Xiaomi unveiled Mi 3 TV box based on Amlogic S905 processor a while ago, but since we’ve got so many Amlogic S905 boxes on the market, and the interface is only in Chinese, I did not find it that interesting. But somebody did a teardown of the device, and sent me some good pictures revealing that the device uses Amlogic S905-H with DTS and Dolby licenses paid for and enabled. So that means just like for Amlogic S812, where there’s a S812-H with Dolby and DTS, there are two versions for Amlogic S905. I understand the silicon might be the same, but the SDK will differ (TBC).
Other main components include a 4GB Toshiba THGBMBG5D1KBAIT eMMC 5.0 flash, two NANYA NT5CB256M16DP-EK 512MB DDR3 chips (1GB in total), a Broadcom wireless chipset (BCM4345) for 802.11ac Wifi and Bluetooth 4.1, and Ricoh RN5T567A PMIC.
There are few connectors as on other Xiaomi TV boxes: power jack, HDMI 2.0 and AV outputs, and one USB port. Xiaomi are not big fans of Ethernet, and there’s no RJ45 interface in the new model either. Some websites mention a micro SD slot, but it’s clearly not there. There’s also a IR receiver shown at the bottom, but the remote control supports both IR and Bluetooth and features a 6-axis gyro and voice support.
There’s no much on the bottom side of the board except a shield. One the software side, the box is said to run an “Google CTS Certified Android 5.0 system” with a Chinese interface only.
Xiaomi Mi 3 TV box can be purchased on GearBest or GeekBuying for respectively $61.79 and $71.79, but I’d only recommend it to the most adventurous, or people who can read Chinese, and potentially are happy with setting up a VPN. [Update: One person provided instructions to root the device, and install third party apps such as Google Play on previous generation Xiaomi Mi TV bxoes, so it might also work on Xiaomi Mi 3 TV box]
Thanks to Steven for the photos!
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.
Support CNX Software! Donate via cryptocurrencies, become a Patron on Patreon, or purchase goods on Amazon or Aliexpress
