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Summary
- Amlogic’s upcoming S905X5 chip features a 6nm process node, reducing power consumption by 50% and leading to improved performance.
- Alongside the newer process node, the S905X5 features a “next generation processor” and a Mali-G310 GPU capable of rendering the user interface in 4K HDR resolution, providing better visuals.
- Other upgrades include Dolby Atmos, eARC, variable refresh rate, dual 4K 60fps decoders, H266 support, and potentially AV1 support, which will result in a significantly better user experience once the devices equipped with the fifth generation chip arrived.
You may not have heard of Amlogic, but its chip powers almost all popular streaming boxes and Android TVs. This even includes the Google Chromecast and Walmart’s excellent Onn 4K streaming box. Most of the best Android and Google TVs, like Xiaomi and others, also use a SoC provided by the company. Now, SEI Robotics has introduced its next-generation box using Amlogic’s upcoming chipset, which packs some big upgrades. This could pave the way for even more powerful and efficient streaming boxes and Android TVs to hit the market.
The Amlogic S905X5 chip is manufactured on the 6nm process node, resulting in a 50% reduction in power consumption at the same level of performance. This should lead to a considerable jump in performance and efficiency. For comparison, current generation Amlogic SoCs use an older 12nm node. Since streaming boxes and TVs are constantly plugged into a power outlet, the increase in efficiency could allow manufacturers to design smaller boxes and streaming sticks.
Besides the newer process node, the Amlogic S905X5 has a “next generation processor,” which could presumably be the Cortex-A510. A Mali-G310 GPU running at 1GHz will be paired with this, capable of rendering the user interface in 4K HDR resolution. Although the best streaming sticks and boxes can play content in 4K, they are limited to rendering the UI in Full HD resolution.
Other significant upgrades include Dolby Atmos, eARC, variable refresh rate, dual 4K 60fps decoders, H266 support, and much more. AV1 support isn’t mentioned, but it should be since Amlogic’s fourth-generation chipset already supports the royalty-free video encoding format.
Don’t expect any new Android TV boxes and streaming sticks using this new Amlogic chipset to go on sale anytime soon. According to Mishaal Rahman’s sources, the chip will go into mass production in the second quarter of 2024, probably towards the end of the quarter. It is therefore unlikely that devices using the fifth generation Amlogic chip will appear on the market before the third or fourth quarter of 2024.
This also means that the Google Chromecast 2023 is unlikely to use the new Amlogic chipset. But the SoC could allow Google to offer a more powerful 4K Chromecast with an even sleeker design. The current model powered by the Amlogic S905X3 chip is already old, with its limited 8GB of storage space and lack of AV1 codec support being a major problem.
Once new Android TV boxes using Amlogic’s fifth-generation chipset arrive, expect them to offer a significantly better user experience than current-generation Android TV boxes and TVs.
