Ugoos is back. And this time, it means business.
The Ugoos SK3 is the company’s high-end Android TV box for 2026. It was built for speed. It was built for power. Above all, it was built for gamers.
So, is it worth your money? Let’s find out.
What Is the Ugoos SK3?
The Ugoos SK3 is a premium Android TV box. It runs on the Rockchip RK3588S2 chipset. This is an octa-core, 64-bit processor. It reaches clock speeds of up to 2.2 GHz. It also includes a built-in NPU.
On top of that, it packs 8 GB of LPDDR4X RAM. That is double the 4 GB found in most standard boxes. Storage comes in at 128 GB.
Ugoos sponsored this review. However, every opinion here is my own. You can find the full product range on the official Ugoos website.
What’s in the Box?
The unboxing holds no surprises. Inside, you get:
- The Ugoos SK3
- A Bluetooth and infrared remote
- An HDMI cable
- A 12V 2A DC power supply
- A user guide
Design and Ports
First, the design. It has not changed from earlier SK models. That’s not a bad thing, though.
The box is heavy. It has a glossy plastic shell. It looks premium on any TV stand.
Next, the ports. You get plenty of them:
- One HDMI 2.1 port
- One gigabit Ethernet port
- One optical audio port
- One USB-C port
- One USB 3.0 port
- One USB 2.0 port
- A headphone jack
- A DC input jack
At the front, there is a power LED strip. Meanwhile, the base has four rubber feet and ventilation holes.
Setup and Firmware
Setup is quick. First, an Ugoos animation plays. Then, you pair the Bluetooth remote. After that, you pick a launcher.
There are two options. Launcher3 works best with a mouse cursor. In contrast, the Ugoos launcher suits a D-pad and OK button. I used Launcher3 for this review.
The firmware runs Android 12. Specifically, it is the mobile version of Android. As a result, you get a navigation bar and status bar. You also get long-press menus, drag-and-drop shortcuts and scrolling home pages.
There is a split-screen mode too. Unfortunately, I could not get it to work.
Ugoos SK3 Firmware Features
This is where Ugoos shines. In fact, its firmware is a big reason its boxes rank so highly.
Here are the highlights:
- 78 system languages
- Shortcut mapping for the colored remote buttons
- Mouse pointer, USB microphone and USB camera options
- Screen rotation, including portrait and reverse modes
- Auto low latency mode for gaming
- A built-in hardware monitor with a draggable overlay
- Adjustable power LED behavior
- A Samba server and network share feature
- A root switch through Magisk
Rooting is simple. Just enable the Magisk switch under Superuser. Then, restart the box. Finally, open the Magisk app and grant permissions. That’s it.
The One Big Catch: DRM
Now for the bad news. The Ugoos SK3 only has Google Widevine Level 3. On top of that, it has no HDCP protection.
What does that mean for you? Simply put, Netflix and other paid services are capped at 720p. This applies even with an HD or 4K plan.
Therefore, if paid streaming is your main use, keep this in mind.
4K HDR and Dolby Vision Playback
On the other hand, local media playback is excellent. This covers external drives, a NAS on your home network and streaming apps.
The Ugoos SK3 handled every format I threw at it:
- HDR10
- AV1
- Dolby Vision with stereo audio
- Dolby Vision with Dolby Atmos
- HLG
There is one exception. HDR10+ is not supported. Instead, it falls back to HDR10.
Additionally, the box offers new picture enhancement features. These include motion estimation and motion compensation (MEMC) upscaling. They replace the older AISR and AIPQ options.
Surround Sound Audio on the Ugoos SK3
At first, the audio settings look limited. They only list Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby Digital. Worse still, the passthrough toggle is missing.
However, this looks like a firmware bug. Once connected to my 7.1 AV receiver, everything worked. The box passed through:
- Dolby Atmos
- Dolby Digital Plus
- Dolby TrueHD
- DTS-HD Master Audio
- DTS:X
- M2TS video audio
Hopefully, Ugoos fixes the settings menu in a future update.
Android Gaming Performance
This is the main event. Gaming is the SK3’s biggest selling point.
The Arm Mali-G610 MP4 GPU is seriously capable. It supports OpenGL ES 3.2 and Vulkan. Combined with 8 GB of RAM, it can run almost any 64-bit game.
I tested every game at the highest settings and 60 fps:
- GRID Autosport
- Shadowgun Legends
- Mortal Kombat Mobile
- Call of Duty Mobile
- Genshin Impact
All of them ran smoothly. Even graphics-heavy Genshin Impact held up well.
Moreover, wired and Bluetooth gamepads work out of the box. Need key mapping? Panda Mouse Pro and Panda Gamepad Pro both activate easily over wireless debugging.
Ugoos SK3 Benchmarks
Next, the numbers. Here is how the box performed:
| Test | Result |
|---|---|
| RAM copy speed | 26,115 MB/s |
| Storage read / write | 248 / 176 MB/s |
| Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz | ~127 Mbps average |
| Wi-Fi 5 GHz and Ethernet | ~500 Mbps (my network’s maximum) |
| CPU single / multi-core | 552 / 2,134 |
| 3DMark Steel Nomad Light | 437 (3.24 fps avg) |
| AnTuTu v12 | 987,494 |
The Steel Nomad Light score beats 95% of boxes on the market. Meanwhile, the AnTuTu score of 987,494 is huge.
Where the Ugoos SK3 Ranks
So, where does it land? Right now, the Ugoos SK3 sits at #2 on my TV box ranking chart.
That said, there is a caveat. It was tested on AnTuTu v12. Historically, each new AnTuTu version produces higher scores. Consequently, direct comparisons with older results are not perfect.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Powerful RK3588S2 octa-core 64-bit CPU
- 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage
- Excellent gaming performance
- Dolby Vision, AV1 and HLG support
- Full surround sound passthrough
- Feature-packed firmware with easy root
- Wi-Fi 6 and gigabit Ethernet
Cons:
- Widevine L3 limits Netflix to 720p
- No HDR10+ support
- Audio settings bug hides passthrough options
- Split screen did not work in testing
Final Verdict: Should You Buy the Ugoos SK3?
In short, yes. Especially if you are a gamer.
Ugoos boxes usually lean heavily toward the pros. The SK3 is no different. Right now, no other brand offers 64-bit architecture on hardware this strong.
Of course, the DRM limits matter for paid streaming. But for gaming, local 4K playback and home theater audio, it is hard to beat.
So, if you want a high-performance Android gaming TV box, the Ugoos SK3 is the one to get.
Ready to grab one? https://link.amazon/B03CQjiSu