Superbox S5 Pro Review: A Capable Live TV Box with Limitations
Hey everyone, Today, we’re taking a look at the 2024 edition of the Superbox S5 Pro, an Android TV box that promises live TV, video-on-demand (VOD), and access to Android apps and games. Let’s see how it performs!
Superbox S5 Pro Unboxing and Design
The S5 Pro comes with the box itself, a Bluetooth voice remote, an HDMI cable, a power supply, and a user manual. The box is made of plastic and has a familiar design from previous Superbox models.
On the back, you’ll find the usual ports: HDMI, Gigabit LAN (although we’ll test its speed later), optical audio, AV port, IR extender, and the DC power input. The sides offer one USB 3.0 port, one USB 2.0 port, and a microSD card reader. The front has an LED display, and the base has rubber feet with ventilation holes.
Setting Up and Software
The first boot takes you through the SuperBox splash screen, a disclaimer, a brief setup wizard, and finally, the launcher. This launcher runs on Android 12 TV OS and lacks a navigation or status bar. It’s called Launcher X and offers sections for live TV, VOD, apps, app store, browser, and playback. You can customize the shortcuts within each section.
Superbox S5 Pro Live TV and VOD
Unlike some competitors, the S5 Pro doesn’t come with any live TV or VOD apps pre-installed. You’ll need to find and install your own. However, the provided apps (Blue TV, Blue VOD, and Blue Playback) offer a wide selection of channels, movies, and recordings.
In my experience, the service has been reliable with minimal buffering and no channel looping or maintenance downtime. The channels are in HD quality and cover various categories, including news, sports, and entertainment. It’s worth noting that the box lacks support for some newer video formats like AV1 and Dolby Vision.
Hardware and Performance
The S5 Pro is powered by an Allwinner H616 quad-core processor with 4GB of DDR3 RAM and 32GB of storage. It supports Bluetooth 5.0 and dual-band Wi-Fi. While the box runs on Android 12 TV OS and is rooted, its 32-bit architecture might limit some apps.
For watching YouTube, you’re capped at 1440p resolution, and 4K or HDR playback isn’t supported. Mobile screen mirroring works well with the included Miracast receiver app.
Gaming and Benchmarks
For simple games, the S5 Pro does okay. However, its Mali G31 GPU struggles with more demanding titles, and the temperature can reach the high 80s during gameplay. A cooling fan can help lower the temperature.
The benchmarks reflect the limitations of the hardware. The Wi-Fi speeds fall short of expectations, and the LAN port isn’t a true Gigabit LAN. Overall, the S5 Pro ranks at position 83 on my chart with a 2 out of 5 star rating.
Conclusion
The 2024 Superbox S5 Pro shines in terms of its live TV and VOD service. If that’s your primary need, this box delivers. However, for anything else, including 4K playback, surround sound, or advanced gaming, you might want to consider a more powerful option.
To compare it to all the other boxes I have reviewed, click here to my 2024 TV box ranking chart.
