ZTE Space TV Box 4K ZT866: When Entertainment Collides With Price | Analysis

In one more step to expand its participation in the national market, ZTE announced for Europe, at the beginning of last June, another product for its catalogue.

We have the brand new ZTE Space TV Box 4K ZT866 in hand; product that comes with the promise of taking the consumer’s attention away from big players like Amazon, Apple, Xiaomi, Roku and Google!

But is he really all that? You can find this and much more in our full review below.

Shipped in a discreet box, the ZTE TV Box comes alongside a very complete set of accessories, complete with remote control with 2 AAA batteries, 1.5 meter HDMI cable, power supply and instruction guide.

Owner of a very minimalist design, finished in a matte black plastic, the upper part of the Box only bears the signature of the Chinese giant, while the front is reserved for a single LED – responsible for indicating the operation of the product.

Square in shape, with a compact body that can be fitted almost anywhere, the equipment weighs just 200 grams, is just over 10 cm wide and less than 3 cm high.

The control, in turn, follows part of this pattern, and is quite light. Its buttons are arranged similarly to a traditional controller and are great to press, giving a good feeling of responsiveness.

The design, in general, is quite minimalist and should please most, but the finish, despite not showing shavings, can disappoint those who were looking for more robustness.

Following what we are used to seeing for this type of product, the ZT866 installation process is quite simple. Simply plug the Box into an outlet, plug the HDMI cable into your television and device, select the corresponding video input, and proceed with the on-screen instructions.

Amidst an elevator musical background, you will be guided through the entire installation, pairing the device with the controller and entering your WiFi network and Google account data. In the end, after some probable updates, the main screen of Android TV will be presented – which we will talk about in more detail later.

In addition to being able to be connected to the internet through 2.4GHz and 5GHz WiFi networks, the ZTE Box also has an RJ45 ethernet port, allowing for a cable connection, ensuring quality streaming even in environments with a weak wireless signal. wire.

Apart from the inputs for HDMI and ethernet, the user will still find an AV output for audio and video and a USB Type-A port; plus Bluetooth 5.0. Thus, you can connect not only flash drives, but also joysticks and headphones.

But let’s get to what matters most: audio and video.

Connected to a quality network, the Box is capable of transmitting images in up to 2160p – the famous 4k – with HDR10 support with Dolby Digital Plus. But of course, to see all of this in action, the connected TV also needs to be compatible.

The images reproduced are excellent and fluid, perfectly aligned with good quality audio. As a result, we have a good playback experience for anyone who wants to be slouched in front of the TV.

But unfortunately, all this good experience is tarnished by one small detail. As we see in other devices of the type, the control of the ZT866 is also capable of issuing commands to your TV, being able to turn the device on and off and control the volume – and this is where the problem lies.

Unlike what is seen in devices such as Amazon’s Fire TV Stick, the volume controlled by the device is that of the embedded system, not that of the television. So, if the TV volume is at 20%, for example, the control will only be able to command the height within that available range, and not so precisely.

At the very least, this is a relatively easy snag to get around. Simply turn the TV volume to maximum so that the box has access to the full spectrum of pitches. Just don’t forget to turn the volume down before switching to another device; if not, the scare is guaranteed!

But putting that detail aside, let’s get to the other aspects of control. Here, we have a central button for navigation, dedicated buttons for YouTube, Netflix, Prime and Google Play, buttons for controlling the Box and TV tools themselves, and a button dedicated to the Google Assistant.

Through this, the user can talk to Google’s virtual assistant, making the same requests that he is used to doing on his cell phone – with the exception of those related to exclusive smartphone functions, such as messages and calls, of course.

Embedded with Android TV 11, the entire system responds well to commands and does not have major crashes, opening applications quickly and efficiently.

Perhaps because it shares the same platform as smartphones, all the main streaming services are available through the app store. In addition to those mentioned, physically represented in the control, it is possible to have access to Apple TV+, Twitch, HBO Max, PlutoTV, Telecine, DirectTV Go, Crunchroll, Paramount+, Deezer, Spotify, Globo Play and many others!

In addition to streaming, the almost 4.5 GB of storage available for installing apps can still be filled with compatible games available on the Play Store, such as Crossy Road and Badlands – but don’t expect to find great titles like Call Of Duty or PUBG, for example.

Of course, the experience, giving commands through the TV remote, does not come close – not even close – to the view on a more powerful console or smartphone. However, the possibility of connecting a joystick opens up new barriers and the built-in chipset is capable of handling even the light titles of the platform.

We just don’t understand, however, why the system complains about the lack of storage space when installing some games. Even more so with himself informing that more than 1Gb of space was still free, even allowing the installation of other heavier applications. .

Anyway, navigating the Android TV screens is quite simple and intuitive. The main screen presents some of the top installed apps and content recommendations based on the user’s taste.

Chromecast

Still taking advantage of the platform, the ZTE box has the built-in Chromecast function! That is: in addition to being able to control the entire operation of the device through the remote control, the user can mirror the content of their cell phone directly to the TV screen, as if it were a Chromecast, in fact.

Thus, you will be able to stream content from sources not necessarily installed on Box, in addition to being able to set group playlists for compatible applications.

Interesting difference compared to devices that do not have Android TV.

Undoubtedly, the magic of this type of device is to convert an older television, without any kind of smart feature, into a kind of Smart TV – or even give a newer television a chance to survive, but which is already running very slow. . And in that respect, ZTE’s TV Box does its job well; although some points need to be raised.

For the price charged for the device at the Multilaser store – official reseller of the line in Europe, it may be better to bet on proposals from the competition.

After all, the R$589 charged for the ZT866 puts it, in price, above the Roku 4K, the Fire TV Stick 4K and the Chromecast 4K, and if we take it to the Android TV world, it still positions it above big names like the Mi Box S, from Xiaomi.

Even so, it’s not hard to recommend ZTE’s TV Box; after all, despite its “problem” in managing the TV volume properly and its finish that doesn’t give an idea of ​​robustness, it still brings features that are not seen in most of those mentioned and delivers a good user experience. Its biggest stumbling block is the price.

strengths and weaknesses

But what about you, what did you think of ZTE’s TV Box? Tell us here in the comments! As usual, the best prices for him and for all the products mentioned here you can find in the cards below! A hug and see you next!