Mini pc from smartphone. How to get the most out of your Android mini-computer

Suppose you have already decided to purchase Smart TV set-top box. We decided on the characteristics and price, picked up several models, and ... faced a new question - Windows or Android?

Of course, if you work in the IT industry and you have long developed the habit of disliking everything related to Microsoft and adore everything related to Linux, then there was no problem for you - according to the characteristics, many Android Smart TV attachments do nothing at all. windows mini pc– smart TV set-top boxes for Windows.

But there are some differences in functionality. Windows is operating system, which everyone is accustomed to perceive as a stationary, bulky (“heavy”) operating system for office and gaming computers. And Android - as something “light”, mobile, the operating system of smartphones and tablet PCs. There is still a grain of truth in this. It is also reflected in Smart TV set-top boxes.

android tv box is lightness and convenience. Don't load her and she won't "load" you. Search? - Catch. Need an app urgently? - Play market not only will it deliver it directly to the device, but the system itself will quickly install and prepare for use. Video on demand, applications for every taste, many of which are free, fast operation, wireless synchronization with mobile devices, online TV, weather and news widgets, personal assistants - you can list a lot of time.

But in order to watch a movie on a Windows mini PC, you will have to at least tinker with a flash drive.

True, it is worth noting that Smart TV boxes on Windows are full-sized work station. Since the operating system on such devices is predominantly desktop (and not mobile, as is the case with android), then all programs that can be installed on desktop computer- office applications, music players, and, most importantly, games. After all, when else will you be able to play World of Tanks, Assassin's Creed, or even Quake while sitting on the couch with a joystick in front of the TV? Here is a prefix on Windows able to allow you. Also, as a rule, Windows mini PCs are equipped with Intel processors and graphics accelerators, which for some users can be an added bonus in favor of Windows.

In any case, it's up to you. Even 5 years ago, many would have preferred a mini PC on Windows as a platform with a more familiar interface. But now, when on the street it is less and less possible to meet a person without a smartphone and when Android is becoming more and more dense in our lives, the decision is made in favor of a gadget that is more convenient, necessary and suitable for the needs.

So, if you need a fast and convenient mini-PC with which you can access the Internet directly from the TV, while quickly answering Skype and switching back to TV, then Android Smart TV is your option. But if you are accustomed to massive multifunctional systems, and also do not understand your vacation without a couple of hours of computer games, then feel free to take Windows mini PC.

Every time the creators want to combine a certain number of devices into one for the greatest convenience and comfort. For example, this happened with a mini-computer and a TV set-top box. Now these 2 devices can be purchased in one Android device mini PC and enjoy a wide variety of functions of this device.

A mini PC contains an Android operating system higher than version 4.4, and also has small-sized volumes (which is precisely why the name "mini" is called). Android mini PCs are produced in 2 variations - Android HDMI dongle mini PC and Android TV box. Let's take a closer look at each device.

Many users may have many questions - is it really time to throw in the trash a personal system unit? Surely the computers that are common in our opinion have already become irrelevant and the creators in their own desire want to do everything in small sizes, or will they only produce these small computers? Before, the computer also occupied a huge building, and the ordinary system unit, which we are all familiar with, has become a true revolution!
It is necessary to deal with this issue and irrevocably put everything on the shelves.

In essence, mini PC is more similar to modern tablets and phones, but in terms of power it is somewhat ahead of them. He contains USB port s and HDMI output, it has more functions, more random access memory. A computer that is more than 5 years old, or a phone with an “age” of a year and a half, is far behind this device. Progress, as it does not stand still, every month something new comes out.
But at the same time, mini PCs do not have a monitor and their own, independent power source. These devices do not have a microphone, speaker, 3G module. That's why they need to be connected to the TV set, like a prefix. In this case, the TV set itself acts as a monitor. In this case, a mini PC is like a system unit, to which it is possible to include various peripheral devices so that it can perform all the necessary functions.

Well, if you have already touched on the topic of multifunctionality - in general, change regular computer on the android mini PC is possible only if you do not need anything else, apart from going online and playing games. If you want to edit photos, videos, work in some more or less serious programs - a mini PC will not cope with these tasks.
This device is designed by default for games and as a means of accessing the Internet. A mini PC will allow you to view mail, call relatives via video call (Skype), view ljrevtyns and edit them, read books, connect to a computer or laptop and display on a large screen desktop. You can create on this small computer everything that is allowed by the this moment soft. And now we foresee that the development in the field of Android is proceeding quite quickly ... It is likely that even more functions will become available quickly.
operating room Google system Android is now loved by almost all users, and for a long time it has been standing not only on telephones, but also on other devices, such as e-books, tablets, netbooks, and including wrist watch. Now they also produce TV sets on this system (

All over the world, digital media content is very popular. And this is not surprising, because the development modern technologies made it possible for users of the World Wide Web to access almost any amount of information without any problems - over the past few years, the quality of Internet connections has increased significantly. The result of the increase in speed is that the consumer no longer has to go to the store to buy a favorite movie or musical novelty there. Now all this can be obtained in a "virtual" form, and much cheaper and, no less important, faster.

What's more, if you used to have to connect your computer to a TV or use a DVD player to watch a movie on a big screen, now there's no need for that. Modern mini-PCs running Android OS are easy to set up and use, they provide great opportunities for playing various media formats, have access to the Web and, unlike conventional computers, load their OS almost instantly.

So, we decided to test four models of inexpensive mini-computers and see how they are worthy of the attention of potential buyers.

Haier DMA6000(average price 4500 rubles)

The appearance of this device is quite nice - despite the plastic case, the miniature device looks quite impressive. The build quality is also on top - nothing creaks when squeezed, the assembly seams are quite neat.

The model comes in a small colorful box that contains everything you need to get started: remote control remote control with USB receiver network adapter power supply, USB cable, HDMI extender and quick start guide.

On the left side of the device there is an HDMI connector, through which the model is connected to the corresponding TV input. There is also a slot for microSD memory cards, as well as a port micro USB The used to power the device. Between these connectors is an LED indicator that indicates the current status of the device.

To connect a variety of peripherals (keyboards and mice, USB drives or webcams) is a full-size USB port located on the right side of the case. By default, it is shared with the included USB remote control receiver.

The remote control is full-sized, the buttons on it are familiar to users. There are also four special buttons, highlighted in color, which change their functions depending on the context.

Haier DMA6000 is running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The basis of the hardware component is a dual-core 1.6 GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor, while the long-familiar Mali 400 acts as a video accelerator. The amount of RAM is 1 GB, ROM is 4 GB, and Wi-Fi 802.11b is used to connect to the Network g/n.

Looking at such very modest characteristics, it becomes clear that there can be no talk of any serious games. Our testing confirmed this - the rating of the device in the popular Antutu benchmark turned out to be very low, Haier DMA6000 scored only 5500 points.

Playing a test Full HD video was also not encouraging - there were noticeable twitching of the picture and skipping frames.

Android mini PC MK 809(average price 4500 rubles)

The design of this device, no doubt, can be called quite successful - the top and bottom panels are designed "carbon-like", while the sides shine with black gloss. The assembly is of high quality, the halves are quite tightly fitted to each other, so the design looks solid and makes a good impression.

The packaging is a small cardboard box, the design of which obviously does not shine with creativity - it does not even have the manufacturer's name on it. The bundle is also ordinary - all that the user will receive is an AC power supply, USB cable- micro USB, micro USB OTG adapter and a small HDMI extender. There is neither a remote control nor a cable for connecting to a computer - you will have to buy it separately.

The MK 809 has four connectors: HDMI for connecting a TV or monitor, a full-size USB port and a micro-USB connector for connecting external devices, as well as another micro-USB for power. In addition, there is a slot for memory cards such as microSD and device operation indicator.

This mini PC comes with a bare version of Android 4.2.2, without any additions or major changes. The device has five desktops with a line Google search at the top, and the menu bar at the bottom of the screen has back, home, task switch, and volume keys. Besides, user interface has a screenshot button that will allow you to take a screenshot of the desktop, saving the image to a memory card.

The heart of the hardware is a Rockchip RK3188 quad-core 1600 MHz processor, while the Mali-400 MP4 accelerator is responsible for video processing. The amount of RAM is 1 GB, flash memory - 8 GB. Of the wireless interfaces, there is both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, which allows you to connect a keyboard and mouse without using scarce USB ports.

Performance testing showed relatively modest results. In the Antutu synthetic benchmark, the device scored 14,356 points, respectively, not very complex “toys” will “go” on it. The playback of the test video did not reveal visible "brakes", although here it is worth considering that the interface resolution is 1280x672 pixels, respectively, playing Full HD content is simply devoid of common sense.

iMito-MX1 Bluetooth(average price 5100 rubles)

This device, developed by engineers from the Middle Kingdom, features an elegant appearance- it looks very nice, largely due to well-chosen material. Most of the case is made of anodized aluminum, plastic remains only at the end with connectors.

The packaging of this device is also very interesting - the box is made of plastic, and the thickness of its walls reaches 1.5 mm. To be honest, this is the first time we've seen this. But the delivery set turned out to be poor - in addition to the device itself, only a couple of cables and a paper insert with more than a free translation of the instructions were found. It is assumed that the device will be powered by connecting to the TV's USB connector, however, on many models, especially outdated ones, this is not available as a class. However, the quality of Chinese power supplies always leaves much to be desired, so we will assume that the user is simply given the opportunity to buy a suitable power supply on their own.

There are four connectors on the case - HDMI and three USB, one of which is used to connect the missing power supply. There is also a microSD memory card slot, as well as an LED operation indicator.

The hardware stuffing is based on a dual-core 1.6-GHz Rockchip RK3066 processor, complemented by a Mali 400 MP4 graphics accelerator. The amount of RAM is 1 GB, and 8 GB of ROM is used for data storage. Wireless interfaces are represented by Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g / n and Bluetooth, through which you can connect a keyboard, mouse, headset and other devices.

The operating system uses bare Android 4.1.1. On the one hand, this is good, because the abundance of various pre-installed software, and even from a Chinese manufacturer, is sometimes quite annoying, on the other hand, they could at least put a decent video player. However, the service Google Play easily solves any problems with the software.

As you might expect, performance testing showed rather modest results. In the synthetic AnTuTu Benchmark, the device scored 5621 “parrots”, in addition, during operation the device sometimes hung up with a subsequent reboot. Playback of the test video revealed twitching and twitching, although the less heavy clips were a success.

Defender Smart Android HD2(average price 4200 rubles)

The model is made in a small black case with a blue edging - despite a certain conciseness, it looks very good. The color is matte, so fingerprints are not afraid of this device. Even though the main material is plastic, the workmanship is quite good.

Defender Smart Android HD2 comes in a nicely designed small cardboard box, on reverse side which provides data on the main technical characteristics and applied technologies. The package includes everything you need: the device itself, a power adapter, an HDMI extension cable, a small manual, a warranty card, and a power cable with an additional USB connector.

In addition to the unchanged HDMI-connector located at the end of the case, the device is equipped with two USB-ports (one of them in micro format) and a slot for microSD memory cards. There is also an activity indicator that displays Current state devices.

The model is based on a dual-core 1.6-GHz Rockchip RK3066 processor and a Mali 400 MP4 video accelerator. The amount of RAM is 1 GB, while the ROM is a 4 GB drive. There are two wireless interfaces - Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g / n and Bluetooth, so there are no problems with connecting the appropriate peripherals. The model runs on Android 4.2 operating system.

As for the performance... We can say that it is on par. Chinese tablets two years ago. In the AnTuTu Benchmark test, the device scored 5975 points, so you won’t be able to play especially “cool” games. With video viewing, the situation turned out to be much better, at least we did not notice any “brakes” when playing a test video.

Having tested four inexpensive devices, one way or another presented on Russian market, we came to the conclusion that all of them are somehow able to provide the user with pleasant minutes of watching videos on the big screen home tv. However, there are a lot of comments, the main of which is the extremely low performance, which looks rather dull against the background of the same inexpensive Chinese smartphones and tablets with eight-core processors and more or less decent video accelerators. Nevertheless, such mini-PCs will certainly be useful for those who have not yet managed to buy a "fancy" TV, equipped with the latest technology.

Based on the name of the device, it turns out that this is a mini computer combined with a TV set-top box and enclosed in one case. A very unusual device is running a well-known operating system android version 4.0 and above. “Mini”, the developers called this gadget for a reason, since the overall dimensions are really impressive: 8.8 cm - length, 3.2 - width, with a height of only 1.6 cm. The device is undoubtedly larger than an ordinary flash drive, but much smaller than a modern smartphone or external HDD drive. The dimensions are close to ideal, as they are not too small so that the owner can easily lose the device and not so large that the mini PC cannot fit in a jeans or jacket pocket.

Today, there are two types of mini computers and TV boxes on Android based:

1. Android HDMI dongle mini PC
2. Android TV box

Let's start with Android HDMI dongle mini PC

These devices are very similar to modern flash drives (flash drives), the model markings are as follows: UG007, UG802 and iMito MX1. As a rule, these gadgets are equipped with HDMI connectors, which is commonly referred to as “dad”, a power connector, a memory card slot and two USB ports, one of which is in mini format. These models are characterized by the absence of external wifi antennas, audio output, a very modest set of ports. The advantages include the exceptional compactness of the device, which is important in our time.

Boxed version

Android TV boxes are characterized by the presence of several standard size USB ports and a component video output, an external antenna, a microphone port and an audio output. The main feature is the Internet port, but the remote control is not always included in the package. Overall dimensions of the device are significantly increased (when compared with previous models) and is presented to the public as a multimedia TV set-top box of a stationary type. The most modern of model range, is considered MINIX NEO X5, also to this type, refer to the Mini X Plus.

Learn more about Mini X Plus

Let's take a closer look at the Mini X Plus and try to figure out why this device is really called a big word - a computer? In the understanding of most people, a computer is, first of all, a huge, by modern standards, system unit, a monitor and a keyboard with an “eternal” mouse. But technology is developing at a rapid pace, what was considered a computer in the 20th century, occupied an entire room in area, modern PCs are considered microcomputers in comparison, so let's find out what is Android mini PC?

Based on the technical specifications, the mini PC is very similar to modern smartphones. The heart of the device is an ARM Cortex A9 processor, clock frequency which is from 1.2 to 1.6 GHz, 4-core graphics accelerator ARM Mali-400, 1 GB of RAM and about 4-8 GB of internal memory. But now judge for yourself, a smartphone purchased less than a year ago does not reach these technical characteristics, but a PC that has worked for more than five years has specifications four times worse.

But it is impossible not to notice that the mini PC lacks a screen, a 3G module, a microphone, a speaker, and operation without an external power source is simply not possible. But main feature is the presence a large number various ports with which you can connect everything you need for full-fledged work. It turns out that by connecting a mouse and keyboard, you can use almost all the functions that standard computer. In other words, work with graphic, text, audio and video files, freely move around the expanses world wide web, make purchases in online stores, communicate with friends and colleagues.

It is worth noting that initially Android was developed solely as an operating system for mobile devices- but thanks to its popularity, it began to be installed both on tablets, smartphones and electronic books. Televisions that are equipped with a full Android system and modules wireless communication just start to appear on the horizon, at a price of 100 thousand rubles, then a device called Android mini PC will cost the buyer only $ 100, which is much cheaper, but you can argue endlessly about functionality and practicality!