The Best Android TV Box of 2018

10 Best Android TV Box

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Android TV Box and Android TV Streaming Devices Reviews

Finding the best Android TV Box can be difficult, especially if it’s your first TV gadget. With so many options, it’s important to know what the different TV boxes have to offer. An Android TV Box is a small decoder that works on the Android operating system. This allows you to stream content on your TV. Many of these TVs come equipped with a wireless keypad and a voice search feature that allows you to easily find your favourite shows and movies. You can easily stream 4K UHD videos in streaming using some of these boxes. Everyone has the possibility to play HD videos. With Play Store, you can easily install Android apps and games on your TV. You will find hundreds of applications and free games in the shop. You can install YouTube, Hulu, Netflix, Pandora and many other official applications. Most of these devices come with the pre-installed Google Play Store, so you don’t need to change anything to unlock the full potential of these devices. You may need to create a Google Account before you can use the Play Store. Do you need a wireless router or wireless adapter? We have also written articles on this subject. If you choose an Android TV box, you must check the box’s specifications. The more powerful the processor, the smoother it will be. A powerful graphics processor also provides high quality rendering. Learn more about the best Android TV box devices below. Discover their features and see what’s right for you.

 

 

What can I do with an Android TV Box?

An Android TV Box turns your TV into a real Smart TV! You can watch online streams, watch and record regular TV channels, surf the web, use all the apps from Google Playstore, play many video games, watch pay-TV, watch YouTube, play pictures, videos and music, stream videos or games directly to your TV from your PC or smartphone, and much more! Here is a short list of what is possible with an Android TV box:

• Stream and play music of all formats
• Spotify and other music apps – Play music
• Surfing the Internet
• Recording function for movies
• Play and stream videos of all formats in FullHD and 4K resolution!
• Watch movies in 3D
• Play Internet radio
• Show photos, pictures and slideshows
• Watch TV program
• Play YouTube
• play video games
• Play classic games like Super Nintendo or Nintendo 64 (Mario, Zelda, etc.)
• Get current weather forecast, calendar etc.
• Use all apps from Google Playstore
• Stream games, videos and music from your PC or smartphone – play games from your PC directly on your TV!

 

The hardware of an Android TV box explained in a simple way

What hardware or technical specifications should a good Android TV box have at least? What should the box offer and what can you confidently do without and save money? Due to the experience we have gained in the internet, we can recommend which hardware your new Android TV box should have the best. Here we show you what you should pay special attention to and explain the functions of the individual components.

 

The CPU

The CPU or processor is the heart of every Android TV box. It is the calculation unit of the box and depends on it how fast and fluently calculations can be made. In practice, this means how fast the user’s actions are performed by the Android TV Box. The CPU thus influences how quickly apps open, how smoothly menus are navigated, whether games or movies can be displayed in high resolution without jerking, etc. So you could generally say the faster / stronger the CPU, the more comfortable the use of the Android TV box becomes.

What types of CPUs are there? Current models use Amlogic CPUs. In our opinion, these are highly recommended! So please make sure that the CPU name starts with an “AM”, e. g. the “AM S905” processor.

It is also important how many cores or cores a CPU has. A CPU with only one processor core can only perform one calculation at a time. A 2 core processor can perform 2 calculations at the same time or distribute a large calculation to both cores! So the more cores, the more computing power! At least one 4 core CPU should be installed in your Android TV box, so that apps, movies and games run smoothly.

Don’t let the naming confuse you:

• 4 Core CPU = Quad Core CPU
• 5 Core CPU = Penta Core CPU
• 8 Core CPU = Octa Core CPU

Here is a short overview of the latest and recommended models (sorted by speed; the fastest above)

• AM S912 A53 Octa Core
• AM S905X A53 Quad Core
• AM S905 A53 Quad Core

 

The main memory

The RAM, also known as DDR3 or DDR3 RAM, determines how many applications they can open at the same time. The size of the RAM is therefore crucial for the multitasking capability of your Android TV box. We recommend at least 2GB DDR3 RAM. Otherwise, your Android TV Box will start sweating when you open two apps! The more memory, the better – but you don’t usually need more than 4GB.

 

The hard disk

The hard drive, memory or ROM determines how many apps you can install on your Android TV box, how many pictures, songs and movies you can store. We recommend at least 16GB of memory, so you can install many apps and still have room for movies, games and music. Note that the Android operating system alone already consumes about 4GB!

Note: The USB ports of the Android TV Box can also be used to connect USB sticks and hard drives. Note, however, that external storage media is usually slower than the built-in memory and some apps cannot be installed on external storage media!

 

The GPU

The GPU (not to be confused with the CPU!) is the graphics unit of the Android TV Box. It is needed for graphically complex apps, games and especially movies in HD or 4K resolution. If the GPU of the Android TV Box is too weak, movies and games cannot be played without jerks! GPUs of the “Mali” series have been shown to be extremely recommendable. The GPU also depends on the number of graphics cores. So the “Mali” series has a 5 core GPU built in, with which you can play most games and all HD and 4K movies without any problems!

Don’t be confused by the naming (same as CPUs):

• 4 Core CPU = Quad Core CPU
• 5 Core CPU = Penta Core CPU
• 8 Core CPU = Octa Core CPU

Here is a short overview of the latest and recommended models (sorted by speed; the fastest above)

•  Mali T820MP3
• Mali 450 Penta Core GPU

Connections and other important features

Artsdel Team recommends that you ensure that your new Android TV Box has at least two USB 2.0 ports. Often a USB wireless keyboard or mouse should be connected, which already occupies a slot. Then you still have one free slot for an external storage medium such as an external hard disk or USB stick.

In addition, the Android TV Box should have an HDMI connection so that you can connect it to a modern TV.

When using Wifi or WLAN you should make sure that the Android TV Box supports dual band. Dual band means that the Android TV box supports the older 2.4 Ghz and the newer 5 Ghz standard. This means that they are well prepared for the future.

An optional Bluetooth module can be an advantage. This allows you to connect headphones, headset, mouse, keyboard or loudspeaker via radio. Data transmission from e. g. a smartphone to the Android TV box is also possible. The latest Bluetooth 4.0 or 4.1 standard should be supported.

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