Today I will present one of the best tv boxes with Google Certificate for 2021 under $85, Mecool KM7 equipped with a new generation of Amlogic S905Y4 quad-core SoC which offers superior performance in all tasks and is supported AV1 decoder and it’s powered by Android 11, in addition to 4GB RAM and storage capacity of up to 64GB, all this allows you to watch and enjoy thousands of movies and series in 4K resolution, so it’s time To talk about this TV Box and see if it is worth investing in and what its pros and cons.
Mecool KM7 TV BOX Features
- Amlogic S905Y4 Quad Core ARM Cortex A35
- ARM Mali-G31 MP2
- Android 11
- Google Certified
- LPDDR3 2/4GB, eMMC 16/64GB
- 2.4 & 5G Dual Wifi
- Video decoder: AV1, VP9, H.265 video decoding
- Supports HDR10+, HDTV 2.1
- Support OTA update
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Design And Build Quality
The design applied in the Mecool KM7 is very simple but with some elegant touches to suit any of the smart TV setups you have in your room, it’s just a square black plastic box with a matte finish on the top surface and the Mecool logo on the middle, in the front, we find a lamps Blue LED for power, network, and IR. From the bottom, there are ventilation holes and four rubber legs for added stability.
Moving on to the ports, what we often find in TV BOX devices includes 2* USB 2.0 port, TF Card slot, DC connector, SPDIF digital audio output, RJ45 Ethernet (10 / 100M), HDMI 2.1, and 3.5 mm Headset Jack.
Under The Hood
The SoC used in the Mecool KM7 is Amlogic S905Y4 64-bit Quad-core ARM Cortex A35 1.8GHz but that they are slower than the Cortex-A55 that we can find in the Amlogic S905X4. This processor is known for its good manufacturing quality at 12nm and gives you more performance than the previous generation compared to the S905X3 found in most TV box devices. Also, It’s designed for high-performance devices and supports AV1 decoding which is now mandatory for popular streaming services and compatibility with HDR 10, HDR10 +, HLG, Dolby Vision technologies.
The Mali-G31 MP2 GPU offers good performance without forgetting the 2 or 4GB RAM for greater multitasking capabilities and provides excellent results in navigating and running applications. And storage capacity, it has 2 options of 16GB or 64GB eMMC and there is a TF card slot to support expansion up to 32GB.
Connectivity Of The Mecool KM7
For connectivity, the Mecool KM7 box contains 2.4GHz / 5GHz WIFI IEEE 802.11 b / g / n / ac dual-band, the network is acceptable but not the most stable, and has a 100MB LAN port, not the best thing but its more reliable than WI-FI and provides even better data transmission. And has Bluetooth 4.2 is not the latest generation but is It works well, however, is acceptable at this price point.
Software
Mecool KM7 TV Box equipped with Android 11 to provide you with more efficient and safe operation and better compatibility with the latest apps, so better user experience.
In the beginning, it’s fast to boot up, it will not take 30 seconds to take you directly to the launcher with some configuration wizard, where we can connect to the Wi-Fi network and define which apps will be installed by default.
The launcher is clean with a flat design and has a complete desktop layout for Android 11, What I find missing is the lack of a navigation bar and status bar for easy navigation and multitasking. but, you’ve got shortcut Apps that you can customize yourself. The overall performance is very good, we can move smoothly and quickly between menus.
However, Google Assistant is integrated into the remote control, and thus users simply press the Google Assistant button to activate voice control and ask an unlimited number of questions such as checking weather information, finding the latest blockbuster, playing popular music, etc.
Applications
Android 11 allows the installation of apps from Google Play Store (Google Play Store version for Android TV OS) and contains pre-installed apps such as YouTube, Amazon Prime, Disney Plus, Hulu, Spotify, Tubi TV, and many more.
Mecool KM7 supports Google services and allows you to install some app that is available in the play store because is not a certified Android TV box don’t get access to the full Google Play Store, or you can use a third-party store or use Google browser to search the apk app, then download and install the app you want.
Note:
Mecool KM7 Supports OTA updates, he is necessary to solve some possible problems or upgrade the system.
Mecool KM7 Performance
Video playback
Mecool KM7 supports 4K 30fps video output via HDMI 2.1 port which brings you high definition viewing and fluent video playback, making it the highest resolution signal available for home movies to let you watch 4K movies smoothly, every detail of the screen is clear and with high color saturation and quality excellent picture, no lag or stuttering, that’s the strength of this device.
When playing some 4k video samples from a USB Drive on a USB 2.0 port via the included Kodi Media Player, it’s shown on 4k 60 FPS, it little struggled to play smoothly, however, on 4k at 30 FPS played ultra-smooth and very nice.
Mecool KM7 Streaming Service
The current Netflix version on the Play Store is not available to install with an incompatibility message, you can download it APK by a third party. As it’s known, it’s not possible to watch paid services like Amazon Prime in 4k because these applications requiring specific licensing, This tv box has the DRM support level L1 to stream HD or 4K. And this is where the strength of Android TV OS, which you cannot find in the Chinese TV box.
Thankfully, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ work in full HD on the KM7. Unfortunately, Netflix still does not work in high resolution but you can enjoy Netflix at a smooth 480p. However, IPTV services remain one of the solutions that you will find on this tv box and support any high resolutions you want, and there are also other programs similar to Netflix for free.
YouTube Quality
When you go to YouTube, you can play videos on 4k 30FPS, and this is the maximum limit to enjoy high quality without freezing and with smooth performance, although playing videos on 2k will be more than enough. However, this box has a maximum refresh rate ranging from 40 to 60 fps on average in FULL HD / 2k.
Play Games
The graphics processing in the Mecool KM7 is based on the Mali-G31 MP2, which offers good performance on medium games like Asphalt 8, and this is at a resolution of 1080p because at 4K the situation will be disastrous, as for powerful games like PUBG or Call of Duty you will be able to play with low settings, that is why I think that the rest of the games will not face any problems and the gameplay will be smooth for the best gaming experience.
When you put this Mecool KM7 under pressure its temperature can be reached 80ºC or more, causing a performance little drop. But on normal use like watch movies, the temperature is acceptable between 50ºC – 60ºC And I find that the cooling system is fine on this box because the body has a big number of ventilation holes, which provide the necessary cooling of the tv box. and you can make it even lower by using a cooling fan for this purpose.
Remote can’t navigate on some Apps, It is a common issue for almost all android tv boxes that are hard to navigate on some Apps with the remote, as these Apps are mainly provided for tablets and phones that have a touch screen. I suggest purchasing the iPazzPort mini Wireless Keyboard/Remote, It will make it much easier navigating the screen in apps that aren’t remote-control friendly.
Conclusion
In general, the Mecool KM7 smart TV box provided good performance, especially in playing 4K videos without any problems, as for YouTube, 4K resolution may have some delay, All the popular TV streaming apps are available except for Netflix and lack of DRM to play 4K, playing games was ok, The launcher remains fast. the system we have is Android TV 11, which is very stable, moves very smoothly and we can run any game or app compatible with Android TV. In short, the new Mecool KM7 is a good TV-Box under $85.
Mecool KM7 Price And Where To Buy
The Mecool KM7 TV BOX is currently available on Banggood and Aliexpress Store for a very good price So, don’t miss out on this great deal. And to view its price or buy it, you can access the offer by clicking on the store icon.
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Package Contents
- Mecool KM7 TV Box
- Power Adapter
- IR+BT Voice Remote Control
- HDTV Cable
- User Manual
Mecool KM7 TV BOX Specifications
| CPU | Amlogic S905Y4 64-bit quad-core ARM® Cortex™ A35 CPU |
| GPU | ARM G31™ MP2 GPU processor |
| SDRAM | 2-4GB |
| FLASH | 16-64GB |
| WiFi | Built-in 1T1R 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2.4+5G Wi-Fi + BT 4.2 Module |
| Bluetooth | BT4.2 |
| LAN Ethernet | 10/100 M Ethernet port |
| LED Indicator | the standby mode is red, the working mode is blue |
| OS | Android 11 ATV |
| Video decoder | – AV1 MP-10@L5.1 up to 4Kx2K@60fps – VP9 Profile-2 up to 4Kx2K@60fps – H.265 HEVC MP-10@L5.1 up to 4Kx2K@60fps – AVS2-P2 Profile up to 4Kx2K@60fps – H.264 AVC HP@L5.1 up to 4Kx2K@30fps – MPEG-4 ASP@L5 up to 1080P@60fps (ISO-14496) – WMV/VC-1 SP/MP/AP up to 1080P@60fps – AVS-P16(AVS+) /AVS-P2 JiZhun Profile up to 1080P@60fps – MPEG-2 MP/HL up to 1080P@60fps (ISO-13818) – MPEG-1 MP/HL up to 1080P@60fps (ISO-11172) – RealVideo 8/9/10 up to 1080P@60fps – Multiple languages and multiple format sub-title video support – MJPEG and JPEG unlimited pixel resolution decoding (ISO/IEC-10918) – Supports JPEG thumbnail, scaling, rotation, and transition effects |
| Video/Picture Encoding Amlogic Video Engine (AVE) with dedicated hardware decoders and SW H.264/ VP8 encoders – Support multi-video decoder up to 4x1080P@60fps – Supports multiple “secured” video decoding sessions and simultaneous decoding and encoding | |
| HDR | Supports HDR10+, HDR10, HLG HDR processing |
| 3D Graphics | ARM G31 MP2 GPU – 4-wide warps, dual texture pipe, 2x 4-wide execution engines (EE) – Concurrent multi-core processing -for OpenGL ES 3.2, Vulkan 1.1, and for OpenCL 2.0 support |
| Decoder format | HD MPEG1/2/4, H.265/H.264/HEVC, VC-1/WMV, AVS, AVS +, AVS2 RealVideo, AV1, MP-10, VP9 Profile, RM, RealVideo8/9/10 |
| Media format | Supports *.mkv,*.wmv,*.mpg, *.mpeg, *.dat, *.avi, *.mov, *.iso, *.mp4, *.rm and *.jpg file formats |
| Music format | Supports MP3, AAC, WMA, RM, FLAC, programmable with 7.1/5.1 down-mixing |
| Photo format | MJPEG/JPEG |
| Network Function | Chromecast, for Airplay, Skype chatting, Picasa, Youtube, Flicker, Facebook, Online movies, etc. |
| Language | Chinese, English, Germany, Japanese, Korea, etc. 24 languages |
| OTA | Support OTA update |
| Ports | |
| Port | HDTV 2.1 Dynamic HDR 4Kx2K@60 max resolution output USB 2.0 TF CARD Support 1~32GB 3.5 Phone out CVBS&L/R output Optical RJ45 LAN DC 5V/2A |
