5 Best Android TV Box With Kodi

Old TVs can still be nice today, but they don’t have many of the functions that a modern day smart TV offers. You just don’t get all of the apps that Smart TVs come with, nor do you get the access to thousands of movies and TV shows. You pretty much have to be willing to spend $500-$1000 on a new Smart TV if you want to get access to those smart functions, at least that’s what many folks will tell you. You can actually spend a lot less money outfitting your TV with smart functions, simply by hooking an Android TV box to it.

Plug your Android TV box into the HDMI slot of your TV, change the input of your TV to that HDMI setting, and then you’ll instantly have access to tons of smart functions available on Android, even games! You’ll have access to thousands of movies and TV shows through the Google Play Store as well!

Some folks, of course, don’t want to pay for content and would rather have free access to movies and TV shows. And they can, through an app called Kodi. However, Kodi doesn’t come installed on Android TV boxes — that’s something you’ll have to download separately.

So what are the best Android TV boxes? Follow along below, and we’ll show you some of the top options out there. Let’s dive right in.

NVIDIA Shield TV

Coming in at number one on our countdown, we have the NVIDIA Shield TV. This Android TV Box, made by the prolific gaming hardware manufacturer NVIDIA, is actually more geared towards those wanting to game on their TV. This is because the NVIDIA Shield has some serious power built-in, allowing you to play some of the most high-end games on your TV with the NVIDIA Shield. Want to play an Android first-person shooter akin to Call of Duty? Well, the NVIDIA Shield TV will run those games on your TV just flawlessly, particularly with the top hardware inside.

The NVIDIA SHIELD TV, with recent updates, even supports the Amazon Alexa digital voice assistant. There is a controller included so that you don’t have to buy any extra accessories as well, though NVIDIA does have a ton of Shield TV accessories you can invest in.

Buy it now: Amazon

Fire TV Stick

Coming in as second on our list, we have Amazon’s very own Fire TV stick. If you didn’t know, Amazon’s Fire TV is based off of the Android, but Amazon puts its own skin and App Store on top of it. That said, you’ll still be able to download Kodi the Fire TV stick, and on top of that, you still get access to a bunch of Android related apps from Amazon’s AppStore.

Aside from all that, this Fire TV is nice in particular because it supports 4K playback. You’ll be able to watch all of your favorite 4K-enabled content with the Fire TV. But, do keep in mind that you’ll need a 4K-capable TV to watch content in that resolution as well, as well as 4K-capable content from whatever streaming service you’re using.

Buy it now: Amazon

Amazon Fire TV Cube

The Amazon Fire TV Cube sets itself apart from the Fire TV really well. That’s because the hardware is completely hands-free, allowing you to turn on your favorite TV series or movie in a matter of seconds by simply by saying, “Alexa, play ___.”

You can tell the Fire TV Cube to pause, turn off the lights, and so much more. Sound too loud? No problem for the Fire TV Cube. Just say “Alexa, turn the sound down,” and you can return to your conversation. As an added bonus, it plays 4K content as well. On top of that, it can be jailbroken so that you can download and use Kodi with it as well.

Buy it now: Amazon

Razer Forge TV

The Razer Forge TV comes in at fourth position on our list. Made by the prolific gaming accessory maker Razer, the Forge TV is supposed to be one of the best Android TV experiences out there. It has a quad-core processor for top gaming support, and you can easily play any other app you can snag off of the Google Play Store with it. It comes with an included full-size controller as well. Kodi can easily be installed on the Forge TV, too.

Buy it now: Amazon

Globmall X3

In fifth position, we have the Globmall X3. It may not be the most well known brand on the market, but it’s an excellent Android TV Box might have a strange name, but it’s an excellent choice if you’re looking for something on the cheaper spectrum. Even at its cheap price point, this Android TV Box is able to play your favorite 4K content at a whole 60 frames per second. As an added bonus, Kodi can easily be installed in Globmall X3. It’s got all of the best hardware inside as well, so playing high-end video games isn’t a problem here either.

Buy it now: Amazon

Verdict

Here we’ve shown you five of the best Android TV boxes that you can pick up today. None of these come with Kodi, but that’s because Kodi needs to be installed as a separate app. It’s actually really easy to install and download it — you just need to get the Kodi APK off of the Internet, move the file over to your Android TV box, and then launch it on the Android TV box. The app is then automatically installed, which will give you access to all sorts of free movies and TV shows.

Do you have favorite Android TV box that you use for Kodi? Let us know in the comments below.