The winter of 2021 turned out to be very productive in the IT technology sphere. First, the CES-2021 exhibition delighted us with new devices. Then the Chinese offered to buy quality and inexpensive Android set-top boxes for TVs. Therefore, the TOP 5 TV-Boxes up to $50 at the beginning of 2021 emerged on its own. Note – the range of decent gadgets hasn’t changed much compared to last year (TOP 5 up to $50 2020).
A brief introduction to TOP 5 TV-Boxes up to $50
Such news is read by buyers who want to purchase an inexpensive and quality gadget for their TV. So, let’s not waste the reader’s time and start our rating not from the 5th, but from the 1st place. This will be fair to the buyer. And then it’s up to you – study the characteristics of other devices or go to the store page.
1st Place – TOX 1
The main feature of this TV box is that its software is developed by Ugoos. Yes, the same company that produces Premium segment set-top boxes. Moreover, this is not a one-time promotion – the set-top box has long-term support (updates come). Basic advantages include:
- NVIDIA GeForce NOW.
- 1 Gbps
- Excellent cooling (without dust filters and with a radiator).
- ATV module.
- Honest 4K 60 FPS.
Listing all advantages could go on forever. It is truly a cool and quite affordable TV-Box. To give the buyer an idea of the device, let’s summarize all the specifications in a table.
| Manufacturer | Vontar |
| Chip | Amlogic S905X3 |
| Processor | 4x ARM Cortex-A55 (up to 1.9 GHz), 12nm |
| Video adapter | Mali-G31 MP2 (650 MHz, 6 cores) |
| RAM | LPDDR3, 4 GB, 2133 MHz |
| Flash memory | 32 GB (eMMC Flash) |
| Memory expansion | Yes, microSD |
| Operating system | Android 9.0 |
| Wired network | Yes, RJ-45 (1 Gbps) |
| Wireless network | Wi-Fi 2.4G/5.8 GHz, IEEE 802.11 b/g/n/ac |
| Bluetooth | Yes, version 4.2 |
| Interfaces | 1x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0, HDMI 2.1, RJ-45, DC |
| Removable storage | microSD up to 128 GB |
| Root access | Yes |
| Digital panel | No |
| External antennas | Yes (1 piece) |
| Remote control | IR, voice control, TV control included |
| Price | $46 |
2nd Place – TANIX TX9S
This TV-BOX can confidently be called legendary. Only it manages to hold the leading position in the under $50 category for more than a year. Moreover, this is not just an inexpensive TV set-top box. It is a full-fledged media player capable of showing 4K video with high-quality sound.
Thanks to its technical specifications and low price, TANIX TX9S quickly found fans. It is one of the few set-top boxes that can boast dozens of custom firmware options. The only drawback – you won’t be able to play games on this device. The chip’s power is enough only for 4K video playback. But for this price, it’s not critical.
| Chipset | Amlogic S912 |
| Processor | 8x Cortex-A53, up to 2 GHz |
| Video adapter | Mali-T820MP3 up to 750 MHz |
| RAM | DDR3, 2 GB, 2133 MHz |
| Internal storage | EMMC Flash 8 GB |
| Memory expansion | Yes |
| Supports memory cards | up to 32 GB (SD) |
| Wired network | Yes, 1 Gbps |
| Wireless network | Wi-Fi 2.4G GHz, IEEE 802.11 b/g/n |
| Bluetooth | No |
| Operating system | Android TV |
| Update support | No, firmware only |
| Interfaces | HDMI, RJ-45, 2x USB 2.0, DC |
| External antennas | No |
| Digital panel | No |
| Network capabilities | Standard multimedia set |
| Price | $25 |
3rd Place – AX95 DB
Quite an interesting set-top box for TVs in its price category. Its feature is that Ugoos also produces firmware for it. Excellent hardware is complemented by proper software. The declared 8K format is a marketing move aimed at an unspecified audience. But for watching 4K videos from any source, the AX95 DB set-top box is more than enough.
And interestingly, you can even play games. The chip is very powerful and can handle the task. But. There is one issue related to overheating. The manufacturer did not fully develop the cooling system. This can be fixed. Just remove the cover and install a thermal pad. How to do this can be found on thematic forums or by watching videos on the TECHNOZON channel.
| Manufacturer | Vontar |
| Chip | Amlogic S905X3 |
| Processor | 4x ARM Cortex-A55 (up to 1.9 GHz) |
| Video adapter | Mali-G31 MP2 (650 MHz, 6 cores) |
| RAM | DDR3, 4 GB |
| Flash memory | 32/64 GB (eMMC Flash) |
| Operating system | Android 9.0 |
| Wired network | Yes, RJ-45 (100 Mbps) |
| Wireless network | Wi-Fi 2.4G/5.8 GHz, IEEE 802.11 b/g/n DUAL |
| Bluetooth | Yes, 4.2 version |
| Interfaces | 1x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0, HDMI, RJ-45, AV, SPDIF, DC |
| Root | Yes |
| Digital panel | Yes |
| External antennas | No |
| Remote control | IR, voice control, TV control included |
| Price | $40-48 |
4th Place – X96 MAX+
A TV set-top box already familiar to buyers. It is the legendary TV-Box that took the honorable 3rd place in the list of the best budget devices in 2020. Recall that this is a duplicate of the VONTAR X88 PRO, which only had slightly less memory. By the way, reviews on thematic forums about the X96 MAX Plus device even contain thoughts like:
- The budget device is so good that sales of more famous brands have dropped.
- Vontar found a gold mine and will soon start to catch up with Xiaomi.
- You need to be careful with firmware updates for X96 MAX+ so that the manufacturer doesn’t remotely block it. This is a jab at Apple, which reduces performance of its devices to encourage customers to buy new smartphones.
| Manufacturer | Vontar |
| Chip | Amlogic S905X3 |
| Processor | 4x ARM Cortex-A55 (up to 1.9 GHz) |
| Video adapter | Mali-G31 MP2 (650 MHz, 6 cores) |
| RAM | 2/4 GB (DDR3/4, 3200 MHz) |
| Flash memory | 16/32/64 GB (eMMC Flash) |
| Memory expansion | Yes, microSD up to 64 GB |
| Operating system | Android 9.0 |
| Wired network | Yes, 1 Gbps |
| Wireless network | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2.4GHz/5GHz, 2×2 MIMO |
| Bluetooth | Yes, 4.1 version |
| Interfaces | 1x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0, HDMI 2.0a, RJ-45, AV, SPDIF, DC |
| Root | Yes |
| Digital panel | Yes |
| External antennas | No |
| Remote control | IR, voice control, TV control included |
| Price | $40-48 |
5th Place – S9 MAX
This set-top box appeared on the market not so long ago, but immediately did not attract much attention. The hardware is decent, but functionality was very limited. The low price played a funny trick on the TV-Box S9 MAX. The device attracted programmers who rushed to release firmware for it. As a result, we got a very interesting and content-viewing device.
According to the TOP 5 TV-Box up to $50 rating, this device could be confidently moved up to 2nd place. But this cannot be done for one reason. Out of the box, the gadget does not do anything well. All the stars depend only on firmware. That is, if the manufacturer starts installing custom firmware at the factory and comes up with something for cooling, the S9 MAX set-top box will easily rise to the podium of the rating.
| Chip | Amlogic S905X3 |
| Processor | 4x ARM Cortex-A55 (up to 1.9 GHz) |
| Video adapter | Mali-G31 MP2 (650 MHz, 6 cores) |
| RAM | 2/4 GB (LPDDR3/4, 3200 MHz) |
| Flash memory | 16/32/64 GB (eMMC Flash) |
| Memory expansion | Yes, microSD up to 64 GB |
| Operating system | Android 9.0 |
| Wired network | Yes, RJ-45 (100 Mbps) |
| Wireless network | Wi-Fi 2.4G/5.8 GHz, IEEE 802.11 b/g/n |
| Bluetooth | Yes, 4.2 version |
| Interfaces | 1x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0, HDMI, RJ-45, AV, SPDIF, DC |
| Root | Yes |
| Digital panel | Yes |
| External antennas | No |
| Remote control | IR, voice control, TV control included |
| Price | $40-48 |
In conclusion about TOP 5 TV-Boxes up to $50
The list of worthy set-top boxes could easily be expanded to 10, as our favorite channel Technozon did. By the way, you can watch the video below. In the TOP 10 rating, the devices that made it are:
- X96S – 6th place.
- A95X F3 Air – 7th place.
- Vontar X3 – 8th place.
- Mecool KD1 – 9th place.
- Xiaomi MI TV STICK – 10th place.
Regarding X96S and Vontar X3, we would agree, but the rest are outright junk. After the Xiaomi MI TV STICK update, it stopped working properly. The problem could be fixed with a custom firmware. We have become ordinary users, far from “modding”. A similar story is with the A95X F3 Air, which works well only through Kodi. Therefore, we limited ourselves to the TOP 5 TV-Boxes up to $50 rating.
And five devices are enough to make a decision. After all, the more options in one price category, the harder the choice. Among all the options offered, we recommend buying TANIX TX9S or TOX 1. They are cheap, powerful, and functional out of the box. TOX 1 is more expensive, but you can play games on it. TANIX TX9S is cheaper and only focused on video from any source. This is the verdict of the TeraNews team. And you can decide for yourself.
