Review of the Vigica V5 Quad Core Amlogic S805

Vigica has released a new Amlogic S805 device especially for XBMC. That doen't mean that you can't use it to do other tasks as it runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat.

This gives you ability to download a very wide variety of android apps found in the Play Store.

The Amlogic S805 is essentially a cost down version of the previous S802. The only difference to my eyes though is the lack of 4k video playback which personally i don't need.

In the box:
In the package you get

• The Vigica V5 itself
• An A/C Adapter
• A User Manual
• An HDMI Cable
• An IR Remote

Hardware & Looks
The device has a rectangular shape with a black plastic on the front. At first i thought that it would provide some info like date and time, playback e.t.c. Well it didn't but there is a function led showing when the device is powered on

On the top we see the Vigica logo

And on the back we have the various ports:

• 2x USB 2.0
• A/V Output
• MicroSD Card Slot
• Ethernet
• HDMI Output
• D/C Input
• SPDIF Digital Audio Output

 If we flip it over we can see that it has ventilation holes which provide a cooler cpu working temperature

Specifications:

The V5 has some great specs under the hood:

• CPU: Amlogic S805 running at 1.5 Ghz
• GPU: Mali-450
• RAM: 1GB DDR3
• NAND FLASH: 8GB
• WIFI 802.11 b/g/n

Although it has 1GB of ram memory, it manages to run XBMC pretty well giving me very good results on some high bitrate videos i tried

1080p 10Mbps

1080p 40Mbps

Software:

Vigica put the standard mediabox launcher on the V5 which is good because it provides a more simple approach to the android operating system

The app drawer is very simple and practical too

If we go into the settings we have the usual 4 tabs

Network tab

Display Tab

Advanced Tab

Other Tab

Also there is the option to update your system via OTA or locally

Performance:

The performance of the V5 was a little slow compared with the S802 and the RK3288 boxes. This may have to do due to the fact that it has 1GB of ram memory in comparison with the 2GB most models have nowdays. 

This doesn't mean that you can't use it for other tasks besides media player duties. You can brows the web and use a very high number of applications available for download in the play store.

Antutu gave me a relatively mediocre score for todays standards but i don't believe that benchmarks are in par with everyday usage.

Wifi is on the slow side but if you use ethenet then you won't have a problem

Conclusion:

The V5 has its' pros and cons, but it is a very capable media player for the price

Pros:

• Great XBMC support with full h/w acceleration
• Great 1080p playback
• Price
• Solid build
• Retro look
• No heat issues
• Great media player capabilities
• H.265 support
• Android Kitkat

Cons:

• Slow wifi
• 1GB Ram
• Size is a bit big
• No native usb gamepad support
• Only 2x USB 2.0

For more info visit the official Vigica website