The Minix NEO U1 is MINIX’s attempt at Android box featuring the Amlogic S905. With a premium build and specs to match, is this the best Amlogic S905 box to date?
Jan 13, 2016 How to install Kodi v15.2 Isengard on your Minix Craig the Computer Geek. How to Download a Video from Facebook - Duration: 4:25. TutoVids 1,970,436 views. How To Update MINIX Neo. How to install Kodi v15.2 Isengard on your Minix Craig the Computer Geek. How to Download a Video from Facebook - Duration: 4:25. TutoVids 1,970,436 views. How To Update MINIX Neo U1. The official website of MINIX Technology Limited. Select a language. All Products Support All Products. NEO Z83-4 Pro Premium Windows 10 Pro Experience.
Minix Neo X7 Kodi Download
MINIX NEO U1 Technical Specifications
General
- Amlogic S905
- Quad-Core Cortex-A5 at 1.5GHz
- Penta-Core ARM® Mali™-450
- Android Lollipop 5.1.1
- 2GB DDR3
- 16GB eMMC 5.0
- IR Sensor
Power button - DC 5V/3A
Interfaces
- HDMI 2.0
- SP-DIF, 3.5mm Audio
- 3 x USB 2.0
1x micro USB OTG
Microphone Input
Connectivity
- 802.11ac 2 x 2 MIMO Dual-Band Wi-Fi (2.4GHz/5.0GHz)
- 1000Mbps
- 4.1
Physical
What’s Inside The Box?
MINIX have continued their tradition of providing a impressive set of inclusions within the box:
- 1x MINIX NEO U1 unit
- 1x Wifi Antenna
- 1x IR Remote
- 1x Power Adapter
- 1x HDMI cable
- 1x USB OTG cable
- 1x USB to micro USB cable
- 1x Instruction Manual
![Download Download](https://s3-ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/a2.datacaciques.com/17/02/14/538sqd201x07z39s/05312466d94b9f59.jpg)
MINIX NEO U1 Review: Design
The first thing that strikes you about the MINIX NEO U1 is just how solid it feels. The whole unit feels like it’s built like a tank, with a metal case and an impressive weight to it that makes it feel more substantial than its competitors.
The unit is a typical black square with a matte black finish, with embossed MINIX branding dominating the top of the unit. Ports are located on the right and rear sides of the MINIX NEO U1. The right side houses the power button, 3 fullsize USB ports, micro SD card slot, micro USB OTG port and a Kensington lock port.
The rear has a headphone jack, microphone jack, HDMI output, optical audio, Ethernet and DC In. The WiFi antenna connector is also located on the left side.
The included remote is essentially identical to the pack-in remotes with other MINIX devices to date. Aries download on kodi 17.6. It’s visually distinctive and fits nicely in the hand. It’s got basic functionality such as Android buttos and volume controls. I would have liked to see media controls but you can work around it. The buttons are a little clicky so presses are audible.
As usual, I’d thoroughly recommend you fork out for an airmouse for a much better experience.
MINIX NEO U1 Review: Using It
Booting up the Minix Neo U1 takes around 28 seconds with a wireless keyboard and mouse connected. Resuming from standby is instant.
Out of the box, there’s a single 11.87GB partition which has 11.18GB free.
MINIX have provided their TV-friendly MINIX launcher. Heavily using their trademark green and black colour scheme, the launcher uses attractive flat tiles with large icons of various shades of green and grey. It looks great. Apps can be manually organised into categories such as Online Video and Games for easy access.
The app drawer also trades in the traditional white of stock Android Lollypop for a black color scheme which blends in nicely with the home screen.
A variety of apps come pre-installed on the MINIX NEO U1 such as Airpin Pro, Airdroid, Netflix, and Kodi 15.2.
Airpin Pro acts as a media center of sorts, offering DLNA and Airplay functionality. I was pretty impressed when I tried Airplay from my iPhone 6 and I was able to stream music, movies and even mirror my display without issue.
OTA updates are supported for easy firmware updates via the MINIX OTA Updater app. The app will download and install the latest update, making the whole process painless. MINIX have already released a number of firmware updates (the latest at the time of writing was released on the 30th of January).
The Amlogic S905 handles Android 5.1 well. During my testing, navigating the UI was smooth without any hitches. The box isn’t rooted but methods are available.
MINIX NEO U1 Review: Media Playback
The MINIX NEO U1 comes with stock Kodi 15.2 pre-installed. However, MINIX recommends that XBMC MINIX Edition which can be downloaded from their site. It looks like stock Kodi 15.2 with a custom splash screen but I’m guessing most of the changes are under the hood.
If you're planning on streaming movies and TV shows with Kodi, protect yourself with a VPN.
Why do you need a VPN for Kodi?- Anonymous online streaming
- Bypass geo-blocks and access ALL Kodi add-ons
- Prevent ISP throttling and tracking
- Hide Your IP Address
Protect your privacy and security when using Kodi. Subscribe to the highly recommended IPVanish VPN now (save up to 46% with this link) to stay safe and private or check out our Best VPN for Kodi guide to learn more.
Video Codec | Video Performance (Kodi 15.2) |
---|---|
1080p 3D SBS H.264 | OK |
1080p 3D ABL H.264 | OK |
1080p24 H.264 | OK |
1080p High Bitrate H.264 | Unwatchable (Dropped Frames) |
1080p60 H.264 | OK |
720p50 H.264 | OK |
1080i25 H.264 | OK |
4K 30FPS H.264 | OK |
4K 60FPS H.264 | Unwatchable (Video lags behind Audio) |
1080p24 HEVC | OK |
1080p VP8 | OK |
720p Hi10p | OK |
1080p Hi10p | Unwatchable (Decoding Issues) |
1080p MPEG2 | OK |
1080p VC1 | OK |
Unencrypted Bluray ISO (Sintel) | OK |
Video playback performance was good, with only several formats causing issues for the MINIX NEO U1, such as 1080p Hi10p and 4K 60FPS content which trips up 99% of boxes.
It was surprising that the high bitrate samples struggled to play back though the number of 120Mbps you’ll encounter are rare.
Automatic framerate switching works, which is fantastic. Kodi automatically changes the frame rate to match the video codec, making video playback far smoother. Download ice file mac calendar. I was able to play back 23.976FPS content without any obvious artifacts.
Deinterlacing performance was good, with interlaced samples not showing any obvious artifacts during playback.
5.1 Audio Passthrough
Dolby Digital 5.1 passthrough worked fine via HDMI.
Netflix
Netflix works via the Android app. However, playback resolution is limited to 480p like most other Android boxes.
External Storage Support
I was able to play back movies from my 2.5″ USB-powered hard drive without any issues.
MINIX NEO U1 Review: Gaming Performance
Kodi v17.1 krypton apk download. To test gaming performance, I installed 2 games,1 2D and 1 3D titles:
- Jetpack Joyride (Android)
- Beach Buggy Racing (Android)
Gaming on the MINIX NEO U1 was solid, like we’ve seen with other Amlogic S905 boxes. Jetpack Joyride played well, without any slowdown. Similarly, Beach Buggy Racing maintained a fairly solid framerate at 1080p on maximum settings. There was only rare frame rate drops when there was a lot of action on screen.
Gaming Controllers and Bluetooth
MINIX NEO U1 Review: Networking
Networking performance was tested using Wifi performance was tested using Wifi Speed Test, conducting 3 tests and averaging the results. My router is approximately 5m away, with a single wall between the router and the device. WiFi performance is heavily impacted by a number of factors so your performance may vary.
Wireless Performance
Wireless performance was excellent, with the MINIX NEO U1 being one of the faster devices over WiFi that I’ve tested to date.
On the 2.4GHz band, upload and download speeds were 90.4Mb/s and 84.3Mb/s respectively.
Changing over to the 5GHz band sees the speeds increase dramatically, to 250Mb/s upload and 276Mb/s download.
In terms of real world performance, streaming 4K and 1080p H.264 samples from an NFS share on my server played back perfectly without any buffering.
Ethernet Performance
Ethernet performance was good, reaching 576Mb/s upload and 776Mb/s down.
MINIX NEO U1 Review: Benchmarks
Benchmark | Score |
Antutu 6.0 | 38026 |
Antutu Video Tester 3.0 | 884 |
3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited | 7221 |
3DMark Ice Storm Extreme | 4222 |
GeekBench 3 Single Core | 607 |
GeekBench 3 Multi Core | 1720 |
MINIX NEO U1 Review: Power Consumption
Off | Standby | Idle | 1080p24 Video | Under Load |
0.1W | 0.6W | 3.5W | 4.2W | 7.1W |
Should You Get One?
The MINIX NEO U1 is easily the most impressive Amlogic S905 box I’ve reviewed to date. With outstanding build quality, a customised version of Kodi that supports automatic frame rate switching and support from a company who regularly update their firmware, the MINIX NEO U1 is definitely worth the price of admission.
Getting One
The MINIX NEO U1 is available from GearBest for around $129.
Alternatively, it’s also available from GeekBuying, Banggood and Amazon.
The best Amlogic S905 box to date, the MINIX NEO U1 is a well-built device with the software and performance to match.
Michael is a technology expert with over 10 years of experience in IT, Home Theatre and Automation. Feel free to send Michael a message here.
Updated: 12/1/2014: New Firmware improves the benchmark scores. Check it out in the Setup and Benchmarks section.
Minix Neo X7 Setup
MINIX has been a favorite of ours here at AndroidPCReview.com ever since we first got our hands on the NEO X7. So, we were very excited when MINIX unveiled the NEO x8 back in April at the 2014 Hong Kong Electronics Fair.The NEO X8 and NEO X8-H have been out for a few weeks now, but we haven’t had the opportunity to give our review sample the attention it deserves. Well, it’s time to fix that! Here’s our in-depth review of the MINIX NEO X8.
Nope, you’re not seeing double. There are two new versions of MINIX’s flagship Android TV box: The NEO X8 and NEO X8-H. What’s the difference, you ask? It’s actually fairly simple. The spec that’s going to jump out at you is that the NEO X8-H has 16GB of eMMC flash storage – double that of the NEO X8. But that’s not the important part. The real advantage to the NEO X8-H is that it includes the Amlogic S802-H CPU which supports hardware decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Bypass audio formats through HDMI.
The Amlogic S802 is the quad-core replacement for the dual-core MX chip found in popular streaming boxes like the G-Box Midnight MX2. The S802 continues Amlogic’s solid history of XBMC support, but increases performance dramatically. The average Amlogic MX based chip will report Antutu benchmarks of around 10,000. We’ll show the Antutu score from the MINIX Neo X8 a bit later in our Setup and Benchmarks section. But, let’s just say you’ll be impressed. It will be interesting to see how this player stacks up when the Rockchip RK3288 based devices, including the rumored NEO X9, come out later this year.
Minix Neo X7 Reviews
Processor | Quad-Core Cortex A9r4 Processor |
GPU | Octo-Core Mali 450 |
Memory | 2GB DDR3 |
Internal Storage | 16GB eMMC |
Wireless Connectivity | 802.11n Dual Band Wi-Fi (2.4GHz/5.8GHz), Bluetooth 4.0 |
OS | Android™ KitKat 4.4 |
Video Output | HDMI™ 1.4b, up to 4K @ 30fps |
Audio Output | HDMI™ 1.4b, 3.5mm stereo jack, optical SPDIF |
Peripheral Interface | RJ-45 Ethernet jack (10/100Mbps) |
SD/MMC card reader (SD 3.0, MMC V4.41), Support HDMI-CEC | |
USB 2.0 port x 3, OTG port x 1 | |
Microphone jack, Headphone jack,IR receiver (remote included) | |
Power | DC 5V, 3A adapter included (CE, FCC, CCC certified) |
Supported Video Format | DAT/MPEG/MPE/MPG/TS/TP/VOB/ISO/AVI/MP4/MOV/3GV/FLV |
MKV/M2TS/MTS/M4V/WMV/ASF/RM/RMVB | |
Supported Audio Format | MP2/MP3/WMA/WAV/OGG/OGA/FLAC/ALAC/APE/AAC |
The NEO X8 and NEO X8-H offer support for Ultra High-Definition (UHD) 4K video playback right out of the box. This means you get up to four times the detail as in regular 1080p televisions – eight million pixels compared to two million pixels. Without the techno-speak, this means you get an incredibly clear picture, better image texture and less pixelation than on regular high-definition signals.
Both new NEO models include a dual band Wi-Fi connection with an external antenna to allow for maximum network flexibility and stability. There is also a signal analyzer application which will allow you to fine-tune your network to get the best performance. As with the NEO X7, firmware updates are available Over The Air (OTA), so you don’t need to manually download and install new releases on your own. Of course, there is also Bluetooth 4.0 as well.
The ports on the NEO X8 are the same as those found on the NEO X7. Cloud station client download mac. There are 3 USB 2.0 ports, a wired Ethernet port, an optical audio out, HDMI, two 3.5mm jacks for headphones (like the MINIX NT-II) and microphone, and a micro-USB OTG port. Finally, the MINIX NEO X8 supports Ultra High Speed (UHS) SD cards which allow file transfers at up to 104 MB per second.
As far as the design of the NEO X8, MINIX decided to stick with what works. I really can’t say enough about the design of the entire NEO series. The casing is matte black, with the MINIX logo in recessed gloss black. The rounded off corners are reminiscent of the Apple TV, except larger.
Drake started from the bottom free download. The Apple TV is a tiny 3.9 inches square and just under an inch high. The NEO X8, in comparison, is a considerably larger at 5 inches square and just over an inch tall – not including the antenna. https://watchbrown655.weebly.com/finale-printmusic-2012-download-mac.html.
The antenna will add another 5 inches to the height, so be sure to account for that when planning out your entertainment center.
As with most Android streaming boxes, the NEO X8 includes a basic IR Remote. The NEO series includes an internal IR sensor, so you won’t need to string an unsightly wire to the front of your TV. The remote is basic in terms of functionality, but it doesn’t feel cheap. The buttons and D-pad have a satisfying feel when pressed.
The remote works best when navigating the NEO’s Metro interface, but it does have some limitations. I found it impossible to navigate the Netflix app successfully and had to resort to my wireless HTPC keyboard combo.
There is an alternative, though. The NEO M1 Remote was introduced along with the NEO X8 and is the perfect combination. We’ll have a more detailed review later, but this USB GyroMouse (flymouse) will give you the freedom to access the NEO X8 just like you were using a touchscreen phone.Of course, if you wanted something with more functionality, you could always try the NEO A2 air mouse as well. We definitely recommend an Air Mouse and you can check out our Air Mouse Buyer’s Guide here!
The included accessories with the MINIX NEO X8 and NEO X8-H are the basic IR remote, power adapter, dual-band antenna, HDMI cable, micro-USB cable and OTG cable.
I have to say that it’s always a nice surprise when a manufacturer includes an HDMI cable. It’s a $5 cable, but so many manufacturers don’t think enough of their customers to include this necessary accessory. Kudos to MINIX for taking care of your customers.
Check out our the Android TV box accessories that I think you need for your media player!
The days are over when setting up an Android streaming box is difficult. Most players will boot straight up to the familiar Android desktop and away you go. MINIX decided that they wanted to take that off your hands too.
When you first turn on the MINIX NEO X8, you’re greeted with a Windows 8Windows Phone type interface, appropriately called the Metro interface. Don’t worry, though – MINIX knows Windows 8 sucks too. They took what worked, adapted it for a living room environment and threw out the rest. But we’ll get more into the Metro interface in a bit.
Now to what you’ve all been waiting for: The benchmarks.
Our standard battery of video files all played without a hitch. The NEO X8 played avi, mov, mp4 and mkv files perfectly. There was no loss in picture or sound quality. I tried to push the hardware a little harder, so I tried to stream a 2GB mkv over my network and play it using XBMC. The large file size, coupled with the network transfer caused some stuttering in the playback. That was the only hiccup in an otherwise stellar video-watching marathon.
We also ran our standard battery of tests – CPU-Z and Antutu Benchmark. As you can see, the Antutu score was a very impressive: 22032, which is over double the performance of our previous favorite player, the G-Box Midnight MX2.
Legal forms software for mac. UPDATE: 12/1/2014: MINIX released new firmware for the NEO X8 and NEO X8-H. The results are pretty impressive. It boosted the AnTuTu score to 28442!
The MINIX NEO X8 comes installed with Android 4.4 KitKat, but as we mentioned before, that’s not the normal home screen. MINIX included the Metro interface to make it simple for anyone to sit down on their couch and watch movies. Don’t worry, if you don’t like the Metro interface, you can always revert back to the familiar Android UI.
There are pre-defined buckets (folders) where you can separate your favorite apps by category. Looking for Music? Click on the musical note. Want to play a game? Click on the game controller. Everything is quite intuitive.The only drawback is that none of these buckets are populated the first time you turn the device on. But, this gives you the ability to add only the apps you want, and not have to clean out the bloatware.
There are several utilities and cool extras included right out of the box. I’ve already mentioned the Wi-Fi Analyzer. There is also CloudTV, AirPlay Pro (normally a $5 app), ExpressVPN which is a VPN for Android devices, and SOPCast, just to name a few. MINIX also includes native Miracast support in the NEO X8.
The NEO X8 ships with XBMC 13.2 Gotham, XBMC 13.2. This isn’t your normal, run-of-the-mill version of Gotham, though. This is the world’s first 4K XBMC. I wasn’t able to test the 4K capabilities, unfortunately. However, the majority of our video testing was done through XBMC and it performed perfectly. Kodi 17.4 krypton apk download.
I can’t say enough good things about the MINIX NEO X8 and NEO X8-H. The performance is amazing. The Metro interface is incredibly powerful and flexible while still being simple enough for anyone to use. It has a sleek design that looks sophisticated enough to look at home next to the newest 4K TVs. Couple it with the NEO M1 motion-sensing remote and you have the makings of an awesome home entertainment system. If it sounds like we have a new favorite streaming TV box – we do!
Available at: