X96 MINI & wireless keyboard combo 2,190 baht!

[killerbeez]

This combo is on offer at my local Robinsons... it may be stocked at yours, too!

Of course, you can pop into many IT centres and buy a similar box for less... but as this is sold by Robinsons, if (when?) it goes wrong you have a better chance of getting your money back or a replacement.

It's not clear on the box what is inside... apart from the memory and storage, so here's what the Thai version has...

The KD player (it's Kodi!) is the 17.6 version, which is the current version at the time of posting. (September 2018)

It's NOT Android TV, but it is Android 7.1.2... a modified version of the phone software.

All the usual add-ons are pre-loaded (including all of the ones which aren't strictly legal.)

There are some IPTV Thai programs, too... but as I don't speak Thai, I skipped past them.

The mini-keyboard which is bundled with the box is pretty awesome.
It's a lot more responsive than the bundled remote!
It takes some learning though, and there's nothing inside the box that can help you do this.
But it does work really well.
(It's powered by an easily replaceable camera/phone battery.)

 

The X96 MINI box...

Pros:
Good price and excellent warranty.

It works really well as a media server and content streamer.

Pre-loaded with goodies that you'll actually use! (NetFlix/BBC iPlayer/Mobdro/YouTube, etc)

 

Cons:
No Bluetooth.

Playing 4K files over WiFi is dodgy. (Ethernet is OK)

 

Hints:
If your TV screen doesn't fit perfectly you can adjust the zoom in the apps folder using the 'Droid Settings' app.
You can use the installed Ares program to adjust your buffer settings automatically if you aren't comfortable editing XML files.

I streamed live NFL games perfectly last night.
It's a recommended buy from me!

 

 

 

 

Edited September 10, 2018 by killerbeez

[WorriedNoodle]

Less than half the price and delivered to your door on Lazada? Not that I am buying ... 

 

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/teekeer-wireless-mini-handheld-keyboard-with-touchpad-mouse-combo-for-androidps3xbox-360tv-boxpc-with-windows-os-mac-linux-white-i254379189-s392668794.html?spm=a2o4m.searchlist.list.23.43437d8fkeKUHR&search=1

 

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/burstore-android-71-x96-mini-hd-smart-tv-box-quad-core-18g-memory-digital-terrestrial-receiver-smart-media-player-us-plug-i243976661-s374458350.html?spm=a2o4m.searchlist.list.12.57301862mcuKnA&search=1

 

 

[killerbeez]

The link you have provided is for an old model which only has half the RAM and half the storage of the model originally posted. These are significant downgrades which would affect performance. I would not recommend this model. Also the total price is actually MORE (not less) than half the price!

Edited September 11, 2018 by killerbeez

[impulse]

19 minutes ago, killerbeez said:

The link you have provided is for an old model which only has half the RAM and half the storage of the model originally posted. These are significant downgrades which would affect performance. I would not recommend this model. Also the total price is actually MORE (not less) than half the price!

 

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/x96-mini-tv-box-android-712-s905w-4k-ram-2-gb-rom-16gb-i229740294-s351539369.html

 

True, it's more than half the price for the combo.  But I'd buy it online just to avoid the slog to Robinson's and the odds they'd be out of stock by the time I got there, wasting my time and effort.  Saving enough for a nice dinner for two is just a bonus.

 

OTOH, I do appreciate your review of the product itself.  That's good info.

 

Edited September 11, 2018 by impulse

[killerbeez]

Yes, this is the same hardware as the unit for sale at Robinsons.
It's the 'international' version' and not specifically for the Thai market.
But this most likely won't affect people on this forum.

It seems like a good deal for 1,250 baht. I've been using it for a few days and of all four of these kinds of boxes I have bought in the past couple of years, this one is my favorite so far.

(Don't forget to tweak the buffer settings if you are going to do live TV streaming.)

 

 

[WorriedNoodle]

20 hours ago, killerbeez said:

The link you have provided is for an old model which only has half the RAM and half the storage of the model originally posted. These are significant downgrades which would affect performance. I would not recommend this model. Also the total price is actually MORE (not less) than half the price!

Oops, sorry my mistake- picked the wrong spec model. As impulse said tho still cheaper on Lazada. If I am not mistaken its the same return policy wherever you buy, so no advantage going to Robinson's unless you live next door to one.

[killerbeez]

On 9/12/2018 at 9:35 AM, WorriedNoodle said:

...so no advantage going to Robinson's unless you live next door to one.

 

The advantage is that it is the Thai version of the box which contains Thai appropriate IPTV programs and add-ons for Kodi... but unless a Thai person is going to be using the box, this probably won't matter.

[lamyai3]

I picked up the X96 mini a few months ago (2/16gb version) on Lazada for 1200, the 1/8gb version was also available for around 900, so I don't think this is a particularly great deal from Robinsons.

 

The box works ok but has some issues, the main one seems to be that on wifi it picks up a significantly slower speed than on my other android devices, which affects smoothness of playback on Kodi. Incidentally, the box ships with KD player, which is a poor Kodi substitute, I recommend to uninstall this and sideload the latest Kodi apk. I bought the box to replace my Android playbox after AIS neutered it, and although it has all round better spec (including higher memory), I think performance on the playbox was generally better. I'm not too concerned as it was an inexpensive replacement, and it's probably typical for it's price point, but I think a box in the 2500 plus range might be better. 

[killerbeez]

KD Player is a customized version of KODI. If you go to the Google Play Store the KD Player will be seen as Kodi. To get the 'Kodi' player, you'll have to first uninstall the KD Player.