MINIX officially announced their first quad core Android media player, named NEO X7, in early July, and it’s now available for around $140 on sites such as Aliexpress and Geekbuying. More recently, MINIX posted pictures and specifications for MINIX NEO X7mini, a cost down version of MINIX NEO X7. Let’s compare the two.
The first (very obvious) difference is the lack of external Wi-Fi antenna on the MINIX X7mini, but that’s not all as shown in the comparison table below.
NEO X7 | NEO X7mini | |
Processor | Quad-Core Cortex A9 Processor (RK3188) | Quad-Core Cortex A9 Processor (RK3188) |
GPU | Quad-Core Mali-400MP | Quad-Core Mali-400MP |
System Memory | 2GB DDR3 | 2GB DDR3 |
Storage | 16GB NAND Flash + SD/MMC Card Reader | 8GB NAND Flash + SD/MMC Card Reader |
Connectivity | Bluetooth, Ethernet, Dual-Band Wi-Fi (2.4GHz and 5GHz) | Bluetooth, Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi |
External Antenna | Yes | No |
USB | 3 x USB Ports + 1 x OTG | 2 x USB Ports |
Video Output | HDMI 1.4a | HDMI 1.4a |
Audio I/O | HDMI, optical S/PDIF, microphone and headphone jacks | HDMI, optical S/PDIF |
Misc | IR receiver | IR receiver, Auto Power-On (no power button) |
Dimensions | 125x125x20mm | 98x98x22.8mm |
Both devices run Android 4.2.2. In order to bring the cost down, they reduced the flash memory size, embedded an 2.4GHz Wi-Fi module, and got rid of the external antenna, removed 2 USB ports (1x USB host, and 1x USB OTG), as well as the microphone and headphone jacks. MINIX NEO X7mini is about a third smaller than NEO X7.
MINIX NEO X7mini price has not been disclosed yet, and the device will be available at the end of August, beginning of September.
Via AndroidPC.es
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I sometimes don’t really understand these products. Instead of the mini why can’t I just buy a RK3188 stick for $60, then put a $10 USB hub + ethernet adapter and be done with it for $70 ? I doubt the mini will cost less. Also you can add a USB sound card and USB wifi adapter to get the full Neo X7 specs for way less money.
@Marius
I think Minix gets a bit of brand recognition & its prices reflect this. And people don’t mind paying an extra $20-30 to avoid a tangle of cables/adaptors in their living room. (This said, the <$15 Measy U2C-D would go some way to avoiding that, but how many people know about it?) I guess another issue is: would USB peripherals necessarily work?
@149 one can order an odroid xu with the a15 chip , the psu and a case. What’s is the better buy in your opinion
@Larib The $149 for the Odroid isn’t the full cost though. You still need to pay for storage, $40 for 16GB. Plus shipping was about $50 the last time I checked Hardkernel, plus you’d then have to pay import duty on top.
I thought about getting the $89 U2 a while back but once I factored in all the additional costs it came to about $200.
It’s a shame. They’re nice pieces of kit. The only thing I’d be worried with the XU is the GPU. Not linux friendly.
For the cheaper pens, thermal figure is different (keys/pens have much littler and hotter case), ethenet is only wireless, USB is single, no SPDIF, no integrate remote control (when usb availability is limited, remote is a plus..)
The Odroid-XU is tempting, but IMHO as it has acrive fan I’d like to know fan sound and power figure (other than linux drivers ) before buying that thing.
@onebir
You make a good point, especially about the USB stuff not working, at least not in Android. $15 cheaper is beginning to sound more reasonable.
I guess I really don’t need what this one has. All I need over the basic TV stick is Ethernet and some USB ports.
Marius : I sometimes don’t really understand these products. Instead of the mini why can’t I just buy a RK3188 stick for $60, then put a $10 USB hub + ethernet adapter and be done with it for $70 ? I doubt the mini will cost less. Also you can add a USB sound card and USB wifi adapter to get the full Neo X7 specs for way less money. Percentage-wise, it may be a lot cheaper to do what you are proposing, but in absolute terms, it is maybe $40-50. And in exchange you have to spend more time… Read more »
@Eas
I guess my main problem is that I really don’t need much more than a TV stick has, maybe if I did I’d consider this.
@Marius
BTW, the MTK6572 phones are appearing on Aliexpress, eg
http://www.aliexpress.com/item//1117795664.html
(but is this really 512MB RAM?)
@Marius
The sticks appeal to a certain crowd while a box like the Minix I could buy my parents.
I like the fact it has all the ports I need…plus an ethernet port.
Why screw with wireless if your house (and TV) is already wired.
You can see some pictures and screenshot of MINIX NEO X7 at http://blog.geekbuying.com/index.php/2013/08/06/minix-neo-x7-rk3188-quad-core-android-4-2-tv-box-review/
The device is now available on dx.com too.
The cheap RK3188 sticks (such as the MK908) I recently purchased,, has severe stability issues! The devices (I got two: one for my bedroom and one for my living room) crash several times a day and requires constant restarting. The Minix brand us much more stable in terms of HW and ROM builds
NEO X7mini has just been listed in GeekBuying for $119 – http://www.geekbuying.com/item/NEO-X7-MINI-Rockchip-RK3188-Quad-Core-Android-4-2-2-1-6GHz-Mini-TV-BOX-2GB-8GB-WIFI-RJ45-with-IR-Remote-Control-Black-318426.html
I find the photo of PCB of MINIX. minipcsale.ru/stati-i-obzory/9-minix-neo-x7 Looks very good !