Recently purchased but problems appeared early on, with the main issue being the malfunctioning Play Store, which no longer works. However,

- Positives
Promising device with (probably) the fastest "cheap" CPU of 2020, with an Antutu score of around 75,000 (similar to the old Redmi Note 6). It has 3 USB-A ports (one of which is blue USB 3, but all are upside down, meaning you can't see the USB logo when you plug in a cable), Ethernet, and a microSD reader. It has a clock on the front to tell you the time. It doesn't have any ventilation holes, which might be a problem in the summer. You can connect a mouse or a wireless keyboard with a touchpad and get your work done. The remote control works fine for basic functions, but requires more clicks. The plastic of the remote control is of low quality and the buttons are noisy when clicked, but it works from a distance.

- Negatives
The main problem is that since 24/12/2020 (around that time), the Play Store has stopped working! It used to work before, as seen on YouTube, but now nothing.

Furthermore, the device does not support PLAY! Google has "thrown it out" and it is not compatible. The device is not Google certified and does not function properly with it. It does not install any applications and shows error 403 or 192 (less frequently) without any clear solution or reason for this happening. We have tried everything (factory reset, new Google account, time zone, clear cache, Google services update, etc.) and nothing works! Other X96 "variations" have also experienced this issue, so keep that in mind. (By the way, it is rooted, if that has anything to do with the "blockage").

You can't even install APKs from the many side load sites. In most cases (but not all), it shows that the application cannot be installed (app did not install). Some APKs can be installed depending on where you download them from.

The device would be almost useless (unless you change the Android firmware, as there are some AOSP options), but luckily we found a store called "https://en.aptoide.com/" where you can install it (download the APK from Chrome, which is included) and then it can install applications satisfactorily, including some Google apps (the regular YouTube app works because it has a special version for TV, and it was installed and works. Google Maps was installed but does not work). With this "store," at least you can install VLC, NX, Firefox, etc., although it constantly displays annoying ads that make you want to close it. Thanks to this store, the situation was saved, so it doesn't deserve 1 star (due to Chinese software).

You can also install other stores like AppGallery (Huawei) and one from Amazon (and possibly others), but I found these specific ones to be very limited in terms of applications, and most of the ones I tried didn't work. However, some did work from either store.

Of course, since it is not certified, it does not support Netflix in 1080p, only in a much lower resolution, unless you do some strange sideloading of the application and it works for as long as it does.

It has issues with Philips TVs from before 2010 with HDMI (colors get mixed up and you have to plug and unplug), but this seems to be a flaw with that specific TV, although the same TV has no issues with other devices (however, the TV box tested on an LG TV had no issues, so it should be fine in general).

P.S. To change the firmware, there is a hidden "reset" button inside the 3.5mm jack (press it with a toothpick). We haven't dealt with this issue yet.

P.S.2 We are waiting for a solution to the play from those who created it (no updates have been given since they fixed it in 2019). Probably we won't have a solution. If it is found and I learn about it, I will update the review.