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REVIEW: TANIX TX6S an lamentable Box with SoC Allwinner H616

Kim by Kim
02/24/2020
3
TANIX TX6S is a new Android TV-Box model of which we present today his review, a model that has the popular Allwinner H616 SoC, a model that has the new Allwinner H616 SoC, a chip that includes ARM Cortex-A53 CPU cores and as a novelty compared to the Allwinner H6 we have a Mali-G31 MP2 GPU that replaces the previous Mali-450. This Box has several hardware versions that differ in their internal storage, Wifi and RAM but all with the Android 10 OS, a valid product to consume any type of multimedia content. Let’s see in our review how this device behaves and how it defends itself against its rivals.
  • IMPORTANT: To fix this device INSTALL THIS FIRMWARE.
  • TANIX TX6S is available in Amazon, Geekbuying.com ony for $39.99 (37€) for the 4/32GB version with shipping cost included.

TANIX TX6S

Table of Contents

  • PRODUCT DETAILS
    • Unboxing TANIX TX6S
    • Description
  • SYSTEM AND PERFORMANCE
    • Environment and Android system
    • Network, storage, RAM and ports
    • Power and performance
  • VIDEO AND AUDIO TEST
    • Video playback test
    • Streaming services
  • CONCLUSIONS AND BUY LINKS
    • Score
    • Opinion
    • Where to buy
    • Add-ons

PRODUCT DETAILS

TANIX TX6S
SoC: Allwinner H616 Quad Core 4x ARM-A53 @ 1.8GHz (64bit) / GPU Mali-G31 MP2 / 28nm
System: Android 10 (32bit)
Ram, storage and network:
– 4GB RAM DDR3 + 32/64/128GB eMMC / Wifi a/b/g/n Dual + BT 4.1 (SP6330) / Ethernet 10/100 (Review)
– 2GB RAM DDR3 + 16GB eMMC / Wifi b/g/n / NO Bluetooth / Ethernet 10/100
Ports: HDMI 2.0 4K@60fps / Jack AV / 2x USB 2.0 / 1x USB 3.0 / MicroSD / Reset
Extras: IR remote / HDMI cable / Manual / DC 5V 2A adapter
Materials and measures: Plastic / Frontal LED panel / 105 x 105 x 23 mm / 200 gr.

Unboxing TANIX TX6S

The TANIX TX6S comes in a generic cardboard box with a image of the device in the top, inside we found the TV-Box, IR remote, HDMI cable 4K@60fps compatible, Manual and a DC 5V 2A adapter.

tanix tx6s review f01 min

Description

This model TANIX TX6S is made in plastic and has a box design that stands out only for the reliefs on the top. On the front we have an LED display that indicates the time, on the sides and in the back area we have all the connectors in a classic configuration. This model includes a simple IR remote control that allows us to perform basic functions in apps like KODI but is limited for more complex ones.

tanix tx6s review f07 min
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The update button is hidden next to the microSD card, is NOT the back hole. On the motherboard we can see the Wifi a/b/g/n Dual Band + Bluetooth 4.1 (SP6330) chip little known and has one internal Wi-Fi antenna, the 2GB model only mounts Wifi b/g/n without Bluetooth. The cooling system is simple, an aluminum heatsink attached to the SoC that as we will see fulfills its function.

  • Remote Control: Basic IR Remote with copy keys/ NO microphone / We can choose other alternatives.
  • Alternate control: Does not have its own control app / We can try Cetusplay in our smartphone.
tanix tx6s review f05a min
tanix tx6s review f06 min

SYSTEM AND PERFORMANCE

Environment and Android system

We connect the TANIX TX6S that starts automatically, we get to the ALICE UX launcher that Tanix usually installs, it is valid for use with the default controller and has a lower row that we can customize with the icons of the apps we want. In the installed apps Miracast and TVCenter stand out, which is a version of KODI full of movie and series addons. The performance of Android 10 is quite poor since as we will see the processor is limited in speed. In addition, we find the unpleasant surprise that Google Play for Android TV has been installed, which reduces the amount of apps we can install. To fix the factory problems INSTALL THIS FIRMWARE.

If we are going to play and make intensive use of this model we recommend buying the variant with 4GB of RAM, if we want to adjust our budget and we are only going to use it as a media player we may have enough with the 2GB model.

  • Launcher: As an alternative we have Pixel launcher to use mouse or Ugoos for IR control / Android UI rendering at 1080p.
  • Multitasking and access: Multitasking NOT available / NO lower or upper Android bar.
  • Languages and Google Play: All the international Android classics / Google Play for Android TV installed.
tanix tx6s h616 review t01 min
tanix tx6s h616 review t02 min
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tanix tx6s h616 review t04 min
  • On/Off Controls: If we keep press the power button we have reset and power off option / Configurable in settings.
  • System version and root: Android 10 (32 bit) / YES root by default / NO root menu / Build 2020-02-15 / Model TX6S.
  • Support: Tanix have a site with some firmware / Firmware available / Custom firmware not available yet.
tanix tx6s h616 review t07 min
tanix tx6s h616 review t08 min
tanix tx6s h616 review t09 min
tanix tx6s h616 review t10 min

Network, storage, RAM and ports

This new Android TV-Box TANIX TX6S has eMMC memory for internal storage and DDR3 RAM, it has two USB 3.0 port and SD card reader. In the network section it has a wireless adapter Wifi a/b/g/n Dual Band + Bluetooth 4.1 (SP6330) and Ethernet 10/100 port. As we can see in the tests the results are very poor, the wifi does not reach decent speed figures and the adapter never connects good speed in 5G.

  • Storage: Total 32GB  – Free 29GB / NTFS + exFAT compatible / Expandable with a USB or SD external memory.
  • RAM: Total 4GB – Free 3GB / DDR3.
  • Network: Low speed with one external wifi antenna / Range 42dBm, low. / Bluetooth OK.
  • We recommend reading our Tutorial SAMBA on Android networks if we are going to use files from our network PC.
USB 2.0 USB 3.0 microSD SATA
Read / Write 21/17 MB/s 101/37 MB/s 20/19 MB/s –
Tanix TX6S test eng 03 Streaming min
Tanix TX6S test eng 01 Disk min

Power and performance

At the performance level the TANIX TX6S has installed the Allwinner H616 a Quad Core SoC with ARM Cortex-A53 processors and in the graphic section a Mali-G31 MP2 GPU that is in the mid-range. This SoC is manufactured in 28nm, as we have seen the cooling system is basic and the temperatures are high, the processor does NOT scale the speeds correctly and this gives us very low performance. In short: firmware is a disaster. To fix the factory problems INSTALL THIS FIRMWARE.

  • Check our Allwinner H6 SoC Comparison against all SoCs in the sector for more details.
Tanix TX6S test eng 04 3DMark min
Tanix TX6S test eng 05 PCMark min
Tanix TX6S test eng 06 GeekBench min
Tanix TX6S test eng 07 Antutu min
  • CPU performance: Min 500 MHz / Working  1ºC / Max ? MHz
  • Thermals: Min. 49ºC / Working  70ºC / Max. 80ºC / Maintains performance up to 87% / Heat zone on the top / Noise 0db
  • Consumption: Off 0.6W / Min 3W / Working 6.1W / Max. 6.9W
  • Games and emulators: IS possible to play titles such as PUBG with low settings / Emulators up to Wii / NO Vulkan support.
  • Controls: Compatible with Gamepads by cable or bluetooth.
game android test n11 min
game android test n08 min
tanix tx6s h616 review t15 min
tanix tx6s h616 review t14 min

VIDEO AND AUDIO TEST

Video playback test

In the video playback aspect, the TANIX TX6S features the Allwinner H616 SoC that on the one hand has the Allwinner Phoenix 3.0 VE Engine that allows us to decode H.265 / VP9 and on the other hand we have the Smartcolor 3.0 DE Engine that is responsible for controlling HDR modes such as HLG and HDR10, although Dolby Vision is missing. It does not have an app for video quality settings, but the image quality is good. We can use players like KODI or PLEX without the slightest problem, the system comes by default with a version of KODI full of addons that we recommend uninstalling. At the audio level we can play DD and DTS sound up to 5.1 through the HDMI port. Check our Allwinner H6 SoC Comparison against all SoCs to see more details about A/V aspects of this SoC.

  • Video Settings: Image quality settings / RGB and SDR / HDMI-CEC available, see manual / Automatic refresh rate with root + AFRd.
  • Audio Settings: HDMI and SPDIF up to 5.1 audio / Stereo Jack.
  • Media sharing: GoogleCast No* / Miracast YES* / DLNA with BlubblePnP / Airplay YES* / *With Airscreen.
  • LibreELEC: This model is NOT compatible with LibreELEC or CoreELEC.
  • Tutorials: Install add-on in KODI / Judder effect, how to fix it / Multi-channel audio guide / Correct dark video playback in Android.
  • We recommend reading the Setup Guide of our TV to get the best picture quality.
video test review z03 min
video test review z10 min
tanix tx6s h616 review t05 min
tanix tx6s h616 review t04 min

Video results

Formats Result
h.264 / 1080i / 8bit OK
h.264 / 1080p / 4K / 8bit OK
h.264 / 1080p / 10bit (anime) Frameskip (SW)
h.265 / 1080p / 8bit OK
h.265 / 1080p / 10bit (anime) OK
h.265 / 4K@24fps / 8bit OK
h.265 / 4K@60fps / 10bit HDR OK
VP9 P1 / 4K@24fps / 8bit Frameskip
VP9 P2 / 4K@60fps / 10bit HDR Frameskip (SW)
VP9 P2 / 8K@60fps / 10bit HDR Frameskip (SW)
AV1 / 4K@24fps / 10bit Frameskip (SW)
Max. Bitrate 65 Mbps = 8 MB/s.
  • The maximum bitrate depends on the port used to connect or the limitations of SAMBA Networks.
  • SW = does not have hardware acceleration and may have have some frameskip in very heavy files.

Audio test results

Formats DD / DTS 5.1 DD+ / DTS MA DD True / DTS HR DD Atmos / DTS X
HDMI OK / OK Core Core Core*
Optical OK / OK Core Core Core*
  • 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

In our usual tests with streaming services we see how the most popular services work. The TANIX TX6S presents the classic configuration without certifications which limits us in quality in several streaming services, in addition to bringing installed Google Play Services from Android TV also limits us to Android TV apps and gives us problems.

  • DRM: Google Widevine L3
  • Certification: No
  • Tutorials: Change the size of the captions and the mouse pointer on Android / Install Addons in KODI in a simple way
Streaming service Video / Audio Result Manual
Youtube FullHD (1080p) / Stereo OK, problems with 4K. –
Google Play Movies HD (720p) / Stereo OK. –
Netflix SD+ (540p) / Stereo OK, installing the apk with mouse Netflix on Android
HBO – Not working. HBO on Android
Amazon Prime Video – Not working. Amazon Prime video on Android
DAZN – Not working. –
IPTV FullHD (1080p) / Stereo OK –
netflix video test review z02 min
netflix video test review z05 min
tanix tx6s h616 review t12 min
tanix tx6s h616 review t11 min

CONCLUSIONS AND BUY LINKS

Score

TANIX TX6S

0.00
TANIX TX6S
3.7

DESIGN AND CONNECTIVITY

7.0/10

HARDWARE

4.5/10

SYSTEM

1.0/10

SUPPORT

4.0/10

PRICE/QUALITY

2.0/10

Pros

  • Good picture quality
  • Android 10

Cons

  • Very bad firmware
  • Low performance, bad wifi
  • No android bars
  • Hot
  • Problems with VP9 videos

Opinion

As we see in our analysis the TV-Box TANIX TX6S is one of the low-cost models that has given us the worst result in a long time. In this Android TV-Box we have the Allwinner H616 SoC with the classic Cortex-A53 CPU cores and the improved Mali-G31 MP2 GPU but since the speed of the CPU has bad controller and we cannot get all the performance that it should. Video decoding also leaves something to be desired because YouTube in VP9 freezes if we playback videos in 4K.

As for WiFi connectivity, the TANIX TX6S has quite low performance with its Wifi a/b/g/n Dual Band adapter with limited speeds and its 10/100 Ethernet port is not the best to get the most out of our network local. With this model we also have a very basic IR remote, we don’t have Android navigation bars or root selector. The basic cooling system does not work properly to eliminate the heat generated.

In short, the TANIX TX6S is undoubtedly one of the worst TV-Box we have reviewed in a long time, the Tanix brand has done a terrible job with the firmware and does not show any interest in the product. We recommend buying any other model that we mentioned in our buying guide. To fix the factory problems INSTALL THIS FIRMWARE.

Where to buy

  • TANIX TX6S is available in Amazon, Geekbuying.com ony for $39.99 (37€) for the 4/32GB version with shipping cost included.
  • Consult our recommended models to see other alternatives.

Add-ons

  • Logitech K400 keyboard with trackpad control zone.
  • Logitech Basic Keyboard and mouse combo economic and quality.
  • Fly Mouse with keyboard and voice, some with backlight.
  • Fly Mouse with voice, cheap solution with no keyboard.
  • USB 3.0 pendrive to expand internal storage.
  • External hard disk up to 3GB to save media.
  • Bluetooth Gamepad to play games
  • Basic Webcam to do video chat.

tanix tx6s review f07 min

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Michael
Michael

My unit turns itself on at random times. I will try the firmware update to see if it helps.

Reply
Daemon
Daemon

Hi
 
Have you tested last firmware 20200415 ?

Reply
Iker Piérola Durán
Iker Piérola Durán

cometí el error de comprarlo antes de leer esta review.. no compréis este aparato es un autentico desastre .— falla hasta Netflix

Reply
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