In this video, I check out the M.I.C. RK0232 AI Box. You can buy this AI Box for €229.99 from Amazon DE ➡️ https://amzn.to/3dl2o4e. It’s a low-end 4-core CPU dongle from M.I.C. with GPU that benchmarks well inside. So who is this AI Box for? I give my impressions in this video.
The RK0232 Android 11 OS AI Box is a low-cost, 4-core entry-level AI Box that features the same great menu UI with the same persistent side dock as M.I.C.’s flagship HDMI Box that I reviewed recently on this channel, yet this AI Box offers a different chipset, a single SD card slot, and the kind of specs that will suit lighter-tasks and video streaming from apps like YouTube and Netflix.
In the box you get a small paper instruction manual, there is the dongle itself, and you get a USB-A to USB-C cable to power the dongle and a USB-C adapter to connect to more modern CarPlay vehicles.
Features
Looking over the AI Box itself. It has a similar case to the Ottocast U2-Lite and M.I.C.’s first Qualcomm 665 AI Box, however, this one comes white in colour. It has many perforated holes around the case to keep the RK3566 chipset inside cool. On one end of the AI Box, there is a status light, the USB-C port to power the dongle, and next to that is a single SD card slot for additional storage.
Booting the AI Box into its main menu took 37 seconds from a hot boot. I got a black screen at start-up on my Pioneer 93DAB aftermarket system, but after connecting it to my Alpine X902D it then ran just fine on the Pioneer. So maybe it was set to an incompatible resolution out of the factory. It uses the same menu interface with a persistent sidebar dock that displays the last three used apps. There are clear back and home buttons that have additional functions when held down to enter split screen mode and switch between the currently running apps.
With just 2GB of RAM inside the AI Box, you’re limited to the number of apps you can run in memory, and the 32GB of storage ends up being around 22GB after its installed Android 11 operating system and its handful of preinstalled apps. This is enough storage to download the majority of apps and media that you’ll want to use or playback on your CarPlay display, but you can always insert a large TF card should you need more.
Internet
There is no SIM card slot on this AI Box, so when it comes to supplying this dongle with an internet connection, you’re restricted to either connecting to a local Wi-Fi hotspot or tethering from a personal hotspot on your iPhone or Android device. So this will restrict you from using both Android OS apps and wireless CarPlay or Android Auto simultaneously because both require Wi-Fi to function.
Once online you can update any pre-installed apps and download new ones from the Google Play Store or sideload apps through the pre-installed APK installer app. Apps like the usually Google suite, YouTube, Netflix and VLC come preinstalled on this dongle. Both video streaming apps run well considering this AI Box sits in the lower range of specs. One advantage it does have is its Mali-G52 GPU, which scores better than all the other non-QC665 AI Boxes I have reviewed. So this beefier GPU may be doing more of the heavy lifting here for video playback.
Wireless CarPlay & Android Auto
Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto are handled in the Multiplay Android app on this AI Box. Pairing your phone to it over Bluetooth will fire up each car platform wirelessly onto your CarPlay display. CarPlay took 13 seconds to launch whilst Android took 14 seconds.
From here, both platforms are responsive with the usual common Wi-Fi traits of a slight 1-2 second delay in audio and input commands. Its Wi-Fi specs show a low max data rate of 65 mbps, WiFi4, 20 MHz channel width, yet there is a similar signal strength to other common AI Boxes.
Fast GPU & Gaming
I tried out a few games on the dongle to test its GPU and performance. Fast-paced games seem to show compression or artefacts and the framerate isn’t as smooth as some faster-performing AI Boxes. This AI Box doesn’t have dual Bluetooth, so I tried but couldn’t pair up my Bluetooth Xbox controller, and the Bluetooth remote didn’t pair either.
This AI Box from M.I.C. currently retails for €229.99 from Amazon DE, and you can check out my links above to find out more about this AI Box and buy yourself one. Unfortunately, this AI Box from M.I.C. doesn’t sell directly on Amazon US, but you could buy this same dongle from AliExpress.
Who is this AI Box for?
At its price, it is difficult to understand who this AI Box is for. Its low-end performance can lack in places so its price should reflect this. Comparing it alongside other AI Boxes I have reviewed, this dongle sits in the lower end of them, yet its GPU is the second best performing under their QC665 HDMI Box. But this doesn’t show that much in some of the games I tested. So overall, if you’re after an AI Box for light tasks or video streaming, if you can get this dongle relatively cheap, it’s not too bad at doing this, but personally, I would save a little money and check out their much faster-performing QC665 HDMI Box instead.
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 – Brief overview
0:36 – Features
1:05 – Boot up
1:29 – Menu UI
1:43 – RAM & Storage
2:07 – Internet Connection
2:31 – Apps YouTube & Netflix
3:13 – Wireless CarPlay & Android Auto
3:49 – GPU & Gaming
4:12 – My Impressions
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