Top 10 Best Android TV Boxes In 2020 - FINALLY SOMETHING NEW!
Do you often get bored while watching a regular TV due to insufficient or lack of contents, or inactive satellite subscription? Well, I used to be in your shoes as well until I found out an ideal way to get out of that annoying situation. Now, I know I’ll never be bored again because I know a couple of things about Android TV boxes, some smart TVs that allow me to easily stream content to my TV, and enable me to download apps from Google Playstore.
Streaming devices and set-top boxes are becoming major staples in the homes of those who wish to cut the cord or augment their current television viewing experience. While there is no real shortage of available set-top boxes and streaming sticks on the market, there are quite a few that are heads and shoulders above the rest, especially in the Android TV market. Here are some of the best available Android TV boxes on the market.
So, if watching a regular TV really bores you and you are looking for something that will bring that extra bit of fun, then my review is for you. Like I said earlier, I have huge experience with Android TV boxes, thus, I will like to use my experience with these devices to help you make the right choice. While there is a plethora of options on offer nowadays, you shouldn’t have a problem choosing the right smart TV provided you read my reviews carefully.
Best Android TV Boxes Amazon
1.THE AMAZON FIRE TV STICK ★★★★★
The Amazon Fire TV Stick is best cheap android tv box!
Having tested an Amazon TV box earlier, I expected a lot from this TV as well and boy was I impressed. This TV box from Amazon looks like a very large Flashdrive with an HDMI connector hanging on the sides. While it’s OS 5.0 Lollipop isn’t really up to date, its 802.11ac Wi-Fi promises a very reliable streaming and fast downloads. It also employs an 8 GB ROM and 1 GB of Memory.
While viewing the menu on the screen, it is visible that the processor has made the Stick very fast as everything I tried loaded quickly. The Stick also has an amazing Voice assistant- Alexa that can tell you the weather report, news and any useful information. Interestingly, you can also command alexa to skip your videos or rewind them and she does it happily. I had a lot of fun playing with this feature really. Don’t tell anyone I was that childish..lol
The fire TV stick also supports the Dolby Digital plus and with the right sound systems, I really enjoyed it. The video playback is also impressive as I tried to play a variety of videos on it; it played the 480p and 720p perfectly though it lagged a little while playing 4K with it.
The only feature I dislike about the stick is that the 8 GB storage cannot be increased so there is a limit to what you can save at a time.
2.Amazon Fire TV Streaming Media Player ★★★★☆
Amazon is a company we all know for their uniqueness and excellence. However, I wasn’t really sure of what to expect from their Amazon Fire Streaming Media Player, as I didn’t really know the company to be a terrific manufacturer of devices. Surprisingly, I couldn’t believe the high picture quality this device delivered, which made me hopeful of being impressed further. On the Amazon Fire TV streaming Media Player, I really enjoyed watching unending 4K and 1080p HD videos.
This device comes with the amazing Alexa voice remote which will make life a lot easier. With this voice command feature, you’ll be able to control your TV box in a fun way. You’ll just have to say the words and it will obey you. She can perform some normal everyday tasks any smart voice assistant should be able to do like setting reminders, cracking horrible jokes and answering questions. I also have noticed that Alexa is able to fascinate you visually than reading out as she tells the weather by showing it to you.
The TV box comes with over 10,000 apps, a lot of games and you will have access to hundreds of thousands of movies and TV shows. You will literally never run out of fun things to watch. Another fantastic characteristic of the Amazon Fire is that a cable is not a necessity as you can watch live channels of your choice.
This Streaming Media player has a very fantastic processing power that ensures amazing speed and performance that beats a lot of other android TV boxes available on sale. With a 2GB RAM and an 8GB storage, I was able to store local contents on it. Amazingly, the storage can be upgraded to as high as 200 gigabytes.
The interface of this gadget is also very nice as I found that as soon as I turned it on, I found my favorite videos on the home screen, this saved me the stress of trying to search all over for my best videos. The whole fire TV experience becomes much more interesting if you have a prime subscription as you will enjoy unlimited access to the prime video. With the subscription, you will get a pass to watch thousands of series and movies. You will also have access to a lot of quality channels and you will not have the need to subscribe to any other video or channel provider.
Personally, the only negative features I found out about this product in the short while I ran it through some tests is the fact that this TV Box tends to promote Amazon content extensively which might be annoying sometimes. Also, the remote does not come with Volume controls for the TV which means you need to have your TV remote on standby if you want to reduce or increase the volume. Finally, I noticed this box also needs a different adapter to make your Ethernet connections.
Best Android TV Boxes For Netflix
1.SkyStream TWO Streaming Media Player ★★★★☆
To be honest, I wasn’t really particularly excited about using this Android TV box as I hadn’t heard much about the manufacturer. However, this box comes with a number of impressive features, and I think my impression about the manufacturer drastically changed after I used this product.
The android TV box comes with an android version of 7.1.2 Nougat, so it had an enormous collection of applications that allowed me to stream effortlessly. I was able to watch different shows online without having to pay to any cable provider. In addition to streaming effortlessly, I was also able to download and install countless apps from the google playstore, which I found really interesting
One of the fantastic features that made me love the Skystream two is that connection to your TV is absolutely easy. All I needed to get was an HDMI cable and as soon as it was connected, I had access to boundless contents from CBS, ABC, FOX, NBC and lots of other fantastic channels, in addition to seeing TV shows and interesting movies.
Furthermore, with the 3GB RAM of the skystream two, I had a superb gaming experience on this TV, and if you are a gamer like me, this is something that might catch your interest. Besides, due to the 3GB RAM, I was able to watch 4K UHD videos which greatly enhanced my TV watching experience. The first time I used this gadget, I was wowed by its amazing picture quality. On this apparatus, you can get to use Youtube, Netflix, and other great streaming services.
In conclusion, the Skystream Two is a personal favorite that is very easy to install, allows you to eliminate the hassles of connecting cables while also allowing you save a lot of money and stream millions of movies effortlessly with little or no buffering
Best Android TV Boxes For Gaming
1.NVIDIA SHIELD TV ★★★★★
Naturally, whenever I imagined how a streaming media player looked like, I always pictured a rectangular or flat square in my head, but I was extremely surprised when I saw the Nvidia’s traditional design, which is a beautiful combination of lines criss-crossing and unique angles. Because the Nvidia looks so much different than every other android boxes I have seen, I just could not wait to unbox it and run my tests.
The Nvidia Shield TV has amazing 4K HDR graphics and voice command function, which made me get a lot of quality from this device. The Nvidia Shield TV is really easy to set up. All I had to do was plug it, then set it up with a google account, which was easy to do with the aid of my android phone.
In addition, this apparatus comes with the 7.0 Nougat OS which enables me to navigate and access apps easily and faster. Another feature I really admired in this product is the Shield 5.0 update which replaced the last Hub app and the Amazon video app that gave me unlimited access to lots of movies and TV shows.
As we all know, Netflix is one of the best providers of video streaming services today and in as much as it supports Ultra High Definition video playback, not all devices are given the priviledge to be able to view Netflix but Nvidia is given the permission to play Netflix contents. Another good feature of the Shield TV is its 3GB RAM which basically makes games run smoothly. The only problem I have with the Nvidia TV is that the universal remote may not work with it because the device doesn’t have an IR receiver.
The Nvidia Shield TV Streaming Media Player can perform as a gaming system that allows you to play both android games and games that are with qualities of the personal computer. The Nvidia shield also allows you to play games with an entirely new gamepad which according to the manufacturers have about 60 hours of battery life. I really haven’t used the pad 60 hours straight so I can’t really say if it really lasts that long because the controller turns itself off after some time in order to conserve power.
Annoyingly, as amazing as this box is, before you can access Geforce Now, you will need an active subscription and some other purchases to be able to play amazing games on it. I also had troubles streaming games as this device requires a super strong internet connection in order to enjoy your games.
Best Android TV Boxes For Streaming
1.MINIX NEO U1 ★★★☆☆
I like trying new things, perhaps that was why I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this TV box. The minix Neo U1 is an android TV box with a 64-bit Quad-core 1.5GHz processor. This box also comes with a 2GB RAM and an android 5.1.1 Lollipop OS which allows you download and install apps and games from the Google APP store.
The Minix Neo U1 is a device that allows you surf the internet and enjoy streaming with no buffering provided there is a good internet connection. It has a 4k ultra HD video that plays at 60 frames per second. Its video quality is extremely clear and I was able to watch videos of 1080p without any problems.
Additionally, the Minix Neo is a very silent device. It makes no noise at all while running that I was at a time wondering if I was using an android TV box as from my experience, most Android TV boxes tend to make some noises when using it and it might ruin the entire experience of using the media stream player.
Furthermore, the Minix Neo helps in saving electricity costs as it goes into power saving mode when you don’t use it after a long time. It also comes with an external antenna that beats most of its counterparts with internal wifi receptors. Truth be told, seeing the Antennas the first time almost put me off as I have always preferred my TV boxes with no visible receptors but with my experience using it, I could not help but marvel at its wireless connectivity performance.
Finally, the product has been designed in a way that the usage is very easy to grasp and most of the features to learn take little or no time to learn. I had no trouble getting used to the features of this device at all as the interface has been made to suit everybody.
After testing for some time I had issues connecting it with devices using the Bluetooth. Without using an external antenna, the device loses connection when they are about 2 feet apart from the box. This defeats the whole Bluetooth enabled experience they are trying to sell, also the Minix does not stream Youtube and Amazon prime in HD. This turned me off a lot but maybe some other people won’t mind.
2.Q-BOX 4K ANDROID TV
On unboxing, I was unsure of what to expect from this device as it didn’t look like most of the TV boxes I had seen. While the TV box comes in 3 amazing colors – Baby blue, dark blue and green, mine came in dark blue. This device runs on the Amlogic S905 and a 2.0GHz processor.
The Q box has an SD card slot that can be used for playing music, watching videos and loading applications. Behind the box, there are two USB 2.0 ports where I occasionally connected additional devices like keyboards or mouse. There is also a Gigabit Ethernet port, a 3.5mm audio jack, an HDMI outlet and a SPDIF.
To make the whole experience a lot easier, the Q box comes pre-loaded with Netflix, Youtube and Kodi and all I needed to do was to install them, and I started streaming all my favorite contents. With the Q box, your TV will basically be turned into a smart TV as you get to personalize your encounter with applications like facebook, twitter, Pandora and so much more.
The gaming experience on this gadget is just a little bit over average as the Asphalt 8, Pro evolution soccer 2017 and Beach Buggy I played on it hey didn’t run smoothly enough even though these games do not really require many qualities to play. I also noticed that this Box does have issues while using the Bluetooth connected gamepads as it didn’t respond really well. In general, you will only enjoy playing games on this TV box if you don’t try to play the very heavy games.
3.ROKU ULTRA
The new Roku Ultra is an android TV Box that shares a lot of resemblance with its predecessor. It is a plastic square box with shiny black sides and top. On the right side of the box, there is a USB port and behind it is an HDMI port, a power connector, and an Ethernet port. The USB port allows you to connect accessories, play music and watch videos from an external drive.
The interface of Roku is amazing in my opinion. It has become very easy to operate as all I needed to do was download my favorite apps on the app store, I arranged them on the screen the way I wanted, and I opened them whenever I wanted to. The only downside to the interface is that you can’t put your applications in different folders so you have to choose wisely how you’ll arrange your apps.
The Roku is one of the largest frameworks for streaming as it has a channel store that allows you access almost all your favorite apps like Amazon, Vudu, Youtube, Netflix, Hudu, Sling, Spotify, and others. The Roku also offers other contents in News, sports, and health.
Furthermore, the Roku Ultra offers 4K media stream and it also allows viewing of High Dynamic Range content. The picture quality looks very sharp if used with a TV that supports it. The Roku Ultra uses the HDR10 standard to project its high-quality videos and sadly it doesn’t support the Dolby Vision.
Another amazing feature I love about the Roku ULTRA is its beautiful remote. The remote is a black colored remote with purple direction pads. Apart from the usual buttons, we can find on remotes, the remote has special buttons for HBO, Hulu, Sling TV and Netflix.
The remote also has the A and B buttons which can be used to play some specific games on the box. The best part of the remote is the fact that you can listen to music on your own with the box using the headphone jack on the remote. When earphones are plugged in, the Roku ULTRA immediately mutes the TV and lets you enjoy the music privately.
Finally, the only major con with the Roku is that it does not support multi-tasking as when searching for contents, you must exit the current app you are on to view your search results. This sometimes makes searching a little bit daunting.
4.THE T95Z PLUS
Upon setting my eyes on the T95Z Plus Android TV Box, I was literally drooling as its beauty was just different to what I had seen. Its body is hexagonally shaped with the top designed with a honey comb like pattern. I also liked the shining led lights on it and I liked the LCD screen that shows information such as time, Connection to Wi-fi and other information.
Besides the Box itself, T95Z is controlled with a very attractive remote which also has the mouse mode capability. The remote has buttons with Led light which allowed me to use the remote in the dark. The remote also has a button specially made for Kodi which lets anyone operating it to start Kodi immediately without having to search for the Kodi app itself.
The new T95Z comes with the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow and uses the S912 Octa-Core ARM Cortex A53 processor with a speed of up to 1.5GHz. The processor also employs the ARM Mali-820MP3 GPU with speed of 750MHz and a 2GB DDR3 RAM. The internal storage of the device is also very impressive as it comes with 16GB storage and the storage can be increased to 32GB. The storage is just about enough as it can only give you enough space to save your local music and just a few movies.
This gadget employs a strong feature that allows it to play 4K and High Definition videos (1080p) at 60fps without lagging. This box also has a USB port which you can plug in accessories like keyboards, mouse and external drives through. The box has a dual band Wifi feature and a Gigabyte Ethernet Port to connect internet to it through a wire.
Gaming on this device is absolutely incredible as I played some games like Sniper 3D, Asphalt 8 Airborne and beach buggy racing on it and it ran smoothly without experiencing any glitche. The T95Z also comes with a special adapter that regulates the electricity that flows through it, you get to reduce your consumption of electricity and you will never have to about your box burning if the electricity supply is not stable. I have a feeling you will like this if you are on a tight budget.
The T95Z is a beautiful device but it does come with some little turn offs; the box did not let me use the remote with 10 Ft interface and Kodi updates tend to have a few glitches here and there. I loved the box but if they could fix the problems I encountered, then it will be an absolute power house.
5.DOLAMEE D5 ANDROID TV
I know DOLAMEE has made some impressive devices in the past, but I just wasn’t expecting to be charmed by this device so quickly. The Dolamee D5 runs on the Rockchip’s RK3229 Quad core Cortex A7 chip, and has 2 GB of DDR3 Memory with 8 GB of Storage capacity. It is a beautiful black box with a touch of Matte to make the device look stunning.
Interestingly, the product starts up very fast and displays the home screen which is neatly arranged. The home screen is simple to move through and I didn’t have any problems trying to adapt. Just like other TV boxes I have reviewed above, you will find useful information such as date and time, weather etc in the top folder. The device comes with a clean memory app which I really like. All I needed to free up the RAM was just a click.
I was able to stream videos from popular apps like the Netflix and Prime Video work well with no glitches. The box supports High definition picture quality videos, 3D and 4K. I also noticed that the box has a very good Wifi receptor that handles all the streaming activities. Sadly, in as much as this box can stream Netflix and Amazon Contents without lagging, you will still need to subscribe to these channels for you to enjoy them.
If you really enjoy playing games, this powerhouse can handle games that are not really heavy. I played the Asphalt 8 Airborne and the beach buggy racing ( those are my favorite games) on it and it worked beautifully well but sadly, the Pro Evolution Soccer 2018 seemed to lag a little bit.
After testing for a while, I realized that the device loses its connection to the internet no matter how excellent the server is. This is a really big turn off for me as I always had to reconnect to the server for me to keep enjoying my contents.
6. XIAOMI MI ANDROID BOX
Best cheap android tv box!
I had heard some impressive things about the Xiaomi Mi Box but I was further impressed after testing it. With an OS of 6.0 Marshmallow and specifications like Quadcore Amlogic S905X chipsets, a 2 GB memory, 8 GB storage, Wi-Fi 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.0, this android box performed admirably.
The design of the box is not really breathtaking as it comes in a black plastic exterior that is just about 100-millimeter square. The box might be small but it still does not mean there is no space for ports on it. At the back of the box, there is a HDMI 2.0 port, a 3.5mm audio and a 2.0 USB port that allows you plug in external devices like the Mouse, Keyboard, and the flash drive.
The Xiaomi Mi box allows you play videos in MP-10, the new USH, HDR10 and 4K resolutions even though it lags a little bit while playing this. But overall, provided you have subscribed to the right channels, you will be able to watch videos in any format as you wish.
Xiaomi also has a Bluetooth remote with voice command capabilities that is not crowded with buttons like the conventional remotes. It worked perfectly for the whole time I did my test on it and it just has a wonderful feel to it.
Setting up for the first time is quite an easy task as there are instructions guiding you step by step for you to set up the device. On the Xiaomi, you get to rearrange the home screen to suit your taste which makes the usage interesting.
Despite how well the Xiaomi performs, the TV box couldn’t run all the applications on the play store smoothly which is a big turn off for me as one of the reasons for getting a TV box is to be able to load all applications of my choice. Disappointingly, you might not also be able to use services like the Amazon video which will not sit down well with customers with Amazon prime subscriptions.