Description
Do you want a locked platform, or a computer under the television?
Streaming boxes split into two families that look similar and behave nothing alike. One family is the closed platform: a device from a company that controls the interface, the app store and the updates, and that is certified by the major streaming services. The other family is the open Android box: general purpose hardware running a version of Android, where you install what you like and the manufacturer’s job ends at the hardware.
The Formuler Z10 SE is firmly in the second family, and that is the decision to make before looking at any specification. If you want to press a button and watch something, a closed platform is less work and more reliable. If you want a small Android computer under the television that you configure yourself, this is that, and the flexibility is the entire point.
Physically it is tiny. The manufacturer’s own specification gives 88 millimetres across and 16 millimetres thick, which is about three and a half inches square and under three quarters of an inch tall. It disappears behind a television or sits under a shelf. Note that the specification table on the same listing gives 8 by 6 by 2 inches, which is the carton rather than the device, and an item weight of 0.705 ounces, which is not a believable weight for a set top box with a metal shield and a power supply. The manufacturer’s figures are the ones to use.
The memory and the network are what decide how this box behaves
Two numbers on this listing matter more than the 4K badge. The first is storage: 4 gigabytes of eMMC. Android 10 itself occupies a substantial share of that, so the space left for applications and their data is small. This is a device for running a handful of apps, not for accumulating them, and it is the specification most likely to frustrate someone a year in. There is a USB 2.0 port, which allows external storage for media, but Android is generally reluctant to install applications to removable storage.
The second is the network, and Formuler is unusually clear about it. Wireless is single band 2.4 gigahertz only, with no 5 gigahertz support, and the Ethernet port is 10/100 megabit rather than gigabit.
Those two facts pull in different directions. A hundred megabit Ethernet connection is comfortably enough for 4K streaming, which typically needs 25 megabits per second or so, so a wired connection is not a limitation here at all. Single band 2.4 gigahertz wireless is a different matter. The 2.4 gigahertz band is crowded, shared with microwaves, cordless phones, older devices and every neighbor’s network, and it has limited channel width. In a dense apartment building it is the most likely cause of buffering on a device like this. If you are buying this box, plan to run a cable to it.
What 2 gigabytes of RAM means in practice
Formuler lists 2 gigabytes of DDR memory running at 2400 megahertz, with an ARM Mali G31 MP2 graphics processor and a RealTek processor whose model number the listing does not give. Two gigabytes is enough to run one streaming application smoothly and not much else at the same time. Android will close background applications aggressively to keep the foreground one running, which is the correct behavior and means switching between apps involves reloading rather than resuming.
The output specification is 4K at 3840 by 2160, with a feature bullet stating 4K 60 frames per second and HDR10. Sixty frames per second at 4K is the useful part of that, since some inexpensive boxes are limited to 30. HDR10 is the baseline high dynamic range format, so there is no Dolby Vision and no HDR10+ here.
One thing the listing never states is any streaming service certification. Closed platforms and certified Android TV devices carry certification that allows the major services to deliver high definition and 4K streams. Uncertified Android boxes frequently receive reduced resolution from those services regardless of how capable the hardware is. This listing does not claim certification of any kind, so if a specific commercial streaming service is your reason for buying, confirm that with Formuler before ordering rather than after.
Living with it: ports, power and setup
The port list is short and complete: one power input, one USB 2.0, one HDMI and one LAN. That is the minimum viable set for a streaming box and it is enough. There is no optical audio output, so sound goes out over HDMI, which means the television or an HDMI capable soundbar has to handle audio routing. There is no second USB port, so a wireless keyboard dongle and an external drive compete for the same socket unless the keyboard uses Bluetooth.
The remote takes two AAA batteries, and the listing states they are required without saying whether they are included, so it is worth having a pair to hand on the first evening.
Setup on an open Android device is more involved than on a closed platform. You are choosing and installing applications yourself, and the box will not curate that for you. Updates come from Formuler rather than from Google, which means the pace and duration of security updates depend on the manufacturer. Android 10 was already several versions behind current at the time this listing appeared in February 2022, and it is further behind now, which matters mostly for applications that eventually require a newer Android version.
Heat is worth a mention on a device this small. A sealed 88 millimetre box with a processor inside benefits from air around it, so avoid stacking it under an amplifier or sealing it inside a cabinet.
When a different box is the right call
If you want more storage and a faster processor while staying in the same family, the step up within Formuler’s own range is the obvious comparison. The Formuler Z10 review covers the standard model and the Formuler Z10 NEO review covers the version above it, and the differences between the three are mostly memory, storage and wireless band support.
If you want a more capable Android device generally, the Ugoos AM6B Plus review covers a box built around a stronger processor, and the Kinhank G1 review covers another Android option with Dolby Vision support. If your requirement is a set top box for a television service rather than general Android, the BuzzTV X5 review covers a device with considerably more storage.
The rest of the range sits in the streaming media players category, and the sets these boxes plug into are in the LED and LCD televisions category.
Who should buy it and who should not
It suits someone who wants a small, cheap, open Android device to sit behind a television and run a specific set of applications, who will connect it by Ethernet, and who is comfortable installing and maintaining software themselves. The 4K 60 frames per second output, the full port set and the tiny footprint are all appropriate for that. The listing shows 515 ratings averaging 4.3 stars, ranked 371st within streaming media players.
It does not suit someone who wants a device that just works out of the box, anyone relying on 2.4 gigahertz wireless in a crowded building, or anyone who will install more than a few applications, since 4 gigabytes of storage fills quickly with Android 10 already on it. And because the listing claims no streaming service certification, anyone buying for a specific commercial service should verify that first.
