In March 2016, Xiaomi released a new generation of network set-top box: Xiaomi Box 3 Enhanced Edition. In terms of parameters, there is violence in the current network set-top boxes and network TV. On the Soc, the 2-core Cortex-A72+4-core Cortex-A53 64 bit 2.0GHz MT8693 is used in the millet box for the first time. The memory and flash memory are also increased from 1g ram and 4g rom of the old model to 2g ram and 8g rom. The actual performance can catch up with many mid-range mobile phones. With such strong hardware support, can the Xiaomi box get rid of the situation that it would get stuck after being used in the past and must clean the memory regularly?

1: Appearance introduction

The enhanced version of Xiaomi Box 3 uses kraft paper as usual, with a mi logo on the front and the machine's hardware parameters and related key functions on the back.

However, the only difference is that the enhanced version of Xiaomi Box 3 uses a one-time sealing strip this time, which can better let users know whether their machines are new products. Here, we need to give a thumbs up.

When you open the package box, you will see the enhanced version of Millet Box 3. You can see that the color matching of the Millet Box is white, and the second layer is related accessories and instructions.

Family photo, including box, power supply, Bluetooth remote control, remote control battery, HDMI cable, manual and remote control lanyard You can see this Xiaomi Box 3 Plus is mainly white. Do you think it looks good?

Xiaomi Box 3 Plus is equipped with a Bluetooth remote control, which supports Bluetooth 4.1 with guaranteed power consumption and language sense. The white color is the same as that of the box. It has a good feel and no burrs. It is more crisp than the old remote control buttons.

The output power of the power adapter is 12V, 1.2A.

The HDMI cable has a mi logo at the end 2, and the interface is gold-plated.

Compared with the previous generation, the enhanced version of Xiaomi Box 3 is more square in appearance. The body is made of plastic material and the surface is sanded. Through the overall appearance of simple lines, you can feel the Japanese simplicity. There is a mi logo on the top of the equipment, and four anti-skid rubber pads and equipment related information on the bottom.

The box is equipped with a heat sink on both sides, and two USB 2.0 interfaces, one HDMI 2.0 interface, and a power interface on the back end. The 3.5mm composite audio and video output that used to be included in the box has been canceled. It seems that friends who already have Xiaomi audio at home can only connect via Bluetooth.

Appearance summary: The appearance of the enhanced version of Xiaomi Box 3 is more modern and simple than that of the old ones, and it also conforms to the aesthetics of the current young people. It is a pity that although the new generation of Xiaomi box uses two USB 2.0 interfaces, the 3.5mm composite audio and video output is canceled, which is not good for users with external displays. If the display does not have a 3.5mm audio interface, they will face the dilemma of no sound. In addition to this slot, Xiaobian believes that the appearance design and materials of Xiaomi Box 3 enhanced version have made a lot of progress over the previous generation.

2: Operation experience

The first enhanced version of Xiaomi Box 3 uses a 2-core Cortex-A72+4-core Cortex-A53 64 bit 2.0GHz 6-core soc with a Power VR GX6250 GPU, which is rare in the entire network set-top box or TV market. Memory and flash memory have also doubled compared with the previous generation. What's the actual experience?

Compared with the previous generation, the system UI has not changed much, and is still classified into three categories: online video, lifestyle, and applications

The setting menu is treated with ground glass effect, with a small fresh style. The available storage space of 8g is about 5g.

The biggest difference in the online video of Xiaomi Box 3 Plus is the launch of Kiwi VIP members in cooperation with iQIYI. After the Xiaomi account is opened, you can directly enjoy the exclusive film and television support of iQIYI. The annual package price is 299 yuan, and you can enjoy the membership rights of iQIYI mobile terminal. In fact, I think this is a good setting. In the past, Xiaomi had to pay a separate fee to watch the resources of some partners. Although it is not troublesome in operation, it does not give people a good feeling. In contrast, after directly opening members, they can click and watch the movie resources they hope to see, which is in line with the positioning of network set-top boxes. Of course, some people will say that 299 yuan is much more expensive than the price of iQIYI mobile members, but to be honest, it has a lot of conscience compared with friends. If you are a film and television enthusiast, small editors are recommended. After all, the experience of TV series is always more comfortable than that of computer or mobile terminals.

Basically consistent with the old model in operation

Summary of operating experience: I believe that users who have always used the millet box will have an experience. The previous version of the millet box will be stuck or slow to respond after running for a long time or running too many programs. It must be solved by clearing the memory. I still want to increase the image quality and size of the TV app, The demand for memory is also growing. The 1g RAM of the old model may be a little too much. In the afternoon of Xiaobian's experience of the enhanced version of Xiaomi Box 3, through the increased 2g ram combined with the MT8693 6-core processor (two of the big cores are A72), the overall smoothness can only be described in smooth terms. All the operations are very easy, and the opening or switching of apps is very fast. This operation experience is not a little improved compared with the past. In this way, Now that the current smart TV app has more and more functions and UI materials are higher and higher, I believe that the future smart set-top box or TV will have more and more hardware performance. Therefore, I must give a big praise for the internal and external major upgrade of Xiaomi Box 3 Enhanced Edition.

Finally, the entertainment rabbit is attached for everyone to have fun.

Conclusion: As a new generation of network set-top box, the actual performance of the enhanced version of Xiaomi Box 3 is almost the same as that of the mobile phones with 650 SOC on the market. With the gradual popularization of 4K TVs in the market, and the development of smart TV apps is slowly coming to rely on hardware performance, perhaps like Xiaomi Box 3, the enhanced version is generally equipped with 2g ram, HDMI 2.0 interface (in 4K mode, HDMI 2.0 is required to access 60 frames), and a powerful soc will be the standard configuration of network set-top boxes in 2016. On the other hand, the in-depth cooperation between Xiaomi and iQiyi has further made up for the problem of its own resources. Compared with the past, every popular film and television resources need pay as you go operation, so the in-depth integration of annual package may be more in line with its own STB positioning. If you need to buy an Internet set-top box or replace an Internet set-top box in the near future, the small editor will recommend the enhanced version of Xiaomi Box 3. Although it may not be the cheapest Internet set-top box after adding membership fees, it is definitely the most worry free and fluent Internet set-top box at present