Not long ago, we introduced you to the media player Vinga 014. If we disregard the presence of cheaper Chinese competitors (they are not officially imported to us, which means there is no warranty or service), the main complaints were about the small amount of RAM and overheating after prolonged use. This is not very pleasant, especially for fans of "binging" a season of their favorite series in one day without a break.

Today, we are testing a more expensive device that is theoretically free from the aforementioned drawbacks. The media player Vinga 044 is available for 2249 UAH ($95). Let's figure out what we are being asked to pay an extra 500 UAH for and whether it's worth it. As usual, we'll start with detailed specifications.

Specification

Packaging and contents 

The Vinga 044 media player will arrive in your hands in a small cardboard box with pleasant packaging. On the top side, you can appreciate the appearance of the device, and on the back, its main technical specifications and the list of package contents.

Inside the box, we found a short manual, a power adapter, an HDMI cable, and a compact remote control with a USB receiver. Batteries are sold separately.

Appearance

Unlike the Vinga 014, the test model has a slightly larger body: 111 x 111 x 20 mm compared to 85 x 85 x 20 mm. This should positively affect air circulation and cooling of internal components, which we will definitely check later. The body materials remain unchanged: it is a completely plastic device.

The top panel features an interesting glossy plastic insert. It collects fingerprints well, but looks attractive when clean. The rest of the matte part of the cover is much more practical.

The front side greets us with a small screen. It displays the time and network connection method (cable or Wi-Fi). Next to it is the operation mode LED: it lights up blue when the player is active and red in standby mode.

The left panel is completely devoid of any elements, except for ventilation holes.

On the right side, you can find a ventilation slot, a microSD card reader, as well as USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 ports. One of them will be constantly occupied by the remote control receiver unless you additionally purchase a hub.

On the back side, you can find several differences from the Vinga 014. Firstly, a USB Type-C port has appeared. Next to it is a recessed reset button. Secondly, the AV audio output has been replaced with an optical S/PDIF out. The RJ45 network socket, power connector, and HDMI remain unchanged.

The bottom side is notable for numerous ventilation holes, a sticker with the device's serial number, and four rubber feet under which the screws for disassembling the case are hidden.

Player connection, control

As with most other media players, connecting to a TV or monitor with the Vinga 044 is very simple. Just connect the power and HDMI cable. There is no power button on the case, and these functions can only be performed using the remote control.

The remote control itself is completely similar to the one in the Vinga 014. It uses pleasant-to-touch matte textured plastic. The build quality is also excellent - there are no creaks or gaps. It does, however, have a gyroscope, Google Assistant function, and voice search.

For example, with Google Assistant, you can get answers to your questions, control installed apps, and search for information online. You won't need a keyboard to enter a search query or other text - instead, you can use the voice search function. It is supported in Google Chrome, YouTube, Lazy media, HD videobox, and other apps. To activate it, simply go to YouTube, click on the microphone icon in the search bar, press the corresponding button on the remote, say the name of the content you're interested in, and then select from the list what you need.

Overall, the remote turned out to be simple, convenient, and functional.

Hardware platform and functionality

As with the Vinga 014, the Vinga 044 is based on the SoC processor Rockchip RK3328. It combines four ARM Cortex-A53 cores with a clock speed of up to 1.5 GHz. The graphics are handled by the Mali-450 MP2 with support for OpenGL ES 1.1 / 2.0.

The Vinga 044 has 4 GB of RAM and 32 GB of permanent storage. This is twice as much as the Vinga 014. The media player easily recognizes external drives connected to it, whether it's a regular flash drive, memory card, or external hard drive. The platform supports many modern codecs, including H.265, and allows you to play video with 4K resolution. There is also support for HDMI and hardware decoding of multichannel audio.

Android 9.0 is used as the operating system. Upon first boot, you are offered to set one of two launchers by default. The first is MediaBox, which features a simple, convenient, and functional menu.

As an alternative, there is Square Home, which strongly resembles Windows in appearance.

As is tradition, there are several pre-installed applications. For example, out of the box, there are services for watching online videos: LazyMedia, OLL.TV, MEGOGO, HD VideoBox, and applications for IP-TV. MX Player is traditionally used for watching video files. For audio, there is only the basic AOSP application - if desired, additional players can be installed, or you can listen to music online.

As with other previously reviewed Vinga media players, there is a pre-installed KODI shell for managing multimedia files. As for installing additional software, it can be easily downloaded from the Google Play store or via APK files from external devices or over the network.

For more convenient work with the file system, there are two installed managers: FileBrowser and Total Commander, which perform their tasks excellently. Files were displayed and played correctly from internal and external sources. The media player also handles Google services excellently.

A pleasant feature is the support for Miracast thanks to the AirScreen app. This means you can stream images from your smartphone to the TV without using cables. For example, show photos from a trip or connect to the internet and play a video from YouTube. The only nuance: if the TV's resolution is lower than the smartphone's, the image quality will be worse than the original.

The settings menu is completely standard. Anyone who has ever used a smartphone or other Android device will have no problem understanding it.

Performance

Vinga 044, like Vinga 014, was not created with gaming in mind. However, you can pass the time with simple platforms. Working with applications has become much more comfortable thanks to 4 GB of RAM - you can easily keep several applications in the background or not rush to close tabs in the web browser.

The situation with heating was also very pleasing. During a long work session (about 8 hours), the Vinga 014 case heated up to 65°C. In a similar mode, we recorded heating only up to 43°C in Vinga 044, and this did not affect the speed of work in any way.

There were also no complaints about video playback. Videos in 4K Ultra HD @ 60 FPS quality from YouTube and external sources played without problems. With mp4 and mkv formats in resolutions up to 4K, everything was smooth and seamless.

The reception speed when connected to a Wi-Fi network (5 GHz) reached 73.4 Mbps, and the upload speed was 65.4 Mbps.

With a wired connection, the result was even higher: the reception and transmission speed was 77.3 and 69.5 Mbps, respectively. And all this with an internet channel width of 100 Mbps.

Conclusions

The media player Vinga 044 is the elder brother of the previously reviewed Vinga 014. Both models are based on the budget 4-core Rockchip RK3328 processor and Mali-450 MP2 graphics, but the impressions from their use differ. An additional 2 GB of RAM solved all problems with the simultaneous operation of several applications or a large number of web browser tabs.

Another weak point of Vinga 014 is heating up to 65°C during prolonged use. Under similar conditions, Vinga 044 heats up to 43°C, and no performance drop issues arise.

Vinga 044 also features an additional USB port in the popular Type-C format, and the AV audio output has been replaced with an optical S/PDIF out. Some may also appreciate the small display on the front panel, although it does not carry a significant functional load.

Otherwise, we have the same functional device for working with multimedia content. Right out of the box, it offers support for most popular online services and a convenient interface with the current Android 9 OS. Accordingly, you do not need to spend time dealing with Chinese firmware, as the media player is certified (i.e., legally imported into Ukraine and according to all regulations). There is also an instant service in case of factory defects (exchange for a new device). And don't forget about the official 1-year warranty.

In the end, this model is perfect for people who want to get a fully ready-to-use multimedia content device without any issues with firmware, localization, and other features of devices from Ali.

Advantages:

• functional remote control included with voice input, gyroscope, and Google Assistant support;
• 4 GB of RAM and no overheating issues;
• 32 GB of permanent memory;
• additional USB Type-C port;
• support for USB 3.0 and HDMI 2.0a;
• pleasant design and compact dimensions;
• ability to connect external hard drives;
• support for most popular formats and codecs;
• support for 4K video;
• support for Micracast;
• functional Android 9.0 OS interface;
• pre-installed popular online broadcasting services for our region;
• KODI multimedia shell;
• official service and warranty.

Author: Kostyantyn Shorokhov 
Translation: Liliya Masyuk

Link to the review on the GECID.com website