Product Introduction
The MK80 TV Box hardware is based on the A80 Oct-Core Cortex A15 Multi-core processor by Allwinner SoC company, equipped with a powerful PowerVR G6230 GPU. Rikomagic company offers 4 types of TV Boxes:
The first model, MK80 is considered to be a lower-end spec model equipped with 2GB RAM / 16GB ROM (Flash) and the second one, the MK80 Plus with 4GB RAM / 32GB ROM, both running Android OS. For Linux OS fans, There are two additional models based on exact hardware specs named: MK80LE and MK80LE Plus running Ubuntu OS. You can download and install the latest Linux firmware for all MK80 models.
When comparing performance in relation to different hardware specs, Device with larger memory capacity should have a greater impact on multitasking, affecting the speed which apps are loaded and run in memory. That being said, This review will focus on the MK80 Product functions and main features.
This Product review will be focusing on:
- Products info & Specifications.
- Model: MK80
- Package.
- Unpacking.
- Items included in the package.
- Accessories.
- Design & Quality.
- System & UI.
- Performance.
- Benchmark Tests & Hardware info.
- Conclusions.
Product Highlights :
- Model: MK80.
- Brand: Rikomagic.
- CPU: Allwinner A80 Octa-Core ARM Cortex A15/A7 .
- GPU: imagination 64-Core PowerVR G6230.
- RAM: DRR3 2GB RAM / ROM: EMMC 16GB.
- OS: Android 4.4 KitKat
- Dual-band WIFI: 802.11ac 2.4G/5GHz
- 4K2K H.265 Decoding.
- External SATA Interface.
- Available Model Types – MK80 : 2GB / 16GB , MK80 Plus : 4GB / 16GB
Interface & Ports :
- Bluetooth 4.0.
- Video Output : HDMI 1.4 + AV port.
- Audio Output: HDMI, AV, and optical S/PDIF.
- USB Hosts : 1x USB 3.0 port, 2x USB 2.0 ports.
- External storage : SATA port (via a USB 2.0 bridge) + micro SD up to 64GB.
Connectivity :
- Bluetooth 4.0.
- External antenna.
- LAN: Gigabit Ethernet.
- Dual-band WiFi, Support 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac .
Package
Unpacking
All items included in the package
- 1x User Guide.
- 1x MK80 TV Box.
- 1x SATA cable.
- 1x USB Cable (OTG Data Cable).
- 1x Power supply Unit.
- 1x AV cable.
- 1x Remote control.
- 1x HDMI cable.
Accessories ( From Left to Right Direction).
- 1x AV cable.
- 1x USB Cable (OTG Data Cable).
- 1x Power supply Unit (12V/2A).
- 1x IR Remote control.
- 1x SATA cable.
- 1x HDMI Cable.
Design & Quality
General quality and design are high. The MK80 Casing is all made of plastic material in a standard shaped box with few flat corners, giving the product a nice stylish look. On the Base unit, there are vent holes with Rikomagic Sticker as shown in the photo below.
External WIFI Antenna
The MK80 comes with an external non-detachable WiFi antenna, from my checks quality is good without any losses parts or problems.
Connections & Interfaces
Left Side :
On the left side of the box: pair of USB 2.0 Host ports, a full-sized SD card Slot, and an external SATA 2.0 interface.
Back Side :
On the Backside of the box: Gigabyte Ethernet LAN Port, USB 3.0 Host port (in blue color), AV, SPDIF (Optical), and Power plug connection.
UI (User Interface)
Same as with previous TV Box models launched by Rikomagic, UI is very user-friendly, works well, and very simple to handle. User can easily add or remove apps to the Tiles shaped interface.
System
The device runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat OS with Full Root Access. I have updated firmware to the latest Build KOT49H 20150320.
Kodi/XBMC 14.0 Helix Alpha-3 came pre-installed, but I uninstalled it and performed all of my standard tests with the latest official release 14.2 Helix Dated March 2015.
Storage Information
If we calculate overall space, including 120GB (112GB effective free space) from external SSD Drive with The MK80 local storage which is about ~12GB, the Total proximate available space is about ~124GB (12GB + 112GB).
MK80 Connected with KingSpec 2.5″ Challenger Series (SSD Drive)
Performance
From the first impression, the device works extremely fast and stable with minimal heating except on the button base unit, where the venting holes get the excessive heat out.
I didn’t have any crashes or any sudden freezes streaming live TV channels with Kodi/XBMC. Wi-Fi single was stable streaming YouTube videos from ~8M distance from my router unit.
XBMC Playback Support
If I would have to select the best chipset suitable for Kodi in terms of performance between main SoC Companies, I would pick Amlogic first and Allwinners A80 hardware second next to Rockchip RK3288 solution.
2Kx4K Support:
Similar to Rockchip hardware, video playback with Kodi isn’t perfect. Some of my video samples played smoothly without any visual lags and others didn’t play well.
720P/1080P:
From my personal tests, ISO and MKV file up to 30GB in size play smoothly without freezes or visual lags.
Benchmark Tests & Hardware info
CPU-Z Information
As shown in the photo below in idle more device doesn’t fully utilize all 8 cores ( CPU Cores 0-7).PU Frequency range from 600 MHz up to 1.61 GHz (Peak) for each core.
Conclusion
One of the fastest TV Boxes I have checked so far. It’s no secret I`m not a great fan of Allwinner hardware, But their solution is pretty good and cost-effective. I personally liked and recommend the product. For more information, you can find Rikomagic products in their official store.
PROS:
- Comes pre-rooted.
- Ubuntu Linux Support.
- 802.11ac dual-band Wi-Fi.
- Excellent WIFI performance.
- External SATA 2.0 Interface.
- XBMC : Plays 720P & 1080P Videos smoothly.
- High performance ( Octa-Core – 8 Cores CPU ).
- Powerful GPU ( Excellent for running Games ).
CONS:
- XBMC: Partial support playing 2Kx4K Videos.
