It might seem that little can be extracted from the morally outdated Amlogic S905X3 chipset. Hundreds of variations of TV boxes from different manufacturers showed no real progress. But no. A newcomer appeared that managed to unlock the potential of the chip. TOX 1 – the best TV-BOX under $50 at the end of 2020. And this is the pure truth. Even the previous leaders had to move down in the ranking of the best TV boxes. Our favorites (TANIX TX9S and X96S) took 2nd and 3rd place.
TOX 1 – the best TV-BOX under $50: specifications
| Chipset | Amlogic S905X3 |
| Processor | ARM Cortex-A55 (4 cores) |
| Video adapter | ARM G31 MP2 GPU, 650 MHz, 2 cores, 2.6 Gpixels/sec |
| RAM | LPDDR3, 4 GB, 2133 MHz |
| Internal storage | EMMC 5.0 Flash 32 GB |
| Storage expansion | Yes, memory cards |
| Memory card support | microSD up to 32 GB (TF) |
| Wired network | Yes, 1 Gbps |
| Wireless network | Wi-Fi 2.4G/5.8 GHz, IEEE 802.11 b/g/n/ac |
| Bluetooth | Yes, version 4.2 |
| Operating system | Android 9.0 |
| Update support | Yes |
| Interfaces | HDMI 2.0, 1xUSB 3.0, 1xUSB 2.0 OTG, LAN, DC |
| External antennas | Yes, 1 piece |
| Digital panel | No |
| Network capabilities | DLNA, Miracast |
| Price | $45-50 |
In general, all technical specifications for the Amlogic S905X3 chipset are fully revealed – the manufacturer did not economize on anything. Such an approach is pleasing, considering the budget price and interesting potential. The only thing the brand refused to use is the SPDIF optical audio output. The chip supports it, but there is no port on the TV box. But for a budget solution, this is not critical. Because this port requires an AV processor or at least a receiver.
General impressions of the TOX 1 TV box
There was a desire to find flaws, but it was not possible to find any. Every detail is well thought out. Even the external antenna, which does not interfere when installing the TV box behind the TV, and also increases Wi-Fi channel speed to maximum router speeds.
The device has a great cooling system. It seems to have a plastic case, but the ventilation grille is interestingly implemented. A dust cover is provided, which slightly hampers cooling – this is evident from throttling tests. The box is easy to set up, transmits sound, delivers a clear picture, and has auto frame rate from the box. Truly, TOX 1 is the best TV-BOX under $50.
If we talk about drawbacks, then the TV box is not suitable for gaming. The processor power is simply not enough to run demanding games in large resolution on the TV screen. But for everyday tasks – watching YouTube, IPTV, and torrents, it is quite sufficient.
