Amazon has just launched the “all new” Fire TV Cube streaming device with an Amlogic POP1-G octa-core Cortex-A73/A53 processor that we never heard of, but that appears to be almost the same as the Amlogic A311D2 processor that we reviewed in Khadas VIM4 SBC.
The Amlogic POP1-G (aka Amlogic – AML Popcorn) also integrates an Arm Mali-G52 MP8 GPU clocked at 800 MHz, and the third generation Fire TV Cube features 2GB LPDDR4/x memory, 16GB storage, WiFi 6E and Fast Ethernet, as well as an HDMI port.
Fire TV Cube 2022 specifications:
- SoC – Amlogic POP1-G (Amlogic AML Popcorn) octa-core processor with four Cortex A73 cores @ 2.2 GHz, four Cortex-A53 cores @ 2.0 GHz, Arm Mali-G52 MP8 GPU @ 800MHz with OpenGL ES 3.2 support
- System Memory – 2GB, LPDDR4/x – 4224 MT/s
- Storage – 16GB eMMC flash
- Video
- 1x HDMI output port up to 4Kp60 with HDR (HDR10, HDR10+, HLG, Dolby Vision)
- 1x HDMI input port to connect a cable box
- Codecs
- 4Kp60 H.264/HEVC and VP9
- Up to 4Kp30 or 1080p60 H.264
- 1080p60 MPEG-4 and MPEG-4
- Audio
- Microphone array for far-field Alexa control
- Microphone in remote control for near-field Alexa control
- Codec – Dolby MAT, AC3, Dolby Digital Plus, Atmos, TrueHD, AAEC, MP3, FLAC, MIDI, Vorbis, etc…
- Connectivity
- 10/100M Ethernet
- Tri-band WiFi 6E 2×2 MIMO and Bluetooth 5.2
- USB – 1x USB Type-A port
- DRM – Widevine L1 v11, PlayReady 3.3
- Misc – IR extender port
- Power Supply – TBD via power barrel jack
- Dimensions – 86 x 86 x 77 mm
- Weight – 509.6 grams
The new device runs Fire OS 7 based on Android 9, and the Fire TV Cube 2022 shows up as AFTGAZL build model in Fire OS. The device ships with Fire TV Alexa Voice Remote (Bluetooth 5.0), a power adapter with two AAA batteries, and a Quick Start Guide. Amazon sells the HDMI, IR extender, and Ethernet cables separately.
Amazon says the new model is twice as fast as the Fire TV Stick 4K Max introduced last year with a MediaTek MT8696 processor. However, you’ll lose support for AV1 decoding in the new model. I can’t see any obvious differences compared to the Amlogic A311D2, so I’d suppose Amlogic may have cut some features not listed here (V-by-One output, camera input, USB 3.0, Gigabit Ethernet…) to lower the cost of the chip for Amazon, and added the Dolby licenses.
Amazon is selling the third-generation Fire TV Cube for $139.99 and up depending on options. Additional information may also be found on the developer’s website.
