Beelink GT1 Mini is a new Android TV-Box from which we present today its analysis or review, a very compact model of the Beelink brand that includes the new SoC Amlogic S905X2, a processor updated with respect to the previous S905X as we have seen in a special article.

This model has several configurations that combine 2 or 4GB of DDR4 RAM and 32 or 64 GB of internal storage (Review Unit is 64GB). It has dual band ac, Bluetooth, Gigabit Ethernet and as a system we have Android 8.1 installed. We see in our review how this device behaves and the power of its hardware compared to the competition.

Design & Appearnace

The TV-Box Beelink GT1 MINI is extremely small, at the top, it has the logo of the brand as a decoration. On the front we only have a small discrete white LED and on the perimeter we have all the connectors, the USB 3.0 port that is new in this SoC, we also have HDMI 2.1 to 4K @ 75fps connector, AV jack, another USB 2.0, microSD reader and indicated with a red circle the power connector. In the lower red area, we have a hole for the button to update your firmware if necessary.

The command that comes standard is quite simple and serves to perform the basic functions if we press the microphone button, Google search with Voice Search is launched with which we can search the web for content and launch them. We can also install Google Assistant from Google Play and launch installed apps like YouTube or Netflix. From the command we can not access the multitasking, a pity, maybe Beelink updates it in the future.

We turn on the Beelink GT1 MINI by plugging it into the socket, it starts up automatically and the front white LED lights up. After a discrete input animation, we arrive at the default launcher based on squares where we can customize the sidebar with shortcuts or two additional screens on each side.

We have very few apps installed by default, something that is appreciated. In this TV-Box the system moves very fluidly and fast between the apps, there are no hardware performance problems thanks to the SoC S905X2, the 4GB DDR4 RAM and the excellent internal storage which is especially fast.

Hardware & Performance

The consumption of the Android TV Beelink GT1 MINI using the SoC Amlogic S905X2 has very good results in terms of efficiency. This new SoC is manufactured in 12nm and has a maximum consumption of only 3.5W, we have tried to take it up to 5W that seems the maximum of the SoC but it is impossible to even with benchmarks.

As for power, the Beelink GT1 MINI has very good results in the line of the new SoC Amlogic S905X2 Quad Core with ARM Cortex-A53 processors and Mali-G31 MP2 GPU in a very good position. observing the results we can see how it is almost on par with the most powerful SoC Amlogic the last generation the S912, in general section is below that yes of powerful SoC like the Rockchip RK3399 that already has ARM Cortex-A73 cores, in general, an excellent product with ridiculous consumption.

At the level of multimedia playback, the Beelink GT1 MINI behaves perfectly using the new SoC Amlogic S905X2, which has video output support for HDMI 2.1 that theoretically allows maximum resolution up to 4K @ 75fps with HDR information. We also have AV jack output for stereo or old TV audio.

We perform our video playback tests on the Beelink GT1 MINI, a device that has the SoC S905X2 and a VPU compatible with most video formats and with which we can use players like MX Player or install KODI from Google Play.

Android 8.1

Beelink GT1 MINI has installed three different settings menus, one the classic side menu with global android settings, another with TV-Box settings and finally Android classics with a blank background. The Google Play store behaves normally and we can find the most common apps. The version of the system and the compilation of the kernel is quite current as we see.

Connectivity

Regarding Wi-Fi connections, the Android TV Beelink GT1 MINI has a Wi-Fi wireless adapter 2.4/5GHz ac with Bluetooth 4.0 with which we connect with an ASUS RT-AC1200G + Router, a mid-range device. We perform tests on the use of streaming using the iPerf measurement tool to see the maximum performance of each network adapter.

As we see in the tests, the internal storage speed is excellent, which makes the system move quickly. We also have as a novelty with a USB 3.0 port that allows us much higher reading speeds than the classic USB 2.0 although the writing does not reach the maximum of this type of ports.

Verdict & Availability

The new model Beelink GT1 MINI follows the line of the Beelink brand and offers us a product with interesting components, With the use of the new SoC Amlogic S905X2 this model now incorporates USB 3.0, visual improvements in video playback and excellent consumption that has an impact on really low temperatures. The performance of the Wifi AC adapter with good coverage despite the internal antenna and the Gigabit Ethernet port speed allow us to use them as a network player without problems. The included serial remote works well with Google Assistant even if it was flymouse or Bluetooth it would be better.

In the Beelink GT1 MINI has surprised us apart from its small size by the speed of internal storage is the best we’ve seen in the sector as you can see in our tests, 4GB of RAM DDR4 also help to have a feeling of high fluidity. The one thing that is changing with the TV box industry is the demands from customers for more Netflix and Amazon prime orientated devices. Over the years almost all cheap TV boxes have never obtained the status of being officially supported by Netflix and more recently Amazon Video support.

Obtaining official status from these two streaming services is incredibly hard and requires companies to jump through hoops to obtain this status. The Beelink GT1 Mini is another TV box that does not support Netflix or Amazon Video. To watch these two services on the GT1 Mini, you will have to use a web app that streams in 480p, not something an avid Netflix user would want to do with a relatively expensive streaming device. The GT1 Mini is for those streamers who enjoy applications like KODI and other related services that do not require any form of DRM support.