It really feels like Christmas is around the corner, as deals on new and existing products keep on coming. About two weeks ago, I noted one of the first TV boxes based on Amlogic S905 processor, MXQ Pro, was starting (pre-)selling for as low as $48. Not bad for a device that is supporting HDMI 2.0 and 10-bit HEVC up to 4K @ 60 fps. Since then the price has gone up a little to $52 shipped, but Beelink MINI MX has started to up show up on a few sites, and the device is pre-sold for $46.89 on GearBest with GBMINIX coupon.
The case is very similar to Allwinner H3 based Beelink X2, and the specifications similar to the ones for MXQ Pro:
- SoC – Amlogic S905 quad core ARM Cortex-A53 @ up to 2.0GHz with penta-core Mali-450MP GPU @ 750 MHz
- System Memory – 1GB DDR3
- Storage – 8GB NAND flash + micro SD card slot
- Video Output – HDMI 2.0,
AV - Audio – HDMI,
AV, optical S/PDIF - Connectivity – 10/100/1000M Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 (AP6212 module)
- USB – 2x USB 2.0 host ports
- Misc – Power button IR receiver
- Power Supply – DC 5V/2A
- Dimensions – 110 x 110 x 17.5 mm
- Weight – 162 grams
The device will run Android 5.1 with Kodi 15.2 pre-installed, and ship with an HDMI, a power adapter, a remote control, and an English user’s manual. Compared to MXQ Pro, it gains Gigabit Ethernet, but loses two USB ports and the AV video output, and replace coaxial S/PDIF, by optical S/PDIF. The full sized SD card slot found in MXQ Pro is also replaced by a micro SD slot.
Beside GearBest, you can also find Beelink MINI MX on GeekBuying for $57.59 and other sites should list it soon enough. Beelink MINI MX is expected to start shipping on November 16. I’m in contact with a few companies working on Amlogic S905 TV Boxes, and some bugs are still being worked on. For example, eMMC flash may not be working yet (they need to use NAND flash), Amlogic changed the way it named its processor, so Kodi needs to be “hacked” to use video hardware decoding, some 4K H.265 content still have “serious issues”, etc…, but hopefully most of the critical bugs will be fixed by the time to products ship to end users.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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