Review on 🖥️ MINIX NEO A3 Android QWERTY Keyboard and Six-Axis Remote with Voice Input - Directly Sold by MINIX Technology Limited (Black) by Todd Foster

This is my review of the 2nd gen MiniX Neo A3 remote focusing on using Nvidia Shield TV Pro. First, let me say that I really wanted this Neo A3 remote to like it, but it has one flaw (we'll get to that later). On closer inspection, this is one of the prettiest and best designed Android TV remotes I've bought and the keyboard and air mouse that comes with it are fantastic! If you're buying it to use with a MiniX approved Android TV, this new A3 Neo remote is a great addition. But if you're looking to buy this to manage your Nvidia Shield Pro (like me) there are limitations to be aware of. Here's what I found. Before we continue: The manufacturer (MiniX) mentions up front that their remote controls are intended for use with approved MiniX devices and are not supported to control anything else. So don't be discouraged by the incompatibility I encountered when using the Nvidia Shield. However, I was having a hard time finding reviews (here or elsewhere) that talked about Nvidia Shield TV Pro device control compatibility, so I decided to take a chance and create a review for anyone who might be curious. Let's see what worked as expected with Nvidia's stock launchers/apps: Menu button, Home button, Back button, D-Pad and OK buttons, Volume Up/Down buttons, FFW and REW buttons, Air Mouse and the keyboard on the back. Additional Android-specific keyboard shortcuts that can be restored using third-party apps (e.g. Button Mapper or External Keyboard Helper): Application Keys. button, application switch button and microphone button. Pros (in no particular order): Great even backlight behind all keys! The top position of the remote buttons generally makes sense for my hands. Next, the key mask designed for the keyboard is great for the A3 Neo. It's very easy to read extended characters with the backlight, and the LED lights for the Fn and Caps Lock keys are a nice touch. Keystrokes on either side felt very responsive, with very few double keys (or lack of keys) on fast presses. The backlight is activated by any key, so a quick press of the key gives you light. Voice commands are supported, with pickup (see cons). The air mouse works fantastic! Runs on AAA batteries. Cons (in no particular order): Power button. The power button is an infrared key, not a USB key, and cannot be remapped. On the plus side, pressing any key wakes up the Nvidia Shield*, that's it. .1 which can be changed in Settings > Device Settings > System, scroll down until you see USB Port Power. Then set the USB port that the remote control is using to "Always On"). The buttons appear to be key-based, but neither can be mapped to the Shield TV Pro yet. The built-in microphone of the remote control can be used for voice search after you press voice search on the screen. The microphone button on the remote control is probably assigned to activate the voice search in the MiniX launcher and cannot (yet) be reassigned. There are a total of four non-assignable and/or non-usable keys. Fatal flaw: The nice even backlight that I love so much is the sensor based on this remote. This means that it turns on when you move the remote (or when you press a button) and turns off after a few seconds. Or at least it should. Also, the backlight can only be turned off by removing the batteries. Unfortunately, I've found that the A3 Neo's remote backlight can get stuck in a flickering state in low light, quickly draining AAA batteries (two weeks in my case). At first I thought the remote control had buttons that glow in the dark. Then I took a closer look and really saw that this backlight works very dimly (on both sides) and flickers like crazy. Shaking the remote sometimes caused it to stop, but after a few seconds it came back. Final thoughts, is this 2nd gen MiniX A3 Neo remote a great remote for the price, I would say absolutely yes if you can live with the backlight draining. batteries. Is this the ideal remote for Nvidia Shield Pro users? Not quite. I'd recommend looking elsewhere, such as AuviPal G9 Pro 2.4GHz Backlit Wireless Air Mouse Remote and Google Voice Assistant for your needs (Note: while this is a great Nvidia Shield remote, it feels cheap (See my review there for more) and leave it removed for MiniX device users instead. Review edited to fix typos and grammar and add some clarity/context.