Review on 📺 MINIX NEO U9-H + NEO A3 Backlit, Octa-Core Android Media Hub [2GB/16GB/4K/HDR] with Six-Axis Gyroscope Backlit Remote and Voice Input - Sold Directly by MINIX Technology Limited. Backlit by Daniel Bulkley

I'll start with a field test, although my comments are unpopular with fans: Bend your expectations; Most Android box manufacturers use fork versions of Android that are not fully optimized and their firmware is not always the best (and since their bootloaders are unlocked and Android versions are not Android certified, the device is NOT certified by Google Play Store certified, so you don't have access to certain applications like Netflix, although you can download Netflix, but sometimes applications stop working and you have to download new versions again to fix bugs). Although I have to say that out of all the Android boxes I've tried, this one is definitely the best: constant firmware releases that fix bugs and a very active online community that's always up to date on the crashes and helps the MINIX software development team to release fast and consistent fixes that further improve device performance, so this is a huge plus for any emerging technology. I've been using a device with stock firmware for a while and have definitely seen performance improvements when I update to newer firmware versions (you can do this with a nice app from MINIX that automatically installs OTA firmware packs so you don't have to play around with Android ADB). However, you will find that some apps crash (especially when first launched right after installation) and have long loading times. For example: Flipboard (messages app), ASUS AiCloud, most weather apps (1Weather and Weather Timeline work fine, but many other popular ones crash immediately), email, calendar, etc., but they work somewhat after a few crashes better . One thing I liked is that the launchers usually work fine, which was amazing (i.e. I use Nova Launcher Prime and it works fine, especially the settings widgets and shortcuts). In terms of hardware specs, I think this is one of the best Android boxes with decent hardware specs for the price. I just wish it had a bit more RAM so it could compete more with the Nvidia Shield in this aspect (CPU and GPU also lags a bit behind the Nvidia Shield, but overall performance is okay, at a good fraction of the cost of the Shield) . , and it comes with a much more comfortable controller than the Shield). You'll notice some lag and slow loading when you have multiple apps open, so at least 4GB of RAM can improve performance (although performance also depends on how well the Android fork is coded). Also, it can pack at least 32GB or even 64GB of internal storage, but since it has an SD card slot for accepted storage, 16GB isn't too bad at all. Gaming performance isn't bad, but it doesn't compete with the Nvidia Shield (although the Shield is aimed at both PC and Android gamers, so better GPU performance is expected in the Shield). USB 3.0 would definitely be a nice addition (Nvidia Shield has 2 USB 3.0 Type A ports), especially when playing high bitrate, 60fps, 4K movies from external hard drives or just moving lots of small files from external to internal and vice versa (copying files from internal memory to a PC). via the microUSB OTG connector is quite slow as it is USB 2.0 only). USB-C charging and a data port would also be nice, but a bit overkill for this price range in my opinion. The dual-band 802.11ac WiFi antenna + chip and Ethernet chips are really good and offer the fastest speed compared to other Android boxes and also very reliable: the range and reliability are the same as my Android flagship ( LG V20). I can stream 30GB+, very high bitrate, 1080p and UHD Blu-ray rips (mkv format) from my Win10 PC to MINIX via Asus AiCloud app, and it works very well with a downlink speed of 200+ Mbps. The A3 controller is also very good, feels very premium (material construction) and the buttons are well placed and functional. One thing MINIX needs to add to this controller is a pair of forward/backward media buttons. Currently, the forward/backward buttons DO NOT skip songs, only fast forward or rewind videos in a very limited number of apps (e.g. sideloaded Netflix, Spotify, Hulu). So if you're listening to music in the background, you'll have to go to the app to change songs (or use the drop-down bar). A mute button would also help. Another very nice addition would be the addition of custom buttons to launch your favorite apps (I know this is hard to program in Android, especially with the various launchers available, but it's certainly doable). Overall Verdict: One of the best Android boxes out there with some common glitches, but issues will be fixed as new firmware updates are released. Good value for money and a very good alternative to the more limited Android TV OS found in the Nvidia Shield, which is more expensive but offers slightly better gaming and processing power as the Android TV OS is very light and plenty better at multitasking. So if you want more "pure stock Android" options and the freedom to install more powerful apps, and don't mind sacrificing some performance for that freedom, then the MINIX U9-H is a good buy.