Excellent media box, well worth the cost.
Pros:
Great speed and responsiveness with factory firmware. However, I do not like the default Beelink Homelight launcher and chose to install additional launcher app to get good use of home screen, app tray, etc. I use Nova Launcher as home for all my devices. As such, this review is based on usage without default Homelight launcher enabled.
Most Quick launch keys on my Logitech k400 keyboard do not have any effect, but the power, home and media control buttons work. Stay away from KB "Windows" key! Will freeze system!
Factory Root seems to works great. Don't attempt install of SuperSU, as it will soft brick the device. Consequently, I had to open the device to check its internal components after soft bricking it. There was no f/w available from Beelink at the time and I thought I was going to have to find custom firmware that would get it going again. Beelink released f/w days later. Cheers! It flashed fine after a pin short on circuit board.
All chips are high end, and the board build is clean.
Audio and 1080P video playback are fluid and have no hangups or artifacts while streaming or through local files.
Don't have a 4K tv, can't say how the factory GT1U firmware fares when put to the 4K test.
Some games play fine. Real Racing 3 is choppy at best. Some games play effortlessly and the factory firmware sees my Bluetooth peripherals, but this isn't a gaming rig. It's a fantastic streamer and playback box. The main reason why I feel this is indicated in the "Cons" list.
Cons:
Can't change or adjust live wallpaper.
System settings (ex; Ethernet settings) are split between their default location behind the cog icon, and a sidebar within the default factory home launcher, "Homelight". These variables should be with rest of system settings, but they aren't. I have yet to identify a way to access these crucial settings without switching back and forth from Nova launcher and Homelight launcher. Nuisance.
(NOTE;
The missing / additional system Network settings are somehow linked and accessible via the Nova Launcher through a very specific process...
Go to top status bar at top of screen, click downturned arrow to expand dropdown, click WiFi icon and choose "More Settings". This should populate a Network settings sidebar on right of screen. This seems the only way to change Ethernet settings when not using HomeLight launcher and exclusively works for Network settings.)
My rule of logic on any electronics has always been that if I keep a device cool, it will last longer and perform better. Excessive heat kills electronics and I obsess over reduction of thermal buildup, hence my biggest issue with this tv box....
The GT1 has it's SOC main chip on the bottom of the board. There are EMI shields mounted over SOC and RAM on both top and bottom of board. This is great for reducing interference but is terrible for dissipating thermal buildup. It's a thermal clamshell. There is a thermal transfer pad between SOC and EMI shielding, and a glob of thermal transfer paste between EMI shielding and the heat sink plate. That's a long inefficient path for heat to have to carry. Here's where it goes from bad to worse; the heat sink itself is no more than a thick plate of steel. In a move to increase weight at it's bottom and give it a solid feel in the hand, Beelink has foregone all logic regarding thermodynamics. There is at least 3-4mm of thermal junction between SOC and the heat sink. THIS is the main reason why I can't give the GT1 or GT1U a 5 star rating. All my other complaints of this box can be fixed with F/W edits. The triple blunder of trapping heat from the hottest component on the underside of the board without directly coupling heat source to heat dissipator, and then finally using steel as heat sink material, can't be overlooked. It's form over function. The GT1 is tiny and looks beautiful, yet it's built upside down.
My final verdict is that this is a great box for the price. The factory firmware is tolerable and hopefully custom ROMs are forthcoming if you know where to find them. I just wouldn't expect a gaming rig without physical modification and cooling of the device. Regardless of this, I would buy another without a second thought. I'm not a gamer anyway.
- Mech
Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk
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