By now, even modern TVs have many smart features that are constantly evolving, but we certainly cannot change one of them every year as with smartphones. That’s why the best Android TV Boxes become very useful allies!
Video streaming, web browsing, YouTube, Netflixmultimedia content, games, smart homes… the era in which TV was used only for television broadcasts and rental films is now over, this sector too has been embraced by the smart revolution of the internet connection, in fact dramatically expanding the entertainment possibilities for the user.
We decided to develop this guide inspired by the price list of GearBest ed Amazon for the large quantity of products available and above all for the quality/price ratio that has no equal in this category. Before moving on to the list of recommended products, we offer an interesting introduction to understand how to choose one of the best TV Boxesbut you can jump straight to the list by clicking here. We assume that prices may vary due to the periodic offers that GearBest offers, so keep an eye on this article!
Best Android TV Boxes to buy: rejuvenate old TVs
To take advantage of all the new technologies that are proposed every year, cutting-edge televisions are needed and, even if the average price is decreasing, the minimum expenditure exceeds several hundred euros. That’s why the TV Boxes featured in this guide can give a breath of modernity to your old TV. With a very minimal expense and a porta HDMI – present in practically all TVs produced in the last 10-12 years – you will be able to access a series of functions similar to those of modern smart TVs.
Furthermore, the best Android TV Boxes allow you to bring out the potential hidden inside your old TVs! In fact, most of them will surely have a resolution HD or higher, while a large part of TV broadcasting in Italy still takes place in SD (standard definition). By accessing high-definition content on the streaming platforms or on YouTube you will greatly increase the image quality for a completely renewed experience: seeing is believing, you will feel like you have a new TV!
But what if I recently changed the TV?
As already mentioned earlier the world of smart TVs evolves very rapidly and new features are added every year. Furthermore, especially in the lower-end models, the hardware supplied “as standard” is not powerful enough to guarantee a satisfactory experience. That’s why a TV Box can still be a small but convenient investment, even for those who have recently renewed their TV.
Also many of these TV Boxes offer a greater possibility of customization e an abundance of installable applications superior to most smart TV platforms on the market; for example you can install Kodi (most often pre-installed), the all-powerful media center open source with which you can access local multimedia content or your home network and above all there are tons of plug-ins with which to access servizi streaming, IPTV (if you don’t know what it is, take a look at our guide to the best IPTV apps) e on-demand television content. Or even games and other applications to make the most of your TV.
How to choose the right one?
Essentially a TV Box is a small PC that you connect to your TV via HDMI o DisplayPort which actually becomes your screen. The advantage over traditional PCs is that TV Boxes are extremely compact, so they can be left connected and possibly hidden. As regards the hardware specifications, virtually every TV Box is a world unto itself. You will find low-power ARM and Intel processors, different amounts of RAM and storage. Generally, however, these are not the features to pay more attention to, unless you want to focus on gaming or install a large number of “heavy” applications. Given that TV Boxes are not used much in multitasking and generally the few applications necessary for streaming and media centers are installed, usually even the cheapest models have sufficient equipment for standard use.
Instead we would like to focus attention on some fundamental aspects. First check that the TV Box that you will buy is compatible with your TV and your needs. In fact, there are different video resolution standards, managed by the HDMI and DisplayPort video outputs. For example to convey a signal 4K 60 fps you must have an HDMI 2.0 or higher port. The standards are backwards compatible, but clearly you may lose quality. Others are also appreciable ports and expansion slots USB, SATA, micro SD, 3.5 mm jack and others to connect different devices.
We then move on to the operating system. We can find Android and Windows based systems. In general, we recommend the former because it is slimmer and, if in the Android TV version, it is also optimized with an interface suitable for use in the living room.
Given that 90% of smart activity is based on an internet connection, it is good to focus attention on connectivity: good reception Your Wi-Fi network is critical to providing a smooth experience. TV Boxes with external antennas generally have better reception and it is always better if they have support for reti dual-band a 5GHz because they are more resistant to interference and guarantee higher bandwidth. The standard wireless AC guarantees a speed of 1.3 Gbps, more than enough for every need. If you have the possibility, also evaluate the Ethernet cable connection which is more stable and does not give reception problems. Even the Bluetooth it is useful for connecting mice, keyboards and joysticks.
Also pay attention to the supported video formats. The highest quality content uses HEVC/H.265 in 4K resolution with 10 or 12-bit color gamut and HDR support, the most popular standards are HDR10 and Dolby Vision. Netflix, Amazon and other platforms already offer content of this level – of course you can watch it even without support, but not at the highest quality. Also VP9 is gaining ground as a video codec, especially on Youtube since it was developed by Google. Even if a large part of the contents are found today in the format H.264/MPEG-4 AVCit is also good to be far-sighted.
The last point to pay attention to is the support for today’s most important streaming platform, that is Netflix. It is important to make sure that the TV Box can handle the DMR (Digital Rights Management, i.e. the copyright protection systems) of Netflix. Only in this case will you have the certainty of being able to access content in HD, Full HD and 4K resolution. Without official support, however, the maximum resolution could drop to 480p, really a waste.
Then there are dozens of features that differentiate one TV Box from another, but these are the main ones. Now let’s move on to the list of recommended products.
MAGICSEE N5 TV Box – Best Android TV Boxes to buy
The first one we offer is the MAGICSEE N5a TV Box with a really interesting quality/price ratio.
The processor Amlogic S905X is a quad core based on Cortex A53 pushed up to 2 GHz and Mali 450 GPU, supported by 2 GB DDR3L RAM + 16 GB ROM. In practice, performance similar to a 3-4 year old top-of-the-range smartphone, really not bad. Remote control is included in the package, along with power cord, HDMI and English manual. The design is very elegant and minimalist, it looks like a black box with a double glossy and matte finish, square in shape with a 10 cm side. The LED display that indicates the time and the status of the devices is also nice.
Excellent connectivity Wi-Fi Dual Band 2,4 GHz + 5 GHz and the 100 Mbps Ethernet port. Also present is the Bluetooth 4.1 and Miracast support for casting your mobile device screens to your TV. As for the doors we find HDMI 2.0 (therefore support for 4K 60 fps), AV socket, RJ45 interface, memory expansion slot, USB 2.0 and video supportaudio surround 5.1. A truly complete set.
The operating system is Android TV 7.1.2, then the version optimized for televisions. Video decoding is top notch: guaranteed support for the most modern codecs H.265 a 4K 10 bit resolution and VP9 and can play virtually all popular video, audio and image formats.
Bqeel Android TV Box U1 MAX – Best Android TV Boxes to buy
Bqeel Android TV Box U1 MAX it is a really interesting product: excellent quality specifications and a complete set of peripherals. One of the best TV Boxes to buy!
The hardware is of good quality. We find a SoC a 64bit RK3328 Quad-Core based on Cortex-A53 and Penta Core Mali-450 GPU up to 750 MHz. The memory allocation is very generous – this is perhaps the reason for the slightly higher price compared to the competitors – with 4GB DDR3 RAM + 128GB eMMC ROM (expandable via USB 3.0 up to 2TB or Micro SD up to 256GB). If you intend to install many apps and often engage in activities such as web browsing or gaming, the memory boost may be useful. We find in the package 1 × Bqeel TV Box U1 MAX, 1 × Remote Control, 1 × HDMI Cable, 1 × User Manual (Incl. Italian), 1 × DC 5V2A Adapter, 1 × Wireless Mini Keyboard very useful when using the smart part. The round design with a diameter of about 10 cm, with a black color and original chrome lines for a touch of elegance.
Fortunately there is no lack of support for Wi-Fi802.11 a / b / g / n / ac 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, however we also find the 100 Mbps Ethernet connection, Bluetooth 4.0 and streaming technologies like Miracast. Among the connection ports there are HDMI 2.0AV socket, RJ45 interface, memory expansion slot, two USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports.
The operating system is Android 9.0, very flexible and customizable with the possibility of using the Play Store. Full support for all the latest video standards H.265 and VP9, with content compatibility 4K HDR fino a 60 Hz e 3D. Here too, support for multimedia files is very broad.
Sunvell H3 TV Box – Best Android TV Boxes to buy
Here is a really low cost model: Sunvell H3. The reason for such a competitive price can be explained immediately by taking a look at the specifications, slightly subdued compared to the competition.
The processor is a Allwinner H3 Cortex-A7-based quad-core with Mali 400 GPU, very similar to what is found on Raspberry-type development boards. The memory RAM is 2GBwhile it storage is 16GB. Remote control, HDMI cable and English manual are also included in the package. The design is really interesting, still square, but a centimeter narrower than the aforementioned and with a brushed finish.
No support for Dual Band Wi-Fi, but there is always the Ethernet to save us in the corner. Even the endowment of doors is a little less rich, but we still find HDMI 2.0USB 2.0, RJ45 port and expansion slots.
To check everything we find Android…