Rockchip RK3328 is a new TV box SoC competing with Amlogic S905(X) TV boxes thanks to its quad core Cortex A53 processor, Mali-450MP GPU, HDMI 2.0a, and its 4K VPU with HDR support. We’ve already seen a few products launched with the processor such as A5X Plus, and T98 4K Ultra HD TV boxes, but I’ve only just received my first RK3328 TV box – courtesy of GearBest – with A95X R2 model. In the first part of the review, I’ll go through the specifications, and check out the devices, and the hardware design, before testing the firmware in several weeks.
A95X R2 TV Box Specifications
- SoC – Rockchip RK3328 quad core Cortex A53 processor @ 1.5 GHz with Mali-450MP2 GPU
- System Memory – 1GB RAM
- Storage – 8 GB eMMC flash + micro SD card
- Video Output – HDMI 2.0a up to 4K @ 60 Hz with HDR10 and HLG support, 3.5mm AV port (composite)
- Video Codec – 4K VP9, H.265 and H.264. 1080p VC-1, MPEG-1/2/4, VP6/8
- Audio – Via HDMI, AV port (stereo audio), and 3.5mm coaxial S/PDIF jack
- Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi (RTL8189 module)
- USB – 2x USB 2.0 port, 1x USB 3.0 port
- Misc – IR receiver, power button, front panel LED display
- Power Supply – 5V/2A
- Dimensions – 9.50 x 9.50 x 1.50 cm
- Weight – 120 grams
There’s no Bluetooth, and the box runs Android 7.1.1.
A95X R2 TV Box Unboxing
I reeived the box in its retail package marked “A95X R2 Android TV Box”.
The nice looking device comes with an IR remote control with IR learning function, a HDMI cable, a 5V/2A power supply (which may be an issue with USB 3.0 HDD?), and a very basic user’s manual in English.
All fours sides of the device are used:
- Front panel – Power button, IR receiver windows, and LED display
- Side 1 – USB 2.0 port, USB 3.0 port, and micro SD card
- Rear panel – Coaxial S/PDIG, Ethernet, AV port, HDMI port, and DC jack
- Side 1 – USB 2.0 port
A95X R2 TV Box Teardown
Opening the device is pretty easy. Take out the rubber pads, and loosen the three screws underneath as one of the pad locations do not come with a screw.
Now use a sharp and rigid plastic tool to pop out the top cover.
We can see there are two boards with the main board, and the board for the front panel and one USB ports. Cooling is achieved with a heatsink on RK3328 SoC, a thermal pad touching another thick metal plate.
Rockchip RK3328 is connected to a low end 8GB Samsung KLM8G1WEPD-B031 eMMC 5.0 flash (140/8 MB/s R/W speed, 5K/0.6K IOPS), and two SKHynix H5TQ4G63CFR DDR3 chips (1GB RAM). Ethernet is implemented through ZTE ZX2AA500 Gigabit Ethernet transceiver – also found in Yundoo Y8, and Essence H1102NL Fast Ethernet magnetics leading to a 10/100M Ethernet interface. It seems crazy to mix a Gigabit Ethernet transceiver with a Fast Ethernet transformer, but that’s what we have here. Maybe they had a large stock of the latter… Realtek RTL8189ETV is used for 802.11 b/g/n WiFi.
Other ICs on RK3328_V2_0 board include Rockchip RK805-1 PMIC and DIO2133 stereo audio driver, while the front panel board is equipped with Holtek HT1628 LCD controller driver. The recovery button is placed right behind the AV port, and we can see a 4-pin header on the top right, which must be the serial console. There’s virtually no community development around RK3328 processor right now (AFAIK), but this may change soon, as Pine64 will shortly release ROCK64 board powered the processor.
There’s basically nothing to see on the back side, except a sticker with the key specs: RK3328 / 8G-1G-8189….
I’d like to thank GearBest for sending a review sample, and if you are interested you can purchase A95X R2 TV box for $35.99 including shipping on their website [Update: Use GBA95XR2 coupon to bring the price down to $32.99]. You’ll also find the 4K TV box on Banggood, GeekBuying, and Aliexpress for around $40.
Continue reading A95X R2 TV Box Review – Part 2: Android 7.1, Video & Audio Tests, and Benchmarks
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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