IMPORTANT — SEE UPDATE at the bottom of this review concerning MALWARE warning for this device.
REVIEW – I have a very busy schedule and I get up at 4 am for work every weekday. This type of schedule does not allow me much time to watch Tv during the week. On the weekends, I like to watch my favorite shows along with a couple of movies that I have never seen before. I have subscriptions for the usual popular platforms, like Netflix, Disney +, and Amazon, but I really enjoy the movies offered by the Google platform. I used to have a TV box that included that app, but it stopped working and I never got around to replacing it. I was extremely happy when I got the opportunity to review this MECOOL KM7 PLUS Google TV Box that offers many viewing options including the Google platform.
What is it?
The MECOOL KM7 PLUS is a 4K streaming set-top box that features AV1 video codec in HDR and runs on Android 11.0. It includes the GTV Google TV system as well as additional apps and content like Netflix, YouTube, Prime Video, Disney Plus, etc.
What’s in the box?
- 1 x MECOOL KM7 PLUS TV Box
- 1 x Remote Control
- 1 x AC Power Adapter
- 1 x HDMI Cable
- 1 x User Manual
Hardware specs
- Google TV built on Android TV 11
- 4K HDR & HDR+
- Amlogic S905Y4 Processor
- 16GB EMMC internal storage
- 2GB DDR4 RAM Memory
- WiFi 2.4 & 5 GHz
- Standard Ethernet Port
- 2 USB ports
- microSD slot
- Digital Optical port
- 3.5mm AV port
- HDMI out port
- 12.0V power adapter
- Bluetooth 5.0
- AV1 Codec Support
- Chromecast Built-in
- Google Assistant
- Netflix 4K Certified
- Prime Video Certified
- Dolby ATMOS
Design and features
- Netflix & Prime Video pre-certified
- Android 11.0 Google TV system
- Google Assistant and Chromecast Built-in
- 2GB DDR4 +16GB EMMC
- Amlogic S905Y4 Quad-Core processor
- Support thousands of Apps for the big screen with Google Play Store
- Lots of content and entertainment, such as YouTube, Disney Plus, etc., built-in
The MECOOL KM7 PLUS Google TV Box is a small compact plastic box with status indicator LEDs on the front, connectivity ports on the back, and media ports on one side. There is also a full-featured remote control. Rear ports: Optical, AV, HDMI, Ethernet, AC; Side ports: 2 x USB-A, micro SD Card
1. Microphone
2. Indicator Light
3. Voice Control
4. Power On / Off
5. TV Input Switch
6. Bookmark
7. Settings
8. Navigate to the Left
9. Navigate to Up
10. Navigate to Right
11. Navigate to Down
12. Live TV
13. Return
14. Shortcut Key to the Home Page
15. Volume Up
16. PAGE+
17. Volume Down
18. PAGE –
19. Quick one-click access to YouTube
20. Quick one-click access to Spotify
21. Quick one-click access to Prime Video
22. Quick one-click access to Google Play
23. Mute
24. Press to Confirm
Setup
The physical setup/connectivity is quite easy. Simply plug into AC power, and connect via HDMI to your TV for video and to your network wirelessly or with the use of an ethernet cable.
Once the Google TV box starts then the rest of the setup is onscreen. It involves connecting the remote, connecting to the network if you are using a wireless connection, agreeing to some policies, and choosing initial apps/subscriptions and you are good to go. The following are a few snapshots from the TV showing the process:
Performance
Description: “The MECOOL KM7 PLUS TV Box runs Google TV. Google TV is essentially a rebranded version of Android TV with added features and a few Design optimizations. The new Google TV interface looks much cleaner, and easier for browsing thousands of movies, shows, and live TV channels from your subscriptions without having to jump between apps. Based on what you watch, Google TV helps you discover what to enjoy next.”
When I set up this Tv box, my first thought was how much the Google Tv interface and layout look like the Apple TV interface and layout. Navigating with the remote is very easy and searching via voice commands work well. The selection of shows and movies is also great, especially now that I have access to Goole TV again. I also like that I can play files from USB media or a micro SD Card. I have seen some videos of gamers using this TV box, but I am not a gamer so I cannot comment on that. It does have Bluetooth capability so you can connect a keyboard or other Bluetooth devices.
The video below gives a bit of an idea of how the video looks. The only issue that I encountered was some yellowish coloration that I could only correct by adjusting the color settings on the TV. The colors are fine with the Apple Tv connected but not the same once this TV box is connected. I did perform tests using several HDMI cables just in case.
What I like
- The small, compact, and attractive design
- Lots of content is available
- Easy to connect and use
- The Chromecast feature
What I’d change
- It seems to present some noticeable coloration that requires adjusting the TV color for better visual
Final thoughts
The MECOOL KM7 PLUS Google TV Box is a nice compact TV box with many good features. The movie/show selection is great and vast enough that there will always be something to view. It is easy to set up and presents no operational issues. My only issue is with the yellow coloration in the form of maybe a tint that is very evident especially when looking at scenes that involve many blended colors. It is not a show stopper and can be neutralized by adjusting the TV color. However, since I also have my Apple TV connected and have no issue with the colors using that box, it does present a problem.
Update 2/12/24
IMPORTANT!!!! > Is this device Google Play Protect certified?
Using steps provided by Google, we tested this device, and the result was: FAIL
For more info on what this means, please visit this page: https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/7165974
During our testing, we actually found one device that went beyond just not being certified but was actually exhibiting some concerning behavior that was flagged as such the writer’s Netgear Orbi wireless router. The device is the Mecool KM7 Plus Android TV box. Julian had it hooked up to a TV, but it wasn’t powered on. When he powered it on, the following alerts immediately showed up on his phone:
A quick Google of logic-loom.net gives me this info:
Another search/scan of the other site gave me this:
Price: $78.99
Where to buy: MECOOL website (20% OFF code: 20future expires 4/20/2023) and Amazon (10% OFF code + 5% OFF coupon Code: 105251JK expires 4/25/23)
Source: The sample of this product was provided by MECOOL
Gadgeteer Comment Policy - Please read before commenting
Have a picture but sound has stopped .Was working the first few days then I lost sound on both boxes Any Ideas how to fix this?
1- Restart the box by taking out the power line for 60 sc
2- put the power line straight to the outlet without using any other connection
3- if you is not fixed, try factory reset by going to settings, you should be advise you are going to wipe out all data you have on this device, everything is going to erase and you have to setup again , good luck
4- contact Mecool customer service if still the same
I’m trying to expand the memory by using a SanDisk 256 G MicroSD Card. So far no luck. It will detect the card but that’s it. Also tried a 32 G MicroSD Card and won’t even detect it.
Can I download a kodi on this streamer ?
You should be able to. I have a Km6 and I run Kodi on it.
Yes, You can download whatever you like on every Android platform
Why you didn’t use USB flash same brand ? You could easily do it with one of the USB lan you have on the box or even do that with otg cable , even the the box format the USB when you insert for first time as a extrnal storage
I hope someone answers you… I just purchased this tv box and I don’t need it not being able to read my SanDisk 256G MicroSD Card. I’m actually having the same issue with my current Android TV box and gave up because the new one should be here soon.
I accidentally bought yesterday the KM2 plus model. What is the difference with the KM7 plus?
The different is the price, what you bought is little more expensive and with CPU 55 faster than km7 plus
you have Netflix, YouTube and Amazon prime 4k + official Google play store, I can tell you it was a good accident for you , enjoy it
Is the KM9 better than the KM 7?
I bought 2 KD5 sticks and after just 8 months both of them started to switch off and reload all the time.There is no setting to reset to factory defaults and I have tried everything else.
Anybody got any ideas?