(19 / 07 / 2016)
Welcome Next Generation!
At last we see a significant technological step forward in a category which was stationary for a long time with the not so efficient dual / quad core processors and 2GB ram accompanied by a usually slow 32GB ROM).
Nexbox T9 arrives to show that most of the above are changing.
The fresh Cherry Trail Z8300, 4GB RAM in combination with 64gb Rom and official Windows 10 actually give a significant boost to the performance that we can have in our living rooms.
Packaging
The packaging arrives in a eco friendly box .
The media player, a wall charger and an HDMI cable is all you will find inside.
We would like a small wireless media keyboard but the cost would rise and maybe it is for the best because the owner can pick one his liking..
For the test we used the all-time classic Logitech K400.
Build quality – Specifications
The Nexbox T9 comes in an a sturdy aluminum chassis, and is almost perfectly equipped for its class.
It is small, beautiful and you can place it where you want pride.
Nexbox T9 is powered by a Cherry Trail Intel Atom Z8300 @ 1.84 Ghz with 4 GB of RAM, 64GB ROM (eMMC type , not SSD),3 x USB 2.0, 1 x USB 3.0, HDMI 2.0, mini jack ,Mbit Lan, Wi-Fi Draft N, SD slot and BT 4.0.
For the better, all the basic I/Os are located at the back which is great in terms of cabling management and aesthetics.
Compared with previous generations of Intel Atom, the new one promises higher performance with lower power consumption (especially in GPU 40% gain is promised compared to the previous generation), something that ultimately helps in the fan less implementation of T9.
Tests -Performance
The Nexbox T9 comes with preinstalled and pre activated Windows 10 Home in the 64bit version (obviously for full memory usage).
From the moment you turn it on, you boot to windows in less than 40 seconds, which is a quite satisfactory performance.
Available free space is bigger than 44gb something that finally gives freedom to the user to install a plethora of games and applications.
Fortunately, there is no bloatware pre-installed.
For home computer use, increased memory helps in response for all basic functions such as web browsing, Office, mp3 and light multi-tasking .
The HDMI output can go up to 4K @ 30 Hz by following the new “fashion”, and supports 3D which unfortunately we could not test since our equipment is not compatible.
Performance wise, peripherals do quite well with Mbit network achieving maximum theoretical speeds and USB 3.0 port reaching up to 35 MB / sec, a performance that could do better.
Temperatures are not alarming considering the fan ess solution (80C when gaming is considered normal for summer), with the aluminum chassis obviously helping towards that. We were surprised though with the lack of (visible) holes for direct heat dispassion. In practice we experienced no visible throttling during our test (no Prime95 tests for you!)
In the field of light gaming it copes perfect with titles like Asphalt 8. Don’t expect to play Tomb Raider and Doom 2016 though.
Moving to the critical section of multimedia reproduction, T9 shows its strengths.
All Blu Ray playback is excellent, and HEVC I.265 hardware acceleration will help a lot with new releases.
KODI performed well (as usual) although in Windows environment we prefer applications like Media Player Classic HC.
Regarding audio bit streaming, the Nexbox T9 provided everything up to 5.1 DTS/DD. Unfortunately HD Audio is not possible due to lack of driver support.
Summary
Nexbox T9 is here to prove that a living room mini pc can be both powerful and affordable (less than $160 when released, should be cheaper later on).
T9 is the king of value for money as far as mini pcs go and that is a bid deal.
If you are looking for mini pc that will serve both a a multimedia player and as a small computer Nexbox T9 is definitely an option you must consider.
We would like to thank www.geekbuying.com for sending the player in exchange of 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.