Best Android TV boxes in South Africa under R1,400

With Disney+ set to launch in South Africa next week, there is a wide variety of video streaming services that offer South Africans thousands of movies and TV shows across their respective libraries.

While viewers can access these services via an app or browser on a computer, tablet, or smartphone — the experience offered on those devices doesn’t quite match that of a big flatscreen TV in your living room.

Although several manufacturers offer smart TVs with streaming apps, a media box could still be used to supplement older models that haven’t been updated in a while.

Media boxes are also a good option for those who don’t have a smart TV and want to access streaming services without replacing a perfectly good television set.

Alternatively, it is possible to connect a laptop to your TV and watch from your preferred streaming platform, but that’s a hassle.

Android TV boxes are simple plug-and-play devices that give you convenient access to various video streaming platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, DStv, and Showmax.

However, the box should be certified by Google to avoid future problems.

Android boxes that aren’t Google-certified run the risk of containing hardware configurations that do not support the latest version of the video streaming platforms — sometimes requiring complex workarounds.

Devices that are certified will support all the official apps and Android TV OS.

Some of these devices also support additional features, such as Chromecast, which lets you wirelessly stream from a smartphone, tablet, or PC onto the big screen.

Another feature is Google Assistant, which gives you voice command capabilities.

The best Google-certified Android TV boxes in South Africa for under R1,400 are listed below.

Eko Android TV dongle — R1,389

Mediabox Maverick — R1,299

Xiaomi Mi Box S — R1,199

Ematic 4K Android TV Box — R1,199

Smartvu Android TV SV10 G2 dongle — R1,199

Mecool KM9 Pro — R1,059

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