Ever heard of an Android TV stick or an Android TV box? Or you are simply not sure what it is? Do not be worried; a number of people are kind of unfamiliar with this subject.

An Android TV stick or streaming stick allows you to stream videos or different kinds of entertainment on your PC, TV, or any device of your choice that is definitely equipped with an HDMI port. Simply plug your Android TV stick into the HDMI port of your TV, and you automatically turn your TV into a smart TV with appealing capabilities.

An Android TV Box is also a device that allows access to movies, shows, live channels, etc. when you connect it to your television. It uses the same operating system as your smartphone, tablet, or other devices. It mostly uses the Android operating system, making you able to run almost all the apps on your phone on your TV. This is achievable by making a box with Android OS and putting or installing different apps that you use on your phone on it, giving it the ability to make your TV smart.

Both gadgets are mini-computers that run on Android OS, and have similar features or the ability to make your TV smart. Performing functions like-

  1. Streaming movies from YouTube, Netflix, and XBMC.
  2. Downloading Android games like Angry Birds, Candy Crush, Fruit Ninja, Asphalt 8, Modern Combat 4,
  3. Surfing the web
  4. Chat and video calls via Skype.

In a nutshell, both devices bring out your phone’s abilities and introduce them to your television, giving it new smart features with extra add-ons.

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While both gadgets possess similar functions, some differences are also a part of each property, and getting to know the differences is vital to making your choice on which you would prefer. Why the Android Sticks or Android Box over the other? Let’s find out.

Android TV Sticks

Firstly, Android TV sticks have the advantage of being portable. This aids in making your Android streaming sticks not visible as you use them, therefore not occupying any space. This is an advantage over the Android TV box, which comes as a small box and will therefore be visible close to your TV.

Another advantage over the Android TV box is the portability of the sticks, which come as a flash drive look alike. This gives you the option of being able to move your Android TV stick from place to place, be it from the living room to the bedroom, or from your house to a friend’s house, or on a vacation to the beach house, or even to a hotel room as you go on a business trip. The advantage of moving this from place to place is essential and can’t be overlooked.

With the vast number of Android TV or streaming sticks available, considerations would be made in search of a TV stick to purchase.

App Support

While longing for your Android sticks, it is important to note that all brands have their own preference of applications they support or apps that naturally come along with them. For example, the Roku sticks would definitely not support iTunes.

You would love to have a streaming stick with the ability to support a large number of apps, or one that possesses the content you would love to watch, e.g., Netflix.

The Amazon Fire TV Stick is one of the best, if not the best, you can get with its app compatibility rate or how much content it comes with.

Search Content Ability

Being forced to use only the content that comes with your stick can be really frustrating. That’s why you need an Android stick that allows you to search for the content you want, or rather put in front of the content you prefer. The Roku streaming stick is a good match for this, as it puts the content that is mostly your preference first or arranges the cheapest suitable content for you to be at the top of the list.

Customization

Customization is key to you owning a thing, as you desire to set things the way you love or would want them, and that should not be taken away from you. The Android streaming sticks should come with that feature, one that allows you to customize and one that allows you to install third-party apps. The best Android streaming stick for this purpose is the Android Mini PC RK3288.

Some Popular Android TV Sticks

  1. Roku streaming sticks
  2. Amazon Fire TV stick 4
  3. Android Mini RKM

Android TV Box

As it has been stated before, an Android TV box is a small box connected to a TV, which also covers the TV to a smart TV, just like the Android TV stick.

NVIDIA Shield TV Pro

The Android TV box can do most of what an Android TV stick can do, except for its portability. One advantage over the Android TV stick is being able to store videos or content on your box and play them later, which is a play on-demand feature.

It is also not compulsory to use your internet connection before you can use your Android TV box. This is due to the fact that storing movies on your box is a thing and can be very useful in the absence of an internet connection. Though most of them don’t come with so much storage space, it is up to you to get an SD card or external flash to also use with your box to enhance the storage space.

The Android TV box is becoming a reliable replacement for cable for some people, not because you can watch every channel cable has. You probably can’t, but you can still stream live channels available online and get an HD antenna that lets you access your local channel. The addition of these may not be compared with having a direct cable with the exact stations you desire, but with the addition of other features, the Android TV box is a great choice.

Top 3 Android TV Box

  1. NVIDIA Shield TV Pro
  2. Amazon Fire TV Cube
  3. Turewell T9