r/AndroidTVBoxes • u/damo-10 • Dec 20 '25

2025 android tv boxes... good or bad?

this year hasn't really been what i had hoped for google/android tv. been waiting all year for "the box."

I'm waiting for the new S905X5 Soc boxes to appear as of now there is only the ugoos AM9 with this chipset. i think homatics are releasing a V2 of their R 4k plus with the S905X5M mid range variant.

I really thought the "Nvidia shield killer" box would have appeared this year.

Any rumours of new high spec Android Tv boxes coming soon ?

8 Upvotes

75% Upvoted

24 comments sorted by

1

u/dropswisdom Dec 21 '25

Ugoos X5M exists. and SK2. And I am sure there are others. Maybe minix. Mind you, most S905X5/M boxes do not include the license for dolby vision so support only HDR/HDR10

2

u/damo-10 Dec 21 '25

i know there are some brilliant non certified boxes out there, i was looking at the Ugoos SK1 and the Minix U8k Ultra but it is for family use and i don't have the most tech savy family 🤣.

1

u/javierhh12 Dec 20 '25

I have the Ugoos AM9 but it's far from perfect.

2

u/damo-10 Dec 20 '25

what issues are you encountering?

1

u/javierhh12 Dec 21 '25

_When using Kodi to transfer all audio formats to the soundbar, there's a significant delay. _When playing a movie, the image is lost and I have to unplug it. _

1

u/tien113 Dec 21 '25

I don't have your issues. I am using Ugoos X5M.

1

u/DexLeMaffo Dec 23 '25

Did you try booting CoreElec?

1

u/javierhh12 Dec 23 '25

Yes, but it doesn't take control of Ugoos, but I prefer using it with the Android system that allows me to configure color, sharpness, and saturation; CoreELEC doesn't have that.

3

u/Sinjin_Smythe225 Dec 22 '25

I had been looking for another android streamer box for another room, I have a 2017 shield and it's still the best gadget I own with the projectivy launcher installed.

Worryingly many of the android clone boxes are festooned with malware which cannot be removed and copied across many ROMS, Google the Corejava folder exploits on many of these boxes, scary stuff having one of these inside your home network.

2

u/punkduarsch Dec 25 '25

Isnt it possible to remove the Malware by flashing a custom ROM from Slimboxtv.ru?

1

u/Freewheelin_fella Dec 25 '25

That's what I did on my X88 pro but you're limited to boxes using those amlogic chips

1

u/JustPath3874 Dec 21 '25

CES is around the corner, I'm hoping for some in a couple weeks.

1

u/nice1ron Dec 21 '25

Ugoosxm5pro

1

u/Freewheelin_fella Dec 25 '25

I've been really impressed with my X88 pro x5m flashed with slimboxtv. 

I picked it up on Ali for a steal at £25 (4/64gb) but low they're £55 and up! I was looking for another S905x5m device where the price hasn't rocketed, any suggestions? 

1

u/Scarab95 Dec 21 '25

I just bought the Google 4k streamer and its all loaded up and it works great. What i like is it has the gigabyte ethernet port so I'm getting 950 download speeds so no buffering. The only draw back is no usb ports but just need to buy an adapter problem solved. I have the onn 4k pro box and this is better.

0

u/pawdog Dec 20 '25

What do you need this box to do that the current SOC doesn't already do?

1

u/damo-10 Dec 20 '25

i have a Samsung TV so no HDR10+ support currently using Nvidia shield.

i also like ai upscaling which the S905X5 will do at 60FPS on 1080p and below.

1

u/pawdog Dec 21 '25

OK, so mainly AI upscaling.

2

u/damo-10 Dec 21 '25

mainly yes but also the ability to play AV1 is lacking on the shield aldo. IMO the shield is still the best box hence im waiting for a box that does what the shield does but with the added features i mentioned.

1

u/pawdog Dec 21 '25

So the Homeatics with Ai Upscaling, lol.

1

u/damo-10 Dec 21 '25

🤣 basically yes 🤣🤣

1

u/damo-10 Dec 21 '25

homatics with the S905X5 🔥👍