REVIEW: UGOOS AM6 a TV-Box with the powerful Amlogic S922X SoC

PRODUCT DETAILS

Description

The UGOOS AM6 TV-Box arrives in a cardboard box with the specifications and the logo on the top, inside we have the TV-Box, remote control, HDMI 2.0 cable, small first step manual, 15V 2A power adapter and two Wifi antennas. The IR command that comes standard is very basic and only serves to launch the most classic apps like YouTube or KODI.

• Remote Control: Only basic IR remote. We can choose other alternatives.
• Voice control: Not available by default, see previous alternatives.
• Alternate control: We can control remotely using the app  Cetusplay / Don’t have its own remote control app.

The UGOOS AM6 has a status LED on the upper part in the letter O and on the perimeter we have all the connectors. It highlights the USB 3.0 port that is new in this SoC, an HDMI 2.1 connector up to 4K@75fps, AV jack, auxiliary audio input jack, SPDIF, 3x USB 2.0, microSD card reader, Gigabit Ethernet and power connector. At the bottom we have the update button in case it is necessary to recover it and maskrom function.

• Materials and measures: Metal / 115 x 115 x 25 / 229 gr.
• Leds and panel: Upper LED.

If we open the TV-Box we can see the chip Wifi ac 2×2 MIMO + Bluetooth 5.0 (AP6398S) a quite powerful model, as support we have two external antennas. The cooling system consists of a large metal heatsink attached to the SoC and other components, and the metal case helps to dissipate temperatures.

SYSTEM AND PERFORMANCE

Environment and Android system

We connect the UGOOS AM6 to the current, it boots automatically with an animation and the upper LED lights up. The system installed by default is Android 9, as we can see the system does not have any type of modification or adornment with respect to the native version and we have, yes, with upper and lower navigation bars that we can configure. The performance is good and the system moves fast thanks to the hardware set controlled by the Amlogic S922X Hexa core SoC.

• Launcher: Android 9 Pie Launcher / YES we can change launcher but only Pixel launcher works 100% / Android UI rendering at 1080p.
• Multitasking and access: YES lower nav bar and notification area / Multitasking available in remote icon.
• Installed apps: Google play, Media center, Youtube, Media center, Music, Chrome y Total commander.
• Languages: All the international Android classics.
• On/Off Controls: If we keep press the power button we have reset, sleep and power off option / Not configurable in settings.

The Ugoos UGOOS AM6 system has several interesting special functions, among them we highlight the Firefly own remote control app although in our Android 9 mobile the app closes. We also have a system to map the blue keys of the remote control with special functions, we also have a mapping app for gamepad buttons and a system of file servers type SAMBA, NFS and CIFS.

We check the system data within the Android settings and through analysis software, we can see the details of the system installed by default, in this case in Android 9 Pie with support only for 32bit apps. The system is not rooted by default but it has a root selector to activate it, we also have a user scripts launcher, debug and very complete hardware monitor. We have OTA updates that correct some bugs detected as soon as you turn it on.

• System version: Android 9 Pie (32 bit) / Kernel 4.9.113 / Build 2019-08-05 / Reference AM6.
• App store: Google Play with all the apps available for the Android system.
• Settings and root: Lateral Android settings + X2 Settings / The system IS NOT root by default / YES menu to control it in settings.
• Support: Ugoos have website but not reference about this model / Firmware available / Custom firmware ATV available

Network, storage, RAM and ports

In the TV-Box UGOOS AM6 we have integrated eMMC memory as internal storage, USB 3.0 ports and SD card reader. In the network section we have a Wifi ac 2×2 MIMO + Bluetooth 5.0 (AP6398S) and Ethernet Gigabit port. The performance of the Wifi chip is very good and we also have a good reception.

• Storage: Total 16GB – Free 11GB eMMC / NTFS + exFAT compatible / YES expandable with USB or SD to expand
• RAM: Total 2GB – Free 1GB / LPDDR4
• Network: OK 5G speed with two external wifi antenna / Range 32 dBm, correct. / Bluetooth ok.
• We recommend reading our Tutorial SAMBA on Android networks if we are going to use files from our network PC.

Power and performance

At the power level the UGOOS AM6 has excellent results, we have the maximum performance of the new Amlogic S922X Hexa Core SoC with 4x ARM Cortex-A73 + 2x A-53 processors and a Mali-G52 MP6 GPU. This new SoC is manufactured in 12nm keeps consumption and temperatures at a good level thanks to its efficiency, speeds. The processor works reaches 2.2GHz and as governor we have interactive which is conservative.

This new SoC made in 12nm offers us good efficiency and temperatures do not reach a worrying figure at any time. In normal use it behaves perfectly although in long periods of use it does have micro drops.

• Consumption: Off 0.7W / Standby  1.9W / Basic use 3W / Maximum 3.9W
• Thermals: Minimum 43ºC / Maximum 60ºC / Maintains performance up to 91% / Heat zone on the top / Noise 0db

We pass our performance tests with which we can see how the Amlogic S922X SoC in this model has very good results in the SOCs, it seems that the system is well tuned and far exceeds the Beelink GT-king riding the same SoC. At the CPU level it is very close to the Nvidia Tegra X1 but below at the GPU level.

This model IS compatible with PUBG since its GPU has OpenGL ES 3.1 support necessary for this demanding title. A valid SoC to run games and emulators at a high level without reaching the top of details.

• Games and emulators: IS possible to play demanding titles such as PUBG / Emulators up to Wii / NO Vulkan support.
• Controls: Compatible with Gamepads by cable or bluetooth.

VIDEO AND AUDIO TEST

Video playback test

Regarding the video playback section, the UGOOS AM6 has the S9522X SoC and a Advanced Video Engine Gen10 compatible with most modern video formats such as h.265 and VP9 with native 4K resolution support. In this TV-Box we can use players like MX Player or install KODI from Google Play without the slightest problem. We have HDR controls and Dolby vision mode, support HDMI-CEC and we also have automatic refresh that seems to work well by activating the AFR media codec mode.

• Settings and HDMI-CEC: NO image quality settings / RGB modes available, no SDR / HDMI-CEC available
• Automatic refresh rate change: Yes integrated in settings
• Media sharing: Chromecast NO / Miracast NO / DLNA with BlubblePnP / Airplay NO.
• LibreELEC: This model can be compatible with LibreELEC.
• Tutorials: Judder effect and how to avoid it / Multi-channel audio guide / Correct dark screen when playing video on Android.

We perform several multimedia playback tests with the UGOOS AM6 and verify that it works perfectly, the Amlogic S922X SoC, which has video output support for HDMI 2.1 that theoretically allows maximum resolution up to 4K@75fps with HDR information up to Dolby Vision, Advanced HDR10 formats , HDR10 +, HLG, PRIME HDR and support for REC709 / BT2020 profiles.

• Ports:HEVC 10 bit HDR OK / VP9 P2 cOK / 8K not compatible / 1080i frame slips.
• Max. bitrate: 60 Mbps = 7,5 MB/s.
• Tutorials: Install Addons in KODI in a simple way / LibreELEC installation guide for the TV-Boxes with Android

Video results

• The maximum bitrate depends on the port used to connect or the limitations of SAMBA Networks.

Audio playback test

For testing the audio in the UGOOS AM6 we use a Yamaha 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 to listen the 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 / Stereo Jack
• Passthrough and certification: Available in settings / NO official certificates / NO Chromecast audio.
• Tutorial:  Multi channel audio configuration in Android devices

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

In our classic tests with the streaming services we see how the most popular services work. The UGOOS AM6 presents the classic configuration without certificates that limits us in quality in several streaming services, luckily it seems that if it is compatible with most services even if they are in their most basic SD quality

• DRM: Google Widevine L3
• Certification: No
• Tutorial: Change the size of the captions and the mouse pointer on Android / Install Addons in KODI in a simple way

CONCLUSIONS

Score

Opinion

The UGOOS AM6 TV-Box is possibly one of the most powerful models we have tried in a long time, the performance that brings the Amlogic S922X Hexa Core SoC is excellent. This model, like others of the Ugoos brand, offers us a very worked firmware with quite interesting options such as auto refresh rate and root selector. At the network level, the Wifi aC Dual Band adapter is well defended thanks to its external antenna and we also have a Gigabit Ethernet port to get the most out of our network cabling. In the firmware we have settings for file servers so we can use it to access our files from other devices in our home.

Integrated in the UGOOS AM6 we have 2GB of LPDDR4 RAM, a pity that we do not have a model with 4GB of RAM because we would get even more performance in games for example. This TV-Box has the latest Android 9 system that allows us to control in a basic way with the included IR control, a too basic control perhaps. A device that behaves well as a video player, for example with KODI. In this TV-Box we can enjoy powerful games such as PUBG without problems thanks to its metal box and heat sink system.

This model has a high power and very tuned firmware, it is unfortunate that it does not have a version with 4GB of available RAM and has a basic tan command. Check our recommended TV BOX to see other alternatives. Consult our recommended models to see other alternatives.

WHERE TO BUY AND ADD-ONS

Add-ons

UGOOS AM6

0.00

8.8

DESIGN AND CONNECTIVITY

9.2/10

HARDWARE

9.5/10

SOFTWARE

9.0/10

SUPPORT

9.0/10

PRICE

7.5/10

Pros

• Can get the max of the S922X
• Multiple connectors
• Good Wifi performance
• Metal box with good thermals
• Good firmware with options

Cons

• Basic IR remote
• Only version with 2GB of RAM