inside is fairly basic: a steel plate serves as a heatsink, with wires running to the antennas. Unfortunately, despite the device's extensive features, the manufacturer paid little attention to cooling, so overheating is quite possible, especially under heavy loads and with a hard drive installed.
The board looks similar to the one in the Beelink Sea. It also has a battery to power the built-in clock, something you almost never see in Android TV boxes.
Both HDMI ports are protected, which is also uncommon.
The interface is somewhat different from the ones I've seen on other TV boxes, though it has a lot in common with them.
The software selection is very limited—basically just the essentials, plus an app for working with the video input.
Video can be recorded at 1920x1080 resolution. Dedicated video capture devices are usually used for this, but they are quite expensive.
You can also display the input video on an additional screen.
Essentially, the TV box is a copy of the Beelink Sea, but there are some differences. The Lake I offers slightly better performance and WiFi sensitivity thanks to its external antennas, while also being a little cheaper. However, the hard drive is positioned better in the Beelink: it's mounted on the side, so it heats the other components less. Otherwise, the TV boxes are “twin brothers.” Even the high temperatures caused by the poorly designed cooling system are about the same, though the Beelink does run a little cooler. You probably won't notice this drawback when watching movies or browsing the internet, but gaming will make the heat quite noticeable.
Beelink SEA I One of the few TV boxes that can not only record video from an HDMI input, but does so well. In practice, it's a pretty good alternative to a video capture card, although its performance is inferior to models based on more common processors. You can also install a hard drive in this TV box, which is a very useful feature. The approximate price is around 90 dollars, link. Full review — link.
Specifications CPU — Realtek 1295 Cores — 4 (ARM Cortex-A53 at 1.4 GHz) Graphics — Mali-T820MP3 GPU RAM — 2 GB Flash storage — 16 GB Wi-Fi: 2.4/5 GHz Bluetooth — BT 4.0 LAN — 1000 Mb Ethernet Ports: 1xUSB 2.0, 1xUSB 3.0, S/PDIF, 2xHDMI, RJ45, SD (128 GB), SATA Supports hardware decoding of UHD 4K at 60 fps, and many formats including H.265 10-bit, H.264, and AVS+ Operating system — Android 6.0 Dimensions — 188x119x20 mm
The package includes: 1. TV box 2. Power supply 3. HDMI cable 4. IR remote control 5. Manual.
It comes with a very handy learning remote, as well as a powerful, high-quality power supply.
The case is quite large, mainly because it is designed to accommodate a hard drive.
There’s a modest little clock on the front.
On the back are an HDMI output and an HDMI input. Usually, the signal from the second port is simply passed through to the first. Here, though, the second port is a fully functional HDMI input, which I’ll discuss separately later. For now, I’ll just note that the ports are very tight. Also on the back: 1. Gigabit Ethernet 2. S/PDIF 3. 12 V power input.
The left side has two USB ports, 2.0 and 3.0, as well as an SD card slot. When it comes to memory card slots, Beelink is sticking to its usual preference: it seems to favor full-size SD cards over microSD. That’s not a bad thing, though, since the SD slot is more versatile.
And here’s the second major difference from other TV box models: it can accommodate a hard drive. It supports SATA I, II, and III hard drives. There’s no information on the maximum capacity, but I don’t think there are any restrictions.
The interface looks quite unusual, at least compared with the common TV box models whose monotonous interfaces have become tiresome. By default, the home screen shows: Clock and weather. HDMI input mode toggle
The internals are pretty good, but I ended up having to improve the cooling. I replaced the thick rubber pad with a thinner one and added an aluminum plate, which significantly reduced the processor temperature.
The SoC and RAM are covered by an additional shield, which also serves as a heatsink.
There are protection components near the HDMI ports.
But there’s more inside this device than just Android: it also runs a full version of OpenWRT, giving enthusiasts plenty of room to experiment. To access it, go to the TV box’s IP address in a browser. You’ll then be prompted for a password (the username root is already filled in); the password is also root.
The selection of preinstalled apps is very limited, though that’s not really a problem: you can download anything you need from the Play Store.
You can record and stream video, or simply display it right on the home screen, which is very convenient.
This is definitely an interesting box, mainly because it can accommodate a hard drive and record video from the HDMI input. Very few people need the latter, so it’s no surprise that demand won’t be very high. If you don’t need video recording or a hard drive, consider TV boxes based on the Amlogic S912. They cost less and offer the same performance. That said, Amlogic boxes can conflict with some TV models; I haven’t seen that happen with this one so far. As a gaming device, this TV box is nothing special, but I liked how it handles video: everything works smoothly. I’ll also note the HDMI 2.0 output and control via the CEC protocol. The genuinely unpleasant issue is overheating when a hard drive is installed. It doesn’t reduce performance by much, but performance is already not particularly high. The second drawback is that there are only two USB ports; having one of them be USB 3.0 doesn’t help much. You don’t often need more than two ports, but at least one more would have been very welcome.
AllWinner is a fairly old company that makes chips for tablets and TV boxes. It has stepped away from the business in recent years, but a TV box with one of its processors came out not long ago.
EACHLINK H6 Mini The second TV box with an Allwinner H6 processor. It's decent and runs stably, though it does have some shortcomings. Approximate price: $40. Full review - link.
Specifications: CPU — AllWinner H6 Quad-core Cortex-A53 Number of cores — 4 Graphics — ARM Mali-T720 MP2 RAM — 3 GB DDR4 Flash memory — 32 GB WiFi: 2.4 GHz Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.1 LAN — Ethernet 10/100M Video output — HDMI 2.0 with HDCP support Ports: 1xUSB2.0, 1xUSB 3.0, S/PDIF, RJ45, AV, microSD card Operating system — Android 7.0 64bit Dimensions — 96 x 96 x 19 mm
Package contents: 1. TV box 2. IR remote control 3. HDMI cable 4. Power supply 5. Manual.
A very modest but neat case.
I liked the display, though; it looks pretty good.
The selection of ports is much like that of similar TV boxes.
Inside, everything is as usual, although I think they skimped on the heatsink. That said, this was pretty much expected.
It's a little surprising to find HDMI port protection on such a budget model, which is nice. There are also some components near the power connector that most likely serve as protection. The footprint for the connector is universal.
The interface has a fairly common look; nothing new here.
It's unusual that the manufacturer didn't use the trendy side menu, opting instead for the older style. Personally, I actually prefer it this way.
For some reason, manufacturers have suddenly remembered the AllWinner H6 processors, which are interesting in their own right and relatively new (the well-known S9xx and Rockchip processors, for comparison, came out much earlier), but in my opinion had been unjustifiably forgotten by manufacturers. Unfortunately, though, I can't recommend this TV box. Yes, it has a convenient power connector, handles video files well, has stable WiFi, and generally performs well, but it also has significant drawbacks: overheating, YouTube limited to 1080p (I think this can be fixed), and CEC and AFR are effectively absent—or, more precisely, don't work automatically.
Overall, the manufacturer seems to have rushed the release a little. The box offers a decent price-to-feature ratio, but that is undermined by software that's weaker than Zidoo's. At $40, it's a decent option overall, although in my opinion it still falls noticeably short of the Zidoo box.
Zidoo H6 Pro A rather rare TV box from a well-known company, featuring an AllWinner H6 processor. It offers decent performance and polished software. There are some issues with third-party apps, but if you spend a little time choosing and configuring them, you can end up with a very interesting device. Approximate price: around $75, link. Full review - link.
Specifications: CPU — AllWinner H6 Quad-core Cortex-A53 Number of cores — 4 Graphics — ARM Mali-T720 MP2 RAM — 2 GB DDR4 Flash storage — 16 GB Wi-Fi: 2.4 / 5 GHz Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.1 LAN — Ethernet 10/100M/1000M Video output — HDMI 2.0 with HDCP support Ports: 2xUSB2.0, 1xUSB 3.0, Optical S/PDIF, RJ45, AV, microSD card Operating system — Android 7.1 Dimensions — 105 x 105 x 17 mm
The package contents are nothing out of the ordinary: 1. Zidoo H6 Pro TV box 2. Remote control 3. Power supply 4. HDMI cable 5. Manual and warranty card.
I should point out that the included power supply is pretty good—definitely better than the ones bundled with budget models.
The Bluetooth remote has a rather unusual look.
The case is a real treat: neat, attractive, and pleasant to hold.
On the front are the IR receiver window and a power indicator LED; the right side has a USB 3.0 port.
There are quite a few more ports on the back: analog AV output, HDMI, Ethernet, optical S/PDIF, and power. Two USB 2.0 ports (one supports OTG) and a microSD card slot are on the left side.
Most of the case is metal, and disassembly is very straightforward.
Since this model belongs to the relatively expensive segment, the HDMI and USB ports are protected, and it also uses a somewhat unusual Wi-Fi antenna.
The heatsink is relatively small, but this TV box has no overheating issues. Perhaps the processor is more power-efficient than those in other models.
Android 7.0 is installed out of the box. The interface takes a little getting used to, but it's convenient and looks nice.
Very few apps come preinstalled, so you'll have to install the rest yourself.
From a hardware standpoint, I have very few complaints: the build is neat, quality components are used, there are no overheating issues, and both the USB ports and HDMI output are protected—something you don't see very often. The power supply doesn't just stay cool; it also handles an external hard drive, an HDMI-to-VGA adapter, and other small devices all at the same time without any trouble. I have more complaints about the software. On the plus side, the company's own software is quite well polished, the interface is good, and there's an auto frame rate feature. The option to control it from a smartphone can also be very handy. But I was disappointed by dropped frames when playing some video files, which seems rather odd for a TV box in this class.
This is ZTE Microelectronics's debut in the market for multimedia devices connected to a TV—in other words, TV boxes. The company decided to enter the market with a budget model, which I think is the right move, since it's usually harder to carve out a niche with powerful devices because of their high prices. In my opinion, the company has made a very good start, and the TV box turned out to be an interesting product. I hope this isn't the last we see from them.
Z66X Z2 A rather unusual TV box. First of all, it's a budget model, but it comes with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of flash storage. It's also built around the ZX296716 processor from ZTE Microelectronics. The estimated price is around $30, link. Full review — link.
Specifications: CPU — ZX296716 Number of cores — 4 (ARM Cortex A53 CPU clocked at 1.5 GHz) Graphics — Mali-450MP2 RAM — 2 GB DDR3 Flash storage — 16 GB Wi-Fi: 2.4 GHz LAN — 100 Mbps Ethernet Bluetooth — No Ports: 2x USB 2.0, HDMI, RJ45, microSD, 3.5 mm S/PDIF jack, 3.5 mm AV jack Supports 4K resolution Operating system — Android 7.1 Dimensions — 102 x 102 x 22 mm
The package includes: 1. Z66X Z2 TV box 2. Power adapter 3. HDMI cable 4. IR remote control 5. Manual.
The power adapter is cheap, and it would be better to replace it. The remote is also very basic—the kind included with the most budget-friendly TV boxes.
On the outside, it’s the same familiar “black box” many of you will recognize, with no particular design flourishes.
The rear panel has the following ports: 1. A somewhat unusual 3.5 mm jack for S/PDIF. 2. Ethernet 3. Analog audio and video output (no adapter is included, and without one, you only get audio) 4. HDMI 5. 5 V power input
On the left are two USB 2.0 ports and a microSD card slot.
The cooling system and construction of the TV box are nothing new either: a small heatsink and a steel plate that carries some of the heat away from it. Despite the simple design, this TV box doesn’t overheat—a rare thing in Chinese devices.
The board is neatly laid out, but there’s no port protection—not at this price point.
It runs Android 7.1, with a slightly different interface from the ones I’ve seen before, though not by much. It’s easy to use, and I didn’t encounter any problems during operation.
The preinstalled software is kept to a bare minimum. The manufacturer figured users would install whatever they need themselves—and they may be right.
At the moment, this SoC-based TV box is essentially a first of its kind. Even now, though, it’s clear that for the price, it’s a decent choice for playing video files, despite some of the software rough edges typical of new products. I had no trouble playing video files, but ran into problems with online video (I suspect the software hasn’t been optimized for the new processor yet). YouTube only worked at 720p, and a Blu-ray rip wouldn’t play. I think these issues will be ironed out over time, if not in this model then in later ones. I can also say that this processor is clearly not suited to gaming because of its very low performance. The manufacturer has obviously focused on video playback and low power consumption. During all my testing, I never saw temperatures above 67–68 degrees, and the TV box itself was barely warm.
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Models are grouped by SoC maker. Each entry is planned to include specifications, a link to the full review, photos of the case and board, port layout, screenshots, and conclusions.
How did the X9T with Amlogic S912 perform?
It ran stably, offered gigabit Ethernet, and played various video files normally. YouTube was limited to FullHD, Wi-Fi was not very fast, and AFR did not switch frame rates automatically.
Is the Mecool M8S Plus L suitable for gaming?
The author says no: its processor performance is too low. The box is aimed at video playback and low power consumption; its temperature stayed at or below 67–68 °C during testing.
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