[Nightwatch]

What Kodi itself, on any box cannot do is Auto resolution switch downwards from 1080p > 720p
It can only go up like 720p > 1080p or 720p > 4K.

That has nothing to do with Hardware used. It the same for all Kodi devices and is a Kodi limitation.

AMLogic LibreELEC Kodi will also not have the Software Upscalers for 480p content Intel LibreELEC has. AML LE developers really have not seen the demand for such upscaling even tho the AML S912 would have enough CPU grunt to do some Software upscaling.

If you mostly watch 720p video content, set the Kodi GUI to 720p and let your 4K TV do all the 720p > 4K picture  upscaling.
Mostly 1080p content then set a 1080p (standard) Kodi GUI resolution and let your 4K TV do all the 1080p > 4K picture  upscaling.
4K content will auto resolution switch and output at 4K without the user needing to do a thing.

Thanks for clarification wrxtasy.

So what options do I have if I want to watch SD (480p) content?  Setting the Kodi GUI to 480p (assuming that's even an option) is going to look terrible. 

If AMLogic LibreELEC Kodi does not have the Software Upscalers for 480p, does that mean I won't see anything on the screen or will it just be really poor quality?

So, is Intel the only realistic option for those who also want to watch 480p content and still have their Kodi GUI set to 1080p?  

I was planning on the getting the Minix NEO U9-H, but now I am not so sure.  Perhaps I will be better off waiting for Intel Gemini Lake.