TOX4 TV Box Review: The 2024 Android TV Box Revolution
We have not had many Android 13 TV boxes for 2024 but today I’m thrilled to introduce a special box: the TOX4 TV Box. This latest 2024 release runs on the powerful Rockchip RK3528 chipset and comes with Android 13. TOX boxes are known for their similarity to Ugoos models, so let’s dive in and see how this one stacks up.
Unboxing the TOX4 TV Box
First, let’s take a look at what’s in the box. The TOX4 TV Box comes with:
- One TOX4 TV Box
- An infrared remote (a bit disappointing, as a wireless Bluetooth model would have been better)
- An HDMI cable
- A 5V 2A DC power supply
- A manual
The design is sleek, with a black plastic shell featuring ventilation holes on the top and bottom for maximum cooling. The ports include:
- One HDMI port
- One Ethernet LAN port
- A USB Type-C power delivery port
On the side, there are:
- One USB 3.0 port
- One USB 2.0 port
- A microSD card slot
The front features an LED display and a power light, while the base has four anti-skid rubber feet and a reset button.
Booting Up and Interface
Upon booting up, you’re greeted with a simple TOX animation. The box offers two launcher options:
- TOX Launcher – Designed for navigation with the IR remote’s direction pad.
- Quickstep Launcher – Ideal for a wireless air mouse, PC mouse, or mini touchpad keyboard, offering features like long-click menu pop-ups, drag-and-drop shortcuts, and split-screen functionality.
Both launchers provide access to a navigation bar, a new app dock, and a full status bar with system controls. The navigation bar’s recent apps feature works perfectly and can be hidden when playing a video or using a full-screen app. You can also customize the wallpaper or use live wallpapers.
TOX4 TV Box System Information
The TOX4 TV Box runs on Android 13 with a firmware compiled using the Android TV OS SDK. Interestingly, the Google Play Store on this device is the mobile version, making this a hybrid firmware. The firmware receives regular updates, just like Ugoos models, ensuring you get the latest features and improvements.
Unique Firmware Features
One of the standout aspects of the TOX4 TV Box is its unique firmware features. Many people think Android boxes are only for watching movies, but with the right features, these boxes can do much more. Let’s highlight some of these features:
Display and Resolution
- Supports 4K at 60 Hz resolution and HDR.
- Auto-adaptive HDR feature is enabled by default but can be disabled if your TV does not support it.
- Offers up to 12-bit color mode for high-end TVs.
- Frame buffer size can be adjusted to 1080p for better sharpness and detail. Setting it to 2160p may cause throttling.
Screen Orientation and Text Size
- You can change the orientation to vertical portrait mode, reverse portrait mode, and reverse landscape mode.
- Orientation policy can be set to fixed or free-form, depending on app requirements.
- Text size on the launcher can be adjusted, which is useful for small or distant displays.
Auto Framerate Switching and Video Format
- Auto framerate switching ensures smooth playback of videos with different frame rates.
- Under video format selection, you can enable or disable HDR or HLG. However, the box does not support Dolby Vision or HDR10+.
Input and Devices
- Includes HDMI CEC options, mouse pointer settings, and menu button customization.
- The button mapper application allows mapping remote buttons to special functions.
- USB ports can be configured for networking with home servers and other devices.
TOX4 TV Box Advanced Features
- Advanced hardware monitoring options for enthusiasts to track CPU temperature, speed, usage, memory usage, and more.
- Supports switching between different launchers under the home screen tab.
- Power settings control LED lights, screensaver options, and more.
- Storage options include formatting external storage as shared internal storage and Samba server features.
Root Access and Additional Settings
- The box is not rooted out-of-the-box, but advanced users can enable root access using the Magisk application.
- Additional settings provide access to default system settings outside of the Android UI.
Entertainment and Limitations
The TOX4 TV Box is not Google-certified, which means it only has Google Widevine Level 3 with no HDCP protection. This limits streaming services like Netflix, Disney Plus, and Prime Video to standard definition, as it lacks the necessary security level for HD or 4K streaming.
For screen mirroring, the box does not come with Miracast but offers the Airscreen app, which supports basic screen casting and Google Home app integration. While the quality is not HD, it’s still usable.
4K Video Playback and Audio
The TOX4 TV Box can handle 4K video playback with HDR10 and HLG. However, it lacks support for AV1 and Dolby Vision. Audio-wise, it supports all surround sound formats at the software level, including Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS HD Master Audio, and more.
Gaming TOX4 TV Box Achilles’ heel
Gaming is where the TOX4 TV Box shows its limitations. The box is configured in 64-bit mode and has a CPU clocked at 2.0 GHz, but it lacks Vulkan support and uses the outdated Mali 450 GPU. This restricts it from running modern high-graphics games, and even those that do run may require the lowest graphics settings to avoid throttling. During gaming, the temperature reaches around 68°C without a cooling fan.
Benchmarking the TOX4 TV Box
- RAM copy speed: 4932 MB/s
- Internal storage read speed: 179 MB/s
- Internal storage write speed: 86 MB/s
- Geekbench 5 CPU score: 149 single-core, 451 multicore
- Antutu benchmark score: 72,728
The TOX4 TV Box ranks at position 98 based on its Antutu score and receives a 3 out of 5-star rating due to the lack of Vulkan support and an outdated GPU.
Conclusion
In summary, the TOX4 TV Box impresses with its implementation of premium features on the Rockchip RK3528 chipset. It’s one of the best Android TV boxes for its price, offering 4K HDR display, regular firmware updates, unique features similar to Ugoos models, root access, and more. However, the outdated GPU limits its gaming potential, and it lacks Google certification for HD streaming.
If you’re not into gaming and want a solid Android TV box for $60, the TOX4 TV Box is a great choice. It offers plenty of features and good performance for everyday use.
