Review of the Matricom G-Box Q3 streaming box

People looking for a small, affordable, powerful and expandable media streaming solution should consider Matricom’s G-Box Q3. This tiny squared circle designed box is one inch thin and fits under most TVs and offers a world of entertainment apps and services.

Built on Android Nougat, the G-Box Q3 boasts high-performance Quad-Core S905x CPU paired with the powerful Mali-450 graphics processor for fast streaming and rendering of video at full-resolution.

Easy to set-up and control, the G-Box Q3 puts the power Android into your HDTV with two app-stores, pre-installed links to apps and services.

The Q3’s new launcher, categorizes your apps into individual pre-loaded sections, making finding the apps you want to use intuitive and effortless. Easily customize each section with your favorite apps on this Android TV box for sale to take your experience to the next level.

Out of the Box

The G-Box Q3 comes included with everything you need to connect it to an HDTV or monitor. It has a power supply, a remote as well as an HDMI cable.

The G-Box Q3 is packed with connectivity and I/O. You get Infra-red for the remote control, Ethernet, Wi-Fi9, Bluetooth as well as two USB Type 2 slots, as well as a microSD card slot for plugging in external drives.

Getting the G-Box up and running is fast and easy. There’s short boot-up time and then once you establish your Wi-Fi settings, it will likely download a software update.

Set-up and installation

Plugging the G-Box Q3 to an HDTV makes it visible and boots up the box quickly revealing an intuitive menu.

While all the items here are apps, they’re at lease divided into segments (i.e. movies, music, games, apps). There are two app stores to choose from Google Play and Matricom’s own app store. For purposes of my review, I chose to focus on Matricom’s app store.  The apps there are likely better curated or have been tested to work better with the device.

Matricom wants to make users be able to watch, play, and do more – install their favorite applications and games from the Google Play Store, browse the internet and check emails.  Plug in an external hard drive to get even more storage to customize the G-Box Q3 set-top box with the freedom of Android.

It is easy to personalize the G-Box with your favorite apps and games from the Google Play Store, including Kodi, SoundCloud, Super Mario Run, Netflix, Hulu, and more.

Subscription may be required. Unlike other streaming boxes the G-Box Q3 is free of any restrictions. You can install software, add or remove apps, browse the web, check your emails, built a retro-arcade and even add in an external hard drive to get more storage to customize your G-Box streaming device.

Performance and interface

A lot of set-top boxes, video game consoles and streaming sticks are bogged down by a poor user interface and awkward navigation.

Matricom has done a great job in making things easy to read and placing all the different sections in an orderly manner.

The interface is fast and very responsive. I feel more popular streaming solution providers have a lot to learn from the way Matricom has created an intuitive layout.

I had no problem finding the apps I wanted, signing into services as well as tweaking the interface to suit my needs.

I think all levels of users will easily be made to feel at home in Matricom’s well-thought out and spacious interface.

I also like the range of choices and being able to check apps from two app stores. Not everything will work as expected (especially since many apps are designed for smaller smartphone screens). You can still get a lot of these apps and experiences to translate nicely on a larger, high-resolution screen.

Accessing streaming services is quick and lag free. YouTube videos load quickly, and they adjust the resolution on the fly.

You are seeing the best possible version of the video you’ve selected. The included remote control is good for navigating and quite quick to access apps.

This surprised me as I find remote controls to be the weak link of many streaming services.

Hassle-free maintenance

One thing that impresses me the most about Matricom’s G-Box Q3 is its hassle-free operation.

Set it up once and it just works, which makes it a great candidate for a set-top box to give as a gift for friends and relatives or even to place in the cottage.

I plan on getting a G-Box Q3 for my parents since I think they will be able to enjoy a vast range of services without spending too much time trying to figure out the controls.

Products like these make the best gifts because they are simple to use but will generate many happy hours of enjoyment weeks and months after they have been set-up. In terms of maintenance, the software updates take place as you boot the device, and you really don’t need to do anything except allow the updates to take place.

Some questions and concerns

One of the biggest questions facing the Matricom G-Box Q3 is the use of an older Android OS. Will there be an update to a more modern Android OS? That’s not likely. How then, will the apps continue to work in accordance to future updates?

I think that this is largely solved by Matricom having its own app store. They can ensure that certain apps will work with their devices moving forward, even if all the new features may not be supported.

The Matricom G-Box Q3, is a one-stop solutions for streaming media from the Internet or from a connected hard drive.

It comes included with everything you need to connect it to an HDTV or monitor.

It has a power supply, a remote as well as an HDMI cable.

The G-Box Q3 is packed with connectivity and I/O.

You get Infra-red for the remote control, Ethernet, Wi-Fi9, Bluetooth as well as two USB Type 2 slots as well as a microSD card slot for plugging in external drives. The G-Box Q3 excels because it has a simple user interface, two app stores and access to most of the major entertainment apps.