Everyone is looking for something different from their Android TV Box. Some people are looking for the best possible picture quality for watching the latest action movies. Others want loads of storage space to run all their Kodi add ons. Some people want speed.
If you are one of those people who can’t stand delays when booting and gets aggravated when your programs pause for a second while you are watching, what you want is one of the fastest Android TV boxes.
To help you, I have come up with a list of five of the fastest Android TV boxes on the market that guarantee you no wait time (as long as you have decent Wi-Fi).
I’ve also put together a list of the most important features to look for when choosing a speedy TV box and recommended a few things you can do to increase the speed of your existing Android TV box.
Spoiler Alert! We recommend the SkyStream Pro 8K and the NVIDIA Shield as two of the fastest Android TV boxes on the market.
Product Overview
Speed A – T95 Android 10.0 TV box
NVIDIA Shield TV
Yagala Andrid 12.0 T95Z+ TV Box
H96 Max X3 Android 10.0 TV Box
Fast TV Box Specs
There are a few key specs you want to look for when choosing a fast TV box.
The first is the CPU processor and the level of RAM. These are the main elements of the hardware that will make a difference to your speed.
Choose a box that has at least 1.5 GHz quad-core CPU or higher and at least 4 GB of RAM. If you see anything with an octa-core, this is a very good sign.
The operating system can also make a big difference. I recommend choosing a box with Android 9.0 Pie or higher. This Android OS is actually designed specifically for TV boxes, so it works better, it works faster, and it has fewer glitches and delays. Android 10.0 will also give you this great performance.
Often the reason your box is slow is that it is not getting enough internet speed. These days, everything is designed to run off Wi-Fi, but interference and weak signals can mean you aren’t getting anywhere near your promised speeds.
Circumvent this problem by getting a box with a gigabit ethernet port and connecting directly to your router. A lot of boxes no longer come with ethernet ports, so look out for this feature.
Also make sure the system has H.265 rather than H.264, as it significantly reduces file size and the bandwidth needed to stream, so you can stream faster.
Finally, cooling. If your box overheats, it can start to work slowly or even switch off and reboot itself. So, skip the sticks and go for something a bit bigger that has a cooling fan built-in.
So, this is our spec list for the fastest TV boxes:
- 1.5 GHz quad-core CPU
- 4 GB of RAM (or more)
- Android 9.0 or Up
- Gigabit Ethernet port
- H.265 video coding
- Built-in fan
4 Best Android TV Boxes For Speed
If you are keen to have the latest operating system, the T95 is the best option with Android 10.0. It matches this with an Allwinner H616 quad-core Corte-A53 CPU, plus all the other requirements on our list. It is powerful enough to stream in up to 6K.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Processor | Allwinner H616 quad-core Corte-A53 CPU |
| Memory | 4 GB of RAM |
| Wi – Fi | Gigabit Ethernet port |
| Operating System | Android 10.0 |
| System | H.265 decoding |
| Built-in Fan | ✔ |
The NVIDIA Shield only has 4 GB of RAM, so it shouldn’t really be on our list, but it is just so good and so fast we couldn’t exclude it on that basis. Its high-end Tegra X1 CPU octa-core more than makes up for this, and it has all the other features on our list.
This is a favorite with gamers, as it also comes with access to the NVIDIA DeForce Now Beta game library, and you can buy the box with a native gaming controller.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Processor | High-end Tegra X1 CPU octa-core |
| Memory | 4 GB of RAM |
| Wi – Fi | Gigabit Ethernet port |
| Operating System | Android 9.0 Pie |
| System | H.265 decoding |
| Built-in Fan | ✔ |
This nifty box combines a powerful quad-core with 4GB of RAM for top speeds. We were a bit disappointed to see that it only offers 100 Mbps over ethernet, but this should be more than enough even for 4K streaming.
What sets this model apart is that it comes with a controller-keypad remote. This also makes searching and navigating much faster when you are feeling impatient. Who doesn’t hate navigating the on-screen keyboard with a standard remote?
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Processor | AMLogic S905X3 quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 CPU |
| Memory | 4 GB of RAM |
| Wi – Fi | 100 MB Ethernet port |
| Operating System | Android 12.0 |
| System | H.265 decoding |
| Built – in Fan | ✔ |
If you are looking for a more affordable box, but you are still keen on speed, then check out this H96 Max X3. It has a fantastic AMLogic S905X3 quad-core, runs on Android 9.0, has H.265 decoding, uses Android Pie 9.0, and has a gigabit ethernet port. So, it is the perfect recipe for lightning-fast speeds.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Processor | AMLogic S905X3 quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 CPU |
| Memory | 4 GB of RAM |
| Operating System | Android 10.0 |
| System | H.265 decoding |
| Wi – Fi | Gigabit Ethernet port |
| Built-in Fan | ✔ |
How To Improve The Speed Of Your TV Box
If you have an Android TV box and it is running slow, there are a few things you can do to try and boost your speeds.
One of the main reasons your box is running slow is that there are too many applications running in the background and taking up processing power. You will be surprised by what runs in the background.
Obviously, if you have installed Facebook, it is always running and that’s why you receive push notifications. That might be nice on your phone, but do you really need it on your TV box? I recommend not installing Facebook on your TV box at all.
But other programs, such as Netflix, also run in the background. That is why you receive a notification telling you that something new has come out or it recommends something to watch. There are some programs you want running in the background, such as your antivirus and VPN, but pretty much all other programs you will want to limit.
Start by uninstalling any programs that came with the box you don’t use.
Then you need to limit the number of programs that can run in the background. To do this, you will need to enable developer options. This is a little different for every version of Android, so Google the instructions for yours, but the process is probably to press on the “build” button in the settings menu eight times. You will then receive a notification that you are a developer.
Don’t play around too much with the developer options if you don’t know what you are doing. But there are two things you can do.
First, turn off all animations. This is what controls the transitions and the opening and closing of apps and makes it look cool. If you turn off all of these animations, your transitions won’t look quite so good, but you will gain quite a bit of speed.
Next, limit the number of programs that can run in the background. This is again in the developer options. You can change this setting from “standard,” which is an unknown number, to quite a lot or to a specific number. I recommend going with three or four.
This gives you space for important things, like your antivirus and VPN to run, plus one or two other things that you might need. Don’t go any lower than three.
If you need advice on the best antivirus software for your Android TV box, read this article.
If you need advice on the best VPN for your Android TV Box, read this article.
The final thing to check is your internet speed. It doesn’t matter how good your TV box is if your internet isn’t up to it. Most TV boxes will have a feature that lets you test the speeds you are getting.
If your speeds are a lot lower than expected based on your internet plan, then make sure you connect to your router using ethernet rather than Wi-Fi. This will give you a much more stable and faster connection.
The Verdict
Not all Android TV Boxes are created equal, and when you are looking for speed, there are a few key features to look out for. Among them are CPU power, the amount of RAM available, and the presence of H.265 decoding. It is also worth choosing a box with an ethernet port, so you can make the most of your internet speeds.
I recommend either the SkyStream Pro 8K of the NVIDIA Shield if you are looking for the absolute best speeds, but you will also find a few cheaper options on our top five list.
If you have a top-quality box and it is running slowly, delete applications you don’t need and limit the number of programs running in the background using our instructions above.
Do you have any experience speeding up a slow Android TV Box? Share your thoughts and tips in the comments section below.
