(09 / 09 / 2016)
Another media player is on our table for presentation.
This time we have the Nexbox A95X (2nd edition) which is our first with Android 6.0 support and HDR.
In the low cost category A95X is a new model that appears to be equipped with all modern options.
Packaging – Specifications
A95X arrived in a relatively small carton, and inside you will find the media player itself, the remote, the power cord and an HDMI cable for connection to your TV or A/V receiver.
Everything inside is neat and protected adequately in order to arrive without bumps,
It is equipped with the latest revision of S905(X) processor from Amlogic and out version was equipped with 2GB RAM / 16GB ROM. A cheaper version also exist with 1GB RAM / 8GB ROM.
The new processor promises 4K decoding (H.265 and VP9 as well) and HDR.
A95Xs compact size limits the available I/Os a bit but all the basics are here.
2 x USB 2.0, Coaxial, MicroSD slot, HDMI 2.0, Mbit LAN is what the majority of users will ever need.
The Wi-Fi module is 802.11 b / g / n while Bluetooth is in its latest version 4.0.
Media Player – Remote
A95X is compact, almost elegant and made of plastic. We would like aluminum housing but probably the price would not be the same.
It fits everywhere (in your palm as well!) and does not attract attention (in a good way).
Although made of plastic and being fan less, there were no indications of possible lags, restarts or anything that could ruin your experience while using it.
Remote is IR type and has a good grip and nice feeling when in use.
For the price it is great that a numeric keypad is also included.
Overall quality is very good for the price, both for the media player and remote.
Menu -Settings
Powering on Nexbox led us in less than half a minute in the main menu.
Fortunately it is structured for media player usage and not as a simple basic android tablet like older generations.
The icons are quite large in size (a positive) while there is also possibility of customization by the user.
In the first / main page you will find the most popular selections, such as YouTube, KODI, Netflix, Browser, File Manager, while in other tab, you will find online services like Hulu, Plex etc.
In the settings menu (which again is structured for media player use), we find for the first time option to select HDR. Unfortunately, our Panasonic TV CX680E, although 4K, does not support this feature (or 3D for that matter) and we could not perform relative tests.
Testing
Nexbox performed as expected for the price range.
In the field of audio, there was no problem during playback of mp3 and flac files.
In the video segment we had some peculiarities.
Reproduction of most 4K files we tested was very good with the exception of ones with VP9 encoding @ 60 Hz. Compatibility wise, the majority of the more popular 4K files @ 30 Hz was better than the ones @ 60 Hz.
As expected, 1080p playback was flawless.
Even the most demanding remux files with high bit rate played smoothly and 23.976 lock appeared to be correct (no visible stutters every now and then)
Some small issues were faced in terms of audio bit streaming.
Although in KODI includes HD Audio options, only 2.0 PCM was possible. Enabling bit stream resulted in no sound both from the TV and the A/V receiver.
With the popular Mx Player pro, we had exactly the opposite effect. No sound in 2.0 PCM and DD / DTS / True HD bit stream (ATMOS not, nor DTS-HS Master Audio).
We don’t know if it is just software issue or licensing one. Of course for the majority of owners who will connect the Nexbox directly to their TV, A95X performs wonderfully.
We would like to mention that although wired LAN is “only” Mbit, high bitrate MKVs had perfect playback.
Through the Wi-Fi, 720p TV series MKVs also performed without issues.
Android
Once again Google’s Android is here in the newest version (we know, few smartphones have Nougat installed) and in combination with the equipped 2GB RAM and 16GB ROM (~ 11.5GB of them are free) we get fast response and unlimited access throughout the range of applications and games in Play Store.
In the field of gaming simple games run just fine. Knight of the old republic which is in 3d, played fine although we have seen it perform much better in much more powerful tablets.
Summary
Overall A95X is a fresh proposal which is very well equipped (2GB RAM / 16GB ROM, 4K, HDR, Android 6.0) and will playback 99.9% of your files effortlessly and without emptying your wallet.
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.