Tanggula X5 – Best Live TV Box 10,000+Channels

Tanggula X5 Live TV Android Box Review

We are currently witnessing the emergence of live TV boxes and the Tanggula X5 is one of the models that standout from the rest. What’s different about this model is that it provides the most live TV channels from various countries (10,000+ and VOD), and you also get a high-end Android box chipset to run it. This is something the competition seen not to get right. They mostly have great live TV service, but the model of the Android hardware is of a poor quality.

With the Tanggula X5 you get the best of both worlds with their service running on an Amlogic S905X4 SOC, with premium features that deliverers a great Android box streaming experience. With its CPU clocked at 2.0 GHz, with 4 GHz of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage. Even without the live TV service you can use this box as a full-fledged Android TV box for streaming apps such as Kodi and streaming APKs.

You can play 4K videos in HDR quality with AV1 decoding, and you have surround sound audio for self hosted videos. It has great 3D gaming performance, it has good performance benchmarks, and it’s rooted, so you can use specialized apps such as gamepad keymapping apps to perform touchscreen functions. However as with most Android boxes it does have its drawbacks so you need to be mindful of those if you intend to purchase.

Tanggula X5 Hardware SOC Specs

• CPU – Amlogic S905X4 Cortex A55 2.0GHz (32bit mode ABIs)
• GPU – Mali G31 Open GL ES 3.2 w/Vulkan v1.14
• RAM – 4GB DDR3
• ROM: 128GB eMMc Internal Storage
• Wi-Fi – Dual Band AC only 2.4GHz + 5GHz
• LAN – RJ45 1000Mbps GB LAN
• Bluetooth – Version 4.1

Compared to other live TV models running on Allwinner chipsets the hardware used in this model outperforms those models with performance benchmarks showing that it has twice the performance and power over those models. Even though they specs are really good, you must take note where it states that the Wi-Fi adapter is dual band AC only, which means it has difficulty connecting to Wi-Fi 6 routers.

Tanggula X5 I/O ports

• 1 HDMI 2.1 4K 60hz/8K 24fps/HDR
• 1 RJ45 Ethernet LAN 1000Mbps
• 1 Optical Audio SPDIF
• 1 AV  (audio only)
• 1 USB 3.0
• 1 USB 2.0
• 1 micro SD TF
• 1 DC 5V 2A 
• Vents to the top and bottom

The Tanggula X5 has all the required I/O peripherals for connecting to HDMI TVs and audio receivers connected to your home entertainment system. It can also be used on a projector’s and with Bluetooth audio speakers. One thing to note is that due to the tiny ventilation holes below the housing you would want to pay key attention to the possibility of overheating depending on where you intend to place it. So is not recommended to portrait on top of other devices that generates heat. For example, on top of audio receivers.

Tanggula X5 Performance Benchmarks

• Antutu – 90,773
• Geekbench 4 – 747 Single-Core | 2,151 Multi-core
• Ice Storm Extreme – 5,898
• Slingshot – 586
• Slingshot Extreme w/Vulkan – 373
• RAM Copy Speed – 3,430
• Internal Storage Speed – Read 172 MB/s | Write 131 MB/s
• Wi-Fi Speed (Based on 250Mbps) – 5GHz Max 100% | 2.4GHz Low 22%
• LAN Speed (Based on 250Mbps) – Max 100% GB LAN
• Bluetooth Range – 60ft stable
• Temperature – 68°C idle | 90°C gaming (cooling fan required)

These benchmarks in comparison to other boxes is slightly higher due to its CPU clocked at 2.0 GHz. It’s GPU also plays a major part with Vulkan support with open GL ES version 3.2 which makes it great for gaming. However if you intend to play Android games a cooling fan will be required to ensure the longevity of the hardware you overheating. With that said, the box does not overheat if you use it for basic streaming of movies and TV shows.

Tanggula X5 Pro features

• Tanggula TangTV over 10,100 live TV channels/VOD
• TangTV Parental controls
• TangTV EPG Guide
• TangTV Catchup Feature
• Amlogic S905X4 CPU 2.0GHz 4GB DDR4
• Android 11 TV OS w/Mobile Android features
• Mali G31 GPU Open GL ES 3.2
• Root switch (Super User app)
• Navigation bar and status bar
• Built-in hardware monitor
• 4K 2160p @ 59.94Hz w/ HDR and AV1 decoding
• Adaptive HDR switch available
• Alternative launchers mobile versions work
• Custom wallpapers on default launcher work
• Android TV OS Play Store
• Google Play services working
• Kodi Matrix working with addons backup
• Streaming APKs work great
• Dolby Atmos/Dolby Surround/DTS Neural X
• Good 3D gaming w/gamepad keymapping
• High benchmarks
• wireless updates available
• Box powers on with remote
• Max LAN speed GB LAN
• Max 5GHz Wi-Fi speed

Cons

• No DRM for Netflix in HD/4K
• 2.4GHz Wi-Fi Speeds below average
• Not Wi-Fi 6 compatible
• No screen rotation
• No DTS HD-MA/DTS-X/Dolby TrueHD
• Overheating during gaming
• No split screen feature

Final Thoughts

In my opinion if am looking to purchase a live TV/IPTV Android box and had to make a decision based on the quality of the service together with the quality of the hardware, the Tanggula X5 would be my first choice. Firstly it provides the most channels 10,000+ plus over 3000 VOD movies and TV series. If for whatever reason am not interested in these services I still get a high-performance TV box running on the latest hardware.