Following up on the tradition to create list of TV boxes with popular processor, such as my Amlogic S905 TV boxes and sticks list, I’ve decided to generate a comparison table for the first ten Amlogic S912 Android TV boxes announced so far. There won’t be any S912 TV sticks, as the processor probably dissipate a little too much heat to be useful in that form factor.
All TV boxes in the table below share the same Amlogic S912 octa-core Cortex A53 processor @ 2.0 GHz with an ARM Mali-820MP3 GPU, support for HDMI 2.0a output, HDR, 4K video playback for VP9, H.265 and H.264 codecs, and run Android 6.0, so I only included columns for items that differ between products.
| Memory | Storage | Video Output | Audio Output | Ethernet | Wireless | USB | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MXQ Plus M12N / ENYBOX X2 | 2GB | 16GB + micro SD slot | HDMI + AV | HDMI, AV, optical S/PDIF | 10/100M | 802.11 b/g/n/ac + Bluetooth 4.0 | 2x USB 2.0 | $69.99 |
| Zoomtak Vplus | 2GB | 16GB + SD slot | HDMI + RCA composite | HDMI, RCA stereo, optical S/PDIF | Gigabit | 802.11 b/g/n/ac + Bluetooth 4.0 | 3x USB 2.0 | $54 (FOB) |
| Nexbox A1 | 2GB | 16GB + SD slot | HDMI + AV | HDMI, AV, optical S/PDIF | Gigabit | Dual band 802.11n + Bluetooth 4.0 | 2x USB 2.0 | $70.99 (Coupon GBNA1) |
| Rikomagic MK22 | 2GB | 16GB + micro SD slot | HDMI + AV | HDMI, AV, optical S/PDIF | Gigabit | Dual band 802.11n + Bluetooth 4.0 | 2x USB 2.0, 1x USB OTG port | TBD |
| R-Box Pro | 2 or 3 GB | 16GB + micro SD slot | HDMI + AV | HDMI, AV, optical S/PDIF | Gigabit | Dual band 802.11n + Bluetooth 4.0 | 2x USB 2.0, 1x micro USB OTG | 2GB RAM: $74.99 3GB RAM: $82.99 |
| QINTAIX Q912 | 2GB | 8 or 16 GB + micro SD slot | HDMI + AV | HDMI, AV, optical S/PDIF | Gigabit | Dual band 802.11n + Bluetooth 4.0 | 3x USB 2.0 | TBD |
| Beelink GT1 | 2GB | 16GB + micro SD slot | HDMI | HDMI, optical S/PDIF | Gigabit | 802.11 b/g/n/ac + Bluetooth 4.0 | TBDx USB 2.0 | $55.99 (coupon GBGT1) |
| Videostrong KM8 Pro | 2GB | 16GB + micro SD slot | HDMI + AV | HDMI + AV | Gigabit | 802.11 b/g/n/ac + Bluetooth 4.0 | 2x USB 2.0 | $47 (FOB) |
| Vontar Z5 Supermax | 2GB | 16GB + micro SD slot | HDMI + AV | HDMI, AV, optical S/PDIF | Gigabit | Dual band 802.11n + Bluetooth 4.0 | 2x USB 2.0 | $89.99 |
| Intbox i7 | 2GB | 8GB + SD slot | HDMI + AV | HDMI, AV, optical S/PDIF | Gigabit | 802.11 b/g/n/ac + Bluetooth 4.0 | 2x USB 2.0 | $118.00 |
Remarks: AV means 3.5mm AV jack with composite and stereo audio, and prices are usually retail prices with shipping by registered airmail from China, except for the ones followed by “FOB” which are factory prices.
Corrections are welcomed in the comments section, as well as tips about new S912 boxes not mentioned in this post.
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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I am amazed that new designs still throttle WiFi by not using WiFi-AC chips. Half of above list are still WiFi-N. What do marketeers think is the ‘cost-saving’ by selling with a far slower chip ? And why would I want to downgrade the rest of my network which has been WiFi-AC the last 3 years ?
Likewise I see one ‘new’ design still not cottoned on to Gigabit Ethernet. As the earlier cnx article today pointed out, cannot use pre-Gigabit Ethernet for testing Video benchmarks, – its too slow, u/s for routers.
Why no USB3 ?
@paul
I’m also using SAMBA for playing videos, which makes matter a little worse compared to NFS or DLNA for instance. But I think many NAS still use SAMBA.
Amlogic S912 does not support USB 3.0, so that question needs to be addressed to Amlogic. At the beginning there were rumors about USB 3.0 in S912, but finally it got dropped. USB 2.0 is normally enough to play local videos, as the transfer rate is about 35 MB/s (280 Mbps). So it’s only an issue for people wanting to use their Android TV box as a NAS for multiple clients streaming high bitrate videos.
All the ones you pictured look like shite… The Nexbox is definitely the best looking S912 so far (imho!)
Do we have any benchmarks of the S912 yet?
Where is (ts input of s912) on board tuner part tvbox. and ci+ smartcard interface. We know s912 support this but any chinese pruducer make it
@cnxsoft
“Amlogic S912 does not support USB 3.0”
One of the things, that I change to a NAS for media playing, instead of Android Mini PC. I have az M8 (with Amlogic S802), which is great, but the slow network speeds, the lack of USB, and because it does not handle hard disks larger than 2TB, I bought a NAS, since then I use the M8 very rarely.
@cnxsoft
Thanks for above explanation, although I notice your coverage of other ARM TV Boxes sometimes lists USB3, so presumably they use a PCIe-USB3 chip.
Re. your impending benchmarking of S912 TV Box’s, my last post to you asked if you could adopt a formal WiFi benchmark environment to produce a table of Range v Speed on each of the 2.4 & 5GHz bands. I forgot to respond to your reply. I notice that every site that describes a physical setup for producing such a table, tends to be different !
A setup that I quite like, a compromise between short and long range testing, is described as “10 metres between Router and Adapter, with 1 floor and 2 walls inbetween”.
Some sites test longer range eg hexus.net test at 5, 15, & 25metres – think line-of-site. cnet.com test at 100ft, Tomsguide test at 5ft and 140ft.
If your location is difficult to use any of above setups, SmallNetBuilder takes a different, and probably a more scientific approach. From what I can tell from his description, he has fitted RF screening in a small room to make a Faraday Cage, and connects a variabe RF Attenuator to transmitting end and a RF Meter to the Rx end, in order to make a table of Speed v dB drop, turning up the Attenuation until the connection is lost.
So even though the 2 ends of the link are only a few feet from each other, this gives a very useful measure of absolute range. E.g. he measures the Asus RT-AC68U as maintaining a 2.4GHz link until the signal drops by 63dB. As I seek long-range rather than top-speed, it is easy for me to rank the longest-range routers on that site. But he never tests the small mini-PCs that you specialise in !!
Please if time, also include energy consumption, idle, and medium load, in your S912 tests.
Hopefully you will be able to test the S912 TV boxes first that are potentially the best in having both WiFi-AC, and Gigabit.
do we know anything about zoomtak vplus?
is it cheap and with analog rca sound that I need.
Does this brand have good reputation from the past?
When are we going to see boxes with more powerful cpu’s? (Amdahl’s law is a bitch on ARM and Cortex-A53 is such a low-end offering by now)
@Levente Valent
How do you get XBMC on all your TVs in the house with a NAS and no M8?
The NAS has a media server, I can play mkv, mp4, avi, etc through DLNA. My 7 years old TV plays these videos.
until these media boxes support auto-frame rate switching and PROPER audio pass-through (without issues) then a small PC is still the best media player there is. I have S802, S905, RK3288 media players and my *7* year old WD TV gen 2 *STILL* plays h264 encoded media BETTER than any of the ARM based players I’ve bought. Before that I had a Popcorn Time media player, which I replaced with the WD TV as the WD TV passed through DTS audio correctly.
The manufacturer who solves the auto frame switching and DTS-anything audio pass through issues with these ARM based players will make a fortune.
It is so annoying that the SAME issues are still occurring in these products with each new chipset that is introduced.
@paul
Some TV boxes include USB 3.0 because they don’t use Amlogic processors.
That WiFi testing is cool, but just too time consuming. I also consider WiFi testing to be for reference only, as results will already enormously between routers. Once I just updated my router firmware, and it completely changed the rankings: http://www.cnx-software.com/2013/05/22/wi-fi-performance-comparison-for-android-media-players-and-hdmi-sticks/
Most boxes don’t have sufficient WiFi throughput (over SAMBA) to play higher bitrate rate videos without buffering, even when located at 5 meters + wall from the router.
@GanjaBear
Rockchip RK3399 is the processor you want to watch. I think it will be released before the end of the year.
@gizmomelb
WetTek, MINIX and Zidoo TV boxes should support both features fairly well now. Cheaper boxes might support for OpenELEC or LibreELEC
2 more boxes (or just rebranding?)
H96 PRO TV Box Amlogic S912 Octa Core – 2G + 16G US PLUG
http://www.gearbest.com/tv-box-mini-pc/pp_427617.html?wid=21
MECOOL BB2 Android 6.0 Amlogic S912 KODI 17.0 TV BOX 2G/16G 802.11AC WIFI Bluetooth 1000M LAN OTA
http://www.geekbuying.com/item/MECOOL-BB2-Android-6-0-Amlogic-S912-KODI-17-0-TV-BOX-371022.html
The Nexbox S912 has no gigabit Ethernet and no antenna but it does have Dolby inside. This SoC doesn’t support USB 3 which is crazy! I just want a really nice box, is it even possible? Every company seems to cut corners so bad they’re not worth buying. I like the sounds of the RK3399 but they’ll do the same or the UI will be buggy and no upgrades! I bought a Nagrace Android TV BOX-Quad core NT-V6 with the RK3288 4GB RAM 32GB Storage HDMI IN and OUT 4K and a Powerful Mali T-764 GPU but they never gave a OS Upgrade, Stuck on KitKat 4.4 for $200USD so I’m getting tired of being suckered in on specs thinking I’ll get a upgrade, but not a single one!
@xfr
H96 Pro looks like R-Box, while MECOOL BB2 looks like Z5 Supermax. But it’s good to get the new names, as we never know which ones will become popular.
@Bud Ryan
Hisilicon Hi3798 V200 and Realtek RTD1295 processors all have USB 3.0 support. Himedia and Zidoo brands should have firmware updates.
@Bud Ryan
Hi
There have been several updates for Lollipop.
Please try here – http://freaktab.com/forum/tv-player-support/rk3288-devices/nagrace-3288-devices/564418-hph-rk3288-lollipop-rom-v1-6-by-mo123 and for HDMI-IN this adds extra shortcut menus to the power menu – https://mega.nz/#!cQpl0ICS!8EgHddI3_PXQsSe-TSrkHfxdHCmkbckNWBYuLhfuA7w
Hope it can put some new life in your device.
@Meth
We can find the flash point of tv boxes on their specifications but The Nexbox just on looking.
Great article, thanks for the compilation. Would you be updating as and when newer devices hop onboard?
@Jay
For known brands probably, but for more obscure devices maybe not.
Hi,
Is S912 capable and plays 3D MVC (frame-packed 3D) ISO-s and/or MKV movies in KODI? I currently use old RPI2 and these are played nicely, but I’m searching for 4k capable box and I’m interested in purchase of S912. Also does it support pass-through of Dolby Digital and DTS through optical SPDIF?
Thank you for your answers
One more name: Vensmile T92 = R-Box Pro or H96 Pro
@Goran
About HDMI pass-through, not working -> http://www.cnx-software.com/2016/08/15/4k-vp9-h-265-and-h-264-video-playback-in-amlogic-s912-m12n-tv-box/
For 3D MVC iso / MKV wait for review. Normally depends on Kodi implementation too.
@cnxsoft
Thx for answer. I’ll wait for review then.
Can you just please test pass-through through optical output to see if it is working better then HDMI?
I must say for me biggest problem os not been able to play netflix in HD
@paul
In China 99% of the manufacturers will try to sell as cheap as possible. Finally they know the best seller was the MXQ because it is cheap as the hell.
I guess MXQ is not going to continue this trend because the company who registered “MXQ” brand has claimed and probably no more “home-assembly-lines” are going to use this name to shell the same PCB with the cheapest components as they can mount. But then, it will be “XYZ” who hits the market by same way.
Cut here, cut there… if they see their bank accounts too fat, then it is not necessary to mind users.
Also do not ask for big improvements until Amlogic does it. Issues are reported to design houses and design houses report the biggest part to Amlogic (or Rockchip, or the one who provides the SDK).
There are few good senior software engineers there…
Yoka TV KB2 with 32GB eMMC flash -> http://www.cnx-software.com/2016/08/22/yokatv-kb2-amlogic-s912-tv-box-features-32gb-internal-storage/
Shenzhen Tomato X92 with LCD panel, GbE, 802.11ac WiFi, 2GB/16GB default configuration and options for up to 3GB RAM, and 64GB storage -> http://www.sztomato.com/products/Android-Box-Amlogic-S912-Octa-Core-Android-6.0-Smart-TV-Box-Fully-Loaded-4K-Ultra-HD-Internet-Stream.html
FYI on Geekbuying it’ll be $54 between August 25 and 28.
is it goot the mecools generally?
For those who also want to use an S912 box for Android gaming, the 2015 Mali-T820 GPU in the S912 appears to be less capable than the 2012 Mali-450MP in the S905. At least that’s what I suspect looking at their specifications:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mali_(GPU)
http://www.arm.com/products/multimedia/mali-gpu/ultra-low-power/mali-450.php
http://www.arm.com/products/multimedia/mali-gpu/high-area-efficiency/mali-t820-t830.php
Am I wrong?
@Winston
I have not studied the theory, but 3D benchmarks are quite better in Amlogic S912 compared to S905 -> http://www.cnx-software.com/2016/08/17/m12n-amlogic-s912-tv-box-benchmarks/
Games also play more smoothly -> http://www.cnx-software.com/2016/08/21/using-m12n-android-amlogic-s912-tv-box-as-a-game-console-video/
EM92 with 2G/16G 802.11ac/GbE -> http://www.geekbuying.com/item/EM92-Amlogic-S912-2G-16G-Android-6-0-TV-BOX-371485.html
-> https://www.aliexpress.com/item/EM92-Amlogic-S912-Android-6-0-TV-BOX-2G-16G-802-11ac-WIFI-Bluetooth-4-0/32719753631.html
Yundoo Y1 2GB/16GB 802.11n/ GbE? + front panel LCD display -> https://www.fasttech.com/product/5592800-yundoo-y1-octa-core-marshmallow-tv-box-us
NEXBOX A3 (unclear about the difference with A1) for $56 on Banggood -> http://www.banggood.com/NEXBOX-A3-Amlogic-S912-2GB-RAM-16GB-ROM-TV-BOX-p-1079100.html
T95Z Plus with 2GB/16GB config. Hexagonal case with LCD display and RGB LED strip -> http://www.cnx-software.com/2016/09/02/t95z-plus-is-an-hexagonal-amlogic-s912-tv-box-with-a-front-lcd-display/
MINIX NEO U9-H (specs TBC) -> http://www.cnx-software.com/2016/09/05/minix-neo-u9-h-4k-hdr-amlogic-s912-h-android-tv-box-coming-in-october/
TX8 with 2GB/32GB -> http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Genuine-TX8-Android-6-0-Amlogic-S912-Octa-core-Set-top-box-2G-32G-Android/32723333170.html
Hi people
I’m a litle curious of these devices, and their evolution, and it is through your reviews mainly of CNX, which we can understand these technologies, thank you for your reviews. I would like to ask the following: most of the advertised specifications (technical or marketing) the boxs with chip S912 (A53) indicate a CPU at 2,0ghz, but in some sites, such as http://www.geekbuying.com/item/MECOOL-BB2-Android-6-0-Amlogic-S912-KODI-17-0-TV-BOX-371022.html the Meccol-BB2 indicate the CPU at 1,5 GHz, “MECOOL BB2 comes with S912 CPU which is a high performance 64 bit chipset which is known for the maximum clock speed of up to 1.5 GHz”. These differences in same amlogic S912-A53 are due to firmware (SDK) installed? Or which reads “at 2,0” or “up to 2,0 ghz” is misleading publicity and the stable chip only gives 1,5 GHz. Could it be that some brands, do overclock on chip and so have the cooling plates in the boxes, and with that you get ~ 1,7 GHz? Benchmarks (antutu) show numbers from 25xxx at 40xxx to this S912.
That is why it is stated “Up to 2,0 (DVFS)-Dynamic voltage and frequency scaling?
Can you clarified this matter??
@JOAQUIM JOSE SILVA T ALMEIDA
The issue about 1.5 or 2.0 GHz is addressed @ http://www.cnx-software.com/2016/08/28/amlogic-s905-and-s912-processors-appear-to-be-limited-to-1-5-ghz-not-2-ghz-as-advertised
ONENUTS Nut 1 is yet another S912 TV boxes with typical specs, but the box is blue -> http://www.sztomato.com/products/2-in-1-Octa-Core-Streaming-Media-Player-Game-Android-TV-Box-with-Android-6.0-Marshmallow-2G-DDR3-16G.html
Has anyone tested the X92?
I see China has a new box listed for preorder. The H96 Pro+ S912 3GB/32GB
Cheap(40 GBP) S912 box called T95W PRO, fulfilled by Amazon:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01M1DK5XZ/
The Cooleme MB2 seems to have the same hardware as the Beelink GT1:
http://www.banggood.com/de/COOLEME-MB2-Amlogic-S912-2G-RAM-16G-ROM-AC-WIFI-1000M-LAN-TV-BOX-p-1090722.html
It comes pre-rooted (SuperSU /system/xbin/su, but no SuperSU apk installed, but it can be installed from the Play Store without problems).
HiMedia A5 with HDMI + RCA connectors for composite and stereo audio -> http://www.himediatech.com/a5.html
Ugoos AM3 TV box with 1 or 2 GM RAM, 4, 16 or 32GB flash, GbE, 802.11ac WiFi, optional SATA -> http://ugoos.net/blog/Amlogic-s912-AM3-pre-release-details
Available to distributors only for now.
Some one on ebay.co.uk is flogging a 3GB ram model of the X92 model tv box and going on about direct from factory and rom support etc. Whether you can trust these claims who knows !!!
But there is a claimed photo of the TV box board if it interests you hardware junkies on here. If it is a real photo I am sure people here can extract real detail.
Here is the ebay advert
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3GB-RAM-16GB-TV-Box-Android-6-0-X92-Smart-Mini-PC-Amlogic-S912-Octa-Core-4K-3D-/302152150039?hash=item4659abec17:g:vYoAAOSwA3dYPVck
@theguyuk
Based on the many problems people have with X96 TV box, see comments @ http://www.cnx-software.com/2016/06/22/shenzhen-tomato-x96-amlogic-s905x-tv-box-is-designed-to-be-hooked-behind-any-monitor-or-wall-mounted/, it might not be a good idea to get X92 model.
I’ve also found DDR4 does not appear to bring any benefit over DDR3. It just increases the price by $5 to $10.
http://developers.blognotions.com/2017/01/11/mecool-bb2-pro-review-tv-box-with-ddr4-memory-part-2-android-firmware-benchmarks-kodi/
@cnxsoft
Yes I saw your informative artical on Mecool and Beelink are joining DDR4 bunch too, with lots of claims for the ultimates abilities. Also the 2GHz cpu claims are still being wrongly claimed.
If you are a fan of Transformers, or like boxes with many colors, M92S VBOX may be an option -> http://www.geekbuying.com/item/M92S-VBOX-Android-7-1-1-Amlogic-S912-4K-TV-BOX-377710.html
Vorke Z6 with 3GBRAM/32GB storage for $71.99 with 8VORKEZ6 coupon -> http://www.geekbuying.com/item/VORKE-Z6-Android-7-1-2-Amlogic-S912-TV-BOX-3GB-DDR4-32GB-eMMC5-0-WIFI-Bluetooth-KODI-1000M-LAN-384718.html?utm_source=cnx-software.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=lily&utm_term=VorkeZ6
@cnxsoft
Vorke Z6 has the same design as Tanix TX92 -> https://www.gearbest.com/tv-box/pp_708576.html