X96 X9 TV Box Amlogic S922X Hexa Core Review
The S922X CPU in the latest X96 X9 TV Box is considered one of the best Amlogic SOC’s in terms of hardware performance. Its dual CPU hexa core design can deliver high performance 3D gaming, 4K HDR video playback, surround sound audio output including Dolby TrueHD, and has a superior multitasking capabilities. With that said, most enthusiast will have loved to see this SOC running on latest versions of Android, for example Android 12.
However, due to software compatibility issues the Amlogic S922X can only run up to Android 9 Pie, or that is what we were told to believe. Only Amlogic can answer this question, and to date we have not seen a single S922X SOC and Android 10, 11, or 12 and there has to be a reason for this. So what this limitation the developers of the X96 brand had no other choice but to run Android 9 Pie on this latest release.
X96 X9 TV Box hardware specs
As mentioned above this model has a dual CPU design consisting of an ARM dual core cortex A53 running at 1.7 GHz, and a quad-core cortex A73 running at 1.7 GHz. For a total of six cores with a maximum CPU clock speed of 1.7. The SOC itself as a 64bit architecture but as in 99.9% of the boxes released for the past three years have been configured in 32bit mode only, only utilizing its full potential.
It comes with 4GB of DDR4 RAM, and 32GB/64GB of internal storage. It has dual band 2.4GHz + 5GHz Wi-Fi with Bluetooth 4.2. It has Vulkan version 1.1 GPU support, and it has all the decoders for the playback of 4K HDR videos and videos with surround sound audio formats. However it does not have the capability to play the latest AV1 video format. It also comes with the Bluetooth air-mouse remote with voice command feature.
X96 X9 TV Box design and I/O ports
It’s body has a really attractive design with an aluminum shell with a polyester fabric to the top with the X96 logo printed on it. This fabric its fingerprint resistant and a modern elegant appearance.
For input output peripherals it has one HDMI port, one RJ-45 gigabit ethernet LAN port, one optical audio port, one AV port, a DC power socket, and an external antenna to its rear. The side it has one USB 3.0 port, one USB 2.0, and a microSD card reader. To its front it has an LED display, and to its base it has four antiskid rubber feet with no ventilation holes.
X96 X9 Performance Benchmarks
The Amlogic S922X used in the X96 X9 TV Box is known for having one of the highest performance benchmarks among TV boxes. Usually boxes using it would clock the CPU at 2.0 GHz or 2.2 GHz as seen in models such as Beelink and Ugoos. However X96 decided to clock the CPU at 1.7 GHz, and this is mainly prevent the possibility of overheating due to its normal ventilated housing design. However, even with its CPU set at this level it still managed to beat 80% of the boxes listed on my rankings chart see here.
Antutu benchmark — 125,216
Geekbench 5 benchmark — 219 single-core | 693 multicore
3D Mark GPU slingshot extreme — 693
RAM copy speed — 4,686 MB/s
Internal storage speed — 169 MB/s read | 125 MB/s write
Wi-Fi speed (based on 154 Mbps) — 5GHz band 100% bandwidth | 2.4GHz band 13% bandwidth
X96 X9 Antutu benchmark
X96 X9 Pro features
Amlogic S922X Hexa Core CPU 1.7GHz
Mali G52 GPU w/ Vulkan support
32/64GB DDR4 RAM
4K 2160p display
Adaptive HDR display
Dolby vision
HDMI CEC options
Full access to the Google play/play services
Dolby Atmos/DTS X/DTS HD-MA/Dolby surround
4K HDR video playback
YouTube with HDR
Alternative launchers work w/ live wallpapers
Miracast HD mobile screen mirroring
Good 3D gaming graphics rendering
No overheating during gaming under 69°C
Bluetooth voice remote w/air mouse feature
Kodi and streaming APKs work with the Bluetooth remote
Alternative menu button navigation bar works perfectly
X96 X9 TV Box in the box
X96 X9 TV Box Bluetooth remote
X96 X9 surround sound audio
X96 X9 launcher
Cons
Not rooted w/no root switch
No DRM for Netflix in HD/4K
Low Wi-Fi speed on 2.4GHz band
No screen Rotation to portrait mode
No gamepad keymapping due to no root access
No built-in navigation bar or status bar
Play store does not update to latest play store
Bluetooth air-mouse cursor sensitivity too high
Voice command feature or remote not working with the box
X96 X9 pros and cons
Final thoughts
Well X96 X9 TV Box one of those models I wish could have been upgraded to the latest version of Android 11 or 12. Its firmware also needs an update to grant features such as root access and a built-in screen rotation to portrait mode. Even though it’s CPU is a 1.7 GHz it still manages to outperform most standard none hexa-core models delivering good graphics rendering. I like that the included and air-mouse with voice commands feature however the sensitivity of the cursor is too high, and the voice command feature is not working with this box.
