Welcome to our updated LONGYI Android TV Box 10.0 Review. What about 2023?
The LONGYI Android TV Box 10.0 is a 2021 release on the TV streaming market. It is an attractive option as it is very affordable at less than $50, but it also means that it doesn’t have a lot of the features that you would expect from a more expensive box.
This is a decent choice for anyone who would like to install Kodi to expand their watching options. But you probably have better options on the market if your main intentions are to stream from the mainstream streaming services or to create a hub for your own media content.
Read our complete review to determine whether this affordable little box is exactly the gem that you are looking for or whether you should consider one of our other recently reviewed TV box options.
Overall Rating
Overall, we are giving the LONGYI Android 10 TV Box 3/5 stars.
The LONGYI box gains points because you get quite a lot of bang for your buck. It comes with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of ROM. Most boxes of a comparable price leave you with only 2GB of RAM. While this is enough for streaming from the basic services, 2GB can be very restrictive if you want to install Kodi or similar streaming services.
However, the box loses points in a few areas. First, while 32GB is a decent amount of ROM, you might want more if you want to store any of your own media content.
Second, it doesn’t come with voice control or smart home integrations. While we like the cool backlit keyboard remote that does come with it, this isn’t really a replacement for good voice commands.
Finally, as is the case with most generic TV boxes, you won’t be able to watch Netflix or Amazon Prime Video in full 4K. This is an administrative restriction rather than a technical limitation, and you generally need to buy a box from one of the big-name brands in order to be able to do this.
So for anyone looking for some good hardware to run Kodi, you will probably be impressed by this box. But for other types of streamers, there are better alternative options available for a similar price.
If you aren’t sure about exactly what we are talking about when we discuss Kodi, read our complete Kodi guide here. If you are looking for alternative options, check out our comparison section.
Review
Main Specifications
- Allwinner H616 Quad-Core — a decent but affordable chipset that helps keep the price of this box down
- Android 10.0 Operating System — stable and reliable operating system with most of the latest features
- 4GB RAM — plenty of power to run sophisticated programming
- 32GB ROM — a decent amount of storage for the price
- Ethernet LNA and 2.4/5G Dual Wi-Fi — lots of ways to connect and make the most of your internet while streaming
- Bluetooth 5.0 — provides a stable connection for custom remote controls and other hardware
- 4K, 6K, and 3D capabilities — no restrictions in what you can watch
- Wireless Backlit Mini Keyboard included — one of the best ways to navigate and do complex searches
Product Analysis
With an Allwinner H616 Quad-Core, the LONGYI Android 10 TV Box is a pretty powerful piece of hardware. While this is not a premium chipset and there are certainly better ones on the market, it is more than powerful enough to do the job. Since a lot of the price of a TV box depends on the chipset, this good (but not spectacular) chipset is part of the reason why this box is so affordable.
The box also has a fairly generous 4GB of RAM to work with. This is the standard amount for most premium TV boxes and is more than most boxes at a comparable price, which you can expect to have just 2GB. While 2GB is enough for most basic streaming, it is restrictive if you want to do anything extra, like install sophisticated Kodi builds.
The system runs the Android 10 operating system. This is not the latest version of Android. The latest version is 11.0, which was released in September 2020. However, many users still consider Android 10.0 to be more stable than the new 11.0 operating system. Many of the features of the new OS, while useful to phone users, won’t make a particular difference to the user experience on Android TV.
You then get 32GB of ROM, which is pretty good for the price. Many boxes at a comparable price point only deliver 16GB. Again, while this is more than enough for running Kodi and other streaming services, if you want to manage your own media library on this box, you might feel as though the space is a little tight. Of course, you can store your content on an external hard drive and connect via USB.
On top of this, you get the latest ethernet, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth options. So as long as you have a decent Wi-Fi connection (at least 25MBps for 4K streaming), your internet connection won’t be what is letting you down.
Put this all together, and you get a box that is powerful enough to deliver not just 4K, but also 6K (if you can find the content) and 3D, assuming that your TV supports this as well.
But just because this box is powerful enough to deliver 6K, don’t assume that you will be able to watch mainstream streaming services such as Netflix or Prime Video in 4K. These streaming services restrict access to their 4K content (ostensibly to maintain quality control), and they have to authorize each new device that hits the market. While they are pretty good at doing this for the big-brand names, they rarely get around to approving generic devices like this one.
Of course, you can still watch Netflix in HD, and you do need a premium subscription to unlock Netflix in 4K anyway.
You can read more about Netflix access restrictions here.
What are the other things that you miss out on when you go for a generic box rather than a premium box? Voice control and smart home integrations. Again, this is something that may or may not be important to you, depending on the experience that you are looking for.
The backlit keyboard remote can help offset the lack of voice command, but again, this is down to personal preference.
Pros
- Affordable for what you get
- Generous amount of RAM
- Stable Android OS
- A decent amount of storage
Cons
- No sophisticated voice control
- No smart home integrations
- No access to premium streaming services in 4K
Where To Buy & Comparison
The LONGYI Android 10 TV Box is currently available to purchase on Amazon for less than $50.
Compared to a lot of other options available at the same price point, it is a good value device as you get a generous 4GB of RAM rather than being restricted to 2GB. This is what makes the LONGYI a good choice for anyone who wants to use their box to run Kodi.
However, if you are looking for something to manage your own media library, then you probably want to look at the X88 Pro 10 Android TV box, which is available for around the same price but comes with 64GB or ROM as standard. You can also add an additional 64GB via TF card, and you have USB 3.0 options for fast file transfer and external storage connections. It probably isn’t as user-friendly as the LONGYI, but it is more suitable for running a personal media library.
If premium features such as access to mainstream streaming services in 4K, voice command, and smart home integration are important to you, then you do have other options at a similar price point.
The Amazon Fire Stick 4K is also available for less than $50, and it does let you watch Prime and Netflix in 4K, plus it comes with voice control and smart home integrations through Alexa. It is a lightweight device with just 2GB of RAM and 8GB of ROM, so it can be restrictive with Kodi, but it is a good affordable option if you want 4K streaming and voice control.
If you (understandably) just can’t stand the Amazon Fire operating system and interface, then the Dynalink offers the same benefits, but it uses the Google interface and Google Smart Home for integrations. It is also available for around the $50 mark.
FAQs
How do you use Kodi on Android TV?
Kodi is an app that can be downloaded from the Google Play Store, but this is just a basic version of Kodi that works as a media library tool. In order to gain access to content, you need to install a variety of add-ons that scrape the internet for the content that you are looking for. You can follow our step-by-step guide to the process here.
Always use a VPN when running Kodi.
The Verdict
The LONGYI is an affordable Android TV box that gives you a little bit more freedom in what you can do than other boxes available at the same price point.
While most boxes available for under $50 come with a fairly restrictive 2GB of RAM and 16GB of ROM, the LONGYI comes with twice that, featuring 4GB of RAM and 16GB of ROM. This makes a big difference if you want to do more than just stream from the mainstream streaming apps, such as install sophisticated Kodi builds on your device.
It certainly doesn’t have all the features of a premium box. You won’t get voice command, smart home integrations, or access to certain streaming services in 4K. But you get what you pay for, depending on what your priorities are.
The LONGYI is a very welcome addition to the market and a big improvement on many of the available boxes, but it also has some stiff competition which is worth investigating before you commit to buy.
Have you used the LONGYI Android 10.0 TV Box? What do you think of it? Would you recommend it? Share your insights with the community in the comments section below.
the product is worth value, great quality