MINIX NEO U8K-ULTRA, Review: Powerful Android Box with Dolby Vision and Atmos

The new MINIX NEO U8K-ULTRA is a new Android TV-Box that we present today its review. A MINIX product with the powerful SoC Amlogic S928X.

The new MINIX NEO U8K-ULTRA offers us the recent SoC Amlogic S928X a chip with high power. In addition, it has AI image enhancement functions and has support for Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. A device oriented for those who want to use apps like KODI, IPTV or install CoreELEC as a multimedia center, although it has Widevine L1 DRM for some streaming services. Included with the system is the MINIX A3 PRO BLE controller that allows you to use flymouse, keyboard and voice control.

Let’s check in our review how the MINIX NEO U8K-ULTRA performs and what it has to offer.

MINIX NEO U8K-ULTRA Details

Unboxing

The MINIX NEO U8K-ULTRA comes in a cardboard box with internal foam protection. Inside we find the TV-Box, manual, HDMI cable, USB-A to USB-A cable, Bluetooth controller and a USB-C 12V 3A charger.

Description

The TV-Box MINIX NEO U8K-ULTRA has a design of the house. On the sides we have a 1x USB 2.0 connector, 1x USB 3.0, HDMI 2.1a up to 8K@60fps, Gigabit Ethernet, audio jack, SPDIF, power button, reset and micro SD card reader. In the front area there is a status LED and the IR receiver.

• Top LED: It can be turned off from the MINIX system settings.

This TV-Box has a Wifi 6 chip with Bluetooth 5.2 for wireless connection and two internal Wi-Fi antennas. The cooling system is passive and keeps the temperature at bay without problems, as we will see.

• USB Port: Allows USB HUB to connect multiple peripherals.

Remote control MINIX NEO A3 PRO BLE

The remote control included is the MINIX NEO A3 PRO BLE, a version of the controls that MINIX already had with Bluetooth, this is paired directly or can be re-paired with an app on the box. We have, on the one hand, multimedia controls + flymouse and on the other hand we have full keyboard. The controller also has an IR emitter that ensures compatibility even with CoreELEC. It has a microphone to give voice commands if we want. It works with two AAA batteries, not included.

• Activate flymouse: Click on circle icon with arrow.
• Decrease cursor speed: Volume Minus + OK for 3 seconds.
• Increase cursor speed: Volume Up + OK for 3 seconds.

System and performance

Environment and user experience

We connect the MINIX NEO U8K-ULTRA to the power supply, and it starts up after a few seconds. We get to the launcher installed with simple design, where we can customize the bottom row. A very basic environment, we can change it for another that we like more from Google Play. The system performance is very good on desktop and is quite fluid.

• Launcher: We can change the launcher / Android UI renders at 4K.
• Rotation: The system supports screen rotation apps for digital signage.

In this environment, we have low navigation bar and top notification area with configuration shortcuts. We found installed the Google Play Store for Android for cell phones, which is appreciated because it improves compatibility with many apps.

• Multitasking and access: Multitasking available / Notifications and Low Bar available.
• Languages and app store: All languages / Android Smartphone App Store.
• Special settings: Advanced settings are available in the MINIX menu.

System

We observe the system data and the options included. This TV-Box offers support and OTA updates by MINIX to fix bugs and add features. The system is Android 32 bit, but this does not limit the speed of the system and handles the 8 GB without problems because the SoC if you go to 64bit, something that is done to maintain better compatibility.

• Version: Android 11 (32 bit) / NO Root / Model U8K-ULTRA.
• Support: Firmware not available / MINIX support.

Network, storage, RAM and ports

The new TV-Box MINIX NEO U8K-ULTRA integrates on board 8 GB of LPDDR4X RAM and for storage we have 128 GB eMMC 5.1 quite fast. In the network section we have a wireless adapter Wifi 6 MIMO 2×2 and Bluetooth 5.2 with positive results. Unfortunately, we only have a Gigabit Ethernet adapter and the USB 3.0 port.

• Network: Internal Wifi antenna / Range -46 dBm / Link 5G1200 Mbps / Bluetooth OK.
• Storage: 128 GB eMMC 5.1 / Read-Write 180-120 MB/s / Expandable by micro SD.
• RAM: 8 GB / LPDDR4X / 1.7 GB/s.
• Tutorial on SAMBA Networks on Android to play files on our local network.

Power and performance

In terms of performance, the MINIX NEO U8K-ULTRA features the Amlogic S928X Penta Core SoC, manufactured in 22 nm, an ARM Cortex-A76 CPU core with a computational speed reaching up to 1.8 GHz and four Cortex-A55 cores up to 2 GHz. In the graphics section we have a Mali-G57 MC2 GPU compatible with Vulkan, which is currently in the mid-range. This SoC offers much better results than the recent Allwinner H7XX and is getting closer to the older NVidia Tegra in some aspects. As the results show we have a pretty good performance compared to other boxes of similar range.

• CPU performance: Min. 0.4 GHz / In use 1.2 GHz / Max. 2.0 GHz.

Consumption and temperature

The Amlogic S928X SoC is manufactured in 22 nm. A chip that has a low power consumption, the cooling system works acceptably and low temperatures in normal use as we have seen.

• Thermal: Min. 52ºC / In use 62ºC / Max. 69ºC / Performance up to 90% / 0db noise.
• Consumption: Off 0.9W / Min. 2.6W / In use 3.6W / Max. 5.3W.

Games and emulators

In the gaming aspect we can enjoy simple titles with its hardware. But we can also use cloud gaming services like NVIDIA GForce Now or with our home Sunshine server using Moonlight as a client. In the emulators section we can get at most run some Wii and PS2 titles. But we will not have problems with 2D games of classic consoles with emulators like Retroarch or from KODI, the EmuELEC system can not be run, as it is not compatible.

• Games: Simple 3D games / YES supports Vulkan / Emulators up to Wii/PS2.
• Controls: We can use USB or Bluetooth Gamepads.

Video and Audio Test

Playback test

As for video playback, the MINIX NEO U8K-ULTRA has a VPU that works well with all types of codecs such as h.265, VP9 or AV1 up to a native resolution of 8K@60fps. We have support for HDR or Dolby Vision video and sound of all kinds including Dolby Atmos. Perfect hardware for using KODI or PLEX. We also have AI enhancements for scaling and image quality, we have the settings in the MINIX menu with different options. The automatic refresh change is pending a new firmware and screen sharing with Miracast does not work well.

• Video: 8K@60fps / HDMI-CEC / Refresh Rate (pending) / Dolby Vision
• Audio: HDMI and SPDIF / Dolby Atmos
• Linux OS: NOT compatible with CoreELEC OS.
• Tutorials: Install add-on in KODI / Judder, how to fix it / Multi-channel audio / Dark video playback fix
• We recommend reading the Setup Guide of our TV to get the best picture quality.

In this box we can install CoreELEC in a very simple way following our manual, this software is officially supported. It is an ideal option to have one of the best video players. For now it lacks some specific improvements in the Dolby Vision section but we have a refresh rate change for example. The MINIX NEO A3 PRO BLE remote control is compatible with IR or with a compatible Bluetooth USB adapter.

Video and audio test results

• Max Bitrate: 350 Mbps.
• HW = Hardware Acceleration / SW = No Hardware Acceleration.

• Formats: Native = Full Support / Core = 5.1 Only / PCM = Stereo / More info.

Streaming services

We ran several tests on streaming services to check how the most popular services work. This MINIX has Widevine L1 DRM certificate, but it does not have Netflix validation, so we are left with SD quality. If we want to watch Netflix in FullHD quality we can use these modified apps, but that depends on the risk you want to take. In YouTube the results are good with the official app or other alternatives reaching up to 4K with HDR.

• DRM: Google Widevine L1 / Dolby Audio.

Streaming test results

• Multichannel audio only available via HDMI connection in streaming services, via SPDIF stereo only.

Conclusions and Purchase link

Opinion

After testing the MINIX NEO U8K-ULTRA we can say that this is a powerful Android TV-Box. It is a product intended for those looking for more freedom than with an Certified Android TV, but accept certain DRM and firmware limitations that it implies. Also note the inclusion of the MINIX NEO A3 PRO remote control with Bluetooth connectivity, flymouse and full keyboard that simplifies the use of the Android environment.

This box undoubtedly stands out for its aspect in terms of video and audio player, as it has Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos support, in addition to image enhancements by AI with rescaling system and image quality improvement. We must count on the positive point of CoreELEC support that allows us to unlink them from MINIX updates in its Android system, which as we see still needs improvements.

On the other hand we have a high power for games and emulators with the new SoC Amlogic S928X-J. We also have a fast Wifi 6 adapter with Bluetooth 5.2 and a Gigabit Ethernet port.

We can say that the MINIX NEO U8K-ULTRA offers a powerful system, high quality video and audio with multiple use options. If we are looking for something outside the TV-Box certified for streaming, it can be an ideal candidate as a multipurpose media player.

Where to buy the MINIX NEO U8K-ULTRA

Review