A new Google TV streaming box with an upgraded chipset has arrived to challenge Google TV Streamer, Apple TV 4K and Fire TV.
Chinese brand Mecool has unveiled MEon1, a streaming box rather than a stick, allowing for more capable hardware. It comes with 32GB of storage but still only 2GB of RAM.
The box runs on a quad-core Amlogic S905X5M chipset paired with a Mali G310 V2 GPU. Built on a 6nm architecture, it is advertised to deliver better performance than the average Google TV media player, with Mecool claiming up to 30% faster performance. FlatpanelsHD has to see it in action.
Dolby Vision and Atmos
Once premium features reserved for select media players, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos are now standard and are supported here as well. The box also supports 4K, HDR10, HDR10+, plus HEVC and AV1 video decoding.
Connectivity includes Wi-Fi 6, Ethernet, USB ports and Bluetooth 5.2. Google TV runs on top of Android 14. Mecool advertises HDMI 2.1, but it is limited to VRR and ALLM, with no support for HFR (4K 120Hz).
4K playback is supported in streaming apps such as Netflix and Disney+ through Google TV. The user interface is identical to other Google TV devices.
Mecool MEon1 and its remote control. Photo: MecoolPriced to compete with Google TV Streamer
The box targets devices such as Google TV Streamer, Apple TV 4K and Fire TV Cube. Google recently refreshed its streamer, while Apple is rumored to be preparing an updated Apple TV 4K.
Also read: Review: Google TV Streamer
Mecool MEon1 is available now for $120 / €100 via the company’s website and select partner retailers. That makes it more expensive than Google TV Streamer in the US, but cheaper in Europe.
