A selection of TV boxes in the stick form factor from AliExpress

TOX2 Mini is a set-top box based on Allwinner H313 chip, running Android 10 system. It has 2GB LPDDR4 RAM and 16GB MMC ROM. The case is quite massive, but it has a lot of connectors: 2 USB 2.0 ports, LAN 100 Mbps, a slot for Micro SD cards, Jack 3.5 mm and Micro USB for power.

Thus, if necessary, you can connect a wired mouse with a keyboard, or, for example, a USB flash drive and a memory card up to 64 GB to expand the memory.

Mi TV Stick is the exact opposite of the previous set-top box. There are no connectors here, except for Micro-USB for power. And even using any adapters or adapters, you won’t be able to connect peripherals. But the device boasts a neat stylish body, auto frame rate and Netflix certification.

The native remote control is not cheap, it keeps a good connection via Bluetooth and supports voice input. It should be noted that Mi TV Stick does not support HDR and 4K resolution, so you need to connect it to TVs with Full HD resolution or lower. Processor — Amlogic S805Y with Mali 450 graphics. Memory configuration — 1/8 GB.

The realmi TV stick is in many ways similar to the aforementioned Xiaomi set-top box, but it went on sale about a year and a half later. Therefore, it is quite expected that it has more productive iron. This allows it to play 4K 60 fps HDR10+ videos.

The realme set-top box has also been certified by Netflix, the remote control supports voice control, but there is no auto frame rate. On board — Google TV based on Android 11. Processor — Amlogic S905Y4, memory configuration — 2/8 GB. Of the connectors — only Micro USB, which is used for power. However, if you have an OTG splitter, you can connect external drives to this device or, say, a mouse.

RKM V3 is running Android 7.1. The device is built on a Rockchip RK3328 chip with Mali-450MP2 graphics. Memory configuration — 2/16 GB. The Micro SD slot supports cards up to 32 GB inclusive.

There are full-size USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 connectors, as well as a 100 Mbps LAN port. Of the minuses — it will not work to power the set-top box from the TV, you need an outlet and a standard charger.

SberBox is the most budget TV stick in this collection. Initially, it offered much fewer features than regular Android set-top boxes, and for those who did not use the services of Sberbank, there was little point in buying it.

However, Russian craftsmen have found a way to turn SberBox into a regular TV set-top box with the ability to install any application, the corresponding instructions are available on w3bsit3-dns.com. As for the «stuffing», something bad or especially good cannot be said about it. Amlogic S905Y2 processor, 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage.

Strictly speaking, this is not quite a stick, but the set-top box is also suspended behind the TV on an HDMI cord and is completely hidden from view. The USB socket on the TV is sufficient for power supply. The power connector is Type-C, but it will not work to connect any peripherals with it, just like connecting a set-top box to a PC.

Only the Yandex.TV store is offered for installing applications, and the choice there is rather meager. Of the benefits — support for Dolby Vision. Yandex.Module comes with an annual Yandex.Plus subscription.

This is the most expensive and productive TV set-top box in this collection. Fully supports aptX, Dolby Atmos, DTS-X and Dolby Vision standards. The case has a Gigabit LAN port and a Micro SD slot. The set-top box has recently received a firmware update based on Android 11, new features have been added.

Memory configuration — 2/8 GB. There is Netflix certification, auto frame rate works out of the box without any tricks. With Smart Upscaling, 1080p videos will look better on a 4K TV than on other set-top boxes.

Rokyo Lite is a budget stick with Rockchip RK3318 processor, 2GB RAM and 8GB ROM. The set-top box has Android 10 installed. To connect peripherals, there is a USB 3.0 connector on the back, and Micro USB on the side. There is also a micro SD slot with support for cards up to 32 GB.

On paper, this stick can digest 4K content, but in reality, stuttering and frame drops are possible, so this is more of a device for 1080p TVs, like the Xiaomi Mi TV Stick.