Hey all, this is my real world review of how the latest Beelink device performs. As per my usual style, it’ll be a pros, cons and things are are more or less expected of the device. I’m open to other testing or questions that might need to be answered, especially from those interested to pick this up.

Beelink GT-King latest firmware build number: 905P0 announced.

Specifications


See below spoiler for images.

Pros
*Zippy..Very Zippy. Launching and exiting apps happen fast.
*HDMI-CEC & Bluetooth works okay.
*Voice search using the bundled remote works. Can intelligently discern what apps to open based on query.
*Device is compatible with the PS3 controller among others.. Some games & Emulators such as ePSXe runs fine. Though the PS3 is an old controller and isn't compatible with some newer games such as Modern Combat 5, so best to get a better controller..
*Device is rooted and so AdAway works. Great for most pesky ads.
*Packs an Ethernet Gigabit port, Wifi ac MiMO 2.4/5GHz, 4GB LPDDR4 RAM and 64GB eMMC ROM. Don’t get me started on the SoC.. This is a combo I can live with and one I hope becomes the default for flagship boxes.
*The bundled remote is basic, but better than most .. As it supports both Voice input and air mouse mode. Buttons feel good to click, with a rubbery texture on top. Best to get a third party air mouse though with keyboard for easier data entry.
*The remote’s power key can be set as either “Sleep Now”, “Shutdown”, or “Restart”. Best to set as “Sleep Now” as this puts the device to sleep. press the power button on the remote to Sleep/Wake up the device.
*Press & Hold the power button to bring up the Power off menu. Shows Power off, Restart and Screenshot.
*Smoothly plays Jellyfish video test files up to jellyfish-200-mbps-4k-uhd-hevc-10bit.mkv…I stopped here as going further won’t matter as much in the real world. Good for bragging rights though.. Dual-layer UHD Blu-ray discs (66GB capacity) will support a max bitrate of 108Mbps, while triple-layer discs (100GB) will allow for up to 128Mbps. With the increased encoding efficiency offered by H.265, 128Mbps would theoretically allow for a (Main 10) 4K video stream at 256 FPS, or 8K (7680×4320) at 64 FPS.
*HD audio and pass-through is supported. Initially set audio settings at auto, but my system didn’t detect any HD audio. Switched to manual and enabled all up to ATMOS.. Then Kodi’s pass-through setting became visible and HD audio was passed through successfully. Due to the limitation of my AV equipment, I was only able to detect pass-through audio up to DTS-HD MA & Dolby TrueHD (Passed through core DTS & DD). Which is plenty good for most, my system doesn’t support ATMOS & DTS:X. So unfortunately I can’t test for these. Beelink did confirm that the box doesn't support the last 2 formats.
*Firmware updates are in the works, we expect some pretty soon as bugs have been reported and fixes are being made. Some fixes were already pushed and resolved the issue in question. There’s an Update app in the app drawer, however it seems to only be for updating from a local source. Alternatively, there's a Wireless update/OTA section under the "About Device" section in Settings that checks their servers for updates. There are none currently.
*Elementum works with the default "use RAM" option in Kodi. I expect Quasar and the rest to work as intended too.
*With normal files playback through Kodi, I didn't need to preset a custom cache size for video buffering and playback. Yet the player skips forwards or backwards instantly.
*Initially the LightHome (Home launcher app) kept crashing and restarting.. Threw an error.. Contacted Beelink about it and got a fix within minutes. A testament to the ability and willingness to make this one of the greatest boxes.
*Interestingly.. Speed Test over 5G WiFi, about 2 feet away from the router maxes out at 124Mbps (Downloads) and 115Mbps (uploads). However switching to Ethernet and it shoots up to 427Mbps for downloads and 290Mbps for uploads. Tested using TIME’s 500Mbps package using a CAT 6a cable. Same test server and tests done about 30 seconds apart on the same network. Another reviewer was able to get speeds of 230Mbps on 5G WiFi and 850Mbps via Ethernet cable. So for best results? Stick with wired. Nothing new there. So depending on if your location requires WiFi, this will either be a con or a non-issue.

Cons
*No power button on the device, so once it's plugged in, it automatically switches itself on.
*Not Android TV OS. Was hoping for this.
*No Netflix FHD+, at least not through the easy install from Play Store and login method. Had to side-load. There's a pre-loaded app market of sorts bundled with the FW, one can find compatible apps to click-install. Saves some hassle to go fetch from other sources.
*Air-mouse randomly triggered on its own.. Then have to disable using the remote button… This happened for a few reboots and seems to have stabled itself now. Hasn’t triggered itself in a few days.
*In order to get the weather info for Kuala Lumpur, one has to enter “kualalumpur” without spaces for it to locate it. Feed back to Beelink and a fix is in the works.
*Ugoss TV Launcher app is incompatible. Refuses to open. ATV launcher works perfectly. I expect others to do the same.

Expected/Norm
*Widevine CDM Security Level 1
*Out of the 64GB, there's 57GB of total internal space available upon first boot.
*Device scored 109,348 on the Antutu Benchmark v7.2.0.
*At $110, It's currently priced cheaper than the Minix Neo U9-H or the HiMedia Q10 Pro.
*Rooted device by default and there’s NO option to hide/disable it by default..Tested just for kicks and nope the default As*** Go refuses to run on it (There's a workaround though). Beelink says it's currently impossible to implement a switch to mask root from specific apps. I inquired about Magisksu and haven't heard back. So guess we'll just go with their previous response for now. On the plus side, Beelink has released the GT-King source code SDK and port structure chart (See links below). So I expect the community to have a field day with it. Hopefully custom ROMs with enhanced features and fixes in the near future.
*Latest YouTube for Android TV 2.06.06 works perfectly. It's remote friendly, so just side-load that and skip the mobile version off the Play Store.

Link to official website with detailed specs sheet...
Official Beelink Seller page on Gearbest...
Source code SDK download link.
Alternate link
Interface structure diagram
 Beelink_GT_KING_TV_BOX_Promotion.doc ( 275k ) Number of downloads: 92

Father's day promotion from Beelink's official store.
*Gemini J45 (8GB RAM +128GB SSD)
*U55 (8GB RAM + 128GB SSD)
*Gemini J45 (8GB RAM + 256GB SSD)
*U55 (8GB RAM + 256GB SSD


Post Review updates
*GT-King Series now support dual-booting feature.
*EmuELEC emulation support now available..

This post has been edited by voncrane: Mar 18 2020, 09:17 AM

hmmm.. widevine L1 but still no fhd+ on Netflix.. this is major turn off for me.. sigh..

did the AVR show dtshdma/ddtruehd and u can hear it correctly or it came out just core dts/dd?

if it can, not too bad... all reviews i read so far say it CANNOT do dtshdma/ddtreuhd..?


unrooting for astrog go, hbo go, unifi playtv... maybe u can try SuperSU app... but this is one way ticket...

still for $110, too high... perhaps $70-75.

Yup...I did pose that question to the Beelink guys.. Awaiting response.. I assume it's hard to get the green light from Netflix themselves.. I do know that both Minix & HiMedia have been trying these past few years to attain Netflix certified status. For starters, (allegedly) Netflix won't even consider a device for certification if it isn't running the proper Android TV OS.

Mine just shows DTS/DD. So I safely assume it's core DTS & DD. As for unrooting or masking, I'll definitely go down that path later. For now, just keeping it stock for testing & feedback purposes. Don't want to risk bricking the device this early.. Will update once achievable.. I too agree on the pricing, perhaps should be priced more around the Mecool KM3 area.. To pull buyers off that, given the GT-King's superior specs.. But then, besides plus points such as confirmed HD audio, AOTG & UnifiTV app compatibility and Kodi backing..It's still cheaper and faster than the Minix & HiMedia's current flagships. Boils down to what one prioritizes..

This post has been edited by voncrane: May 29 2019, 11:29 PM

Since you have root, you could quickly modify build.prop to fake a Sony 4k TV ( no need to do the other changes ) and then sideload Netflix to see if you could get 4k.

Woah! Nice review voncrane

So, it doesnt passthru lossless hd audio, do only lossy dd, dts.

Disappointing, really... as i was hoping it does.

But perhaps s922 too new, needs time.

Given that, other than android9 and large storage, it has really nothing new to offer.

I wont pay more than $60 for it.

For starters, (allegedly) Netflix won't even consider a device for certification if it isn't running the proper Android TV OS. For someone who really needs an external device with full Netflix support? Best to stick to the current list of certified devices. Ideally, use the TV's app.. Nevertheless, I did carry out your request.. So I changed the build.prop properties to match that of a Sony Android TV. Tested the modded Netflix and latest normal apks.. Both able to login and play. But only at 960x540 resolution. Even worse was that there was no sound. I switched the system sounds from Manual to auto, rebooted in-between changes.. Made no difference. Video plays but no sound.. Thought perhaps it's just those 2.. Even the Netflix app from the bundled AppStore suffers the same fate.. Gonna feed back this.. Bummer. The Netflix app appears to be the only one without sound.. Weird. Netflix that great?

Thanks..

What to do, had really high hopes for it... But then, if it doesn't do those.. Makes me wonder why they included the options in the Audio settings menu. There are toggles for DTS-HD, Dolby TrueHD and what appears to be pseudo-ATMOS? ..


On the YouTube front.. Turns out, architecture error.. Installing the arm-v7a as opposed to the arm64-v8a version.. Latest YouTube for Android TV 2.06.06 works perfectly and is remote friendly. Initial review text edited..

This post has been edited by voncrane: May 30 2019, 01:36 AM

Beelink GT - King Most Power TV Box is this legal ?
mcmc say only 2 model legal ?

those 2 are for local digital tv transmission, not generic android boxes as discussed here.

Congrats Voncrane on your 1st review perhaps?? Btw review not complete without youtube unbox and review (wanna hear if got Patrick Teoh's voice)..

Btw HomeLight issue and Beelink berpisah tiada

Agreed for the price one pays

Wouldn't the speed matters and the fluidity?

Does the netflix build 6.7 from apkpure works well? Think it is 720p

from what i read, it is good enough for speed but isn't superior to others incl those using s905x2.
as for 4gb ram, there is little evidence that it is faster than 3 or even 2gb.

all in all... no L1, no netflix hd, no lossless audio, no astrogo and i guess no autoframe rate switching...
why pay rm450 when a rm240 one can do same if not more?!
the price vs benefits positioning of this box is weird - neither here nor there.

will see if others can do better with s922x chipset.

i see android boxes is legal too ?

u may try buy online and ship here to save money but some people arse luck gets stopped by custom kena pay sirim charges .... all the best

what is the next s922x box coming with atv version that u know?

To me, the speed and fluidity does matter. To some others willing to shave a few bucks off? Meh.. After all we aren't talking serious lag times here. I will say for a fact that it's speedier than the usual recommendations. i.e. Neo U1, U9-H, Q10 Pro, MiBox and Mecool's... I take the speed test beyond just apps launching and closing. It's restore a fully loaded Kodi, do a reboot and time it. Also, how fast it media resumes playing after a couple skips forwards or backwards. I can confidently say that, this is the first such device (minus PC la) that I did a restore and without doing any custom advancedsettings.xml caching, etc... it's able, "as stock" to instantly continue playback of high bitrate bluray x265 files in Kodi.

Now if only they figure out a way (fw upgrade) to mask it's root at will, our usual aotg & unifitv works and enable up to ATMOS or even DTS:X level, whilst reducing the cost to remain competitive? I'd say it's a definite keeper.

Do you mean this version...Netflix_v6.7.0 build 28750?

Oh that 4GB is of the LPDDR4 variety. Definitely trumps the 2GB DDR3 RAM that ships with Minix devices and the HiMedia Q10 Pro.. if you recall from my Kodi experiments. I wasn't able to get Elementum to work properly using the RAM option.. On Android, I've read it is better to use memory storage, due to system limitation on opened files and connections. So a bigger & faster "worktable" is a plus with such. Though yeah, they raced to be at the front, it'll take a lot more to be the defacto, before others can do better with the same SoC. Looking at you, Odroid N2. ..The S922X has a lot of hardware advantages. Take its latest HDR compatibility: Dolby Vision, Advanced HDR10, HDR10 +, HLG, PRIME HDR and support for REC709 / BT2020 profiles. Smart folks just need to tap into all that hardware goodness and bring forth a worthy FW..

Not sure answer you are looking for..

This one usually Nvidia buyers kena...Though still depends on luck and buy from which platform.

that is the frustrating bit.

currently, there is NO rm400-500 box that can do all of that... been waiting but still nothing.

netflix 4k is not a big deal becos u need a 4k TV anyway and most 4k Tv's come with netflix; hdr10+ is limited to some tv brands only.

imo, the most impt features are fast, reliable, no overheating, hdr10, hlg, VP9, lossless audio (and this so damn hard to find!), auto framerate switching, close/open root option in setting to handle certain apps.

the first "cheap china" box that can do all that at <rm500, i buy right away.

for now, i will just stay with my himedia's and tanix's.


u9h, q10pro, shieldtv... all >3 years old, older chipsets, won't get past android 7/8.

sad, but there is no visible successor for them at the horizon.

This post has been edited by AVFAN: May 30 2019, 05:44 PM

Voncrane yup.. That's the one Netflix_v6.7.0 build 28750?

I agree.. Apps such as Netflix & YouTube at 4K+ res, the TV should come with a certified app.. Just use those instead..They tend to be better and easier to use anyway.. We all been waiting. With each release, we wonder and are let down. I've still got hopes for this GT-King from the community. There's been a new official firmware update. Will flash that later.

Tried this and same 540p limitation. Also, Beelink responded regarding Netflix. The hardware does have DRM L1 & HDCP, prime conditions for Netflix support. On the software side, they are working on the compatibility. They ask that we be patient on this.. Regarding the no sound issue, it's a known bug with fix in the works too. Apparently, simply dragging the progress bar a bit and audio is restored. Same issue with the latest app version, so sticking with that instead.

Other good news.. Got my hands on the Asterruk beta app and it does work on this rooted device.. So that's "fixed" for now... The new UI looks much better than the older one.. Me likey.. Still no remote directional buttons support though.. Air-mouse required.

Ok, version 6.7 looks like 720p to me as the resolution seems to improve as the show progress. Since u mentioned it has L1 and HDCP, have u try this method .... Netflix workaround