Vinga media players are frequent guests in our testing lab. We have handled many popular models, ranging from the most affordable to flagship devices. Their characteristic feature was the hardware platform based on Rockchip processors.

This time, we will evaluate the capabilities of the flagship media player Vinga 046, created based on the Amlogic S905X2 processor, announced at the end of 2018. It includes four ARM Cortex A53 computing cores with a frequency of up to 2 GHz and a dual-core Mali-G31 MP2 graphics accelerator with a frequency of 650 MHz. A distinctive feature of the S905X2 is support for HDR10+, Dolby Vision, OpenGL ES 3.2, and H.264, 265, and VP9 codecs.

Additionally, the Vinga 046 received 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of permanent memory, a dual-band Wi-Fi module, Android 9.0 OS, and USB 3.0 support for connecting external drives. Let's see how the device works in practice and whether it's worth spending about $80 on its purchase. But first, let's take a look at the detailed specifications.

Specification

Packaging and Completeness 

The Vinga 046 media player comes in a small cardboard box with a pleasant design. On the top side, you can appreciate the appearance of the device, and on the back are its main technical characteristics and a list of the supply package.

In the box, we found a short instruction manual, a power supply unit, an HDMI cable, and a remote control with a USB receiver. Batteries are sold separately.

Appearance

The Vinga 046 features a relatively large body with dimensions of 105 x 105 x 25 mm. It is slightly larger than most other branded media players. This contributes to more effective cooling of the internal components, so there should be no overheating issues.

Most of the body is made of rough black plastic. It resists the appearance of usage marks and fingerprints well.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the front panel. It is covered with glossy translucent plastic, which is very prone to scratches. But it is necessary as it houses a compact display for showing the time and network connection mode.

The right panel is completely devoid of any elements.

On the left side, there is 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, there is an AV, optical S/PDIF out, RJ45 electrical sockets, power connector, and HDMI 2.0a.

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.

Connecting the Player, Control

As with most other media players, connecting to a TV or monitor with the Vinga 046 is very simple. Just connect the power and HDMI cable. There is no power button on the body, and these functions can only be performed using the remote control.

By the way, about the remote. One of the interesting features of previously reviewed models, such as Vinga 042, was the inclusion of a functional remote control with a Qwerty keyboard on the back. It is very convenient when working with a browser.

Over time, the manufacturer abandoned this model, replacing it with a more compact one. We saw it in Vinga 044. Here, voice input is used for text entry.

The Vinga 046 model received a new remote control. It lacks a Qwerty keyboard but has acquired a numeric one. The body is made of matte plastic and is distinguished by high build quality. There are no gaps or creaks. It has a built-in gyroscope, so it easily functions as a mouse. To activate this mode, there is a separate button to the left of «0». There is also a Google Assistant function and voice search.

Among interesting features: if you hold down the power button, several actions are offered to choose from - turn on the media player, restart it, or take a screenshot.

Overall, the remote turned out to be simple, convenient, and functional. The only thing that could make it better would be a Qwerty keyboard on the back, but the price would be higher because of this. 

Hardware Platform and Functionality

The Vinga 046 is based on the Amlogic S905X2 processor. It combines four ARM Cortex-A53 cores with a clock speed of up to 2 GHz. The graphics are handled by Mali-G31 MP2 with support for OpenGL ES 3.2.

The installed RAM is 4 GB, and the permanent memory is 64 GB. The media player easily recognizes external drives connected to it, whether it's a regular flash drive, memory card, or hard drive. The platform supports many modern codecs, including H.265, and allows playing HDR video with 4K resolution. There is also HDMI support and hardware decoding of multichannel sound.

Android 9.0 is used as the operating system. Upon first power-up, you are prompted to set one of two launchers by default. The first one features a simple, convenient, and functional menu.

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

     Traditionally, there are also several pre-installed applications for watching online videos and an app for IP-TV.

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

It is worth noting separately that all Google services install and work without problems.

Performance

             
It is important to remember that the Vinga 046 is primarily a media player, not a gaming console. You can easily play undemanding games, but something more resource-intensive, like Hearthstone, will occasionally lag.

However, there are no issues with working with applications - everything works quickly and stably. The impression of using the Vinga 046 is exclusively positive. The media player will definitely not annoy you with slowness and hesitation. For this, we thank the 4 GB of RAM and the overall quite productive processor.

The situation with heating is generally normal. During stress tests, the sensor recorded a maximum temperature of 63°C, which quickly decreased after stopping the tests.

There were no complaints about video playback either. 4K Ultra HD @ 60 FPS videos from YouTube and external sources played without any issues. 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 77.9 Mbps, and the upload speed was 93.6 Mbps.

With a wired connection, the result was even higher: the reception and transmission speeds were 93.5 and 93.8 Mbps, respectively. And all this with an internet channel width of 100 Mbps.

Conclusion

The media player Vinga 046 is the sole flagship of the current lineup. Its price is about $80. For this money, you get a device with a 4-core Amlogic S905X2 processor and Mali-G31 MP2 video core, 4 GB of RAM, and 64 GB of permanent memory. This configuration provides very smooth and comfortable operation of the player in the shell and in various applications.

There are no lags, freezes, or other unpleasant things when working with multimedia content. The set-top box easily plays 4K Ultra HD at 60 frames per second. It also works excellently when launching multimedia from external sources, such as a hard drive connected to a USB 3.0 port.

We especially highlight the support for HDR10 and HLG, a convenient remote control with a gyroscope and voice input, decent cooling, and the presence of a card reader. It will be useful for convenient viewing of photos and videos from cameras or smartphones.

However, the gaming performance is not as smooth. You can count on simple games, such as emulations of old NES and SEGA games, and it's good that the set-top box supports gamepad connection.

If you are looking for a quality media player that will not annoy you with slow operation, crooked and not fully localized firmware, and other unpleasant things typical of similar products from a well-known site, then Vinga 046 will not disappoint you. Yes, it costs more, but you pay extra for the presence of after-sales service, good localization, and stable firmware updates over the air.

Advantages:

• functional remote control included with voice input, gyroscope, and Google Assistant support;
• 4 GB of RAM and no overheating issues;
• 64 GB of permanent memory;
• 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, HDR10, and HLG;
• support for Micracast;
• functional OS Android 9.0 shell;
• installed popular online broadcasting services for our region;
• official service and warranty.

Author: Kostyantyn Shorokhov 
Translation: Liliya Masyuk

Review on gecid.com