What you need to know
- Amlogic's S905X5 SoC is said to reduce Android TV box power consumption by 50% while maintaining its performance.
- The chip will also support Dolby Atmos, dual 4K 60fps decoder, and AV1 codec.
- The chip will allegedly go into mass production sometime during Q2 2024 or later.
A new chip has been announced, which is said to strengthen the next generation of Android TV boxes with upgrades that will surely make a difference.
Amlogic's new S905X5 SoC is created on a 6nm process, which should aid in reducing power consumption by 50% while maintaining a strong performance level (via 9to5Google). The new chip may support future Android TV boxes with Dolby Atmos, eARC, a varying refresh rate, dual 4K 60fps decoders, and H266 support, among others.
The new Amlogic chip also utilizes a "next-gen CPU." While not confirmed, it's assumed that this new CPU is the Cortex-A510. Furthermore, the chip is backed by a Mali-G310 GPU, which runs at a top speed of 1GHz. The chip's VPU (vision processing unit) offers support for AV1 codec, as well, which is good news for future variants of the Chromecast with Google TV or other such devices.
This graphical unit is said to be the catalyst behind Android TV boxes in the near future, rendering aspects of the UI in 4K HDR quality.
Mishaal Rahman chimed into the subject, citing a source who stated the new chip will be "available for mass production in Q2 2024, possibly even towards the end of Q2 2024." Also, as Rahman noted, when Android TV 12 rolled out in 2021, the software included support for 4K rendered UI. So, it looks like boxes will continue to utilize that potential on a grander scale with the added features once the chip is available midway through 2024 and beyond.
Additionally, the changes Amlogic has packed into its new SoC could enable new Android TV boxes and even Google's Chromecast to arrive with a sleeker, smaller form factor. Considering the chip appears to greatly impact its overall battery reserves, there wouldn't be a need for such a bulky interior.
Speaking of Google, a next-gen Chromecast was discovered to be in development at the beginning of 2023. This would mark the product as the company's third streaming dongle, but aside from its brief appearance, nothing about its specifications is known. That said, it seems somewhat unlikely Google will keep the device in development for another year or so to utilize this new Amlogic S905X5 SoC, so we'll have to wait and see what upgrades we get if and when the next Chromecast with Google TV launches.
At an affordable price, the Chromecast with Google TV (HD) can deliver all of your streamed content at 1080p. The dongle can hold all of your most important platforms and its remote features convenient buttons to hop back into your shows with ease. Even Google Assistant is there to help you when you'd rather voice your command.
