Android-based TV boxes have become very popular since they are low-cost and work well at streaming videos and basic gaming.
A budget Android TV box can stream videos from online sources as well as many other tasks.
They are easily customized with apps such as Kodi, YouTube, APKs, Games, and much more.
There are top-end expensive units as well as low-cost budget units.
This post is about the best budget units that work well and won’t break the bank.
Best Budget Android TV Box Processor’s
- S905X4
- S905X3
- S912
- RK3399
- S922X
Android TV box processors have improved greatly over the past few years.
Currently, good budget CPUs for 2021 include the S905X4, S905X3, S912, and S922X.
Minimum Amount of RAM for a Budget Android TV Box
The more RAM, the better, but at least 2GB which is currently the minimum amount suggested.
Budget Android TV boxes with 3GB-4GB of RAM are very common and much more responsive compared to 2GB of RAM.
Internal Storage
Budget Android TV boxes usually do not have much internal storage and are mainly used for streaming from online sources.
Most units will have 32GB-128GB of internal storage space.
Android TV boxes will have USB slots to hook up flash drives, external hard drives, or SD-Card slots to add more storage if needed.
Since most media these days is streamed from online sources, having large internal storage to store videos has become less important.
There are many good budget units available with some of our favorite picks below.
As always be sure to read the reviews on Amazon, forums, here, or elsewhere to be sure a unit is a good fit for you.
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Our Picks for Best Budget Low-Cost Android TV Box
- MECOOL KM2
- HK1 Android TV Box
- T95Q Android TV Box
- T95Z Plus
- T9 TV Box
The MECOOL KM2 is a new Android 10 TV box for 2021 with an S905X2 CPU and 2GB of RAM.
This makes it a good basic media player for streaming videos from online sources and playing 4K resolution.
There are other units that have more RAM and faster CPU but the MECOOL KM2 is a Google Certified Android 10 box.
This means it has better support for apps in the Google Play Store.
If you are not worried about certification, there are other low-cost units that have better hardware.
The HK1 Android TV Box is a low-cost media center built to stream 4K videos at 60fps along with basic game-play.
It has an S905X3 CPU which is a good processor for budget media players in 2021.
It also has 4GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage space.
This makes it a good unit for those looking for a mid-range low-cost media center box that can play 4K video.
The T95Q is an Android TV box that has the S905X2 CPU and 4GB of RAM.
Many Android TV box owners are familiar with the original S905 processor with the S905X2 faster and better.
It also has dual-band WiFi, USB 3.0, Bluetooth 4.1, and 32GB of internal storage.
While testing, it played 4K videos @60 FPS and did well at basic game-play.
The WiFi tested at 48Mbps download speed which while not the best is good enough for the minimum 25Mbps 4K video requires to stream.
The T95Q is good for basic game play along with playing 4K videos and is a good basic media player.
Read Full Review Here of the T95Q Android TV Box
The T95Z Plus uses the S912 Amilogic processor with 3GB of RAM.
The S912 is an improvement over the S905 and a big improvement over the S805/S812 many older boxes ship with.
In testing the WiFi was fast and maxed out a 50Mbps Download, and 5Mbps Upload connection. It also can play 720p, 1080p, or the new 4K Ultra HD videos.
The S912 CPU, 3GB RAM, and 32GB internal storage made it easily able to run Kodi.
Read Here for a Full Review of the T95Z Plus
The T9 Android TV box is a small unit built for those looking for a budget media center box.
It has an RK3328 CPU and 4GB of RAM which makes it great for streaming HD videos or basic game-play.
During testing, the WiFi was slow at 12Mbps Download and 9Mbps upload.
While it will stream videos it would be best to run an Ethernet cable with the T9 for the best results.
It had no problems playing HD 4K videos @ 60fps.
Summary
If you are looking for a budget Android TV box to stream videos, there are many available.
With the many Android-based units available, there is no doubt many good buys.
Keep in mind with any low-end unit tech support will be almost non-existent, which shouldn’t be a problem for most, but be prepared to get a bit technical if there is a problem.
With that said, they can be very good units that won’t break-the-bank and make very good media centers.
There are better units available with better hardware but they are more expensive and may have a lot of features that may not be needed.
As with anything, be sure to read the reviews on Amazon, here, forums, or elsewhere to be a unit that fits your setup and technical ability.