Khadas VIM2 DIY TV Box Review

Khadas VIM2 DIY Android TV Box Review

Khadas VIM2 Review2

At first glance of the Khadas VIM2 DIY Android 7.1 TV box I was a bit concerned that a device so small could make any great impact as a TV box. However, after looking at the hardware specs I had to get my hands on one and do a full review. So in this review even though the VIM2 has many functions, I focused on my area of interest which is its ability to perform as a high end TV box.

 

The Hardware

The Khadas VIM2 runs on the Amlogic S912 octa core Cortex A53 CPU, running up to 1.5GHz. Its 3D graphics and display is powered by the ARM Mali T820MP3 (tri core) GPU running up 750MHz, with a refresh rate of 60hz. It comes with 3GB of DDR4 RAM, and 64GB of internal storage. It has support for 802.11ac dual band 2.4GHz +5.8GHz WiFi, and Bluetooth 4.1.

The Khadas VIM2 comes with 1 HDMI 2.0a port, 2 USB 2.0 ports, 1 USB type C port, 1 RJ45 Ethernet LAN port, and  1 SD card slot. The box comes with ports for expanding hardware and adding and connecting Khadas modules for more power and functions.

To the top, you have some expansion slots. You have a 40 pin GPIO connector, a cooling fan slot, an RTC battery slot, a detachable WiFi card, a VIN power input connector, and a 10 pin FPC connector.

Khadas VIM2 Hardware

Product Listing

Khadas VIM2 64GB Model

Khadas VIM2 32GB Model

Khadas VIM2 16GB Model

 

The Software

The Khadas VIM2 has support for the following software. Ubuntu 16 and later. Build root Linux software, Docker application builder, an Android 7.1.

The launcher or the user interface is the best you will ever use because it’s replica of the User interface used in regular smartphones and tablets. It also has a navigation bar at the bottom and a status bar at the top of the screen.

The VIM2 runs on a rooted version of Android 7.1.2 Nougat operating system

 

The Benchmarks

Antutu – 42335
Geekbench4 – 513 single-core /  2529 multi-core
3D Mark Ice Storm – 5613
RAM copy speed – 3290 MB/s
Internal Storage speed – 99 MB/s read / 58 MB/s write
SD Card slot speed – 15 MB/s read / 13 MB/s write

User experience

The Khadas VIM2 moves fast and responsive. With full root access, there is no problems downloading apps from the Google play store. The is a little work involved setting up your apps, as the box comes with only core system apps. Streaming free movies and TV show via the Kodi application was a good experience.

The Khadas VIM2 should have come with a Bluetooth air mouse out of the box and it should not be sold separately. Updating the SuperSu application crashes the box so DO NOT Update the SuperSU application.

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