TOX 1 - the best TV-BOX under $ 50
It would seem that you can squeeze out of the obsolete Amlogic S905X3 chipset. Hundreds of variations of set-top boxes for TVs from different manufacturers have shown a complete lack of any progress. But no. A newcomer appeared who was able to unleash the potential of the chip. TOX 1 is the best TV-BOX under $ 50 at the end of 2020. And this is the purest truth. Even the previous leaders had to move up in the ranking of the best TV boxes. Our favorites (TANIX TX9S and X96S) took 2nd and 3rd places.
TOX 1 - the best TV-BOX under $ 50: features
| Chipset | Amlogic S905X3 |
| Processor | ARM Cortex-A55 (4 kernels) |
| Video adapter | ARM G31 MP2 GPU, 650 MHz, 2 cores, 2.6 Gpix / s |
| RAM | LPDDR3, 4 GB, 2133 MHz |
| Persistent memory | EMMC 5.0 Flash 32GB |
| ROM 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 |
| The presence of external antennas | Yes, 1 piece |
| Digital panel | No |
| Networking opportunities | DLNA, Miracast |
| Price | 45-50 $ |
In general, for the Amlogic S905X3 chipset, all technical characteristics are fully disclosed - the manufacturer did not save on anything. This approach is encouraging given the budget price and such interesting potential. The only thing that the brand has abandoned is the use of the optical SPDIF audio output. The chip supports it, but there is no connector on the TV box. But, for a budget solution, this is not critical. After all, this connector needs an AV processor or at least a receiver.
TV set-top box TOX 1: general impressions
There was a desire to find flaws, but to find flaws did not work. Every little thing is thought out. Even an external antenna, which does not interfere with the installation of the TV box behind the TV, and even the speed of the Wi-Fi channel, increases to the maximum speeds of the router.
The console has a cool cooling system. It seems to be a plastic case, but a ventilation grill is interestingly implemented. A boot is provided, which slightly interferes with cooling - this can be seen from the throttling tests. The set-top box is easy to configure, forwards sound, produces a clear picture, and has autofrequency out of the box. Indeed, TOX 1 is the best TV-BOX under $ 50.
If we talk about the disadvantages, then the TV box is not suitable for games. The processor power is simply not enough to run a productive toy in high definition on a TV screen. But for ordinary tasks - watching Youtube, IPTV and torrents, it is quite enough.