Mele has introduced an Android-powered set-top-box dubbed the M9. The device boasts an AllWinner A31 quad core Cortex A7 clocked @ 1.5GHz – paired with a PowerVR SGX544MP2 GPU.
Additional key hardware specs include 2GB DDR3 RAM, 16GB NAND Flash, an SD card slot, HDMI out, audio I/O, 3x USB 2.0 host ports, 1x mini USB 2.0 OTG port, Ethernet and WiFi.
As expected, the STB runs Android 4.2.2, albeit with a customized “Windows 8” user interface. The device is also packaged with a 5V/2A power adapter an IR remote control (show below) and an HDMI cable.
“The remote above as a mouse button, to allow you to move the cursor with the arrow keys. Personally, I can’t use this feature on an IR remote without going insane (I tried with 2 different devices), so you may really to get an Air Mouse as well, if you plan to use Android,” the CNX Software crew explained.
“Even though RK3188 have a better overall performance, AllWinner A31 is better than Rockchip RK3188 when it comes to gaming, and supports 4K2K video playback (currently) downscaled to 720p or 1080p depending on your output resolution, as there aren’t any A31 based devices with 2160p HDMI output yet according to AllWinner.”
The Mele 9 is currently available for $188 on AliExpress, although it is significantly cheaper on sites like Taobao ($114-$147).
