Amazon has just launched the “all new” Fire TV Cube streaming device with an Amlogic POP1-G octa-core Cortex-A73/A53 processor that we never heard of, but that appears to be almost the same as the Amlogic A311D2 processor that we reviewed in Khadas VIM4 SBC.
The Amlogic POP1-G (aka Amlogic – AML Popcorn) also integrates an Arm Mali-G52 MP8 GPU clocked at 800 MHz, and the third generation Fire TV Cube features 2GB LPDDR4/x memory, 16GB storage, WiFi 6E and Fast Ethernet, as well as an HDMI port.
Fire TV Cube 2022 specifications:
- SoC – Amlogic POP1-G (Amlogic AML Popcorn) octa-core processor with four Cortex A73 cores @ 2.2 GHz, four Cortex-A53 cores @ 2.0 GHz, Arm Mali-G52 MP8 GPU @ 800MHz with OpenGL ES 3.2 support
- System Memory – 2GB, LPDDR4/x – 4224 MT/s
- Storage – 16GB eMMC flash
- Video
- 1x HDMI output port up to 4Kp60 with HDR (HDR10, HDR10+, HLG, Dolby Vision)
- 1x HDMI input port to connect a cable box
- Codecs
- 4Kp60 H.265/HEVC, VP9, AV1
- Up to 4Kp30 or 1080p60 H.264
- 1080p60 MPEG-4 and MPEG-4
- Audio
- Microphone array for far-field Alexa control
- Microphone in remote control for near-field Alexa control
- Codec – Dolby MAT, AC3, Dolby Digital Plus, Atmos, TrueHD, AAEC, MP3, FLAC, MIDI, Vorbis, etc…
- Connectivity
- 10/100M Ethernet
- Tri-band WiFi 6E 2×2 MIMO and Bluetooth 5.2
- USB – 1x USB Type-A port
- DRM – Widevine L1 v11, PlayReady 3.3
- Misc – IR extender port
- Power Supply – TBD via power barrel jack
- Dimensions – 86 x 86 x 77 mm
- Weight – 509.6 grams
The new device runs Fire OS 7 based on Android 9, and the Fire TV Cube 2022 shows up as AFTGAZL build model in Fire OS. The device ships with Fire TV Alexa Voice Remote (Bluetooth 5.0), a power adapter with two AAA batteries, and a Quick Start Guide. Amazon sells the HDMI, IR extender, and Ethernet cables separately.
Amazon says the new model is twice as fast as the Fire TV Stick 4K Max introduced last year with a MediaTek MT8696 processor. However, you’ll lose support for AV1 decoding in the new model. I can’t see any obvious differences compared to the Amlogic A311D2, so I’d suppose Amlogic may have cut some features not listed here (V-by-One output, camera input, USB 3.0, Gigabit Ethernet…) to lower the cost of the chip for Amazon, and added the Dolby licenses.
Amazon is selling the third-generation Fire TV Cube for $139.99 and up depending on options. Additional information may also be found on the developer’s website.
Thanks to TLS for the tip.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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That looks hugely improved from the previous version.
The 2019 model has a Micro-USB port and HDMI output. Now it has HDMI input, Ethernet by default, and USB-A (USB 2.0?).
Memory went from DDR4-2400 to LPDDR4X-4224, and the size of the GPU is quadrupled. And you get two more Cortex-A53 cores.
Was Wi-Fi 5 dual-band, now Wi-Fi 6E tri-band.
No AV1 decode is the only downside.
Seems worthy of hacking.
AV1 is listed on the store page. They did the same thing with the 4K Max: left it off of the developer page, but listed it on the store page, then fixed it around the release date. And since the Amlogic A311D2 supports AV1, it’s a slam dunk.
Ah yes, updated. It’s impossible to trust anybody’s specs these days 🙂
WiFi 6 but 100Mbit LAN. Wow. Maybe understandable in a cheap android-tv-box, because the AmLogic only comes with a 100Mbit-PHY, but not here, not for $140.
Plus the USB-Port is still 2.0, so adding an USB-gigabit-adapter isn’t helping much.
A311D2 has USB3 data lines only pinmuxed with PCIe Gen2 and probably the single PCIe lane was used here for Wi-Fi/BT? BTW: seems like S928X suffers from the same limitation.
As for USB Ethernet just avoid the ASIX crap, get an RTL8153 dongle (driver should be stable enough in Amlogic’s 5.4 forward ported kernel mess) and enjoy at least 350% network performance ‘boost’ 😉
It’s mostly just ports and a redesign more than anything and the newer POP1 G processor is of miniscule upgrades, if both processors are used to their full extent both clock out at 2.2ghz, uses slightly faster ram, and other than that uses MP8 instead of MP6 and looks like a speaker rather than a fingerprint magnet, still can’t figure out why they didn’t upgrade the the Ethernet port (just moved it to the back of the device, in which who uses it anyways the WiFi is faster by a mile) added an HDMI In port with a USB 2.0 port (can’t figure out why 2.0, everything is at least 3.0 now), weird device, would still like to try as I have 2 second gen Cubes and love them as well as the Amlogic s922x processor, also wanna try the new FireTab 8 as for I have the last iteration of it as well.
The codecs section seems to be missing something like “decoders:” and “encoders:”. Not sure what the third line is.
It’s just that I messed up and wrote H.264 instead of H.265. Those are all decoders.
Okay, that makes sense, now. Thank you.
Also turns out it’s been in the Echo Show 15 this whole time.
This Is The Most Powerful Amazon Fire TV Device So Far But… Fire TV Cube 3 Hands-On
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQgMJS87u4c