Safaricom has today announced the availability of an Android TV box that is part of a strategy to bring its Home Fibre service to more homes.
This Android TV box in question is the Ematic 4K Box (DV8235) that is not new by any standards as it has been available in other markets and even in Kenya. This is not a Safaricom branded Android box like the Safaricom Digital TV and Internet box we saw in 2018 but is by the brand Ematic.
This Android TV box is available through Masoko for approximately Ksh 7,000 which makes it cheaper than the Digital TV and Android box which was available for close to Ksh 10,000. That was expensive and I am glad Safaricom is back promoting a more affordable Android box.
At its price, the EmatiC Android TV box will be competing with the likes of the Xiaomi Mi Box S. Both have 4K support which is always a plus with modern Android boxes.
“Our Home Fibre service has been well received as it offers unlimited internet connectivity for the entire family in an affordable, monthly, package. The TV remains central to home entertainment and the lack of a feature to directly stream content from the internet has previously been a challenge for potential Safaricom Home Fibre customers. The Android TV Box now empowers customers to connect any TV to the internet opening up a world of endless entertainment options for the family,” said Peter Ndegwa, CEO, Safaricom.
For Safaricom, its aim is to get as many people as possible to subscribe to its home internet solution and that is why products like these make sense. “The introduction of the Android TV Box will ease the transition of homes to online entertainment, helping them keep up with their favourite TV channels online,” the company said in a statement.
Here are the technical specifications of the Ematic Android TV box.
- · Android TV OS (9.0)
- · Google and Netflix Certified
- · 4K (Ultra HD)
- · SoC: Amlogic S905X: A quad core ARM Cortex A53
- · CPU: ARM Quad 64-bit Cortex-A53 up to 1.5GHz
- · GPU: Penta Core Mali-450 up to 750MHz +(DFS)
- · DRAM: DDR3 2GB
- · Flash: eMMC 8GB
- · Bluetooth 4.2
- · DRM – Playready, Widevine
- · Size(L*W*H) – 100mm*100mm*23.5mm
- · Dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/b/g/n
- · Interfaces / Ports : 2 x USB 2.0 ports, 1 X TF (MicroSD) card slot, 1 X HDMI 2.0a port, 1 x 10/100 Ethernet (RJ45) port
