I have an 8 year old 4K TV and I'm in need of an Android box. I have Google assistant on all my phones and I have 2 Google Home minis. I'm reluctant to buy the Fire Stick coz of the ecosystem compatibility issues unlike the Mi Box 4K which appears to be Google TV based. Which should I pick?
Edit: I live in India, so these are my only options
You have choice between new Xiaomi TV Stick 4K and new Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max . That's best low budget devices! If you want to spend more don't look any further: nVidia Shield TV Pro 16GB (2019)
Xiaomi Mi Box S is old...
New Xiaomi TV Stick 4K stick advantages compared to Xiaomi Mi Box S:
Realme 4K TV stick does not have support for Dolby Vision! MECOOL KD3 4K Google TV Stick: beware no mention of Dolby Vision support, only HDR10 & HLG
The one that suits your budget and needs from this list:
CERTIFIED ANDROIDTV/GOOGLETV BOXES WITH NETFLIX AND PRIME VIDEO FOR THE UNITED STATES ONLY:
- AirTV Mini (More info at airtv.net/products)
- AT&T TV (More info at http://att.com/tv/device-features )
- Tivo Stream 4K (More info at http://tivo.com/products/stream-4k )
- T-Mobile TVision HUB (More info at http://t-mobile.com/tvision/services/hub )
- Verizon Stream TV (AV1 hardware decoding. More info at http://verizon.com/products/verizon-stream-tv-gen-2 )
CERTIFIED ANDROIDTV/GOOGLETV BOXES WITH NETFLIX AND PRIME VIDEO FOR THE US, EUROPE AND THE REST OF THE WORLD:
- Chromecast with Google TV (more info at http://tv.google )
- Mecool KD3 with Google TV (More info at http://mecoolonline.com where you can get a 10% off with the code "mecoolbox" at checkout)
- Dynalink TV dongle (More info at http://dynalink.life )
- Homatics Box Q (More info at http://homatics.eu/products/homatics-box-q )
- Homatics Dongle Q (More info at http://homatics.eu/products/homatics-dongle-q )
- Mecool KM2 (More info at http://mecoolonline.com where you can get a 10% off with the code "mecoolbox" at checkout)
- Nvidia Shield TV (The most expensive but powerful, recommended for gaming. More info at http://shield.nvidia.com )
- Walmart Onn (More info at http://walmart.com )
CERTIFIED ANDROID TV BOXES WITH NETFLIX AND PRIME VIDEO CERTIFICATIONS THAT USE THE NOW OLD AMLOGIC S905X SoC:
- Xiaomi Mi Box S (More info at http://mi.com/global/mi-box-s )
- Ematic Jetstream (More info at http://androidtv-guide.com/streaming-gaming/ematic-jetstream-tv-box )
CERTIFIED ANDROIDTV/GOOGLETV BOXES WITH ONLY PRIME VIDEO FOR THE US, EUROPE AND THE REST OF THE WORLD:
- Formuler GTV (Gigabit ethernet. Exclusive MYTVOnline2 app for IPTV. More info at http://formuler.tv/gtv )
WARNING!, ALTHOUGH MECOOL IS THE BEST OEM WHEN IT COMES TO RELEASING NEW DEVICES EVERY YEAR, THEY ARE THE WORST WHEN IT COMES TO RELEASING FIRMWARE UPDATES TO FIX BUGS AND ISSUES, IF YOU DON'T MIND ABOUT THAT, YOU CAN GET ANY OF THE FOLLOWING MODELS:
- Mecool KM6 Classic Edition (AV1 hardware decoding. More info at http://mecoolonline.com where you can get a 10% off with the code "mecoolbox" at checkout)
- Mecool KM6 Deluxe Edition (AV1 hardware decoding. Gigabit ethernet. WiFi 6. 4GB of RAM. More info at http://mecoolonline.com where you can get a 10% off with the code "mecoolbox" at checkout)
- Mecool KM7 (AV1 hardware decoding. 2GB/16GB and 4GB/64GB versions. More info at http://mecoolonline.com where you can get a 10% off with the code "mecoolbox" at checkout)
- Mecool KT1 (AV1 hardware decoding. DVB-T2/S2/C tuner built-in. More info at http://mecoolonline.com where you can get a 10% off with the code "mecoolbox" at checkout)
- Mecool Now (An Android TV device with a built-in camera and microphone, suitable for videoconferencing. More info at http://mecoolonline.com where you can get a 10% off with the code "mecoolbox" at checkout)
- Mecool KD2 TV Stick (AV1 hardware decoding. More info at http://mecoolonline.com where you can get a 10% off with the code "mecoolbox" at checkout)
For more info about all certified Android TV devices, head over to www.androidtv-guide.com website.
Mi Box 4K is not "Google TV based".
Android TV is the OS. Google TV is an interface.
Both are little expensive now without sales
Mi box goes for approx 3300 in sales (currently 4000) Fire stick goes for 3500 in sales (currently 4500)
Fire stick
Better software support, less buggy
But has Amazon ads in launcher, can be fixed by other launchers
No play store support, has Amazon appstore. Fine for general usage
No USB slot, need to buy extra adapter for that
MI box
Little buggy with updates, sometimes can be frustrating. So if a non tech savvy person is using who doesn't know their way around can be problematic
Clean UI in launcher, play store available
USB slot is available
Onn android tv box. Wal-Mart
Dont know how you stream your contents but one good thing about firestick is that it has built in hdr to sdr tone mapping so if you have hdr source and your tv is sdr only, you can still get a decent tone mapped sceeen without needing for transcoding. But firestick is def awful when it comes to compatibilities or using non English keyboard.
Stay away from Mi Box. I have 3, they are garbage
never buy Mibox. Buy Firestick 4K Max or Chromecast with Google TV
Go with Chromecast with Google tv, Realme Stick 4k or mi stick 4k (not standard version,
this one
https://www.androidtv-guide.com/streaming-gaming/xiaomi-tv-stick-v2/
).
Realme Stick 4k and Mi Stick 4k can decode AV1, while chromecast can't.
Don't buy the fire stick , For the mi box 4k just use another launcher than the stock one and you should be fine.
Is this a serious question? Can't be, right?
Nvidia Shield TV - hands down is the best you can buy. Save up for one - you won't be disappointed
With an older TV like yours I would just stick with the Walmart ONN 4k box. They are on sell for $20 right now, are great and have a great remote.