REVIEW: Eachlink H6 Mini with Allwinner H6 SoC and 3GB of RAM

PRODUCT DETAILS

Description

The TV-Box Eachlink H6 Mini is a fairly conventional model with a square plastic box rather small, at the top we have the logo of the device and a bright stripes.

• Materials and measures: Plastic / 3.7 x 3.7 x 0.8 inch (96 x 96 x 20 mm) / 4.2 oz (120 gr)
• Package contents: Manual / Adapter DC 5V 2A / HDMI cable / IR remote control (2x AAA batteries not included).
• Interfaces: HDMI 2.0a 4K@60fps / AV Jack / SPDIF Jack / Audio Jack / 1x USB 2.0 / 1x USB 3.0 / MicroSD / MicroUSB / Reset hole
• Leds and panel: Frontal led panel (can’t be turn off)
• Remote control: Basic IR control with quick access keys.
• Alternative remote control: We can control remotely from our mobile or Android TV-Box using the app  Cetusplay or connect a flymouse, mouse or keyboard.

On the sides we have the thickness of the connectors, we have a USB 3.0 port, another USB 2.0, hole for reset, AV jack, SPDIF jack, microUSB connector, 10/100 Ethernet port, HDMI 2.0 compatible video output 4K@60fps HDR and microSD slot. In the lower part we have four rubber feet and holes to hang it.

ANDROID SYSTEM

Environment and user experience

We turn on the Eachlink H6 Mini by connecting it to the power socket, it boots up automatically and the led frontal panel brights. After a simple input animation we get to the default launcher based on the classic squares, we can only customize the main categories, the lower bar fills itself with the latest apps that we run. The system moves correctly and loads the apps quickly, we have detected some closing messages on Google Play.

• Launcher: Basic Launcher / YES we can change launcher / Android UI rendering at 1080p.
• Multitasking and access: Multitasking not available directly / No lower access bar and notification area.
• Installed apps: Google play, Netflix, several streaming apps, Miracast and Youtube.
• Languages: All the international Android classics.
• On/Off Controls: Pressing the power off button brings up a Restart or Shutdown menu.

System, support and store apps

Regarding the settings the Eachlink H6 Mini It has a single menu of settings that has the classic design of Android. 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 are not the last.

• System version: Android 7.0 (32 bit) / Kernel 3.16.65 (08-11-2018).
• App store: Google Play with all the apps available for the Android system.
• Brand support: This model does not have brand support, we will publish the firmwares that we find on the network.
• Root and scene: The system IS rooted / There are no custom firmwares for this TV-Box / NOT compatible with LibreELEC.

HARDWARE TESTS

Storage and RAM Memory

We perform our usual memory tests and internal storage in the Eachlink H6 Mini using the SD bench app. As we can see in the tests, the internal storage speed is good, which makes the system show fast. 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.

• Storage: Total 32GB – Free 24GB. / Is expandable with a USB memory stick
• RAM: Total 3GB – Free 2GB / DDR4.
• Compatible formats: NTFS compatible / exFAT compatible

WIFI and Bluetooth

In Wi-Fi connections, the Eachlink H6 Mini TV-Box has a Wifi b/g/n 2.4GHz without Bluetooth 4.0 with which we connect to 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.

• Wifi speed results: Correct speed for this wifi adapter, quite stable.
• Wifi range: At a distance of 5 meters with a wall we have a signal of 40 dBm, correct values.
• Bluetooth: We can connect compatible devices without problems.
• We recommend reading our Tutorial SAMBA on Android networks if we are going to use files from our network PC.

Power consumption, temperature and noise

The power consumption of the Android TV Eachlink H6 Mini using the Allwinner H6 SoC it has the correct results in terms of efficiency. This Allwinner SoC only has a maximum consumption of only 7W.

We check the performance of the TV-Box in scenarios of maximum sustained performance and in its usual use, we use a stress app for fifteen minutes and thermal camera to detect hot areas. As we have seen the Eachlink H6 Mini has few ventilation slots but the heat dissipation system works fine.

• Loss of performance: The system maintains a maximum constant performance, there is very little loss of performance.
• Temperature: The upper part heats up a little but does not affect the general use of the TV-Box.
• Noise: Fanless system, 0db.

PERFORMANCE TEST

SOC

In terms of power Eachlink H6 Mini has very good results and leaves the Allwinner H6 Quad Core with processors ARM Cortex-A53 and GPU Mali-T720 MP2 in a zone of quite good performance. If we compare the results we can almost equal to the most powerful S912 Amlogic SoC from the last generation. In general performance it is below that of powerful models like the Rockchip RK3399 that integrates the powerful ARM Cortex-A73 cores, in global terms a correct product by its price. SoC

Benchmarks

Games and gamepads

In the gaming aspect the Eachlink H6 Mini have the Allwinner H6 SoC that integrates a Mali-450MP5 GPU, this model allows us to correctly move most Android titles without performance problems and good compatibility. The games with a high 3D load also move quite well and this GPU allows us to play them correctly in low or medium settings.

• Compatibility: IS possible to play demanding titles such as PUBG with a little frameskip.
• Controls: Compatible with Gamepads by cable or bluetooth.

VIDEO AND AUDIO TEST

Video and audio connections

Regarding the multimedia playback the Eachlink H6 Mini behaves perfectly using the Allwinner H6 SoC a product that has video output support for HDMI 2.0a that allows maximum resolution up to 4K@60fps with HDR information. We also have SPDIF audio jack output, AV jack and stereo audio jack.

In this SoC we verify that we have image quality settings with brightness, contrast and saturation, we also have several preconfigured quality and image modes. To modify these settings we must change them in the native player and the effects will be applied to all players either MX Player or KODI.

• Automatic refresh rate change: Not available, the settings exist but it does not work. *
• Audio passthrough: Available in audio settings. *
• Image adjustments: Image quality settings available / RGB mode / HDR <> SDR modes. *
• Media sharing: Chromecast NO / Miracast yes / DLNA with BlubblePnP / Airplay no.
• HDMI CEC: NO available in settings.
• * Tutorials: Judder effect and how to avoid it / Multi-channel audio guide / Correct dark screen when playing video on Android.

Video playback test

We passed our video playback tests on the Eachlink H6 Mini, a device that has the Allwinner H6 SoC and a VPU compatible with most video formats, in the VP9 formats the native player behaves much better than MX Player or KODI , we recommend using them as the main system. This model is NOT compatible with LibreELEC.

As the engine in the VPU we have the so-called Allwinner Phoenix 3.0 VE Engine a specific hardware that allows us to decode H.265 and VP9 up to 4K@60fps natively and on the other hand we have the Smartcolor 3.0 DE Engine that is responsible for controlling the HDR modes like HLG and HDR10, although it does not support Dolby Vision.

• Compatibility: HEVC with good performance at 10 bit color or HDR / VP9 correct with P2, not compatible with 8K
• Tutorials: Install Addons in KODI in a simple way / LibreELEC installation guide for the TV-Boxes with Android

Test results

• * The maximum bitrate depends on the internal storage, usb port, Ethernet adapter or wifi used, we have used the fastest available, see Hardware tests section of this same review to have more information and have consider the limitations of SAMBA Networks.

Audio playback test

Testing the Eachlink H6 Mini using a Yamaha RXV-577 AV receiver we check that they supports DD and DTS pass through sound. We can only listen to the multi-channel audio up to 5.1, if we do not have an AV receiver and we have problems to listen to files with AC3 or multichannel sound we must configure the system to listen to configure the system to listen to multichannel AC3 videos in stereo on any TV.

• Ports: HDMI up to 5.1 / Optical output SPDIF up to 5.1 / Stereo audio jack
• Certification: No
• Chomecast Audio: No

Audio test results

• PCM – Stereo only doing downmix from DD or DTS
• Core – Only the core of the format is played back with what we passed to the Dolby / DTS base system
  * Our AV receiver does not support these native formats but we verify that it is played back to 7.1

Streaming services

We pass the classic tests on streaming services to see how the most popular services work. In this model does not have certificates for these services. The Eachlink H6 Mini model presents the classic configuration without certificates that limits us in quality in several streaming services, as it does not have notification bars, it also presents some classic problem of this type of configuration.

• DRM: Google Widevine L3
• Certification: No

CONCLUSIONS

Score

Opinion

As we have test the Eachlink H6 Mini offers us a peculiar device, we have a TV-Box with Allwinner H6 SoC that brings us interesting improvements in several aspects. In this model we have a USB 3.0 connector and an interesting video decoding hardware that gives us good image quality using the native player. We have also been surprised by the speed of internal storage that is noticeable when using the system, the 3GB of DDR4 RAM is also appreciated.

The Eachlink H6 Mini as we see has a pretty basic firmware that has some stability failures as we have seen for example with the closing messages of Google Play. In this firmware we do not find navigation bars or notifications area which limits the use of the system in several apps or for example with multitasking. In general we are facing a device that stands out for its price and for some special video function but that is not very elaborate.

WHERE TO BUY AND ADD-ONS

Add-ons

Eachlink H6 Mini _

5.8

DESIGN AND CONNECTIVITY

6.0/10

HARDWARE

6.5/10

AUTONOMY

5.5/10

SUPPORT

4.0/10

PRICE/QUALITY

7.0/10

Pros

• Compact
• Multiple connections
• USB 3.0
• Playback video quality
• Correct thermals

Cons

• No support
• Firmware can be better, no bars