THL Box 1 Pro TV Box Review - Part 1: Unboxing and Teardown

Today we will be taking a look at the THL Box1 Pro box. We will take this is two parts, first being the unboxing and teardown then software and performance. Let’s start with the unit’s specs.

THL Box 1 Pro TV Box specifications

CPU – Amlogic S905X quad core ARM Cortex-A53 @ up to 1.51GHz
GPU – Penta-core Mali-450MP GPU @ 750 MHz
Memory – 2GB DDR3
Storage – 16GB eMMC flash + micro SD card slot (up to 32GB)
Video Output – HDMI 2.0 up to 4K @ 60 fps, AV port
Audio – HDMI, AV port (stereo audio)
Video Codecs – VP9 4K @60fps, 10-bit H.265 4K @ 60 fps, H.264 4K @ 30 fps and more
Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n/ac Dual Band Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.0
Interfaces – HDMI port, RJ45 port (100Mbps Ethernet), 2x USB Host, micro SD Card Slot, AV Out, DC jack
USB – 2x USB 2.0 host ports
Misc – IR receiver
Power Supply – DC 5V/2A
Dimensions – 10.5 x 10.5 x 2 cm
Weight – 198g

The THL Box1 Pro so far seems to have promising specs for the price point. Let’s hope these specs are paired with a well built firmware to provide an optimal performance scenario.

THL Box 1 Pro TV Box Unboxing

The THL Box1 Pro come in a pretty basic brown box. My first thoughts on the packaging was “recycled material” as the box itself does not feel particularly strong. Let’s see if this continues throughout.

First item you will see upon opening the package is the THL Box1 Pro itself. The device is inside your typical plastic bag so no surprises here.

Pull out the THL Box1 Pro and underneath you will find all of the included accessories. These are the Power Supply, HDMI cable, remote and user guide. From my experience the HDMI cables included with these boxes have not been great, so we will see if this included cable has the ability to hold up during testing.

The device itself has the IR sensor and LED in the front, USB & Micro SD on the side and on the back AV, USB, Ethernet, HDMI and the power plug. The box overall has a good form factor and would look nice with any standard home theater setup. The box does have rubber pads on the bottom to prevent movement.

The remote it a good size, not the smaller remotes I have experienced with these boxes. Another nice added touch is that the remote has a coating that has a rubber feel and provides a non-slip grip. Upon first look the remote does not have mouse control which can be an issue if you want to control all functions with the included remote. Personally, I prefer a mouse with these units so this is not an issue for me personally.

THL Box 1 Pro TV Box Teardown

Taking apart the THL Box1 Pro proved to be a very simple task. Minimal screws holding the device together and just a few clips, this device was disassembled within a few minutes.

On the bottom of the device there are the three holes pictured above that are under the label. Since the label spans pretty much the entire bottom of the device these were removed by simply poking through the label instead of removing the label entirely. There are a few clips around the sides of the unit that will need to be released to remove the bottom cover.

When removing the bottom plate be aware that the Wi-Fi wire is attached to the bottom cover so there is a possibility of ripping the cable if you are not careful. There is plenty of slack in the wire, just don’t pull extremely hard when releasing the clips.

Pull the board out and you will have access to the top of the device. The CPU does have some thermal tape on the top of it, so it can touch a heat spreader plate built in the top of the unit. This should prevent any overheating issues with the unit given its size. All the solder points look to be well done and overall build quality is good.

To reassemble simply place the board back in the housing, clip bottom back in place and then re-insert the three screws.

Now that we have this unit back together let’s see how she performs. Check back in for part 2 of our review of the THL Box1 Pro for software overview and performance results. I would like to thank Tinydeal for sending the THL Box1 Pro to review, and if you are interested in the THL Box1 Pro, you could purchase it for about $49 from their website. The device can also be found on various other websites including eBay, ChinaVasion, and GearBest.

Steven