Advertising is advertising, but when it comes to media players for 4K TVs, it’s better to trust the recommendations of professionals. For example, the Technozon testing laboratory, which honestly reviews and isn’t shy with expressions. The best budget TV boxes of 2020 can be seen in the video review, as well as detailed specifications on the TeraNews portal.
Best Budget TV Boxes of 2020
In 2020, in the affordable price segment up to $50, it is better to prefer the following TV boxes:
- Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K;
- X96S;
- X96 MAX Plus;
- H96 MAX X3;
- TANIX TX9S.
In January 2020, we already published a list of budget devices capable of satisfying the needs of non-demanding 4K TV owners. But the situation has slightly changed. New TV boxes released in early 2020 made it into the top five devices, slightly changing the order in the ranking. So, let’s go!
TV Box Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K
| Chipset | Broadcom Capri 28155 |
| Processor | Quad-core 1.7 GHz |
| Video Adapter | IMG GE8300, 570 MHz |
| RAM | LPDDR3, 2 GB, 2133 MHz |
| Internal Storage | EMMC Flash 8 GB |
| Storage Expansion | No |
| Memory Card Support | No |
| Wired Network | No |
| Wireless Network | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi 2.4G/5 GHz (MIMO) |
| Bluetooth | Yes, version 5.0 + LE |
| Operating System | Android 9.0 |
| Update Support | Yes |
| Interfaces | HDMI |
| External Antennas | No |
| Digital Panel | No |
| Network Capabilities | Standard multimedia set |
| Price | $50 |
From third place, the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K moved up to the TOP. And the merit here is more in the software than hardware. The feature of this TV box is full support from manufacturers. Working with the device is a pleasure. There are dozens of forums where users share their experiences and settings. And this is not just installing some apps from Google Play – thanks to Root rights, firmware can be customized.
Plus, the manufacturer launches promotions with 50% discounts 2-3 times a year, without changing the hardware. Thanks to this, the Fire TV Stick 4K gains more and more fans. Official Netflix license, Dolby Vision, Alexa, a superb remote control. It doesn’t lag, doesn’t overheat. The TV box connected via HDMI port works perfectly wirelessly and detects connected devices without dead zones.
TV Box X96S
| Chipset | Amlogic S905Y2 |
| Processor | ARM Cortex-A53 (4 cores), up to 1.8GHz, 12 nm process |
| Video Adapter | ARM G31 MP2 GPU, 650 MHz, 2 cores, 2.6 Gpixels/sec |
| RAM | LPDDR3, 2/4 GB, 2133 MHz |
| Internal Storage | EMMC 5.0 Flash 16/32 GB |
| Storage Expansion | Yes, with memory cards |
| Support for memory cards | microSD up to 64 GB |
| Wired Network | No |
| Wireless Network | Wi-Fi 2.4G/5 GHz, IEEE 802.11 b/g/n/ac |
| Bluetooth | Yes, version 4.2 |
| Operating System | Android 9.0 |
| Update Support | Yes |
| Interfaces | 1xUSB 3.0, 1xUSB 2.0, HDMI 2.0, AV-out, SPDIF, RJ-45, DC |
| External Antennas | No |
| Digital Panel | Yes |
| Price | $25-50 (depending on configuration) |
Once again, TANIX TX9S appears in the list of best budget players. And at half the price of its competitors. It is a full-fledged TV box capable of playing any video in Ultra HD (4K) format. No talk about gaming. If you want to save money – buy TANIX TX9S.
Movies from any sources in the desired format – this is a non-sense. The device is omnivorous and ready for any owner’s wishes. High-quality sound for 5.1 or 7.1 systems – no problem. In the ranking of the best budget TV boxes of 2020, this device could confidently take the first place. But. With games, it collapses. Because of this, TANIX products hold a honorable 5th place.
If you are not chasing high performance, then you can easily find a solution in the budget class. Just $30-50 and a great result for movie lovers in 4K format. But buyers want more. Everyone wants the device to handle games with maximum settings. Just one question to you, dear readers – are you really ready to give up keyboard and mouse in favor of a gamepad?
