Android TV Box Recommendations

[Mecisteus]

Why are we still talking about android box, Today, Smart Gogoole TV are so readily available and also cost
efficient, at less then $500 we could get a resonable size and fairly good smart tv.
Sideloading IPTV to smart tv is technically not challenging any more, in fact one can compile it own iptv with those favourite tv including VOD fairly easy.
Conventional TV consume more electricity and adding a TV box add to it load moreover one need to switch from TV to TV box and back and fort controlling 2 remote control.
Smart TV incorporate conventional TV with TV box with efficient built for video streaming and display.
Smart TV is the way forward

Agreed. At this age, I think a Google TV is all that is needed. Can avoid a box.

Happy with my TV and sideloaded paid iptv.

 

[Philippng]

Agreed. At this age, I think a Google TV is all that is needed. Can avoid a box.

Happy with my TV and sideloaded paid iptv.

why pay for iptv, there are so many free iptv work better than paid iptv.
check out oktv is free and is powerful

 

[Mecisteus]

why pay for iptv, there are so many free iptv work better than paid iptv.
check out oktv is free and is powerful

My iptv is very cheap anyway. I have contact for direct supplier from Msia.

yeah i just read about oktv above. Also I learn about stremio and debrid services. I have not explored yet though.

So far happy with my iptv setup.

 

[Nicholas555]

My iptv is very cheap anyway. I have contact for direct supplier from Msia.

yeah i just read about oktv above. Also I learn about stremio and debrid services. I have not explored yet though.

So far happy with my iptv setup.

mind sharing which one you use? I'm currently paying for apo go but the app has issues sometimes

 

[Mecisteus]

mind sharing which one you use? I'm currently paying for apo go but the app has issues sometimes

I don't think it's appropriate to comment in public.

These IPTV will get overwhelmed if becomes more popular.

You can DM me.

 

[xiaofan]

Updated Post #1 to address a few things.
1) Include Xiaomi Mi Box S Gen 3 and Xiaomi TV Stick 4K Gen 2.
2) Explain the cases where you do not need an Android TV Boxes.

To summarize for year 2025/2026 (updated on 14-Sept-2025)

Basically you can consider the following.
1. Get certified Google Android TV OS devices which are also certified by Netflix: Mi Box S Gen 2 or Mi Box S Gen 3 (highly recommended), Google TV Streamer 4k (2024 model), Google Chromecast 2020, Mecool KM2, KM2 Plus, KM2 Plus Deluxe and KM7 Plus.

Mi Box S Gen 2 is a good upgrade from Mi Box S in terms of the upgraded S905X4 CPU and Google TV OS. It also adds the support of Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.
https://androidpctv.com/xiaomi-tv-box-s-2nd-gen-review/

Mi Box S Gen 3 is a good upgrade from Mi Box S Gen 2 in terms of the slightly upgraded S905X5M CPU and 32GB Storage.
https://androidpctv.com/xiaomi-tv-box-s-3rd-gen-review/

There are a few other choices as well, like Mi TV Stick 4K (2nd Gen), Realme 4K Smart Google TV Stick and Mecool KD3 4K TV Stick.

Mi TV Stick 4k Gen 2: same S905X5M CPU as Mi Box S Gen 3.
https://androidpctv.com/xiaomi-tv-stick-4k-2nd-gen-review/

Or if you want to pay for the best Android TV box, get Nvidia Shield TV 2019 for streaming. If you are into gaming as well, get Nvidia Shield TV Pro 2019.

I tend not to recommend 1080p TV sticks like Mi TV Stick 1080P and Mecool KD5 or Google Chromecast HD (2022 model), they are okay if you use the built-in apps. If you add more apps the 1GB RAM can be the limiting factor.

You may also want to look at onn. Google TV 4K Pro (2024 model) and onn. Google TV 4K Streaming Box (2023), especially if you can get good Black Friday deals.

2. Consider the boxes mentione in Point 1 again if you are first time buyer.

3. If you only need Netflix but not Chromecast, and you want to get a powerful box, get Amazon FireTV Cube 3rd Gen (2023 model). Amazon FireTV Stick 4K 2nd Gen (2023 model) and 4K Max Gen 2 (2023 model) is also a good buy.

4. If you do not need Netflix HD, you can also consider official Android TV OS box (but lack Netflix certification) like Mecool KM6 (S905X4 based) or KM7 SE (S905Y4 based). They support Chromecast.

When you do not need an Android TV Boxes?
1. You have an Android TV OS based smart TV (eg: Sony smart TV), and the performance is okay.
2. You have a smart TV from Samsung/LG and yet you do not feel the limitation from the lack of apps.
3. Apple TV owners. Apple TV is a very good TV box, especially if you are into Apple ecosystems.

 

[xiaofan]

Mi Box S Gen 3 is a good upgrade from Mi Box S Gen 2 in terms of the upgraded S905X5M CPU and 32GB Storage. The CPU portion is a bit faster than S905X4 but the GPU portion is much faster than S905X4.
https://androidpctv.com/xiaomi-tv-box-s-3rd-gen-review/

But you do not really need to upgrade if you already have Mi Box S Gen 2 since Gen 2 is still good enough for most use cases.

 

[xiaofan]

Mi TV Stick 4k Gen 2: same S905X5M CPU as Mi Box S Gen 3. It is a good upgrade from Mi TV Stick 4k Gen 1.
https://androidpctv.com/xiaomi-tv-stick-4k-2nd-gen-review/

 

[xiaofan]

There are many reviews in Youtube about Mi Box S Gen 3.

Here is a simple review from a Malaysia Youtuber.


Another simple comparison between Gen 3 and Gen 2.

 

[xiaofan]

1) BTW, I just took out my old Mi Box S Gen 1 yesterday. And it is still working pretty well for 1080p streaming (no 4K monitor or TV here).

The box is still running the old Android 9 OS as I did not try to upgrade to Android TV OS 12. Quite some users seemed to have some porblems with Android TV OS 12 upgrade as reported last time.

2) I have also got the Mi Box S Gen 2 bought from local Xiaomi Store. But I am having some network connection issues (no Internet access, no matter with WiFi or wired connection). Need to fix the issue first. Maybe it has something to do with my router (with ad-blocking and DNS over HTTPs).

Supposedly there is a new Google TV OS 14 update for some Mi Box S Gen 2 users (probably not available in Singapore yet).

 

[xiaofan]

Amlogic S905X5M will be a popular CPU to be used for new Android TV boxes especially certified Google TV devices.

You can see from the benchmarks that the CPU (Geekbench 4) is a bit faster than S905X4, but then GPU performance (3D Mark) is much better.

You can also see why Nvidia Shield TV Box is still the king of Android TV Boxes after so many years. Amlogic's flagship S928X is now close in terms of CPU performance but no fight for GPU performance, compared to the TEGRA X1+ CPU used in Nvidia Shield TV Box.

Performance comparison with other SOCs.
https://androidpctv.com/amlogic-s905x5m-review/

 

[xiaofan]

SOC Performance Tier -- not an issue for typical streaming, only important if you need things like gaming.

Some features of the chipset may be more important for those who want to have the best audio/video quality (eg: Dolby ceritications) than the raw CPU/GPU performance. Then the certification of the box itself is another important factor (Netflix certification, Google TV OS certification, Widevine L1 certification, etc).

1, High performance Andorid TV Box SOCs in 2025.

Nvidia TEGRA X1+ --> used in Nvidia Shield TV Box
https://androidpctv.com/comparative-nvidia-tegra-x1-plus/

Rockchip RK3588, RK3588S

Amlogic S928X, AM311D, A311D2
https://androidpctv.com/amlogic-s928x-review/

Amlogic AM311D, A311D2

Amlogic S922X/S922X-H
https://androidpctv.com/comparative-amlogic-s922x/

2. Mid-range Andorid TV Box SOCs in 2025.

Amlogic S905X5/S905X5M --> Going to be popular in 2025/2026, recommended, used in Mi Box S Gen 3
https://androidpctv.com/amlogic-s905x5m-review/

Amlogic S905X4/S905Y4 --> Still popular in 2025, recommended, used in Mi Box Gen 2
https://androidpctv.com/comparative-amlogic-s905x4/

Amlogic S905X3/S905D3 --> S905D3 is used in Google TV 2020 model
https://androidpctv.com/comparative-amlogic-s905x3/

Rockchip RK3568
https://androidpctv.com/rockchip-rk3568-benchmarks/

Rockchip RK3566 (Quad Core ARM Cortex-A55)

Rockchip RK3528 (Similar with RK3328 but with better GPU and AV1 support).

Allwinner H728 (Octa Core ARM Cortex-A55)
https://androidpctv.com/allwinner-h728-review/

Allwinner H618

Mediatek MT7986T, MT7986 --> used in Google TV Streamer 4k and Amazon FireTV Stick 4K Gen 2

Realtek RTL1315C
https://androidpctv.com/realtek-rtd1315c-review-comparison/

3. Low end Andorid TV Box SOCs in 2025.

Amlogic S905L3A/L3B/L3Y

Amlogic S905W2 (64bit Cortex A35)
https://androidpctv.com/comparative-amlogic-s905w2/

Allwinner H616
Allwinner H313

Rockchip RK3328/RK3318

4. EOLed or old chipsets, many of the old boxes will still work fine now, especially with 2GB RAM or more. For box with 1GB RAM you just need to be careful about the apps loaded.

Amlogic S905X2 (performance is fine)
Amlogic S912 (performance is fine)
Amlogic S905X/S905L (performance is fine), used in Mi Box S Gen 1
Amlogic S905W
Rockchip RK3228A/RK3128 (performance is fine)
Rockchip RK3229 (old Cortex A7 32bit CPU)
Allwinner H5
Allwinner H3 (old Cortex A7 32bit CPU)
HiSilicon Hi3798M V200/V100

 

[xiaofan]

1. Interestingly Zidoo now uses mainly Amlogic S928X (Quad Core Arm Cortex A76 + QUad Core Arm Cortex A55) on the high end UHD Media Players.
https://www.zidoo.tv/Product/allProduct.html

Popular Z9X-8k is based Amlogic S928X-K.
https://www.zidoo.tv/Product/index/model/Z9X+8K/target/CPmCi98X2HdKKmVViAFMcQ==.html

Same for higher end Z30 Pro, Z3000 Pro and UHD8000.

2. Earlier generation products are based Realtek 1619BPD chipset (Quad-core Arm Cortex A55): Z9X Pro, Z20 Pro, Z2000 Pro, Z2600 and UHD5000.

 

[xiaofan]

HiMedia 海美迪 is using the high end Rockchip RK3588S SOC (Quad Core Arm Cortex A76 + QUad Core Arm Cortex A55) in their UHD media player like Himedia Q5 6th Gen and HiMedia HD950B.

They use HiSilicon SOCs in their other product like Himedia Q16 5th Gen ans HD940B,

https://www.himedia.cn/product

 

[xiaofan]

Alternative use of Android TV box to use as a Linux machine
https://github.com/ophub/amlogic-s9xxx-armbian
https://github.com/ophub/amlogic-s9xxx-openwrt

 

[xiaofan]

Some high-end Tencent TV boxes are using high end S928X CPU as well and they are kind of popular as well as the cheaper alternative to the UHD media player.
Tencent TV Box 5X (腾讯极光盒子5X), about RMB 799 now, Amlogic S928X-J, released in August 2023
Tencent TV Box 5 Pro (腾讯极光盒子 5 Pro), Rockchip RK3588S-D, released in 2022
Tencent TV Box 5 Pro MAX (腾讯极光盒子 5 Pro MAX), Rockchip RK3588S-D, about RMB 1699, released inJune 2025
Tencent TV Box 6 Pro (腾讯极光盒子 6 Pro), about RMB 1599 now, Amlogic S928X-K, released in Dec 2024

Tencent TV Box 5X (腾讯极光盒子5X) review
https://www.zhihu.com/tardis/zm/art/648552976?source_id=1003

Tencent TV Box 5 Pro (腾讯极光盒子 5 Pro) review
https://www.zhihu.com/tardis/zm/art/570768238?source_id=1003
https://www.zhihu.com/tardis/zm/art/605575849?source_id=1003

Tencent TV Box 6 Pro (腾讯极光盒子 6 Pro) review
https://www.zhihu.com/tardis/zm/art/12517484622?source_id=1003

 

[xiaofan]

2) I have also got the Mi Box S Gen 2 bought from local Xiaomi Store. But I am having some network connection issues (no Internet access, no matter with WiFi or wired connection). Need to fix the issue first. Maybe it has something to do with my router (with ad-blocking and DNS over HTTPs).

Supposedly there is a new Google TV OS 14 update for some Mi Box S Gen 2 users (probably not available in Singapore yet).

Issue sorted out after setting automatic network time and using GMT+8 (KL). No issue during the initial setup but then I changed the time setting to manual. Now it is okay.

The Android version is at 11.

Some users start to get official Android 14 update. I do not think it is a good idea to jump to the new version so early.


Mi Box S Gen 3 will come with Android version 14.

 

[eauyong]

Mi Box S Gen 3 is a good upgrade from Mi Box S Gen 2 in terms of the upgraded S905X5M CPU and 32GB Storage. The CPU portion is a bit faster than S905X4 but the GPU portion is much faster than S905X4.
https://androidpctv.com/xiaomi-tv-box-s-3rd-gen-review/

But you do not really need to upgrade if you already have Mi Box S Gen 2 since Gen 2 is still good enough for most use cases.

What is the best offer for this new Xiaomi Gen 3 box?

 

[xiaofan]

What is the best offer for this new Xiaomi Gen 3 box?

I think it is better to wait for more availability. Right now it is not available from official Xiaomi Singapore stores, only from 3rd party online stores in Lazada/Shopee/etc.

BTW, I am not so good at finding lobangs.

 

[xiaofan]

Just for reference: it is not a good idea to buy China version of Android TV Boxes. The following article is just to show that trend of the SOC used and HW spec.

Main stream mid-range HW configuration for China TV boxes will be Amlogic S905X5M CPU, 2GB RAM and 32GB Storage, which is same as Xiaomi Mi Box S Gen 3 (International version). This will fall in the RMB 200 to RMB 300 range.

One step up will be TV Boxes using the Amlogic S905X5M CPU, just with 4GB RAM +64GB Storage. This will fall in the RMB 300 to RMB 500 range.

Top 5 popular TV Boxes from ZNDS forum in China. The CPU for Tencent TV Box 6S is not correct.
https://www.znds.com/tv-1263233-1-1.html

1) Dangbei H5, Allwinner H618 CPU, 2GB RAM + 32 GB storage, about RMB 279.

2) Tencent TV Box 6S, Amlogic S928X CPU, Amlogic S905X4 CPU, 4GB RAM + 64GB Storage, about RMB 499.

3) Xiaomi Box 5 MAX, Amlogic S905X5M CPU, 4GB RAM + 64 GB Storage, about RMB 499.

4) Dangbei H5 Pro, Amlogic S905X5M CPU, 4GB RAM + 64 GB Storage, about RMB 449.

5) Apple TV 4K (future model rumored in late 2025), Apple A17 Pro CPU, WiFi 7 --> I think this may or may not happen. Current generation Apple TV 4k (A15 CPU) is still very good.

The author does not list the following popular TV boxes in China.
1) Xiaomi TV Box 5, which is based on Amlogic S905X5M CPU, 2GB RAM + 32 GB Storage, about RMB 299.
2) Dangbei MAX 1, Rockchip RK3566 CPU, 6GB RAM + 64 GB Storage, about RMB 599.
3) Tencent TV Box 6, Amlogic S905X4 CPU, 2GB RAM + 32 GB Storage, about RMB 269.
4) Tencent TV Box 6, Amlogic S905X4 CPU, 4GB RAM + 64GB Storage, about RMB 349.
...

Top selling brands: Xiaomi, Tmall, Tencent, Skyworth, Dangbei, Zidoo, HiMedia, iQiyi.
小米 Xiaomi > 天猫魔盒 Tmall > 腾讯极光盒子 Tencent
> 创维小湃盒子 Skyworth > 当贝 DangBei > 泰捷 Webox
> 芝杜 Zidoo > 多珀 DooPood > 海美迪 HiMedia
> 爱奇艺 iQiYi
...