If your existing TV doesn’t have a built-in OS, you don’t have to go out and buy a new set, instead, you can get an Android TV box that will let you instantly access all of your favorite video and music apps, and in some cases, games as well. But between all the specs and features and different operating systems, making the right choice can be difficult.
In this review, we’ll be comparing the top 5 Android TV boxes that are designed for different kinds of users. We will take into account performance and features, so you can decide which is best for you. All the products on our list were selected based on their inherent strengths and features. We’ll be comparing the Xiaomi Mi Box S, the Amazon Fire TV Cube, the Nvidia Shield TV Pro, the Roku Ultra, and the TiVo Stream 4K, which are all great options if you’re in the market for an Android TV box.
Xiaomi Mi Box S – Best TV Box For The Money:
- 【Powerful Streaming Media Player 】Our mi box streaming media player...
- 【Cinematic Experience 】High Clarity 4K HDR . Xiaomi Mi Box S wiht...
- 【High Performance with Storage Capacity】2GB RAM + 8GB Storage. Install...
- 【Remote Control】Control your smart home devices conveniently. With the...
Last update on 2023-03-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
First up the Xiaomi mi box s our pick for the best TV box for the money. The Xiaomi mi box s is a great all-around TV box at an affordable price. It’s great if you want to casually stream and don’t need a lot of the fancy features of more expensive models.
The Xiaomi mi box s is a basic square box with rounded corners and offers ports for HDMI USB audio and power. Setup is simple just connect the HDMI port to your TV or receiver plug the power cable into an outlet add batteries to the remote power everything up and follow the on-screen prompts. The remote is pretty basic and in addition to the usual features, it has a voice search button that invokes the Google Assistant.
It’s all relatively easy to get used to and anyone who’s familiar with android devices should have no trouble at all. Mi box s support both 4k and HDR and has android TV 8.1 built-in. So you’ll be able to take advantage of the huge android TV ecosystem of apps like Netflix and YouTube. Plus services like google cast the ability to mirror your android phone Google Assistant and more.
In daily use, this android TV box performs very well. It’s not as snappy as something like the Nvidia Shield TV pro. It offers pretty good overall performance. However, it doesn’t have the processing power needed for gaming but for less than 100 it’s hard to complain gaming aside. It’s still a decent streamer for apps like Netflix and YouTube.
It’s more than good enough sure more performance-intensive tasks may cause me box s to struggle at times, but again that’s quite acceptable at this low price point. While it’s not perfect the Xiaomi mi box s still has a lot of going for it and if you’re looking for an android based streaming box without the high price tag it still has plenty to offer.
Amazon Fire TV Cube:
- The most powerful Fire TV streaming media player - the ultra-powerful...
- Hands-free entertainment - Put down the remote and dive right into your...
- Control the TV with your voice - Control compatible soundbar and A/V...
- Just ask Alexa - With the built-in speaker, ask Alexa to check the weather,...
Last update on 2023-03-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Next up is the Amazon Fire TV Cube. The Amazon Fire TV cube takes the best features of the more affordable best-selling fire TV and the hands-free voice control of the Echo speaker and merges them into a single media streamer. which turns out to be an overall great product.
As the name implies the android streamer is a cube with glossy black plastic sides and a matte black top panel and the front face features a translucent bar that illuminates when Alexa is listening. it also houses eight pinhole far-field mics and four buttons typical of most echo devices for volume muting and a button to manually wake Alexa.
The cube sits on four rubber feet to lift the device up slightly so the downward-firing speaker can be heard. the remote is simple and features a glossy circular navigation pad and a pinhole microphone above the mic button that lets you use Alexa through the remote. instead of the cube’s microphone without a wake word.
To get set up plug the cube in and connect it to your tv use the remote to put the cube in setup mode and like the Xiaomi mi box s simply follow the on-screen instructions to get everything up and running. once you have the basic setup done you can start adding apps and services. including Hulu sling tv and PlayStation Vue and premium channels like HBO and Showtime and thanks to HDMI cec.
You can use the cube to control all your home theater devices and if you make any changes or additions to your system you can use the equipment control menu to add new devices to the cube’s command list. tweak individual device commands or go through the equipment setup process again to start from scratch.
If you’re already invested in the amazon ecosphere or looking for an android tv box that combines amazon fire tv with an echo speaker. the amazon fire tv cube would be an excellent choice. it’s easy to use reasonably priced and offers a solid overall user experience.
Nvidia Shield TV Pro – Best Overall Android TV Box:
- The Best of the Best. The world’s most powerful Android TV streaming...
- Dolby Vision - Atmos. Bring your home theater to life with Dolby Vision...
- 4K HDR Content. Get the most 4K content of any streaming media player....
- GeForce NOW Cloud Gaming. GeForce NOW instantly transforms SHIELD TV into a...
Last update on 2023-03-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Next up is the Nvidia shield tv pro our pick for the best overall android tv box. Nvidia may be best known for its GPUs that are popular with gamers but also has its own range of streaming devices including the Nvidia shield tv pro.
This 4k streaming player lets you access popular on-demand services like amazon prime video and Netflix. but also lets you play today’s most popular games through the GeForce Now service. it’s simply the best streaming device you can purchase right now although it’s not perfect. shaped like a slim wedge with some angular indentations carved into it.
The Nvidia shield tv pro is deceptively small in comparison to the power it packs. around the back, you’ll find two USB 3.0 ports a 4k hdr compatible HDMI port an ethernet port, and a proprietary power port. wi-fi is built-in as is Bluetooth 5.0 for connecting wireless accessories. the shield tv pro runs android tv and is powered by a Tegra x1 plus processor and offers three gigabytes of ram and 16 gigabytes of storage.
The two USB ports make adding external storage a cinch. not to mention plugging in a wired controller for a keyboard or mouse. android tv gives you access to all the major streaming services in their 4k hdr configurations from Netflix to amazon prime video to the BBC iplayer and everything in between.
There are also media server apps like plex a ton of android tv games to try out and for those happy to navigate the potential pitfalls a host of retro gaming emulators to tinker with too. plus Google Chromecast is built in so any Chromecast supporting mobile app that you want to throw up onto the big screen via the shield will be supported here.
If you’re looking for the best of the best the Nvidia shield tv pro is pretty much unrivaled when it comes to 4k hdr streaming and is an excellent choice. it also delivers tons of potential for gamers whether playing games stored locally on the device or over the net through the GeForce Now service.
Roku Ultra:
- Outrageously powerful: Enjoy a lightning-fast interface and channels like...
- Our best Wi-Fi: Enjoy fast, smooth TV streaming in any room in the house...
- Cinematic streaming: Roku Ultra is the centerpiece of your home theater...
- Find your lost remote: Simply press the button on your streaming device and...
Last update on 2023-03-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Next up is the Roku ultra. the Roku ultra improves the streaming quality of its predecessors by adding Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos support. Alongside extras like the voice remote with headphone jack and improved wifi antenna that make it a great overall value.
The Roku Ultra is a flat streaming video box that inconspicuously blends in with all your other av equipment. there’s not much going on with the exterior of the box but. on the back panel, you’ll find an HDCP 2.2 HDMI 2.0 port for video out an ethernet port, and like the Nvidia shield tv pro, there’s a USB port that can be used to connect a USB drive for additional storage.
The Roku Ultra also supports adobe Atmos pass-through to an external soundbar powering the ultra is a quad-core processor and a wi-fi dual-band wireless antenna is in place that according to Roku helps expand the range of the player by twice the distance. you’ll also like that the ultra jumps quickly from one app to another and starts up a show or movie with surprising speed.
In addition to streamlining searches and more, the voice remote has a really great feature a 3.5-millimeter auxiliary jack on the side of it that allows you to connect a pair of headphones for private listening. this is perfect for late-night viewing when everyone else has gone to bed and you don’t want to wake them up. something that very few other streaming devices have and with HDMI cec onboard the remote can be used to turn on and off your tv and control the volume.
If you’re looking for an android based streaming box that offers almost every streaming service available without costing an arm and a leg the Roku ultra is a great streaming device. it also gives you Roku tv one of the easiest-to-use interfaces and offers high-end streaming performance at a more affordable price point than something like the Nvidia shield tv pro.
TiVo Stream 4K – Best Budget Android TV Box:
- No More App-Switching. Forget learning to navigate a new screen with every...
- Recommendations Across All of Your Apps: Get rid of the walls between what...
- Say it and watch it. The power of voice control makes it easy to find...
- One place for all your favorite streaming apps. TiVo Stream 4K includes...
Last update on 2023-03-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Last but not least the tivo stream 4k is our pick for the best budget android tv box. the tivo stream 4k has the features of streaming devices that cost twice as much as a premium remote a handy recommendation algorithm and a sub 50 price point.
The tivo stream 4k is a streaming dongle that hangs off the back of your tv and connects directly to an HDMI port. for power, a small adapter is included, or instead, you could use a USB port on your tv for power if one is available. inside the unit is an Amlogic s905 y2 soc, 2 gigabytes of ram and 8 gigabytes of storage and it supports 2.4 gigahertz and 5 gigahertz wi-fi.
The specs aren’t exactly cutting edge and performance when switching between menus or shows can be sluggish at times, but it’s not a deal-breaker when you consider the price. one of the highlights of this system is the included remote it’s a premium functional Bluetooth remote with a built-in microphone for voice commands as well as shortcuts for sling tv and Netflix. The customized version of android tv gives the tifo stream 4k an organized interface Chromecast support and Google Assistant, and it’s definitely one of the major advantages android tv has over Roku and the Roku ultra.
The tifo stream 4k supports Dolby Atmos passthrough. So you could connect a soundbar that is Dolby Atmos capable. Setup is a short guided process that ends with you choosing your favorite types of content you’ll be shown two choices at a time and your pics will dictate the content you see on the tivo stream app and on your home page.
If you’re looking for a budget android streaming box with good recommendations the algorithm of the tivo stream 4k is one of the best available and is a perfect option. While it’s a bit sluggish when switching between menus and other functions. Its low price point makes it pretty easy to look past.
