Mecool KM9 TV Box Review
Today I have the review of yet another Amlogic S905X2 TV box the Mecool KM9. In this review I you will see how much improvement in performance the new S905X2 CPU and the Mali G31 GPU over previous S905X and RK3328 Boxes. However, it is still early in the game and I am yet to see a maxed out model running on this new hardware.
KM9 Hardware
The Mecool KM9 runs on the new Amlogic S905X2 CPU and it is clocked at 1.8GHz. The GPU is the new ARM Mali G31 running up to 650Mhz. It comes with 4GB of DDR4 RAM, and 32GB of internal storage. It has Dual band AC 2.4GHz+5.8GHz WiFi and Bluetooth 4.1. It has Ethernrt LAN speed of 1000Mbps, and it comes with an omni directional voice search remote.
IO Ports
Back
- 1 HDMI 2.0
- 1 RJ45 Lan 1000Mbps
- 1 AV port/reset
- 1 DC input
To the side
- 1 USB 2.0
- 1 USB 3.0
- 1 Micro SD Card reader
Operating System & UI
The Mecool KM9 runs on Android TV 8.1 operating system. It does not come with root access, and it comes with Google Widevine level 1, and HDCP encryption. This allows Netflix to show in HD quality. The launcher is Android TV launcher and you can customize all the panes and icons on the launcher and arrange then any order.
Mecool KM9 movie streaming and 4K playback
Android TV is based on delivering the best movie streaming experience. Even though the Mecool KM9 runs on Android TV OS it is not the full version that features Chromecast and certification for Netflix. It doesn’t even come pre-installed with Netflix, you cannot find it on the Android TV OS playstore you have to side-load it. In fact, most of the apps you would normally use on the Full version of Android, is not available on this version so you will have to sideload APK files to access them. I was able to sideload Netflix and Amazon Prime video and they both played in HD quality.
In most of my videos I would use a set of 4K videos to test the 4K video playback capabilities. The Mecool Km9 played most of my 4K samples which are all HEVC 60fps formats. It appears that the MKV format gives this box some rendering issues at 60fps. However lower frame rates like 23.9fps and 25fps in MKV format will play well. Also these 4K videos were played using a USB 3.0 flash-drive, on the USB 3.0 port on the the box for high data read speed.
3D gaming and Bluetooth Controllers
The gaming experience on the Mecool KM9 was way better than I expected. The new Mali G31 GPU is really out performing the previous Mali 450 and the even the T860. Issues with rendering and audio quality that I would normally get on theses GPUs, is non existent on the Mali G31. Paring gamepad controllers, mini touchpad keyboards, and air-mouse was easy.
KM9 Benchmark Scores
- Antutu – 57868
- Geekbench – 696 Single-core/2067 Multi-core
- Ice Storm Extreme – 5235
- RAM Speed – 3456.53MB/s
- ROM Speed – 126.57MB/s read/77.94MB/s write
- WiFi Speed – Max only on 5.8GHz band
Final Thoughts
The Mecool KM9 I think did pretty OK in this review I believe that the the switch to this new hardware is doing really well for benchmark scores and 3D performance. I believe that the firmware still needs some adjustment to handle 4K MKV videos better than what we are seeing right now. I really like how fast and smooth the interface is on this box, a the included voice remote works really well. Something I did not mention in the video is that the front LED power light changes and responds to different things on the box like when you connect to WIFi it changes, if you plugin a flash drive it changes, and when idle it rovers like the light found on the Knight Rider car (Kit) which looks really cool I might add.
Is there a link to locate the correct aptoid app to download the correct compatible Netflix for the mecool km9 media box?
There is only one Aptoide app out there https://en.aptoide.com/
First download Chrome Browser apk onto a flash drive and install it on the box.
Then on the box open chrome browser and search for Aptoide.
Click the install button to download Aptoide onto TV box.
Then click open when the download completes and pops up from the bottom. That’s how you get Aptoide on the box
Can you do a review of the newest mecool – Mecool KM9 Pro ATV S905X2 4GB DDR4 RAM 32GB ROM Android 9.0 5G WIFI bluetooth 4.1 4K Voice Control TV Box Google Certificated – US?
Thanks.
It is already in shipping, so looking out in the up coming days.
Regards
Nick
TV Box Stop
Also can you see if it is built in samba/smb service – I have a lot of files on an external drive which is connected to my Q10 pro and I also like to xfer some from my pc and having the samba service built in to a new box would be so much easier. Plus a root switch and upper/lower android menus? I know you do that for the other boxes so hoping you will for this one.
Thanks.
OK I will try it when it arrives.
Regards
Nick