Ugoos SK1 is Ugoos’ newest and best Android TV box to date, and it is the most powerful box I have reviewed so far!
Again, many thanks goes to James from Ugoos for providing the Review sample.
What’s in the Box?
SK1 is a shiny black plastic box. Rectangular, but not square. This time Ugoos went with plastic, but put some work into it with a RGB light strip in the front which you can program. There is no power button anywhere, so the box can be turned on either by the remote, or by plugging it in when it’s not connected to power. SK1 does not have external antennas and it uses internal ones. It is also worth mentioning that there is no Micro-SD/TF Card slot, so you are limited to what you get with the box (which is 128GB total storage. Not too shabby).
SK1 Box Contents
Here are the items that come in the box: SK1, BT remote control, HDMI 2.1 cable, a 12v power adapter, as well as a small user manual.
SK1 Specifications
| Chipset | Amlogic S928X-K with 12nm 2.0G HZ，A big core ARM Cortex-A76 and Quad core ARM Cortex-A55 CPU |
| GPU | Mali G57 MC2 |
| Memory / Storage | LPDDR4 8GB / 128GB (EMMC) |
| Wireless Connectivity | Realtek 8852be(wifi6) 2.4G+5G complies with IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax 2×2 Access Points with MIMO standard
up to 1200Mbps with dual stream in 802.11ax |
| Network | 1*RJ45 1000M (1000M Ethernet Integrated IEEE 802.3 10/100/1000M Ethernet MAC with RGMII interface) |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.2 with LE technology |
| OS | Android 11.0 |
| Video & Audio Output | HDMI 2.1a Type-A 8Kx4K max resolution, S/PDIF out |
| USB Port | 1 USB 3.0 OTG & 1USB 2.0 |
| Supported Video Codecs |
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| Supported Audio Containers | Supports MP3, AAC, WMA, RM, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis, Opus, SRS Truvolume, Dolby Audio Optional, DTS Optional and programmable with 7.1/5.1 down-mixing |
| HDR support | Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+, HLG |
| Remote control | UR-02 remote with Voice + Gyro |
| Power | DC Power adapter 12V/2.0A |
| Dimensions | 16.9cm X 10.8cm x 3cm |
| Net Weight | 1030 Grams |
SK1 Benchmarks and Testing
All completed benchmarks have been repeated 3 times and results have been averaged to give a more accurate reading:
Antutu Benchmark
The Antutu benchmark tests single core performance over multi-core as it is a better indication of the performance of one device over others in most situations. Ugoos SK1 jumps the queue and takes first place! above any other device I’ve tested so far.
Bellow is a screenshot of the latest Antutu benchmark (v10):
GPU Mark Benchmark
GPU Mark tests 3d gaming performance and also provides a normalized score according to the used screen resolution (for a more accurate result). The test is quite short and should be taken as a supporting result to that of the more serious 3D Mark benchmark. Ugoos SK1 reached 2nd place in average frames per second, and only 8th place in the average and screen normalized score (very close to Minix U22-XJ). However, the placement is very similar to the competitors, and the one that tops the chart is a tablet that contains a much more powerful GPU.
A1 SD Benchmark
A1 SD Benchmark tests RAM and flash memory speeds. As can be seen in the provided graphs, RAM is much faster (by a factor of about 40) than flash memory – that is why it’s in smaller amount and is also volatile (does not keep its contents after a reboot). Ugoos SK1 takes its place as the new king with the first place in RAM copy speed test (very very close to its older brother, AM8 Pro).
Sadly, SK1 does not perform as well in the Internal Storage Read/Write speed test. And takes only the 9th spot. This is surprising as usually devices without an external storage controller perform better than ones with.
PC Mark Benchmark
SK1 takes 2nd place in this extensive suite of productivity tests which is designed to show a more balanced picture of an android device’s ability to perform various tasks such as spreadsheet calculations, photo editing, complex web page browsing and more. But the difference between SK1 and AM8 Pro in this case is pretty negligible.
3D Mark Benchmark
3D Mark benchmark is considered as one of the best ways to test 3d performance on Android (and other platforms). Ugoos SK1 arrives second. Both in “Slingshot Extreme” test, and “Wild Life” test. Again, very very close to number one, AM8, its predecessor.
SK1 Extra Benchmarks
For some more information, see the following screenshots from other benchmarks such as GFX Bench, nPerf, Performance Test Mobile, Vellamo, Geekbench, and AndroBench:
SK1 Bugs, Issues, and Cons
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- No Micro-SD/SD card slot – meaning, no possibility for storage expansion. The box does come with 128GB built-in storage, but the choice to skimp on a card slot in such an expensive box, is a strange one.
- While the UR-02 new BT remote is excellent, it still suffers from some bugs (and is being updated with firmware updates just about weekly) – losing air mouse capability is one of those, and usually is resolved by unpairing and re-pairing it.
- DRMInfo app shows that SK1 supports L1 DRM, but this is only half of what’s required for official streaming apps (such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, or Disney) to play 4K content and/or Dolby Vision, or Dolby Atmos – as there are no licenses for these included, so at most you’ll be able to get 1080p, and on Netflix even less than that.
- Geekbench 6 cannot install. Only Geekbench 5 was able to install successfully. GPU test on Geekbench 5 failed at first, but worked on the second run.
- Both Asphalt 8 and War Robots exhibited problems with a game pad I used many times before.
SK1 Root function
Ugoos SK1 come with a built-in root function (based on Magisk) which works like a charm. All you need to do is go to the settings, locate it under Ugoos device preferences section, go into superuser, and turn it on or off as needed. It will keep after reboot, till you decide to turn it off. The power and decision are all yours!
SK1 Video Playback testing (Using KODI)
Even with the seemingly lacking results of Antutu Video, SK1 performed perfectly in my list of video sample testing. From AVC to Dolby Vision to AV1 and 8K files – it played them all, without a hitch, even while on a wireless connection!
SK1 Network performance
I tested the network performance using the popular Speedtest.net application from the play store. I tested both Wi-Fi (the fastest Wi-Fi supported – in this case 5GHz 802.11ax, or Wi-Fi 6), and wired connection. My home connection is a symmetric 1Gbe Fiber connection so it would not limit the test in any way.
Ugoos SK1 performed nicely with higher than average results for Wi-Fi network, and of course, much better for wired ethernet. However the upload speed could use improvements in both cases:
SK1 Gaming performance
Ugoos SK1 performed smoothly as expected in the gaming tests. It’s graphic chip can handle games without an issue. However, control may be an issue, unless you splurge for a game pad/controller or other more gaming friendly remote.
Asphalt 8 Airborne – a 3d graphic intensive racing game. SK1 Loads and runs it smoothly. And with a game pad controller, I was able to control it. But with a little caveat: the acceleration button had to be let go and pressed again and again to maintain speed. This should not happen. (I am using Homatics Game Pad, and it worked fine with other boxes)
Angry Birds 2 – a popular 2d action game. SK1 run it smoothly and loaded the stages fast, and unlike some other boxes, it seems unaffected by the freeze bug that is very common with Amlogic boxes and this game. Also, the UR-02 BT air mouse remote included in the box, was able to be used perfectly (without resorting to other remotes).
Walking War Robots – an online robot warfare game that requires a game-pad. SK1 runs it well, but with the a game pad controller, there was no ability to move the robot, or control it properly, even though a game pad has been recognized by the game.
SK1 Conclusions
Did I like it? Very much. From the rock steady performance, to versatility and abilities in 8k playback, it mostly overshot my expectations, especially with the audio format support and the awesome new BT remote. However.. the lack of Netflix and other streaming services licenses made the all Widevine L1 DRM support pretty useless.
Would I recommend it? Yes, as long as you’re okay with the price tag.
You like it! Where can you buy it? You can get the Ugoos SK1 for 196.01 USD (At the time publishing, and including free shipping)HERE
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