Beelink GT1 MINI was released in October 2018 with Amlogic S905X2 SoC, and presently we have a successor – GT1 MINI 2! It sports the latest Amlogic S905X3 SoC in the exactly minimalistic, small form. Beelink were so king to send us a sample for test, so will allow view which we’ve got.
UNBOXING GT1 MINI 2
In the box which for some reason is from old version (GTmini-A) of the box we have:
– Beelink GT1 Mini 2 Amlogic S905x3 TV Box;
– Voice gesture remote;
– Power supply;
– HDMI cable;
– User Manual and satisfy card;
Beelink GT1 Mini 2 preliminary specifications:
SoC – Amlogic S905X3 quad-core Arm Cortex-A55 processor @ 1.9 GHz with Arm Mali-G31MP2 GPU
System Memory – 4GB DDR4 RAM
Storage – 64GB eMMC flash, Micro SD tray
Video & Audio Output
HDMI 2.1 up to 4K @ 60 Hz with HDCP 2.2, 3D, ALLM (Auto small latency mode) support
3.5mm AV jack for composite video (480i/576i) and stereo audio
Video Playback
10-bit H.265 up to 4K @ 60fps, VP9 Profile-2 up to 4K @ 60fps, AVS2-P2 up to 4K @ 60fps, H.264/AVC up to 4K @ 30fps, H.264 MVC up to 1080p60, MPEG-4 ASP up to 1080p60 (ISO-14496), etc..
HDR – Dolby Vision optional, HDR10+, HDR10, HLG, and PRIME HDR processing
Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet, dual-band 802.11 b/g/n/ac WiFi 5, Bluetooth 4.0
USB – 1x USB 3.0 port, 1x USB 2.0 port
Misc – Digital LED display on the front screen, upgrade pinhole
Power Deliver – 5V/2A
Size – 77 x 77 x 17mm
Weight – 125 grams
The box itself is made from the similar plastic as it’s bigger brother – Beelink GT King S922x that we presently reviewed.
On the top is the Beelink logo. On the backside, we have small holes for heat dissipation. And the single hole is probably reset button.
On the left side, we have nothing however on the straight we look at SD card slot up to 64GB and 1 USB 3.0 and 1 USB 2.0.
On the back panel, we could discover AV Output, Gigabit Ethernet, HDMI 2.1 up to 4K @ 60 Hz with HDCP 2.2 and power provide input.
The remote that ships by default is Quite simple and serves to operate the basic functions.
We could use the microphone button, Google search with Voice Search is unveiled with which we can search the website for content. Moreover, if we install Google Assistant from Google Play we could launch installed apps like Youtube or Netflix, performs fine in all the languages. From the command we could not open the multitasking function, a pity, probably Beelink improved update it in the future.
So, let’s open the box and see what is inside.
It’s pretty easy to open it. Just use some thin tool like guitar pic and gently open the bottom lid.
To remove the motherboard un-screw the three screws.
After that, we can pull out the PCB.
The main chips we need to know are:
RAM
Samsung DDR4 – 1GB x4
SEC 822
K4A8G08
5WC BCRC
eMMC
ISOCOM
MEMA064G
WiFi module
AMPAK
AP6255
WiFi 802.11b/g/n/ac + BluetoothV4.2
SoC
Amlogic S95X5
4x Arm Cortex-A55 @ 1.91 GHz
ANDROID SYSTEM
NOTE! Prior we review the system we require to mention that there is a bug in the firmware! Now it is fixed! Read more Beelink GT1 Mini 2 Amlogic S905X3 firmware update
To switch on the Beelink GT1 MINI 2 we need just plugging it into the dc adapter, it starts up and the front white LED firing up. When a discrete input animation we arrive at the default launcher what we may customize the sidebar with shortcuts or 2 other screens on each side. We have only a few apps installed by default, everything that is appreciated.
In this TV-Box we discover Android 9.0 and the system operates on actually fluid and quick between the programs thanks to the S905X3 SoC, the 4GB Samsung DDR4 RAM and the superb inner storage 64GB which is especially quick.
HARDWARE TESTS
We did our common memory tests and inner storage in the Beelink GT1 MINI 2 using the A1 SD bench app.
As we might appear at in the tests, the inner memory speed is Quite quick, what makes the system show very fluid.
We, In addition, have like a novelty with a USB 3.0 port that makes it possible for us Plenty higher reading speeds than the classic USB 2.0 even though the writing does not reach the maximum of this type of ports.
WIFI and Bluetooth
We did a streaming test using measurement tool from iPerf to view how AP6255 WiFi operates.
The result was almost at top speed for this adapter.
The penetrate signal is moreover OK At a distance of 5 meters with a wall we have a signal of 34 dBm, which is very good!
Antutu test:
Not a bad result when 2 of 4 cores not working, right? 🙂
GeekBench 4 test:
VIDEO AND AUDIO TEST
the Beelink GT1 MINI 2 behaves perfectly using the S905X3 SoC, a device that supports HDMI 2.1 video output that theoretically allows maximum resolution up to 4K@75fps with HDR information. We moreover have an AV jack for old stereo or TV audio.
Video playback test
We passed our video playback tests on the Beelink GT1 MINI 2, and the TV Box that integrates the S905X3 SoC and a VPU compatible with most modern video formats.
We may use any players like MX Player or install KODI from Google Play.
We tested H.264 and H.265 and all was good.
For 4K test, we used 100mbit samples.
The video operates on delicate even if we skip areas back and forward.
Audio playback test
We operate tests in the Beelink GT1 MINI using a Pioneer VSX D512 receiver we check that they support DD and DTS pass-through sound.
Audio test achievements
Conclusion
The fresh model Beelink GT1 MINI 2 with Soc Amlogic S905X3 offers us a device with interesting sections.
With the integration of the fresh Amlogic S905X3 SoC and Android 9.0 this model currently is made up of USB 3.0, visual improvements in video playback and Fantastic utilization that offer us a Lovely compact temperatures.
The performance of the Wifi AC adapter with great coverage despite the internal antenna and the Gigabit Ethernet port speed allow us to use them as a network player with no problems.
The common provided remote control operates nicely with Google Assistant even though if it was a flymouse or Bluetooth it would be much better.
Update:
Termal mod
To start we need:
– a copper Heatsink 20mmx20mmx1.2mm
– Silicon Thermal Pad 100x100x2mm
– Arctic MX-4 thermal compound
Remove the old thermal paste and apply Arctic MX-4 thermal compound on the Amlogic S905x3. Then place the copper Thermal pad over it and finally, put Silicon Thermal Pad exact same size like copper one and apply it above.
Now you can assemble the box and check the temps when running some tests like Antutu.
Enjoy!