Android TV Box 10.0 4GB RAM 32GB ROM Allwinner H616 Quad-core Android Box, Support 2.4G/5.0G Dual WiFi 6K Utral HD / 3D / H.265 with Bluetooth 5.0 by Sidiwen

Works perfectly for what I’m using it for. At first, I thought there was something wrong with it because it wouldn’t connect to my Wi-Fi, but I just did a restart and it connected after that.

update: not to get to off topic but there has been talk in the security community about these T95 (“all of then” not to single out this seller) having malware and I finally with my new USB A to USB A able tried to remove the malware and failed … FAILED because key elements I was supposed to remove being the malware .. DID NOT EXIST. (… hint … that’s a GREAT thing).

I can only speak for my boxes but these I have here according to OFFICIAL instructions from the security guy who really looked into this and knows how to handle it… turned up no evidence the malware was on my boxes from this seller (and while i cant get in touch with them, the img firmware i had WAS sent by “Sidiwen Store” years back when i contacted them.

I have also had a network monitor and firewall up and other than ….one exception … the stock DBGLauncher(close enough @ the name) which removing it made my system unbootable last time even with me using ATV’s Launcher … some say that has to do with the malware however … NOTHING has been trying to contacting anything it shouldn’t from what I have seen and while some say that DBG launcher triest to contact odd servers … I can not even see it TRYING to connect to anything on the web.

I still dont trust some of the sellers and maybe i am getting fooled but … looking into EVIDENCE on my particular boxes … from THIS Sidiwen Store seller I got 2 years ago … I am feeling ALOT better … I am no security expect though. but one last time … NOT ONE bit of “this is evidence of the malware” that has been listed or connection attempts that are signs of it was found on my boxes

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I have decided to redo this review as I am even collecting myself as to what to even think.

Initial thoughts: While I totally admit I custom this box a lot, I am a novice when it comes to android and even as a Linux user on my computers (no Windows, and I only say this to say “I mess around with stuff”)… if I don’t know what I am messing with, I leave it alone, not wanting break anything. What I MEAN is I don’t want to remove something to make this box Unbootable and unusable.

I have had two or so great years with this box and even gave one away for a gift and when some of the Cons started … I was considering another as a gift.

My main uses is Kodi with local and LEGAL (say the Radio addon) streaming of content, PlutoTV, TubiTV, Spotify, MyRadar (best radar app in my view), Pandora and Youtube. Again I have had two good years of daily use and I have been happy with it. At that point the recovery options (you have to use a Windows only app that only works if you have enough of the C++ runtimes installed otherwise it will fail and you will not know why you cant re-create the recovery microsd card. That said you have to know what you are doing anyway. Say non-techie people will not know where to get the recovery img file (I forgot where I got mine to be honest … I think the seller emailed it two years ago) or what to do with it.

Hardware wise and say RAM wise (I do close things out that I am not using to help it out)… there is no lag or issues. I do admit I only have an 1080 TV and one of my YT apps struggles with 4k videos but bumping it down to 1080p … it plays the video a-ok with NO ISSUE.

RECENT ISSUES:
Hardwise wise things are great … but I am “late to the party” and I see these specific boxes have been caught with Malware. Too many sources have found and/or comfirmed this, including the EFF. Their is a updated guide on Github (I cant post the link) on how to clean the malware as much as you can but I have NOT YET (I just got a usb a to usb a cable and I may try it) tried this though.

I tried to email the seller but the Amazon form does not allow me to and Amazon’s response is just “contact the seller” when explaining I cant …. There are a few sellers of these T95 boxes and I am not sure if this seller got screwed by the original manufacturer (Malware wise) or if they knew and are a part OF what is going on. I really want to be objective and say it could go either way. The seller COULD BE totally innocent and rep wise …. they are in worse shape then buyers due to the T95 malware issue coming back to bite them.

THE THING IS …. I don’t trust the box per-say HOWEVER I HAVE been watching the traffic and even have blocklists up and rules in place to block things and I have not even seen any ATTEMPTS at connections to anything that looks fishy (ignore “contacting the Google Play store … is fishy … Google is fishy” comments from some). EVERY connection I see is known or an app contacting what it’s suppose to.

So I don’t know … I TRUST the people who found the malware and the person on github that has the cleanup script … even said how good he thinks the hardware of this box is … the issue is the firmware. I DO NOT trust this box (as the payload if there may be very specific on when it happens) HOWEVER my own eyes are not seeing anything. I do know some of the common servers the malware connected to, went off line when all of this was being uncovered and covered by outlets in tech news in early 2023 … but … I am confused now. I don’t want to ever recommend this box because of all of this, but my own eyes are not seeing the activity that should be (if malware is present) happening … at least not YET.

I CANT recommend this box right now because of the questions. But … I just wish there was open source firmware for this box as the hardware for what it is … is really good in my view. I am in a love/hate relationship with this box due to the security concerns.