MINIX NEO X6 H.265 Android Media Player is Available for Pre-order for $99

Android media players based on Amlogic S805 such as MXQ S85 or EM6Q-MXQ are currently available for $50 to $70, but MINIX NEO X6 has now been listed for pre-order on sites such as DealExtreme. Geekuying, Aliexpress, and Amazon USstarting at $99 including shipping, with some sellers providing an extra gift (SD card or flash drive). MINIX devices are usually a bit more expensive than other equivalent products, because of potentially better hardware, and the company provides regular firmware updates and a support forum.

The specs remain the same as the initial announcement:

• SoC – Amlogic S805 quad core ARM Cortex A5 @ 1.5GHz with quad core Mali-450MP GPU
• System Memory – 1 GB DDR3L
• Storage – 8 GB eMMC + micro SD slot
• Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz) with external antenna, Bluetooth 4.0
• Video Output – HDMI 1.4 up to 1080p with HDMI-CEC support
• Audio Output – HDMI 1.4, 3.5mm stereo audio jack
• Video Containers – DAT, MPEG, MPE, MPG, TS, TP, VOB, ISO, AVI, MP4, MPV, 3GP, FLV, MKV, M2TS, MTS, M4V, WMV, ASF, RM/RMVB (720p only)
• Audio Formats – MP2, MP3, WMA, WAV, OGG, OGA, FLAC, ALC, APE, AAC, M4A
• USB – 2x USB 2.0 port + micro USB OTG port
• Misc – IR sensor, and power button
• Power Supply – 5V/2A
• Dimensions – 13.9 x 11.5 x 2.5 cm
• Weight – 234 grams

The box runs Android 4.4.2, and it’s the first MINIX Android TV box that supports HEVC/H.265 hardware video decoding. Amlogic S805 only support 1080p, so if you’re looking for a device for your 4K TV, you’ll have to pass. Accessories included with the device: IR remote control, power adapter, HDMI cable, USB cable, and user’s manual in Chinese, English, German, Russian, and Japanese.

I’ve just reviewed EM6Q-MXQ media player based on Amlogic S805 this week, and the performance would have been pretty good, were it not for the slow NAND flash used in the device. MINIX has decided to go with an eMMC instead, which means the frequent slowdowns I experienced in their competitor’s sample should not occur.

It’s not 100% clear when NEO X6 will ship. GeekBuying indicates September 30 as the lead time, but the seller on Amazon explicitly states the boxes will ship on October 14.

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