Ugoos SK1 Android Box Review 128GB Storage & 8GB RAM

The Ugoos SK1 Android Box is a powerful streaming device that some have touted as the best NVIDIA SHIELD Pro alternative.  This Ugoos SK1 review will provide everything you need to know about this popular streamer prior to buying.

I purchased the SK1 from the AliExpress Website toward the beginning of January, 2025.  It arrived within 10 days and I’ve been using it ever since

If you’re a TROYPOINT Patron you can find my First Impressions Video and opinion on whether I think this is truly a good replacement for the popular SHIELD.

I’ve spent more time than usual using the Ugoos SK1 prior to doing this review as I wanted to test it thoroughly before providing my unbiased review.  Due to the current Android TV options available today, we don’t spend much time on these “generic” boxes but this one caught my eye due to positive comments within our TROYPOINT Insider.

Ugoos SK1 Review

This Ugoos SK1 review consists of covering the important features of the streaming box while also highlighting the shortcoming that it has as well.  This article aims to provide TROYPOINT fans with the necessary information needed prior to purchasing this device.

Ugoos SK1 Android Box Features

• Android 11 (not Android TV)
• Capable of up to 8K playback
• CPU: Amlogic S928X-K with 12nm 2.0G HZ?A big core ARM Cortex-A76 and Quad core ARM Cortex-A55 CPU
• GPU: Mali G57 MC2
• 128GB Internal Storage
• 8GB RAM
• Realtek 8852be(wifi6) 2.4G+5G complies with IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax 2×2 Access Points with MIMO standard up to 1200Mbps with dual stream in 802.11ax
• Gigabit Ethernet
• Optical Output
• 3.5mm Audio Output
• 1 USB 2.0 & 1 USB 3.0 Ports
• HDMI 2.1a Type-A 8Kx4K max resolution
• Support DLNA, Miracast Protocol
• Video/Audio Licenses: Widewine L1 Support, Dolby Audio, Dolby Vision, DTS Audio
• Bluetooth 5.2
• UR-02 remote with Voice+Gyro (air mouse)
• OTA Updates
• Superuser (Root) Function

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Android 11 Not Android TV

I want to start with the operating system because this will be the biggest pain point for new users.  The Ugoos SK1 is equipped with Android 11 AOSP (Android Open Source Project) which is similar to what you find on phones and tablets.  In short, Ugoos isn’t using Android TV and they’ve manipulated the Android operating system to work on the television.

If you’re coming from an Android TV device the biggest difference that you will notice is how Google Play functions.  The Ugoos SK1 comes with the same Google Play app store that you would see on most Android phones and tablets.  Some people like this because you can easily install apps not optimized for the TV screen.  Android TV systems come with a Google Play store that only offers apps that are optimized for the TV screen.  Unfortunately, not all Android TV apps are available for install through Google Play on the SK1.  Keep in mind that we can still sideload apps or install the same through alternative app stores such as Aptoide TV.

This is a toss-up for me.  I really like the ability to install apps through Google Play that aren’t usually available through the Android TV app store.  There are some TV optimized apps that I can’t install but again, I can easily sideload most of those.

Whether you like the Android TV or AOSP app store comes down to personal preference.  Either way, we can usually find a way to sideload any application that we need.

The Ugoos SK1 remote does come with a mouse toggle button so we can easily navigate the apps meant for phones and tablets which is a huge plus.

Ugoos SK1 Meant for APK & IPTV Users

The Ugoos SK1 is designed for those who use the popular APKs and IPTV services.  Unfortunately, this Android box is not certified to run the official Netflix or Amazon Prime Video applications.  There may be others that don’t work as those were the only ones I tested.  But who needs these limited apps when we have free APKs, IPTV, and Kodi Addons that provide everything?

I found working APKs for both Netflix and Amazon Prime that I placed in the TROYPOINT Toolbox for install.  Yes, these will work on the Ugoos SK1 but you need to use the integrated mouse toggle to navigate the interface and resolution is standard definition.  Some have said the lower resolution isn’t a big issue due to the up-scaling features built into the SK1.

I tested some of the popular streaming apps such as Kodi, Stremio, Syncler, TiviMate, SmartTube, XCIPTV, and they all worked as they should.

Video Up-scaling

The Ugoos SK1 Android box comes with video up-scaling settings that are hit and miss in my opinion.  I personally don’t see a huge difference when these settings are activated and quite frankly the same applies for me on the NVIDIA SHIELD Pro as well.  Some will disagree with me and say that the up-scaling on the SK1 works great and they can see a noticeable difference but my eyes must not be that good.

Ugoos SK1 3rd Party Launchers

The Ugoos SK1 comes with 2 launchers to choose from.  I’m not a big fan of either launcher so I installed Projectivy and it works great!

Custom Settings Galore

The one thing that sets the Ugoos line of products apart from certified Android TV devices are the numerous settings that can be applied.  This Ugoos SK1 review provides screenshots below of the custom settings currently available on this box.

Inputs & Devices

Button Manager – I haven’t tested this but this is meant for accessories that you may connect to the Ugoos SK1.  I first thought this was a button manager for the remote control but it’s not.  It’s specifically meant for accessories that you connect to the device.

Menu Button – You can define what happens when you single press, double press, triple press, or long press the menu button.  I’ve set double press to show hardware monitor so I can see CPU and RAM usage.

Mouse – Options include large mouse pointer, reduce pointer display time, use right button as back button, pointer speed, and mouse as touch input.

USB – Adjust USB 3.0 port speed, disable USB power in sleep mode, change USB OTG settings.

Display & Sound

There are a myriad of settings that can be manipulated in the Display and Sound section such as resolution, color, position, orientation, font & density, automatic frame rate, system sounds, sound over HDMI, sound over S/PDIF, volume regulator in app.

Panels & Interface

System bars – Here you can show status bar, show navigation bar, allow swipes for showing bars, change volume bar position and color.

Recent applications window – Holding down the home button for a few seconds provides recent applications.  In this section you can change tile settings associated with this along with background options.

Hardware monitor – You can display hardware stats of your device such as network name, network usage, IP address, MAC address, whether VPN is enabled, CPU & RAM info, and display/audio settings.

Home screen – Change 3rd party launcher that you’re using.

Voice input application – Toggle between Google voice input or built-in USearch.

Animations – Change animations scale settings that can also be manipulated in Developer Options.

Power

Power indicator – Change power indicator settings such as brightness, schedule, mode, LED color, sleep mode, hibernation mode.

Stay awake – Disable sleep settings

Screen saver – Update screen saver settings such as clock, colors, photo frame, photo table, and when to start.

Energy saver – Activate or deactivate energy saver settings in this location.

Power key and timer action – What happens when power button on remote is pushed.

Wake up from motion – Wake up from motion of mouse or other devices.

When power is applied – When power is applied to unit either turn on, sleep, turn off, or keep last state.

Max performance mode – Lock CPU and GPU clock at highest speed

Storage

Setup Samba server, NFS client, or CIFS client.

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Superuser

This allows for root access to Android OS which allows for additional customizations.

Additional Settings

Dive into additional Android settings not often found on certified Android TV systems.

Ugoos SK1 Performance

Due to the 8GB or RAM and powerful processor I notice a big difference compared to other streaming devices that I’ve used.  There’s absolutely no lag when pushing buttons on the remote and this system is very snappy.  I really notice a big difference when using heavy Kodi Builds that have a hard time running on low-powered Firesticks or Android TV systems.  I’ve stopped recommending Kodi Builds due to the lag and performance issues on most budget streaming devices but they work great on the Ugoos SK1.

Download/Upload Speed Tests

The following download/upload tests were done with the Ugoos SK1 being connected to my ASUS RT-AX86U WiFi 6 Router.  I’m using Surfshark for the VPN tests.

Gigabit Speeds

VPN Off: 900 Mbps Download & 631 Mbps Upload

VPN On: 308 Mbps Download & 145 Mbps Upload

WiFi Speeds

VPN Off: 632 Mbps Download & 355 Mbps Upload

VPN On: 263 Mbps Download & 147 Mbps Upload

VPN Router Speeds

This test was done on the same router as above measurements (ASUS RT-AX86U WiFi 6 Router) with Surfshark VPN integrated.

Gigabit Speeds: 864 Mbps Download & 467 Mbps Upload

WiFi Speeds: 652 Mbps Download & 322 Mbps Upload

Here’s a video that shows how to run a VPN off router for whole-home protection with blazing fast download/upload speeds.  This is the same setup that I used in the VPN router speed test.

Best WireGuard VPN Router Setup Video

These are the fastest download speeds that I’ve ever seen on a streaming device for both Gigabit and WiFi.  Wow!

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Ugoos SK1 Remote Control

I like the Ugoos SK1 remote control and it pairs great with TVQuickActions Pro app so you can easily customize the colored buttons on the bottom of the remote or change other buttons that you don’t use.

It comes with instructions on how to pair the remote with your TV so you can control power, volume, and input.  The gray buttons on the remote can be mapped to your TV.  This worked great on the two televisions that I tested this on.  Important tip: when pairing the remote control to your TV make sure the television is off when doing so.

I like the fact that the remote comes with two power buttons, one for power of the box itself and the other to control power on my TV.  Same applies for the volume buttons as one set controls box volume and other set controls television volume.

The mouse toggle works great which is important on this device due to the fact that we now have thousands of apps for install through the AOSP Google Play store that only work with a mouse since they are developed for phones and tablets.

Ugoos SK1 Specs

Here are some additional specs regarding the Ugoos SK1 that readers may be interested in.

Ugoos SK1 Supported Video Codecs

• AV1 MP-10@L6.1 up to 8Kx4K@60fps
• VP9 Profile-2@6.1 up to 8Kx4K@60fps
• H.265 HEVC MP-10@L6.1 up to 8Kx4K@60fps
• AVS3 Phase 1 up to 8Kx4K@60fps
• AVS2-P2 Profile up to 8Kx4K@60fps
• H.264 AVC HP@L5.1 up to 4Kx2K@30fps
• MPEG-4 ASP@L5 up to 1080P@60fps (ISO-14496)
• WMV/VC-1 SP/MP/AP up to 1080P@60fps
• AVS-P16(AVS+) /AVS-P2 JiZhun Profile up to 1080P@60fps
• MPEG-2 MP/HL up to 1080P@60fps (ISO-13818)
• MPEG-1 MP/HL up to 1080P@60fps (ISO-11172)
• Multiple language and multiple format sub-title video support
• MJPEG and JPEG unlimited pixel resolution decoding (ISO/IEC-10918)
• Supports JPEG thumbnail, scaling, rotation and transition effects

HDR Support

• HDR10
• HDR10+
• HLG

Supported Audio Containers

• MP3
• AAC
• WMA
• RM
• FLAC
• Ogg Vorbis
• Opus
• SRS Truvolume
• Dolby Audio Optional
• DTS Optional and programmable with 7.1/5.1 down-mixing

Ugoos SK1 Dimensions

• Ugoos SK1 Android Box Size: 16.9X10.8×3 CM
• Box Size: 20.5×16.7×7.9 CM
• 1030g

What’s In The Box

• Ugoos SK1 Android Box
• Remote Control
• Power Adapter
• HDMI Cord
• SK1 User Manual
• Remote Control Manual

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What I Like

• Powerful and fast Android box
• 128GB storage
• 8GB RAM
• Gigabit Ethernet
• Fastest download speeds I’ve ever seen on streaming device
• 3rd party launcher support
• Tons of settings to customize
• Ugoos good at providing OTA updates
• Good Bluetooth remote control
• APKs & IPTV works great
• Heavy Kodi Builds perform well

What I Dislike

• Not Android TV
• No SD card slot
• 64-bit apps not working yet (might in future update)
• High price

After working on this Ugoos SK1 review for the past two weeks I’ve come to the conclusion that I like the Android TV OS a little better than standard Android.  But, this isn’t a big negative because I can still easily side-load the apps that I can’t find in the Play Store.  It’s important to note that using Android TV probably wouldn’t allow for all of the custom settings that can be performed on the current Ugoos SK1.  So, if that’s the case I would probably say keep it the way it is so we can manipulate the settings.

The biggest hurdle that most will have is getting used to the basic Android operating system as it is different than Android TV.  Thankfully, the Downloader App by AFTVNews is available in the Google Play store on the SK1 so we can get up and running quickly.

I no longer deduct points in my reviews for not being Netflix or Prime Video certified due to the fact that most TROYPOINT fans don’t use those services anyway.

This is definitely a streaming box geared for those who use APKs, Kodi, and IPTV services.  This shouldn’t be used if you’re one of those people who subscribes to the premium services such as Netflix.  The SK1 does not come with Netflix licensing so the best we can do is sideload an APK but it’s less than ideal because it requires mouse toggle and video quality is SD.

The Ugoos SK1 will be overkill for most cord cutters but it does offer the extreme power, tons of settings, and download/upload speed that some crave.

There are definitely negatives to using a standard Android box such as this but there are many work-arounds that will make it perform the way you want it to.

How to Buy

As mentioned earlier, I purchased my Ugoos SK1 on the AliExpress Website.  When I ordered, it showed a delivery date of three to four weeks but I received it in only 10 days.  It seems that AliExpress is the least expensive option for ordering this streaming box.

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TROYPOINT Ugoos SK1 Review Ranking

4.6 out of 5 Stars

Thanks for reading my Ugoos SK1 review!

Do you own a Ugoos SK1?  If so, please tell us what you like/dislike in the comments below.  Also, what are your thoughts regarding Android TV VS AOSP (Android Open Source Project)?