Best Android TV Boxes in Canada Compared for 2022 | Buyer’s Guide
These devices run the Android TV operating system and are used to watch network TV shows, on-demand videos, or video sites. Android TV devices come in various designs and with different capabilities. Depending on the model, it can be a dongle designed to be plugged into your TV set or a set-top box. Generally, they have extra features, such as Google Assistant, Bluetooth connection, and additional ports allowing you to plug in a keyboard, a gaming controller, a mouse, and other peripherals.
Which Android TV box is best? An Android TV box provides greater flexibility, customization, and integration with Google services and apps. When compared to a Smart TV, Android TV offers more features, has a simple interface, and is an open platform, meaning that companies can create apps that can run on this system. Both Smart TV and Android TV can be connected to the Internet via a LAN cable or Wifi, as well as gaming consoles like Xbox. Both run apps and online streaming services. The major difference is in the OS they use, and the key advantage of Android TV is access to Google Playstore. The only downside of this option is that it may be a little bit slower than Smart TV.
Best Android Boxes Compared
If you are looking for a high-performance TV box, go for the NVIDIA SHIELD Android TV Pro. It is up to 25% faster as compared to models of the previous generation thanks to its advanced NVIDIA Tegra X1+ processor. The device features a 16GB storage capacity and a 4K HDR streaming media player.
Best Value | Best Trusted
Dolby Atmos technology delivers surround sound, moving audio around you, while Dolby Vision gives you a superior picture with striking brightness, ultra-vivid color, and lifelike detail. The TV box includes a remote control with motion-activated buttons, voice search, and a lost remote locator. You can control the device hands-free by means of built-in Google Assistant.
The Shield TV Pro model offers versatile connectivity with dual-band AC Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0., and Gigabit Ethernet. With this device, you can access YouTube, Netflix, Prime Video, and thousands of other apps and games. On top of that, the TV box has a stylish and functional design with two USB 3.0 ports. It takes up little space with dimensions of around 2.6 x 16 x 10 cm, while the remote fits perfectly in hand.
Best Android Box for Gaming
If you need something even more compact, opt for the Nvidia Shield Android Tv 4K HDR Streaming Media Player. This model has a unique tube shape and measures as little as 16.5 x 4 x 4 cm. Like the Shield TV Pro model, it features the Tegra X1+ processor, an Ethernet port, along Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and AI upscaling technologies.
However, the Nvidia Shield TV is $50 cheaper, meaning it has fewer features. To begin with, it offers only 8GB of storage and has no USB ports for external storage, only a microSD card slot. So if you need to add extra memory for something like Plex, choose the Pro version. Nor can the Shield connect to any third-party peripherals. Moreover, the Pro version has 3Gb RAM as compared to 2Gb of RAM in the Shield.
For gaming, the Shield Pro version would certainly be better as it offers NVIDIA's full suite of gaming services and features. The standard Shield TV box is great for streaming videos but is not good enough to stream games. It is less powerful and can have problems running some Android games requiring 3Gb of RAM.
And finally, the Shield TV Pro offers more smart-home options and can host a media server. It can act as a hub for Samsung SmartThings, meaning it can be used as a command center for light bulbs, smart outlets, security cameras, and many other devices. While being fully compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant, the standard Shield TV model cannot be a smart-home hub by itself as it requires a smartphone or other device to run a hub.
For those on a budget, I’d suggest buying the Mi TV Box S 4K Ultra HD for under $100. As compared to the Nvidia Shield, the Mi TV Box supports fewer video and audio formats and does not have Dolby Vision. As for networking, the Mi TV Box has no Ethernet and uses Bluetooth 4.1, whereas the Nvidia Shield is equipped with Bluetooth 5.0 technology.
Best-Selling Android TV Boxes in Canada | Comparison Table
Customers' Choice | Best Budget with Wireless Keyboard
[2021 Newest] Android TV Box 10.0, X88PRO Android Box 4GB RAM 32GB ROM, RK3318 Quad-Core 64 Bits Dual-WiFi...
- 🏡【Newest Android 10.0 OS & Powerful Chip RK3318】Our X88 Android TV Box adopts the Newest Android 10.0 system has more new control functions to keep your data private, so you can rest easy. And the android box powered by RK3318 64-Bit Cortex-A53 CPU, which raises the bar in performance and usability with a slick lag-free interface, compatibility with the latest android APPs, also delivers the best content and super smooth interface experience than other android tv boxes.
- 🏡【Dual-Band WIFI 2.4G/5.8GHz & BT 4.2】The android tv box 10.0 is the first RK3318 tv box that adopts the newest technology, which makes the WiFi transfer speed is 10 times faster than other tv boxes we test. The android box 10.0 also supports more stable and faster 2.4G/5GHz Dual-Band WiFi and 100M Ethernet LAN. Receive a fast and high-quality WiFi signal to ensure you enjoy better quality browsing the web, playing games, running APPs, and watching movies.
- 🏡【4GB RAM + 32GB ROM & Mini Keyboard】The android box 10.0 comes with 4GB RAM 32GB ROM high-speed flash memory which makes possess the double storage performance, greatly improves the reliability of your tv box and you'll have plenty of room to run more APPs and games quickly. You can also expand the storage through a micro SD card or an external USB device. It comes with a free mini backlit keyboard with a touchpad and rainbow LED backlit to help you easily control the android tv box.
- 🏡【USB3.0 & Support 3D 6K H.265】The Newest Android tv box 10.0 supports decoding and playing almost all popular audio and video formats to brings you true-to-life picture quality and 6K@60fps ultimate HD video. Moreover, USB 3.0 has the advantage of high-speed transmission, it can meet the requirement of fast transfer. In addition, this TV box supports 3D so you can enjoy a feast for your eyes.
- 🏡【Enhances Privacy Function & BT】The X88 PRO Android 10.0 tv box pays more attention to privacy than ever before. For example, when some apps request "location", you will not be asked after selecting "prohibited". Easy to use, just plug in the HD and power supply. The Bluetooth function enables wireless devices connected to enjoy the android tv box.
Best Value | Best Trusted | Most Discussed & Reviewed | Best with 5-Star Rating
NVIDIA SHIELD Android TV Pro | 4K HDR Streaming Media Player, High Performance, Dolby Vision, 3GB RAM, 2x USB,...
- The Best of the Best. SHIELD TV delivers an amazing Android TV streaming media player experience, thanks to the new NVIDIA Tegra X1+ chip. Enhance HD video in real-time to 4K for clearer, crisper visuals using next-generation AI upscaling. 2x USB 3.0 ports for storage expansion, USB cameras, keyboards, controllers, and more. Plex Media Server built-in, 3 GB RAM, and 16 GB storage.
- Dolby Vision - Atmos. Bring your home theater to life with Dolby Vision HDR, and surround sound with Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital Plus—delivering ultra-vivid picture quality and immersive audio. Android 9.0 (Pie) powered by Android TV with Chromecast 4K built-in
- Best-In-Class Design. Designed for the most demanding users and beautifully designed to be the perfect centerpiece of your entertainment center, SHIELD TV Pro levels you up to more storage space, more RAM, the expandability of 2x USB 3.0 ports, and Plex Media Server. Get the best connectivity with Gigabit Ethernet, dual-band AC Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 5.0. The all-new remote is more advanced than ever with motion-activated, backlit buttons—including a customizable menu button. Plus, with voice control, Bluetooth, IR control for your TV, and a built-in remote control locator, you have the most advanced remote yet.
- Unlimited Entertainment. Enjoy the most 4K HDR content of any streaming media player, and access thousands of apps and games, including top apps like Netflix, YouTube, Prime Video, Disney+, and Hulu. Add a game controller (sold separately) and play today’s most popular games like Fortnite and GeForce Now. Even stream from your phone with built-in Chromecast 4K.
- Voice Control. The built-in Google Assistant is at your command. See photos, live camera feeds, weather, sports scores, and more on the big screen. Dim the lights and immerse yourself in your favorite show or music using only your voice. And control your SHIELD hands-free with Google Home or Alexa and Amazon Echo.
Products with a 5-star rating
Testing & Customers Reviews
We found reviews from real YouTube bloggers about the products from our article.
The Product Lab: "Nvidia Shield TV Pro is a high-end streaming device with exceptional all-around performance. It has a powerful processor to run games smoothly and outstanding image quality. And it can act as a solid, smart home hub. While that's a little bit expensive, it is easy to see why it's considered one of the best streaming devices for gamers. The Nvidia Shield TV Pro's setup process didn't take very long. It provides a really good blend of flexible configuration and simplicity. You plug it into your TV through the HDMI cord. Then you connect to your network and sign into your Google account. It also conveniently pulls passwords that you've saved from Chrome and it automatically signs into other apps for you. You can also sign in to your Steam account and play any supported games that you've purchased.
It comes in a compact design that can lay horizontally or stand up vertically. I also like that it has a reliable Bluetooth 5.0 compatibility, so it's easy to connect peripherals which is perfect for gamers. It utilizes dual-band Wi-Fi technology that delivers a stable connection but I would have liked to see the speedier wi-fi 6, considering the price. The Android TV interface provides a solid user experience with plenty of useful features. I appreciate that you can reorganize the home screen to your liking. Even more, it has a built-in Chromecast feature, so it streams content from other devices directly to the screen. Android TV has comprehensive support for most major streaming services. It has Geforce Now support, which is a free service that allows you to play popular PC titles without needing a gaming PC. I also thought that the AI upscaling was outstanding. And you can easily toggle it on or off. It uses a neural network to transform content that runs below 4k which provides a noticeable improvement in sharpness and color quality. Still, it doesn't work on content above 1080p, and it can be heavy-handed at times.
While I would have liked to see a rechargeable battery, it runs on AAA batteries, and it can control your TV's power and volume for convenience. Overall the Nvidia shield TV pro has gamer-friendly features, and it comes with a comprehensive number of streaming services built-in with its consistent wireless connection ability to create a private server to run games and its outstanding picture quality it's understandable why this is one of the top streaming devices for gamers. the Nvidia shields tv pro has excellent ai upscaling access to a growing library of games, and it's designed to deliver a class-leading gaming experience I would recommend this if you want something that runs games well and you can reliably stream stunning 4k content."
Tech With Brett: "Xiaomi Me Box S is a fully certified Android TV box. It does have Chromecast built-in. It supports 4k Ultra HD and HDR. It has Google Assistant built-in, and it has a quad-core CPU, so you can play some games it's just very fast in its overall performance. It does support up to 4k at 60 frames per second, so if you don't have a 4k TV, you can still use this you just need to go into the settings and adjust it down to 1080p. You have full access to your Google Play Movies your Netflix or Hulu your YouTube. All of those applications that you're normally used to using will be available on the Android TV box and you can even use Google assistant to be able to search through that content it will find where different videos are available, and it will tell you if you already own it and then you can just play it right there. And videos just look really good in any of those applications.
Now one thing you do have access to when you are using the Me Box S is being able to play supported Android TV games. One of the things you can do is pair a Bluetooth controller and then have full access to be able to control the games with the controller, or you can actually just control the entire device with this because it has the same Android buttons that you would see on the remote. There's just no voice commands on here. So for gaming, I thought it worked really excellent. Maybe a few drops frames here and there. It's not a full gaming PC but overall definitely worth it.
One of the cool things you can do is you can actually mirror your phone screen write to the Me Box S, and that works really good. So that's something a Chromecast can do, and this can do that as well. You'd also be able to mirror your computer if you are using Chrome. One other really neat thing is if you have a smart display, you can actually come in here and control the Me Box right from your smart display. If you're an Android TV fan definitely pick one of these up. Or if you're just looking for a new way to smarten up your TV. Maybe you have a Chromecast, and you're looking for a way to control it with a remote. Picking up one of these is going to be the best thing to do."
Android TV Box 10.0, [2021 Newest] X88 PRO 10 Android TV Box 4GB RAM 64GB ROM, RK3318 Quad-Core 64 Bits Dual-WiFi...
- 🔥【Newest Android 10.0 & RK3318】Our X88 PRO Android TV Box adopts 2021 Newest Android 10.0 OS has more new control functions, compatibility with the latest android APPs, also deliver the best content and super smooth interface experience than other android tv box. The android box powered by the RK3318 64-Bit Quad-Core chip, which raises the bar in performance and usability, provides users a great experience of ultra-fast running speed and professional image processing ability.
- 🔥【4GB RAM + 64GB ROM TV Box】The android tv box comes with upgraded 4GB/64GB high-speed flash memory which makes possess the double storage performance, greatly improves the reliability of your tv box, avoiding crashes caused by insufficient memory, and we have installed daily APPs, like YouTube, Facebook, Chrome and etc. Also support Extra Hard Drive, TF Card to expand storage.
- 🔥【Dual-Band WiFi 2.4G/5.8GHz & BT】The Android TV Box has built-in more stable and faster 2.4G/5.8Ghz Dual-Band WiFi and supports 10/100M Ethernet LAN. Receive a fast and high-quality WiFi signal to ensure you enjoy better quality browsing the web, playing games, running APPs, and watching movies. The built-in Bluetooth android tv box enables wireless connection, such as a mouse, keyboard, and controller for games and other BT enabled devices.
- 🔥【3D 6K H.265 Android TV BOX】The Newest Android TV box 10.0 supports decoding and playing almost all popular audio and video formats to bring you realistic picture quality. And with 6K of ultimate HD video, you can play tons of android games on a big 6K screen with less buffering! Enjoy a higher-quality experience. In addition, this TV box supports 3D so you can enjoy a feast for your eyes
- 🔥【Enhances Privacy Function】The X88 PRO Android tv box 10.0 pays more attention to privacy than ever before. For example, when some apps request "location", you will not be asked after selecting "prohibited". Installation is a breeze. Plugin the HD and power supply and you’re good to enjoy the tv box.
Most Popular
Android TV Box 10.0 4GB RAM 64GB ROM, 2021 Newest Android TV Box Allwinner H616 2.4G/5.8GHz WiFi Bluetooth,...
- ♚【Newest Android 10.0 OS &Powerful CPU】The Android TV Box comes with the latest Android 10.0 OS and Allwinner H616 Quad-Core 64bits Cortex-A53 CPU, which raises the bar in performance and usability with a slick lag-free interface, compatibility with the latest android APPs, also deliver the best content and super smooth interface experience than other android tv box.
- ♚【4GB RAM + 64GB ROM & Mini Keyboard】The android tv box 10.0 provides 4GB RAM and the biggest 64GB ROM in the market, which improves the reliability of the android tv box and you'll have plenty of room to run more APPs and games quickly. You can also expand the storage through a microSD card or an external USB device. It comes with a free mini backlit keyboard with a touchpad and rainbow LED backlit to help you easily control the android tv box.
- ♚【Dual-Band WiFi 2.4G/5.8GHz & BT 4.2】The Android TV Box has built-in more stable and faster 2.4G/5.8Ghz Dual-Band WiFi and supports 10/100M Ethernet LAN. Receive a fast and high-quality WiFi signal to ensure you enjoy better quality browsing the web, playing games, running APPs, and watching movies. The built-in Bluetooth android tv box enables wireless connection, such as a mouse, keyboard, and controller for games and other BT enabled devices.
- ♚【3D 6K H.265 Android TV BOX】The Newest Android TV box 10.0 supports decoding and playing almost all popular audio and video formats to bring you realistic picture quality. And with 6K of ultimate HD video, you can play tons of android games on a big 6K screen with less buffering! Enjoy a higher-quality experience. In addition, this TV box supports 3D so you can enjoy a feast for your eyes.
- ♚【Enhances Privacy Function】Our android tv box 10.0 pays more attention to privacy than ever before. For example, when some apps request "location", you will not be asked after selecting "prohibited". Installation is a breeze. Plugin the HD and power supply and you’re good to enjoy the tv box.
