New Matricom G-Box Q2: Same body. More brains.

The new G-Box Q

Matricom has released a successor to the popular G-Box Q for 2016, but they decided to keep the same name….sort of: The Matricom G-Box Q2.

The new Matricom G-Box Q2, or Q² depending on how it’s written, is a much-needed refresh of the original G-Box Q.

The spec sheet shows two huge improvements right off the bat.

The AmLogic S802 has been upgraded to the newer (but still not cutting edge) AmLogic S812. As the comparison chart from CNX-Software below shows, the AmLogic S812 improves upon the S802 in several ways but leaves some important features out.

The S812 handled 4K content much better due to the H.265 hardware decoder, but its internal memory is limited to 2GB. Sorry, there won’t be a 4GB version of the G-Box Q2.

The other big bonus is that Matricom has finally moved to Lollipop. As a bonus, existing G-Box Q owners will be receiving an OTA firmware update that will update their devices to Lollipop as well. We’ll have more details on that as the update is released.

Also included is a new HUD Launcher UI which appears to bring a more “Kodi-like” interface to the device, rather than the Android TV-like interface they’ve used previously.

AmLogic-comparison
G-Box Q2 Specs
CPUAmlogic s812 Quad Core @ 2GHz
GPUMali-450 Octo Core 3D GPU
MEMORY2GB DDR3
STORAGE16GB Flash Storage
ANDROID OSAndroid Lollipop 5.x, Full Version
USB PORTSTwo (2) USB 2.0
ETHERNET10/100 Full Duplex
WI-FIBroadcom 5G 802.11 Dual Band
BLUETOOTHV.4.0 Low Power, Full Speed
DIMENSIONSLength: 12.5cm, Width: 12.5cm, Height: 2.5cm

Initial Thoughts

The new G-Box Q connection ports - gbox q reviews

In our review late in 2015, one of the main knocks against the original G-Box Q was the poor quality of 4K playback. It seems like Matricom heard that feedback and took some serious steps to improve it.

Not only that but moving both current and new G-Box Q owners to Android 5 is a big win. We’ll see how that rollout goes, but anytime a manufacturer provides a free-of-charge update to the core Android operating system, I have to give them huge credit for it. Good job Matricom!

The new G-Box Q2 is available exclusively through Amazon.com.

Was this article helpful?
YesNo

33 Comments

  1. We just purchased/upgraded to the new gbox q2. It was trying and time consuming but we finally got it all updated. We are familiar with the system as we had the gbox q. Was excited to watch some movies but non of the streams work. Insight please? Fyi our tv shows play fine.

  2. I have an issue with my g box q2 firmware, I get “Error 1003 Server Connection Refused” . I get no response from matricom support. I’ve uninstalled/reinstalled kodi but error message returns. Anyone have the same problem? Suggestions and help to fix appreciated.

  3. Can anyone help me in getting firmware 1.5 for the G-Box Q? Seems nobody has it at all and it’s not listed on the Matricom site. Or maybe someone has the link to where I can download it?

  4. TiM; I have a huge problem with the Matricom G-Box Q. I plugged it into my LG Smart TV via the usual HDMI port using the HDMI cable and everything seemed fine up to the point where I want to switch back to TV viewing – PROBLEM. I go through the usual procedure of finding the correct HDMI source for the TV and then —– nothing. I have to unplug the box, and reboot my receiver, wait for some time (groan), to get TV reception. The net result is the box sits on the TV stand gathering dust. What a waste!!!!!!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *