Last week, the Google ADT-3 Android TV OS version is based on Android 13. Currently, it is available for one device. Now, Android TV developers working on an ADT-4 streaming box that brings several upgrades.
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Android TV’s developer device, eligible for new builds of the platform and designed with app testing in mind, has been designated by Google for three devices thus far. Google is making an ADT-4 device with improved specs and a box shape rather than a dongle for Android TV development.
As per the documentation explicitly calls for a new streaming box “ADT-4” and a “Hybrid Google Developer Kit” with TV tuner hardware that supports ATSC 3.0 and DVB-S2 standards. An Amlogic S905X4 processor powers the streaming box, which is significantly more recent than the S905Y2 in ADT-3.
It appears that this device is based on a developer box that DroidLogic.tv currently sells. The hardware appears in the documentation. But there are no current references to ADT-4 in the listing. That would indicate that the ADT-4 has more inputs and outputs than any other Android TV. It has 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, and so on.
This has built-in microphones, a speaker for Google Assistant, a microSD card slot, multiple USB ports, including USB-C, 3.5mm audio and optical audio out, and the hardware for a TV tuner. The device is now much more compatible with Android TV thanks to these ports. Developers can now test their apps on Android TV devices with built-in TV tuner hardware.
Android TV devices are increasingly incorporating native support for far-field microphones and an always-listening Google Assistant. The ADT-3’s dongle form factor has made it a little more difficult to connect external hardware like a PC. If having multiple USB ports makes it easier to do so.
In addition, we have discovered references to ADT4 in Android code modifications made by Amlogic. The manufacturer of the S905X4 chip is utilized in this device.
ADT-4 is expected to be released in Q4 2022, according to everything we’ve seen, but since there are only three weeks left in 2022, we’d guess that this date may have shifted to 2023. In January 2020, ADT-3 became available for developers to purchase.
Lastly, the developer box from DroidLogic costs $199, which is significantly more than the $79 price of the ADT-3.