Ugoos AM9 Pro Review: A Dolby Vision Box for Local 4K Files, Not Netflix

7/ 10

The Ugoos AM9 Pro is an excellent player for your own 4K movie files and a poor choice if Netflix is what you mostly watch.

• Hardware Dolby Vision, including Profile 7 FEL under CoreELEC
• Gigabit Ethernet, three USB 3.0 ports, and AV1 and H.266 decoding
• Widevine L3, so Netflix plays in SD
• Not Google certified; runs tablet-style Android 14 with Ugoos launchers

Check price on Amazon

The Ugoos AM9 Pro is an Android 14 media box built around Amlogic's S905X5-J chip, with 4GB of LPDDR5 memory, 64GB of storage, Gigabit Ethernet, three USB 3.0 ports and hardware Dolby Vision. It sells for about $250 on Amazon. It replaces the original AM9, which Ugoos has discontinued. The Pro adds Dolby Vision decoding and faster memory.

The problem is that $250 puts it next to the new $299 Apple TV 4K and the Nvidia Shield TV Pro, which Nvidia just raised to $299.99. Both of those play Netflix in 4K. The AM9 Pro does not. It ships with Widevine L3 DRM and no Google certification, so Netflix runs in standard definition. What it does better than either of them is play your own files: 4K Blu-ray rips from a NAS or USB drive, with Dolby Vision, lossless audio and codecs the Shield can't decode.

Our AM9 Pro, unpacked: the box, UR02 remote, two antennas, 12V USB-C power adapter, USB-C cable and HDMI cable.

Pros and cons

Quick specs

Specs come from Ugoos's AM9 Pro product page and the retail box.

Build, ports and the antennas

The AM9 Pro has a metal case, and it feels heavier and sturdier in the hand than an Apple TV. It's a flat, square box about 4.6 inches across with the Ugoos logo on top, rubber feet underneath, and recovery and mask-ROM buttons on the bottom for reflashing.

The rear panel is busier than anything Apple or Nvidia sells. There's a USB-C power jack, a USB-C OTG port, HDMI 2.1b, Gigabit Ethernet, optical S/PDIF and a 3.5mm AV jack, with three USB 3.0 ports and the microSD slot around the sides. If you keep movies on a USB hard drive, you can plug it straight in, along with a keyboard or a game controller.

The two screw-on antennas look odd next to an Apple TV or a Shield, neither of which has them. The metal case is the reason. Metal blocks radio signals, so the Wi-Fi antennas have to sit outside it. The Apple TV and the Shield use plastic enclosures with the antennas inside. If you use Wi-Fi, attach both. TVBoxStop measured 337 Mbps on 5 GHz and 136 Mbps on 2.4 GHz with them on. That's plenty for 4K streaming apps, and it's enough for most Blu-ray remuxes, though a big remux can spike past 100 Mbps. If the box sits near your router or a switch, use Ethernet, turn off Wi-Fi, and leave the antennas in the box.

Remote, setup and firmware

The UR02 remote is fine for what it is. It pairs over Bluetooth on first boot by holding the menu and volume-up buttons. It has a microphone for voice search, a mouse button that turns it into a gyro air mouse, color-coded shortcut keys, and a learning function for TV power and volume.

Next, the box asks you to pick a home screen. Launcher3 is a tablet-style launcher built for a mouse or the air mouse. ULauncher is Ugoos's own launcher for navigating with the directional pad. Either way, it's obvious within a minute that this is Android running on a TV box, not Google TV. The settings menu even lists "Android TV OS version 14", but there's no Google TV home screen and no Play Protect certification. Menus are responsive, apps open quickly, and the navigation bar at the bottom of the screen looks like it came from a tablet, because it did.

Ugoos's firmware is the best argument for the brand. Our unit shipped on version 2.0.8 and offered 2.0.9 as soon as it got online. That update fixed system crashes and abnormal HDR colors, improved AI scaling, and added a button to hide the navigation bar. Earlier releases this year added Dolby Vision at 1080p120 and fixed HDMI CEC. The settings go further than most Android boxes: automatic frame rate switching, detailed HDR and color depth controls, a hardware monitor, button remapping and a built-in Samba server. You can also turn on root access with a switch, using the built-in Magisk app. Leave it off unless you have a reason to turn it on.

Performance is good for a TV box. TVBoxStop recorded 266 single-core and 899 multi-core in Geekbench 5 and 346,478 in AnTuTu 11. The Mali-G310 GPU is the weak part. Some 64-bit Android games flag it as incompatible, and real-game performance lands close to older budget chips. This is not a gaming box.

Netflix and other streaming apps

Ugoos lists the AM9 Pro's DRM as Widevine Level 3. Streaming services use Widevine to decide what resolution a device is allowed to play, and L3 is the lowest tier. On the AM9 Pro that means Netflix in standard definition, as The Inventory noted. Disney+ and other DRM-protected services are capped at 480p or 720p on L3 devices, according to AndroidTVBox.eu. The original AM9 had Widevine L1, so this is a step back from the model it replaces.

The box also runs the phone and tablet version of Android rather than Google TV, so some certified streaming apps aren't available in Google Play on it by default. YouTube and other services without strict DRM play fine, and the frame buffer can be set to 4K so YouTube fills a 4K screen instead of upscaling from 1080p.

If Netflix, Disney+, Max or Prime Video are most of what you watch, stop here and look at the Apple TV 4K or Ugoos's own certified SK2, both covered below.

Local playback, Dolby Vision and CoreELEC

Playing your own files is what the AM9 Pro is for. The S905X5-J decodes Dolby Vision in hardware, along with HDR10, HLG, AV1, HEVC and the newer H.266/VVC codec. In Android, Kodi plays Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio and DTS:X to an AV receiver, according to TVBoxStop. One gap: TVBoxStop found that the Android firmware plays HDR10+ files as plain HDR10.

Enthusiasts are buying it for CoreELEC, a stripped-down Linux system that boots straight into Kodi. On the AM9 Pro, CoreELEC can play the full enhancement layer (FEL) of Dolby Vision Profile 7, the dual-layer format used on many 4K Blu-ray discs. Most streaming boxes ignore that second layer. Until this year, the Ugoos AM6B Plus was the usual box people bought for it.

Owners in the r/CoreELEC subreddit report Dolby Vision FEL and MEL, HDR10 and HDR10+, full audio passthrough, and 80 to 100GB remux files streaming from a NAS without trouble. Getting there takes work:

• CoreELEC runs from a microSD card. It can't be installed to the internal storage if you want to keep Android, and German forum users report that newer Ugoos firmware also allows booting from USB.
• Dolby Vision needs a patched dovi.ko module copied onto the card, which you download from the CoreELEC forum thread.
• Booting into CoreELEC the first time means holding the reset button with a toothpick while plugging in power, or sideloading a "Reboot to CoreELEC" app in Android.
• The Amlogic-no builds are still nightlies. Forum reports from earlier this year included glitches with VC-1 hardware decoding, 4K60 H.264 files playing incorrectly, and occasional freezes when seeking in Dolby Vision files. Later nightlies fixed some of those and broke FEL for some users until they did a clean reinstall.

If you already run Plex or Jellyfin and know what a remux is, this is all manageable. A step-by-step install guide on Reddit covers the process on firmware 2.0.9. If you've never flashed an SD card, budget an evening.

The AM9 Pro also has gaps the AM6B Plus doesn't. It can't play frame-packed 3D Blu-ray (MVC), and it lacks the custom CoreELEC builds that convert Dolby Vision for TVs and projectors without native support.

Security and Chinese Android boxes

Cheap Chinese Android TV boxes have shipped with malware, and that's a fair worry with any box like this. In 2023, a researcher documented "boot to botnet" malware built into the firmware of boxes using AllWinner H616 and H618 and Rockchip 3328 chips. In March 2025, HUMAN Security, working with Google and others, disclosed BADBOX 2.0, which had infected more than a million off-brand Android devices. Many of them were backdoored before they were sold, then used for ad fraud and as residential proxies for criminals. Ireland's NCSC notes that the malware sits in the system image, so a factory reset often doesn't remove it.

The FBI's June 2025 warning lists warning signs, and the AM9 Pro matches one of them: it is an Android device that isn't Play Protect certified. Google said in HUMAN's announcement that the infected devices were uncertified Android Open Source Project devices, not Android TV OS or Play Protect certified hardware.

Being uncertified doesn't make the AM9 Pro infected. There are no public reports tying Ugoos firmware to BADBOX or similar malware. Ugoos is an established brand rather than a no-name seller, it uses an Amlogic chip rather than the AllWinner and Rockchip parts named in the 2023 findings, and it ships regular firmware updates through its own updater. But no one outside Google's program has certified this firmware either, so you're trusting Ugoos.

If you buy one, these steps cut most of the risk:

• Buy from Ugoos's own store or a listing sold by Ugoos, not a lookalike box with the logo.
• Install firmware updates when the box offers them.
• Never install third-party app stores or apps that promise free movies and live TV, which the FBI flags as the common way these boxes get infected.
• Keep root turned off.
• Put the box on a guest or IoT network if your router supports one.
• Run CoreELEC for local playback. It's open source, and Ugoos's Android firmware isn't running while you're in it.

AM9 Pro vs Apple TV 4K vs Nvidia Shield TV Pro

Apple TV details come from our Apple TV 4K (2026) vs 2022 comparison. Shield details come from Nvidia's listing and coverage of the October price increase by How-To Geek and ecoustics.

The Apple TV 4K is the better box for nearly everyone. Every streaming app plays at full quality, the interface is polished, there's no security question, and with Infuse or Plex it plays most local files well. It has no USB port, and it decodes lossless TrueHD and DTS-HD audio to PCM instead of passing it through to your receiver untouched.

The Nvidia Shield TV Pro is still the Plex favorite, with lossless audio passthrough, two USB 3.0 ports, certified Android TV and Netflix in 4K. But it's 2019 hardware. It has no AV1 or HDR10+, uses HDMI 2.0b and 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and is stuck on Android 11. Nvidia raised it from $199.99 to $299.99 on October 2 and discontinued the cheaper Shield TV, and stock is spotty.

The AM9 Pro is the right choice over both in one case: you own a large library of 4K rips, you have a Dolby Vision TV and an AV receiver, and you want Dolby Vision FEL, lossless audio and newer codecs from a box with modern hardware. Pairing it with an Apple TV also works well: the Apple TV handles streaming apps and the Ugoos handles the movie library.

Other Ugoos boxes to consider

If you want a Ugoos box but the AM9 Pro doesn't fit, three other models cover the gaps.

The Ugoos SK2 (about $119 on Amazon) is the one to buy for streaming. It's Ugoos's first Google TV certified box, with Widevine L1, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos and Netflix in 4K. The Realtek chip is slower, it has 32GB of storage and only 100 Mbps Ethernet, and it isn't a CoreELEC box. It is certified, though, which settles the security question.

The Ugoos SK4 Pro (about $160 on Amazon) is a cheaper box on a similar Amlogic chip, with Widevine L1, Dolby Vision and DTS. CoreELEC users report Dolby Vision FEL working and solid Wi-Fi 6. Its Ethernet is 100 Mbps, it has one USB 2.0 port and one USB-C port instead of three USB 3.0, and one owner couldn't get any USB gigabit adapter to work. Like the AM9 Pro, it runs uncertified Android 14, so Widevine L1 alone may not get you HD Netflix.

The Ugoos AM6B Plus (about $247 on Amazon) is the older enthusiast favorite, on an Amlogic S922X-J chip and Android 9. It has the most mature CoreELEC builds, including 3D MVC playback and Dolby Vision conversion for TVs and projectors without native support. It has no AV1 decoding, and owners in r/CoreELEC describe the two boxes as close in performance. If you have a 3D projector or a TV without Dolby Vision, buy the AM6B Plus. If you want AV1 and a newer platform, buy the AM9 Pro.

Who should buy the Ugoos AM9 Pro

Buy it if you keep your own 4K movie library on a NAS or USB drive, play it through an AV receiver, and want Dolby Vision FEL and lossless audio from a current box. That's the job it does better than an Apple TV or a Shield.

Buy it if you like tinkering. Root access, CoreELEC on a microSD card, Kodi skins and Ugoos's settings menus give you more control than any certified streaming box.

Buy it if you want a sturdy box with Gigabit Ethernet, three USB 3.0 ports and AV1 support for about $50 less than an Apple TV or a Shield.

Who should skip it

Skip it if Netflix, Disney+, Max or Prime Video are most of what you watch. Widevine L3 caps them below HD. The Apple TV 4K or the Ugoos SK2 is the right box for that.

Skip it if you want something that just works. The best features are behind a CoreELEC install, a patched driver and nightly builds.

Skip it if uncertified Android on your home network makes you uneasy. The SK2 and the Apple TV don't have that problem.

Skip it if you have a 3D projector or a TV without Dolby Vision and want player-led Dolby Vision. The AM6B Plus does both.

Verdict

The Ugoos AM9 Pro is an excellent player for your own 4K movie files and a poor choice if Netflix is what you mostly watch. The metal case, Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0 ports, AV1 and H.266 decoding and hardware Dolby Vision make it one of the best boxes you can buy for a local movie library, especially once CoreELEC is running with full Dolby Vision FEL. Ugoos keeps the firmware updated, and the box feels quick in daily use.

Ugoos dropped from Widevine L1 on the original AM9 to L3 on the Pro, and that hurts. A $250 box that plays Netflix in SD only makes sense for people who already watch streaming apps somewhere else. If that's you, and you have a shelf of 4K rips, buy it. If it isn't, the Apple TV 4K is the safer $299.

Where to buy

Make sure the listing says AM9 Pro with the S905X5-J chip. The discontinued AM9 without "Pro" uses an older chip and has no Dolby Vision. Ugoos also sells the AM9 Pro on its own store. Prices on all of these boxes have moved a lot this year as memory costs rose, so check before you buy.