Table of Contents
- Maybe you missed it? Ugoos SK2 Review
- Ugoos AM9 Review (Upcoming): Hardware, Performance, Software, Kodi, and Price.
The Ugoos AM9 is an Android TV box that delivers good performance and speed. It’s got a nice, sleek design and a sturdy metal case, which gives it a bit of a premium feel. Plus, it has some neat features, like the root switch, which isn’t something you usually see in other popular tv boxes.
Overall, this device stands out as an ideal choice for anyone in pursuit of a premium product crafted from superior materials, providing above decent cooling performance. Let’s take a closer look at its benefits and drawbacks.
- Good performance.
- 1GbE port.
- Integrated Wi-Fi 6 support.
- External WiFi Antennas.
- HDMI 2.1b (4Kx2K@60fps max).
- 3x USB 3.0.
- 64-bit OS Support.
- SPDIF port (optical audio interface).
- Smooth Kodi Playback.
- Metal Case.
- Special features: Root Switch, Key mapping
- TF Card Slot.
- AUX port.
- No certificates are required for Netflix, Disney+ or Prime.
- No Dolby Vision support.
Part I: Ugoos AM9 Android Box Released (Introduction)
Introduction – Discover What’s New
Streaming services are super popular these days, and android streaming boxes like the AM9 Android Box from Ugoos are catching the attention of both tech lovers as well as casual watchers. This new device just hit the market, and it’s built to give an awesome experience with smooth and solid performance. If you want to level up your media viewing, this device could be just what you need. Want to know what makes this cool product stand out in 2025? Let’s check out why the Ugoos AM9 is a great pick from a user’s point of view!
Ugoos AM9
Main Key Features
The key features of the AM9 highlight its focus on performance and user satisfaction. One of the most impressive features is the integration of advanced processors that provide unparalleled speed and efficiency. Fast processing means that your movies, series, and apps load almost instantly with minimal buffering.
- Three USB ports: Featuring three USB 3.0 Type-A host ports.
- SPDIF (Optical Output): Offers a clear and noise-free way to transmit digital audio via optical fiber, making it great for home theaters and soundbars.
- AUX: Allows users to connect a wide range of devices—like headphones, speakers, car stereos, or microphones—without the need for wireless pairing or complicated setup.
- Advanced Connectivity: WiFi 6 significantly boosts connectivity speeds and reliability, allowing seamless internet access in crowded areas and with multiple devices.
- Voice Control and Smart Features: With the addition of voice control capabilities, users can simply speak to perform tasks, giving them a hands-free experience. This function makes navigating through apps or searching for content faster and more convenient.
- Expandable Storage Options: The device provides expandable storage with a TF Card slot, allowing you to store more content without space issues.
- 4K Ultra HD Support: Experience crystal clear picture quality with 4K support.
- OTA Updates: Firmware updates are consistently provided, introducing new features and addressing bugs whenever they become available.
Exclusive Features
Aside from these improvements, the AM9 also introduces exclusive features:
- Root Access: Enhanced flexibility for users via Root Access Toggle: Seamlessly turn root access on/off without flashing methods. Options include Silent Root (automatic) and SuperSU-style (interactive).
- Special Settings Menu: A dedicated settings panel offering advanced controls like CPU temperature monitoring, frequency scaling, and RAM usage display.
- Native HDR Support: Experience vibrant colors and brighter imagery with HDR (High Dynamic Range) capability, which was either absent or limited in earlier models, including the AM8.
- Intuitive Remote Control: Featuring a new ergonomic design, the remote control offers an intuitive layout with voice command features, elevating the ease of use and interaction with the Android Box.
- Advanced Remote Mapping: Long-press and multi-function button support for remotes, including mouse toggle and app switching.
- Robust metal housing: A rugged metal case is included to enhance cooling performance and improve durability.
Hardware
Designed for power and performance, supporting 4K content, AI upscaling, and blazing-fast connectivity.
The Ugoos AM9 is powered by the latest processor technology, designed to deliver top-notch performance for all your entertainment needs. With an Amlogic S905x5 Quad-core processor under the hood, it boasts four ARM Cortex-A510 cores. This combination ensures fast and efficient handling of multitasking, even for the most demanding apps and games.
The performance is further enhanced by the Mali G310 V5 GPU, providing high-quality graphics rendering and smooth playback for 4K content. The device supports HDR10+ decoding, which means vibrant colors and a stunning visual experience. Whether you’re streaming movies or playing games, the AM9 can handle everything seamlessly and without lags.
Memory and Storage Options
When it comes to memory and storage, the Ugoos AM9 offers generous options. Equipped with 4GB of LPDDR4X RAM, it ensures quick access speeds and reliable performance while running multiple applications. This is a leap forward for users who demand efficient multitasking capabilities.
The AM9 comes with 64GB of eMMC storage, which should be plenty for downloading apps, saving media files, and getting updates. If you tend to collect a lot of stuff, no sweat! You can add extra storage with a microSD card. This way, you can easily boost your storage space and make sure you’ve got room for all your important data and media.
Ugoos AM9 Specifications
| Category | Specification |
|---|---|
| Operating System | Android 14.0 |
| Language Support | Multi-language support |
| CPU | Amlogic S905x5 Quad-core ARMv9.0 Cortex-A510 |
| GPU | Mali G310 V5. Architecture: Valhall (3rd-gen). FP32 Performance: ~52 GFLOPS at 1 GHz Execution Units: 1 shader core with up to 64 shading units. |
| Integrated NPU | ✅ Performance: Up to 4 TOPS. ✅ Neural Network Accelerator (NNA) with TPU architecture. ✅ 512KB Internal RAM & SMMU address re-mapper ✅ AI-Based Super Resolution (AI-SR): Automatically enhances image and video quality by upscaling lower-resolution content with more detail, sharpness, and clarity. ✅ App Launch Acceleration: Speeds up app loading and background optimizations by using predictive models to pre-load likely tasks. ✅ Improved UI Responsiveness: Delivers snappier interactions for users by accelerating gestures, animations, and transitions. ✅ Supports major frameworks: Tensorflow, ONNX, PyTorch, Caffe, etc. |
| RAM | LPDDR4X 4GB |
| Internal Storage | 64GB eMMC |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax, 2T2R, up to 1201 Mbps |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Expandable Storage | TF Card (SD2.X–SD4.X), eMMC v5.0 |
| Power Supply | USB-C 12V/1.67A |
| HDR Support | Yes |
| CEC Support | Yes |
| HDMI Output | HDMI 2.1b with eARC, CEC, ALLM, VRR, QMS, Dynamic HDR, HDCP 2.2/2.3 Max: 4Kx2K@60fps |
| USB Ports | 3× USB-A 3.0, 1× USB-C OTG 2.0 |
| Optical Output | 1× SPDIF |
| LED Work Light | Yes |
| Network Port | 1× RJ45 (1000M Ethernet, IEEE 802.3, RGMII) |
| Audio Formats | MP3, AAC, WMA, RM, FLAC, Ogg, Opus, Dolby* / DTS* (optional), 7.1/5.1 downmix |
| Video Output Formats | 480i/p, 576i/p, 720p, 1080i/p, 4Kx2K |
| Video Codecs | H.266, AV1, VP9, H.265, AVS3, H.264, MPEG-4, WMV/VC-1, AVS+, MPEG-2, MPEG-1, MJPEG, JPEG |
| Subtitle Support | Multi-language, multiple formats |
| Software Extensions | Google Play, APK install |
| Remote Control | Bluetooth remote with voice + gyro |
| Humidity Tolerance | 5%–90% (non-condensing) |
| Certification | CE, FCC |
| OEM Options | Optional 4G LTE module & SSD port |
| Dimensions | Device: 11.6 × 11.6 × 2.8 cm Gift Box: 15 × 16 × 9 cm |
Amlogic S905X5 Compared to Other Chipsets
Here’s a detailed side-by-side comparison of the Amlogic S905X5 alongside other recent Amlogic System-on-Chip (SoC) models, assessing its performance and features.
| SoC Model | S905X5 | S905X5M | S928X-K | S905X4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Release Date | (2024) | (2024) | (2024) | (2021) |
| CPU | 4× Cortex-A55 @ 2.5GHz | 4× Cortex-A55 @ 2.5GHz | 1× Cortex-A76 + 4× Cortex-A55 @ 2.02GHz | 4× Cortex-A55 @ 2.0GHz |
| GPU | Mali-G310 MP1 @ 1GHz | Mali-G310 V2 | Mali-G57 MC1 | Mali-G31 MP2 |
| GPU FP32 floating point performance (approx.) | ~50–60 GFLOPS | 20.8 GFLOPS | 243.2 GFLOPS | ~30–40 GFLOPS |
| NPU / AI | 4 TOPS AI-SR | 4 TOPS AI-SR | 3.2 TOPS | None |
| Video Decoding | AV1, H.266, H.265, VP9, 8K@24fps | AV1, H.266, H.265, VP9, 8K@24fps | AV1, H.265, VP9, 8K@60fps | AV1, H.265, VP9, 4K@60fps |
| Video Encoding | H.266, H.265, H.264 @ 1080p60 | H.266, H.265, H.264 @ 1080p60 | H.265, H.264 @ 1080p60 | H.265, H.264 @ 1080p60 |
| Max RAM Support | 8GB DDR3/4/LPDDR4X | 4GB DDR3/4/LPDDR4X | 8GB DDR4/LPDDR4X | 4GB DDR4/LPDDR4X |
| Lithography | 6nm | 6nm | 12nm | 12nm |
| Connectivity | HDMI 2.1b USB 3.0 Wi-Fi 6 BT 5.2 | HDMI 2.1a USB 2.0 Wi-Fi 6 BT 5.2 | HDMI 2.1a USB 3.0 Wi-Fi 6 BT 5.2 | HDMI 2.1 USB 3.0 Wi-Fi 5 /6 BT 5.0 |
| Power Efficiency (TDP) | 5W | 5W | 5W | 5W |
| Target Use | High-end Android TV, AI upscaling | Mid-range TV boxes | Premium TV boxes, SBCs | Budget to mid-range Android TV |
Feature Support
| Feature | S905X5M (Mali-G310 V2) | S905X4-J (Mali-G31 MP2) |
|---|---|---|
| HDR Enhancements | Dolby Vision, HDR10/10+, SBTM | Basic HDR10/HLG |
| HDMI 2.1 Gaming | VRR, QMS, ALLM, QFT | Only ALLM |
| Video Upscaling | AI-SR (AI Super Resolution) | Traditional algorithms |
| API Support | Vulkan 1.2, OpenGL ES 3.2 | Vulkan 1.1, OpenGL ES 3.2 |
| Thermal Efficiency | 6nm process (50% less power) | 12nm process |
Key Takeaways
- S905X5M: 1.36–2.8× faster in 3DMark/GFXBench; handles 4K UIs at 40–60 FPS.
- S905X4-J: Struggles with sustained 30 FPS in medium-load games; frame drops in complex UIs
- For Gamers/Enthusiasts: S905X5M’s Mali-G310 V2 dominates with VRR, AI-SR, and 2.8× faster rendering
- The Mali-G310 V2 in the S905X5M is superior for gaming, AI upscaling, and future OS support, while the Mali-G31 MP2 in the S905X4-J suits cost-effective 4K boxes with minimal gaming needs.
Reasons to upgrade to a new TV box with the latest chipset.
Getting a brand-new TV box with a newer chipset is super important for a few reasons. First off, newer chipsets are usually way more powerful, which means they can handle better graphics and smoother streaming. If you’re a fan of binge-watching shows or gaming, this really makes a difference.
- Improved hardware: Newer chips like the Amlogic S905X5 offer faster processors, upgraded GPUs, and dedicated NPUs that power smoother streaming, faster app launches, and advanced AI features. They also support the latest video codecs like AV1 and H.266, which means higher quality video with less data, along with advanced HDR formats like HDR10+ and Dolby Vision (if a certification exists).
- Connectivity: From a connectivity standpoint, newer SoCs bring cutting-edge support for Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2, enabling faster, more reliable wireless performance. Perhaps most crucially, newer chipsets are more likely to receive updates to the latest Android TV versions, which include not only new features and UI improvements, but also critical security patches that keep your device safe from vulnerabilities.
- Software updates/upgrades: Another thing is that newer chipsets come with updated software support, so you’ll get the latest apps and features for at least a few years ahead.
Excellent article. Probably the best review for this player out there.
Thanks for your kind feedback.
Very informative and helpful review, I have been considering the AM9 for a few weeks now, my only concern is that it’s running Android 14.
I have read a few times that kodi isn’t good on A14, however your review states kodi runs fine.
I am not a tec person so rely on reviews like yours, if there are problems I assume newer versions of kodi will resolve this.
At present I am using firestick 4k max, it most certainly struggles with 4k movies so want a newer better upgrade.
Thanks for your comment! I can’t promise it will support every video format out there, but it handles my large video file samples just fine. If you’re less constrained by budget and interested in more powerful hardware specifications, consider checking out the Ugoos SK1.Both devices are compatible with Kodi.
Thank so much for your advice, it’s much appreciated, have a great day…soph
You’re welcome. Thanks.
I am not sure how you claim that the box supports Dolby Vision, as it does not. It is simply a matter of license not purchased. DV files will play, but with negative colors (as it does on HDR sets without proper support). Please stay accurate.
Thanks, but I didn’t claim that. I double-checked and confirmed that I did mention the hardware’s capability in my hardware comparison tables.
To clarify things, I also added a note that it’s not supported.
Another thing is, in my testing, I found that the AM9 shows instability in Kodi, and rebooted randomally several times. I have reported to Ugoos with relevant logs.
Hi.
I didn’t have such issues. These things happen a lot with unstable and also stable Kodi builds.
For greater stability, you can consider Linux-based distros like LibreELEC, that will be likely available in the future.