2015-05-22, 16:59
GearBest reached out about reviewing one of their latest Android boxes on sale & I opted for the Beelink i-one (i826). I had been interested in trying out an Amlogic S812 box anyway (had considered the Minix X8-H Plus at one point; similar specs), so saying "yes, sure" to GearBest was easy . The HDMI input on the i-one (similar to Zidoo X9, which doesn't have as nice specs) was also intriguing, and is unique in an Amlogic box. For this review, I'm going to focus on Kodi & video playback mainly, and compare to Amazon Fire TV and Chromebox. I didn't test any 4K content as I don't have any 4K-capable displays, though based on reviews I've read of similar S812 TV boxes, the i-one should be able to play 4K videos w/o any issues. For me, I'm not jumping into 4K just yet; waiting a while.
It's best to think of the Beelink i-one as an Amazon Fire TV box alternative. A solid one at that, similarly priced... it performs better, more video types play (or play better), supports 4K, has 16GB of storage (vs. 8GB), and isn't an closed ecosystem like Amazon's. In fact, it seems Beelink is aiming for i-one to be a more versatile FTV alternative with its box and remote design, even down to the minimalistic power adapter.
I tested the i-one directly connected to a 65" LG 1080p HDTV, via wired network (SMB) connection to my Synology NAS. I did do brief tests over wi-fi, but performance wasn't that good (even 30Mbps Birds & Jellyfish clips stuttered). I didn’t test in my dedicated home theater via an AVR as the i-one doesn’t support HD audio nor 23.976 framerate sync. Sorry for the pics with reflections on my TV as I tested during the day with sunshine outside. In video settings, I left all three H/W acceleration options enabled.
Beelink’s i-one comes installed with firmware 115k4 (dated 3/19/2015, appears to be latest). 'XBMC 13.4.0 (Oman)' is also pre-installed. I'm guessing this is a build tailored for this box, but I found performance via latest Kodi 15 Beta 1 no different, so relied on it instead for most tests. YouTube, Netflix and other apps also come pre-installed. It's a good idea to keep an eye on Freaktab forums as Oman (the dev behind firmwares & ROMs) posts there.
Beelink i-one's strong suits:
What is lacking or should be improved:
For games, I tried out whatever APK’s I could quickly get at: Beach Buggy Racing, Cordy 2, Helium Boy, Leo's Fortune & Asphalt 8. All were sideloaded, except Asphalt 8, which I downloaded directly on i-one via the Play store. All games played very well to excellent (no performance issues), except Asphalt 8 failed to open/launch (maybe sideloaded will work). I was pleasantly surprised by how well the Amazon game controller worked with these games; no remapping of buttons/options necessary.
So, the bottom line is that the Beelink i-one is a very reasonably-priced, quite capable Kodi box, with solid gameplay as an added bonus. If you want something like the Amazon Fire TV, but don't want to be confined by its closed ecosystem, this is the box for you. It also beats Fire TV for video playback performance (and even RPi2). It's a solid box for your living room, family room or bedroom, but not really for a serious/dedicated home theater (due to lack of HD audio, 23.976 & perfect VC-1 playback). What would really make the Beelink i-one stand out is if a PVR feature was added to take advantage of the HDMI input. Also, this is basically the same box as Minix's X8-H Plus, for le$$.
I’d like to thank GearBest for sending me the Beelink i-one to play with. I like it enough to use this in my bedroom, replacing the Amazon Fire TV I had there. It's a nice, lightweight, well-designed box with a comfortable Amazon Fire TV like remote.
GearBest also passed along a coupon if anyone is interested (BI826GB) that knocks the price of the Beelink i-one to $94.99.
It's best to think of the Beelink i-one as an Amazon Fire TV box alternative. A solid one at that, similarly priced... it performs better, more video types play (or play better), supports 4K, has 16GB of storage (vs. 8GB), and isn't an closed ecosystem like Amazon's. In fact, it seems Beelink is aiming for i-one to be a more versatile FTV alternative with its box and remote design, even down to the minimalistic power adapter.
I tested the i-one directly connected to a 65" LG 1080p HDTV, via wired network (SMB) connection to my Synology NAS. I did do brief tests over wi-fi, but performance wasn't that good (even 30Mbps Birds & Jellyfish clips stuttered). I didn’t test in my dedicated home theater via an AVR as the i-one doesn’t support HD audio nor 23.976 framerate sync. Sorry for the pics with reflections on my TV as I tested during the day with sunshine outside. In video settings, I left all three H/W acceleration options enabled.
Beelink’s i-one comes installed with firmware 115k4 (dated 3/19/2015, appears to be latest). 'XBMC 13.4.0 (Oman)' is also pre-installed. I'm guessing this is a build tailored for this box, but I found performance via latest Kodi 15 Beta 1 no different, so relied on it instead for most tests. YouTube, Netflix and other apps also come pre-installed. It's a good idea to keep an eye on Freaktab forums as Oman (the dev behind firmwares & ROMs) posts there.
Beelink i-one's strong suits:
- Price $98.99 (vs. similarly spec'd Minix X8-H Plus at $30 more, w/o HDMI in, and same cost as Amazon Fire TV box)
- Nicely built, lightweight, and well-packaged (minimalistic Amazon-style)
- Clean, well-designed box (dedicated power button, HDMI out/in, 2x USB, SD card); no overheating issues even after 3 hours of intense testing (holes at bottom obviously help)
- Light, well-designed, and comfy-to-hold IR remote (seems obviously inspired by Amazon’s Fire TV remote). But, needs direct line of sight to work well. Dedicated power button on remote also is a plus
- UI (Beelink's Android launcher) is okay, serviceable. Apps can be favorited under the 'My Favorite' area. The background (wallpaper) can be changed, as well as the launcher itself (for a completely different UI, like the popular Nova launcher)
- The i-one performs about as snappy as Fire TV; actually a tad faster. Not as fast as Chromebox (and not its perfect video playback either). Navigating, browsing my library on i-one, with nearly 2,000 movies and 50 TV shows, was quick. No freezes or lock-ups
- Task killer app on main menu is handy, useful
- Standard Dolby Digital and DTS both bitstream/passthrough fine (briefly connected to AVR to verify)
- HD audio, including ATMOS, downmix to DD/DTS or PCM fine. There's even a setting for it
- Bitrate tests: Birds clips up to 80Mbps play w/o stuttering, and Jellyfish up to 70Mbps. Slight stutter at 80+ to 90Mbps; worse stutter as you get to 120Mbps
- Netflix & Amazon Instant/Prime (which I sideloaded) play well, but at expected 480p as with most of these type of Android boxes. For Amazon Prime, you're actually better off using this Kodi add-on as videos play in HD
- Video PQ is very good
- Local video playback performance is very good to excellent overall: Stutter-free playback of 1:1 Blu-rays rips (ISO's & MKV's, even high bitrate titles), 1080i/720p MPEG2 (live TV too), and even my camcorder 1080p/30 & 1080p/60 files (with bitrates as high as 35Mbps). My Fire TV box & even RPi2 have trouble with my camcorder files, especially 60fps
- Amazon bluetooth game controller paired with i-one easily, and several Android games I tried worked really well (sideloaded & via Google Play store app) (see below)
- The HDMI in app allows you to view your cable/TV box, PC, tablet, camcorder, etc. via i-one. There's also a PIP function. But, that's it, only view, no recording
What is lacking or should be improved:
- Can't change the XBMC logo/shortcut on the main UI screen to open latest Kodi instead. See pic above. Also, can't change logo or anything on the main left side (only favorite apps on right)
- Boot time is about 36 secs. But, you can put box in suspend instead of shutting down for it to come alive almost instantly
- No HD audio (but not advertised either)
- No full 3D playback (but not advertised either). However Amlogic boxes like i-one may support 3D in the future
- Remote's mouse function is kinda useless. Not really an air-mouse as I'd expected, but a pointer on-screen with directional buttons to move it around. Skip this 'feature' and use a keyboard/mouse combo instead (my Logitech K400 worked very well)
- When holding down directional up/down buttons to browse Kodi library or i-one's main UI, a weird "This function is not available now" pop-up error flickers on screen (very briefly, but a bug nonetheless). This doesn't happen with connected keyboard and WMC remote (both via their USB dongles), so it must be the remote
- VC-1 23.976 and 29.970 Blu-ray rips play w/o stutter, but not smoothly (slight judder is noticeable). If this is addressed & 23.976 support added, the i-one would be a solid, cheap dedicated HT contender (for those who don’t need or care about HD audio or 3D)
- No 23.976 support, so occasional microstutters are noticeable. But, I’m not as susceptible to this, unless I’m actively looking out for frame skips every 42 secs
- HDMI in isn't used to its potential, unlike the Zidoo X9, which allows you record (PVR functionality). The PQ via HDMI in has a somewhat processed look, and you must reboot the box to get completely rid of feature once you’re done (hard to close the app)
- Eshare app is a nice idea, but it only partially works as advertised. Videos on my iPad played fine when controlled via the app itself, but only the audio played when played via AirPlay. Photos are viewable, but there's a slight lag when swiping from one to next. The "TV Mirror" function did nothing, at least on iOS. Didn’t try Android
For games, I tried out whatever APK’s I could quickly get at: Beach Buggy Racing, Cordy 2, Helium Boy, Leo's Fortune & Asphalt 8. All were sideloaded, except Asphalt 8, which I downloaded directly on i-one via the Play store. All games played very well to excellent (no performance issues), except Asphalt 8 failed to open/launch (maybe sideloaded will work). I was pleasantly surprised by how well the Amazon game controller worked with these games; no remapping of buttons/options necessary.
So, the bottom line is that the Beelink i-one is a very reasonably-priced, quite capable Kodi box, with solid gameplay as an added bonus. If you want something like the Amazon Fire TV, but don't want to be confined by its closed ecosystem, this is the box for you. It also beats Fire TV for video playback performance (and even RPi2). It's a solid box for your living room, family room or bedroom, but not really for a serious/dedicated home theater (due to lack of HD audio, 23.976 & perfect VC-1 playback). What would really make the Beelink i-one stand out is if a PVR feature was added to take advantage of the HDMI input. Also, this is basically the same box as Minix's X8-H Plus, for le$$.
I’d like to thank GearBest for sending me the Beelink i-one to play with. I like it enough to use this in my bedroom, replacing the Amazon Fire TV I had there. It's a nice, lightweight, well-designed box with a comfortable Amazon Fire TV like remote.
GearBest also passed along a coupon if anyone is interested (BI826GB) that knocks the price of the Beelink i-one to $94.99.