The best Google-certified TV boxes you can buy in South Africa

The myriad of online video streaming services available in South Africa offer their subscribers access to vast libraries of movies and shows.

While these can be accessed conveniently via an app or browser on a smartphone, tablet, or computer, few viewing setups offer as comfortable an experience as the TV in your living room.

While several manufacturers now boast built-in smart capability for their TVs – allowing you to jump onto your home’s Internet network and use these apps directly on the TV, the software used in these systems can be clunky and inconsistent, and may in certain instances only receive updates every so often.

Although you could connect a fully fledged desktop system or laptop to be able to watch the next episode of you favourite Netflix show, setting this up can be a hassle, with plenty of cable connections and peripherals required to be able to interface seamlessly.

Android TV boxes are effectively mini computers that offer a simple plug and play solution to this conundrum.

When connected to your TV, they open access to a wide variety of apps – including video streaming platforms like Netflix, Showmax, and Amazon Prime Video.

Google certification

While there are numerous cheap Android boxes on the market, many of these devices run modified software on hardware configurations which have not been optimised for best performance,

In order to ensure a seamless experience, the box must be certified by Google.

Google-certified devices offer support for all official apps as well as official versions of the Android TV OS.

With this stamp of approval, buyers can rest assured that official streaming and other apps available from the Play Store will work without issues or requiring complex workarounds.

Many of these boxes also support useful features such as Google Assistant – which allows for searching and controlling the device with voice commands – and Chromecast – which lets the user stream their feed from an Android device or Chrome browser on a PC to the TV.

Below are the best Google-certified Android TV boxes you can buy in South Africa.

Ematic AGT419 4K – R1,299

Seiki Android TV Dongle – R1,499

Xiaomi Mi Box S – R1,299

MECOOL KM9 Pro Android Box – R1,300

Mediabox Ranger – R1,399

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