Could be a movie trilogy!
Sunvell T95U Pro is T95Z’s and T95 Plus brother (reviewed here and here ) with the same specs and different looks.
Since they perform the same, review is different only where needed.
Packaging – Specifications
The Sunvell T95U Pro arrived in a same box like it’s brothers did.
If you buy one you can be sure that it will arrive in perfect condition.
Inside you will find the media player itself, an HDMI cable, the power brick and the remote. No batteries included.
The specifications list is identical to its brothers by featuring the Amlogic S912 8-core CPU, Mali T820 GPU and 2GB of RAM/ 16GB ROM.
I/Os feature 2 x USB 2.0 , 1 x optical out, HDMI 2.0 (4K and HDR support), SD slot and a/v out .
For wired network connections an RJ45 with Gigabit LAN is the best available option and the same can be said for wireless connections with Wi-Fi AC and BT 4.0.
Android 6.0 is once again the selected operating system.
Media Player – Remote
T95U Pro has normal design/looks compared to the others. Additionally it has a better chassis as well. Let’s see…
This time the Sunvell model is made of metal and it feels by far the better choice. The others had great quality cases, but metal is always preferable.
The color is red and the design sports a “Π” shaped metal to the sides and a mirror like façade where the screen is.
All I/Os can be found at the rear and left side. All major ones are located rear so cable management should be easy.
The remote is quite nice, certainly above average and made of plastic and the numeric keyboard can be quite useful in many occasions so it is another bonus.
The range is great and the grip/feeling when in use is also stellar.
As in most of all the modern media players, the user has option to control the media player via web interface for as long as its smartphone is connected to the same network.
The remote is the same as the ones found in the other T95Z’s.
Menus – Settings
T95U menus are again the same.
After an almost minute long boot (including a nice animation) we find the main menu which is the same as the one in the brand’s previous models (T95Z).
The main screen is quite crowded but not in an annoying way.
Shortcuts for all the major applications (believe us, there are many of those) can be found there so you won’t have to search through the app screen to select them.
There is actually only one main screen (no extra pages) so nothing complicated and the learning curve will be quite easy.
Also, many 3rd party applications exist that we cannot mention in detail. We can’t recall any other media box company with such α plethora of video applications.
Settings menu is the all classic now dark grey themed one.
All the settings you will ever need are there, just one click away and setting the box according to your needs should be very easy and fast.
Testing
This is the most crucial part for most people.
The T95U does not disappoint and performs exactly the same as its brothers.
As expected, audio files playback flawlessly (mp3, flac) in all audio players (KODI 16.1, external)
Video section is where the T95U actually shines.
The majority of popular 4K file types will playback perfectly fine with (hardware) limitations on files of 4k@60fps H264 and some rare Hi10p encodings.
Popular 1080p files including high bit-rate BLU-RAYS have perfectly smooth operation.
Auto frame rate switching is not supported but that is the case with the majority of media boxes.
At least 23.976 playback appears to be fine without annoying hiccups every now and then.
Regarding audio bit-streaming, DD/DTS had no issues but HD-Audio was a no-go (PCM and DTS core was the result in cases of True-HD and DTS HD Master Audio)
Wireless playback of mid->high bit-rate was no issues for the Wi-Fi AC for as long as you have a clean reception. The lack of an external Wi-Fi antenna compared to T95Z Plus didn’t have a bad effect. Could be different though in more difficult cases (little bit higher bit-rate etc.)
Via wired LAN playback of high bit-rate .ISO backups was a breeze as expected.
Furthermore, we would like to add that via KODI BLU RAY menu playback was achieved but not always with great playback. If your BD RIP works, just consider it a bonus, but don’t count on it.
Android
Android 6.0 is the new trend for media boxes and this one is no different.
Google’s platform is here in all its glory.
YouTube, Gmail, Chrome and all applications and games in Play Store are at your disposal.
Gaming performance is also stellar with light 3D games having perfect playback.
No OTA FW was available during our tests .
Sunvell is among the brands that support their products which is a good thing.
Summary
Sunvell T95U Pro is a very good all-around performer with good build quality and support.
It performs exactly the same like the other T95’s from the same company so at the end you will have to choose based on price, design and availability.
At least this time the T95U Pro can be considered the better choice in terms of build quality and classic design compared to the others.
Overall, an affordable great performer with good looks and great build quality.
We would like to thank www.gearbest.com for sending the player in exchange for an unbiased presentation.
- If this review helped you towards making your decision, we would appreciate if you made your order through the previous affiliate link(s). This way we will be able to review more products in the future.