REVIEW: Alfawise X 3200 a new HD projector with Amlogic S905X SoC

Thanks to the collaboration of the Gearbest store today we present in analysis of the new Android projector Alfawise X 3200, a model that has a fairly tight price and interesting specifications as we will see. Within this projector we also have an Android board that allows us to use this system as if it were a TV-Box. A projector with quite large dimensions and a giant optic that gives a correct image quality, thanks to the integrated Android system we can use it as a multimedia center directly although as we will see the hardware in this facet is not very spectacular. Without more we will see how this smart projector is defended in our classic detailed review.

SPECIFICATIONS

CONTENT DESCRIPTION

Package content

The Alfawise X 3200 projector is presented in a cardboard box with the logo without any ornament but well protected between two pieces of cork. Inside the box we find the large projector, an IR remote control that is essential for use, AV cable, power cable, manual, fasteners for fixing to support, two fuses, screw to tilt the projector and a cover for the lens.

Product Details

As we see the small box of the Alfawise X 3200 is made of plastic and have bright bands, on the front we have a small display that tells us the hour and an IR receiver hidden behind the black plastic.

The optics is covered with a piece of rubber that can be removed, in the central area we can see some ventilation holes, in this corner we have one of the two IR receivers.

At the top we have the system control button that allows us to turn on, move through the system menu, enter the main options, change the video input and we have another IR receiver if we hang the projector.

In one of the Alfawise X 3200 sides we have the air intake of the internal fan and in that area we have a trapdoor that integrates a dust filter that we can disassemble and clean easily.

On the opposite side we have an integrated speaker that has a fairly metallic but strong sound compared to other speakers that we have seen in products of this price range.

At the bottom of the Alfawise X 3200 we have four rubber feet so that the projector does not slide if we put it on a flat surface, in the front area we can see a thread for the inclination screw that is included.

If we remove the rubber caps of the four legs we find inserted threads that allow us to hang the projector from the ceiling, the measurements do not fit with a normal VESA support since they are 9.8 x 6.7 inches, so we will have to make some invention.

CONNECTING THE DEVICE

Connection and desktops

We connect the Alfawise X 3200, to start it there is to press the power button of the projector or of the remote control. The default launcher is the classic based on squares, we have browser access, settings and different subcategories. In the lower part we have a row where we can add optional shortcuts with our apps. We can change the default launcher without problems, the resolution of the 1080p system and it shows in the clarity of the texts. As we have checked, we DO NOT have a navigation bar and notification bar that is annoying to use the system 100%.

• Boot time: 19 seconds

In the installed applications by default we found the classics ones, we have Happycast that allows us to share the screen of our mobile, Mriacast, Browser, File browser, Youtube, Play Store and BSPlayer.

Within the language settings we have all the classic Android languages, we can change to another language without problems.

User Experience

At the user level the Alfawise X 3200 projector is quite annoying due to the slowness of its internal memory of only 8 GB, the Amlogic S905X processor is not a problem because we already know it in other devices and it works correctly for a normal use but in this model we have app closing messages because it takes a long time to react, it is recommended to start it and leave it for a while to load so that the speed of access to the eMMC is not blocked. The RAM with only 1 GB does not help and you can see that we can not load many apps in a fluid way, in general is an Android system only for a very basic use as a multimedia player and casual gaming.

Android Settings

Installed in the Alfawise X 3200 we have two different types of adjustments, first some simple ones made in squares with the basic system settings that are shown in a simple way.

If we click on More Settings we get to the Classic Settings of Android we have some options more than in the previous settings but they are quite limited and it seems that some menus have been cut that would have allowed us to fine-tune the system.

Android System

In the Alfawise X 3200 we have Android 6.0.1 installed, a system with some time already but that still holds up well. The kernel as we see is specifically version 3.14.29 and the compilation has a date of 2017-12-11, with this version we have made the review that you can read on the following pages.

Brand Support

In the Alfawise X 3200 we will not have any support for the Android system, for now we do not have a firmware available to recover the system and it is not expected. In general, a product that will not have short or long term support.

Storage and RAM

By default the Alfawise X 3200 includes 8 GB of eMMc storage memory, from this storage memory we have actually available about 4 GB, a number that limits us to install heavy games. As a device with AMLogic SoC this has a single partition in the storage memory which facilitates the management of our files.

As we have check we also have 1 GB of DDR3 RAM and 300 MB that are free after a long navigation through the system, a scarce value that today that limits us to a basic use of this model..

We check the memory and internal storage testing the hardware that is integrated in this device, we used the SD bench app as usual. The results of the Alfawise X 3200 give us low values and slows the entire system.

Consumption and temperatures

The power consumption aspect in the Alfawise X 3200 with the S905X SoC shows results within the range of other devices, even putting the SoC to the brim with games with 3D graphics only 151 W peak are reached in consumption. The temperature of the box is correct and we have not noticed any loss of performance when executing heavy-duty applications. A fairly high consumption compared to other DLP projectors, this point has to be taken into account.

At acoustic level according to specifications the system has a maximum noise of 28 db but as we have been able to check we reached 57.7 db, a noise that is quite noticeable but which is normal in this type of products, is not particularly noisy.

Google Play and Amazon App Store

We use Google play and we observe that we do not have compatibility problems. With the Amazon App Store equal result, no problem noticeable with this new projector.

Root

The firmware of the Alfawise X 3200 by default comes without root something that helps in the use of some streaming apps that are blocked when detecting this type of changes in the system.

Power Off / Standby / Power On

If we press the power button of the IR remote control or in the Alfawise X 3200 projector it goes off immediately, to turn it on again you have to use these same buttons. In the Android settings we have some shutdown options but they are totally useless.

TEST BENCH

Video and audio connections.

Integrated into the Alfawise X 3200, we have the Amlogic S905X SoC, a product that supports video output for HDMI 2.0a but which is limited to a maximum resolution of projector in this case. We do not have image quality control for brightness, contrast or saturation.. We can change the size of the mouse pointer and the captions aspect of several streaming services following our guide.

In this system there is an automatic refresh option but it has not worked, the resolution of the screen is not changed even if we put a video at 24p, something that would be interesting since it avoids us to play content with the annoying Judder effect.

Within the system settings we also have the option of activating the HDR mode in order to correctly reproduce the files that contain this type of information.

DLNA  Airplay and Miracast

Installed in the Alfawise X 3200 we can share the screen using the HapyCast and Miracast apps and we have NO problem using a Smartphone LG G6, as we know this type of connections depends on many factors, with this app we can use Miracast and AirPlay. With HappyCast we can also do AirPlay.

Using the app MediaCenter we can access the multimedia content that we have in our device easily using an app like BubbleUPnP from an Android mobile or from a PC with Windows file explorer.

Webcam

We test the system for videoconferencing with the Alfawise X 3200, we install Skype and we can do a video conference without any notable problems using a simple webcam Logitech C170, a model very compatible with Android.

NETWORK CONNECTIONS

Wi-Fi and Ethernet

Installed in the Alfawise X 3200 we have a b/g/n Wireless Wi-Fi Adapter with which we have connected with an ASUS RT-AC1200G+ Router, a mid range device. We transferred files over a SAMBA network connected through 2.4 Ghz Wi-Fi and achieved a speed of about 23 mbps. A pretty low results although they are not uncommon in this adapter.

We also ran tests on the network adapters for streaming using the iPerf measurement tool with which we have the maximum connection speed in each type of network. With this figure we have how far we can reach using the available connections, the final performance will depend on our internet provider, the contracted speed, the distance of our Wi-Fi network and other factors. The results are quite limited as we are seeing, but it is enough for many cases.

During the Wi-Fi coverage tests with the device located at a distance of about 16 ft as always and with a wall in between we verified that we have connection without cuts, the signal reaches a level of about 28 dBm a very good result that gives good stability.

Bluetooth

The Alfawise X 3200 has a Bluetooth 4.0 adapter that works normally and we have been able to connect compatible devices without much inconvenience.

CONTROL SYSTEMS
Remote control

By default with the Alfawise X 3200 we have a basic IR remote control that is powered by two AAA batteries, curiously we lack access to the Android home screen and we have to always use the key to go back. In this command we have many important shortcut keys for the projector function, zoom settings, format change, image pause, audio and video input change, DTV mode (analog), color adjustments and turn off Botton.

Within the HDMI settings menus we also have the possibility to activate HDMI CEC to be able to use the control of our TV with the TV-Box itself, but is usseless in this case.

Remote control app

To remote control the Alfawise X 3200 we can use the Amlogic remote control app. As alternative we can use CetusPlay to control it from our mobile or tablet, we only need to install the server in our TV-Box and the client app in or desired device.

Gamepad and games

We can control games on the Alfawise X 3200 connecting a Xbox 360 Gamepad and the device recognizes it without problems, it also works correctly the Xiaomi Bluetooth Gamepad. We can use them in games with this type of support, in general we will not have problems with conventional PC controls. As for power the Mali-450MP GPU that is incorporated in this Amlogic S905X SoC runs any Android game without problems but in this projector only with 1GB of RAM we are very limited.

PERFORMANCE TEST

SOC

As engine in the Alfawise X 3200 we have the Amlogic S905X SoC that includes four 64-bit ARM Cortex-A53 processors and a Mali-450mp GPU. A fairly simple SoC that works between 100 MHz and 1.51 GHz (although it theoretically reaches 2 GHz) depending on the performance needs of the system. This SoC incorporates hardware decoding support for the H.265 video codec, 10-bit H.265 and is capable to work with video signal at 4K@60fps. In our performance tests as we can see we have low figures because the performance is hindered by the slow internal memory and by having only 1GB of RAM.

Benchmarks

Antutu

With this famous test we get an idea of the general performance of the device and we can compare it with others. Since this tests changes a lot of scale we can not use it in our graphics.

Geekbench 4

A new benchmark in SoC testing that offers fairly reliable numbers of CPU’s working in a single core or multiple cores ate the same time, it also has a section of GPU computing that gives us an overall result of the processing capacity.

3Dmark

The graphical performance test par excellence with a fairly solid continuity in the results which helps us to compare the performance of GPU’s historically.

PCMark

This benchmark tests the device in various scenarios of image processing, web browsing and other everyday uses of our device, the results are useful to check if you defend well in these areas.

VIDEO AND AUDIO TEST

Video format test

Within the tests of video playback in the Alfawise X 3200 we pass our classic tests using the Amlogic S905X SoC with several types of files that gives us positive results in general. In this model it is possible to reproduce the most common files without major problems at native resolution in a fluid way. We can watch videos at resolutions at 1080P@60fps or also in 4K@60fps format encoded with the h.265 codec, this SoC also supports HDR modes and 10 bit color files an option that seems to work in the native player and in KODI without problems.

• This model is compatible with LibreELEC as we have checked using our LibreELEC a quick installation guide.

Test results

• The MKV, Blu-ray ISO and BDRemux formats are only containers, inside we can have different codecs, resolutions, audio channels, chapters or subtitles. To play the Blu-ray format menus we need KODI or a compatible program.

Audio format test

In the Alfawise X 3200 we only have stereo audio output since in the area of connectors we do not have another type of output, it is necessary to configure an audio player correctly for multi channel files.

• We have sound from the internal speaker of the projector and from the rear audio connectors at the same time, there is no way to define only one audio output, we have the same signal for all the peripherals that we connect or from Android.

Test results

• PCM – Stereo downmix from DD or DTS
• Core – Only the core of the format Dolby / DTS is played
• * Our AV receiver does not support these native formats but we check that it does downmix fine

WEB NAVIGATION AND STREAMING

Navigation

We performed several performance tests on the Alfawise X 3200 using the serial browser and found that it suffers a lot, is limited because only have 1 GB of DDR3 RAM. The content that is reproduced in HTML5 does not have major problems but to load them we have to wait forever for the memory limitation.

• NOTE: We remind that these TV-Box do not have official support for these streaming apps, the compatibility with these services can vary depends of any new limitations imposed for this companies. The tests are perform with the indicated firmware and the version of the streaming app at the date of the review.

DRM

If we check the DRM certificates needed for some paid Streaming apps we have Google Widevine L3 that gives us access to Google Video content, as a novelty we see that we have CENC ClearKey.

Youtube and streaming apps

In this system we installed some of the most common Streaming apps to watch TV online that we downloaded from the Play Store, we don’t have problems. This TV-Box can play Youtube up to 1080p without any problems with the version installed from Google Play.

Streaming services with subscription

We do our battery test as usual on the most popular streaming services to verified if can work correctly, the power of this device is more than enough to see any type of content on this services, although as we know we are limited on the streaming quality for the restrictions of each company.

• You can consult our guides where we explain in detail all the most known streaming services, what are their limitations in each platform and how to configure them to see content in HD or 4K quality if possible.
• Guide for Netflix on Android, inside you can found a solution for Error 0013 and installation method on rooted devices
• Guide for Amazon Prime video on Android

Projector

Specifications

As we see in the specifications of the Alfawise X 3200 we have an LCD projector, with LED focus that according to its specifications has 3200 Lumens, contrast 3000:1, its optics having a native resolution of 1280×800 pixels, manual focus and the screen size can go from 32 to 200 inches with a projection range of between 5.2 and 20 ft. In the front of the projector we have the lens, an IR receiver and two wheels that allow us to manually adjust the screen trapezoidally and its focus, some pretty primitive wheels that move in a rudimentary way.

General settings

Pressing on the menu button of the control we arrive at the Alfawise X 3200 projector settings where we have several options to manage the projector, in the first Picture screen we have the image mode settings with brightness, contrast, color and detail. In the color adjustment we have different temperatures and manual mode, we also have adjustment of screen format, noise reduction, screen, rotation of screen to hang the projector with the image upside down and digital zoom mode.

With the Sound option we have different equalization modes for the single loudspeaker that integrates the projector on one side, adjusting the audio balance and surround mode to adjust the bass.

In the Timer menu we have a timer for the system to turn off within a certain period of time.

In the Option menu we can change the menu language, restore the factory settings, transparency of the menus, duration of the on-screen menu time and mode to update the projector’s software via USB.

We also have a Channel section for the TV tuner that integrates but as we have seen it is an analog tuner something totally out of date today but still remains in some regions, in ours not with what we have not been able to test it.

Playback

The image quality of the Alfawise X 3200 is correct for the price it has but compared to the RKM R3 with a much lower consumption does not reach that level of detail and colors. The image in general has a good level of detail for the size of the screen but the colors are not too bright, the uniformity is not excellent and some point of the screen will have some blur, however much we adjust it from the lens controls.

The theoretical power of 3200 Lumens is quite low and when we turn on some not very powerful light we can see how the definition of the image is lost.

If we activate a room lighting quite powerful the result is already directly bad, so as we see is a projector to use with the minimum possible lighting.

On the front we have a wheel that adjusts the manual focus and another for trapezoidal correction, the screen size can go from 32 to 200 inches with a projection range of between 5.2 and 20 ft. In our tests at a distance of 10 ft, the image quality at 111 inches is correct, if we move farther away a certain loss of performance is noticed.

At a distance of more than 20 ft we already noticed that the distance of focus are a little poor but if we can reach 200″ with a basic definition, as we can see the image shows some loss of definition.

If we approach the image we can see the definition of the point, the definition fits with a native resolution of 1280 × 800, when we move away from the center of the lens the image loses definition in some areas.

In the image below we can see how several texts are projected, in general we can read perfectly all the texts that are shown and only in extremely small formats we have a reading problem.

CONCLUSIONS

Opinion

As we have seen in our review, the Alfawise X 3200 has its lights and shadows, it is a product that for the price it has gives us a service we can say is adequate but it could have been better had it not been cut in several aspects. In the section Android the hardware that it is mounted is very short with the internal memory of only 1GB and the extremely slow storage it assembles, in general the experience in this aspect is not positive and almost better connect an external TV-Box or buy the version without Android if we find it.

In the projector aspect the Alfawise X 3200 defends itself within the range it has, stands out in the resolution achieved with a large screen size. On the other hand the light power, uniformity and colors are not his strong point but we can not demand a wonderful performance for what we are paying. In the sound section, the only speaker that is mounted is quite powerful but not of excessive quality. In general, this is a worthy product because of its price, which is basically the main objective of the brand, if we want something with a higher image quality, we will have to think in other options.

• You can compare this device with our Recommended Android TV models

Where to buy

Alfawise X 3200

5.8

DESIGN AND CONNECTIVITY

6.5/10

HARDWARE

6.5/10

SOFTWARE

5.0/10

SUPPORT

4.0/10

PRICE

7.0/10

Pros

• Low cost HD projector
• Loud speaker
• 200" screen
• Multiple input ports
• Dusk filter

Cons

• Low colors and definition
• Deficient Android hardware
• High power consumption