If you are looking for an affordable Android TV box to upgrade your home entertainment for smart streaming, then the Easytone Android 10.0 TV Box should be on your list of options to consider.
Available for less than $50, you get a box that runs on the latest Android operating system (10.0) and that is capable of delivering 4K at 60 frames per second.
But, whenever you choose an affordable box, remember that you are making sacrifices! You won’t get any of the bells and whistles such as voice command or the ability to integrate your box with your smart home setup.
And more important than that, like most boxes from these lesser-known electronics brands, this box won’t unlock the major streaming services in 4K. You will only be able to watch Netflix and Amazon Prime Video in HD. It also doesn’t deliver any Dolby Digital Sound options.
For these reasons, our advice is that the Easytone is a good affordable option if you have a non-4K home setup you need to smartify. The fact is, if you have splurged on a 4K TV and great sound system, you are going to need to splurge on a better Android TV box. What’s the point if you can’t watch all the latest Netflix releases in 4K and make the most of your surround sound system?
Let’s take a closer look so you can decide if this Android TV box is right for you.
Our Rating
We award the Easytone Android 10.0 TV Box 3 stars out of 5.
If you are looking for an affordable Android TV box to upgrade your basic, non-4K home entertainment system, it is a good choice. It has a pretty good CPU, though not as good as you would get if you spent $20 to $30 more. But it does run on the latest Android 10.0 operating system, which means very few glitches and it should run the most up-to-date apps smoothly.
The result is the potential to deliver 4K at 60 frames per second. I say potential, because while you will be able to watch your own content at this nice 4K quality, you will be limited to watching anything on the major streaming services – yes, I am talking about Netflix and Amazon Prime Video – in HD. This isn’t because the box can’t deliver, but rather, it is an administrative problem. But the fact remains that you will miss out!
There is also no Dolby Digital Sound, no voice control (though it does come with a mini-keyboard, which is incredibly useful when it comes to searching), and no smart home integrations.
So, while this box will work well if you have a basic, non-4K entertainment system set up at home, it has no place being part of a high-end, 4K setup. Remember, your viewing will only be as good as the weakest link, and you can only expect so much from a TV box that costs less than $50.
Specifications
- Allwinner H616 64-bit Quad-Core Cortex A53 CPU
- G31 MP2 GPU
- Android 10.0 OS
- 4K at 60 frames per second
- Up to 6K resolution
- 4 GB RAM
- 32 GB ROM
- Expandable storage (2 TB hard drive or 64 GB TF card)
- USB 2.0 and 3.0
- Wi-Fi 2.4 and 5 GHz
- Ethernet connection
- Bluetooth 4.1
Analysis
Considering the low cost of this box, you can’t expect to get the best of the best when it comes to components, but what you do get is pretty good. The Allwinner H616 Quad-Core is decent, even though we prefer the comparable Amlogic Quad-Core for better performance. Nevertheless, as long as you are streaming and not attempting to use your TV box as a gaming console proxy, you shouldn’t have any complaints.
The system runs on the latest Android 10.0 operating system, which means it will have a long shelf life and it should run all the latest and upgraded apps without any of the glitches you sometimes see with TV boxes running Android 8.0 or earlier versions. [Note that it is not uncommon for new Android TV boxes to use operating systems as old as 6.0].
It has a good working memory with 4 GB of RAM, it also has 32 GB of ROM and you can expand the storage with a 64 GB TF card or a 2 TB external hard drive. That is pretty generous if you want to use this box to watch a lot of the content you have collected in your own media library.
Thanks to good use of H.265 10-bit decoding, the Easytone Android TV box can deliver 4K picture quality at 60 frames per second and can even support 6K if you have the content.
But be warned, don’t read 4K at 60 frames per second and think, great, this TV box will work well in my 4K TV set up.
Why not?
First, image isn’t everything, what about sound? This affordable box doesn’t feature any of the Dolby Digital Sound functionality that we are seeing with other new Android boxes. This means that if you have invested in your home sound system, you are going to be disappointed with the quality of the sound you get.
Next, while the box has the chops to stream in 4K, it is not authorized to grant you access to the 4K content available on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. So yes, that means that despite your 4K capable TV and 4K capable Android TV box, you will be restricted to watching content from the two biggest streaming services in HD.
This is a common problem with Android TV boxes from these lesser-known brands. The problem is that Netflix and Amazon have to individually authorize different streaming device models to access their 4K content. They restrict access in this way to preserve the quality of their service.
While these streaming providers are very good at authorizing hardware from big-name brands such as Sony and Samsung, they don’t make it a priority to authorize boxes from small brands. That means that pretty much all the affordable Android TV boxes on the market won’t get you Netflix in 4K.
You can read more about how Netflix allows access to their 4K content here.
While we blame Netflix rather than TV box manufacturers for this problem, it doesn’t change the reality that if you have a 4K TV set up, and you have either a Netflix or an Amazon Prime Video subscription, we don’t recommend this box.
Other drawbacks? The Easytone doesn’t come with a lot of the bells and whistles that consumers have come to expect. Specifically, there is no voice remote, and you cannot integrate it with your smart home system (if you have one).
However, this TV box does come with a backlit mini-keyboard remote, which is a very welcome solution when you do want to type in complex search terms to find the content you are looking for.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Stable Android 10.0 operating system
- 4K at 60 frames per second
- Plenty of storage
- Backlit mini-keyboard included
Cons
- No Dolby Digital sound
- Does not unlock major streaming services in 4K
- No voice control
- No smart home integrations
Overall
Overall, if you are looking for an affordable Android TV box to turn your basic, non-4K “dumb” home entertainment system into a “smart” one, then the Easytone is a contender.
For less than $50, you get some good hardware that runs well on the latest Android operating system.
However, if you have a 4K TV and/or a decent sound system setup for your TV, you will be disappointed with this box.
It does not deliver any Dolby Digital Sound technology, and you won’t be able to watch the most popular streaming content in 4K because your access will be restricted.
And, if you decided to get an Android TV box because you enjoyed the way your friend controlled theirs with their voice remote and smart speaker, you won’t get this functionality with such an affordable box.
Buying
The Easytone Android 10.0 TV Box is available on Amazon for less than $50. Shoppers who have bought the box seem happy with it, as it has an average of four stars, but there is a free returns policy if you aren’t happy with it for whatever reason.
But before you add the Easytone to your cart for free delivery, don’t forget to consider your alternatives.
The direct competition for the Easytone in the affordable Android TV box field are the Yagala Android 9.0 TV Box, the Magicsee Android 9.0 N5 Max TV Box, the T9 9.0 Android TV Box, the Diyomate 4K Android TV Box, and the Transpeed Android 10.0 TV Box, all of which we have reviewed recently.
Choose the Easytone if what matters to you is having the most up-to-date operating system (Android 10.0) and the backlit mini-keyboard for better searching.
But, if your main concern is that you won’t be able to unlock Netflix and Amazon Prime Video in 4K, then pretty much your only affordable alternative is the Fire Stick 4K, which you can also get for around $50.
The Fire Stick is not a powerful piece of kit that will satisfy gamers, but it does address most of the concerns we have with the Easytone:
- It lets you access Netflix and Amazon Prime Video in 4K.
- It delivers Dolby Digital Audio.
- It works with the Alexa smart remote (worth $30 when bought separately).
- It integrates with smart home systems, but only those powered by Amazon Alexa.
But that is not to say you aren’t making any sacrifices if you go with the Fire Stick. In particular, rather than using the Android operating system, it uses the Amazon Fire operating system, which is much more locked down than the Android system. You are restricted in what you can download onto the stick, and the search is pretty terrible.
But it is still a good choice if what matters to you is streaming from the major services in 4K.
The Verdict
If you want an affordable Android TV box to turn a basic home entertainment setup into a smart one, then the Easytone Android 10.0 TV Box is a contender. One of a number of options available around the $50 mark, choose the Easytone if you want the latest Android 10.0 operating system and a mini-keyboard remote option for better searching.
However, if you have a 4K home setup, you will be disappointed with this box. It won’t let you watch the major streaming services in 4K, it won’t deliver Dolby Digital Sound, and there is no voice remote or smart home access.
Basically, if you have invested in your home entertainment system, you are going to need to invest a bit more in your Android TV box as well.
Have you used the Easytone Android 10.0 TV Box? Share your experience with the community in the comments section below.
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