Update: EZCast 4K review now published here.
When talking about casting content to a TV or monitor, most people think about Google's "Chromecast" product line, and for a good reason - they are cheap and pretty much everywhere.

But there are other excellent options out there - besides the well-known Chromecast, Roku or Apple TV there's the EZCast product line.

Now EZCast has a very interesting story - the EZCast chipset solution is designed by Actions Microelectronics, company that also owns the EZCast brand and takes care of the software as well.
Do you know what other company does this, with great success? Apple.

And, as many said over the years, one of the reasons behind Apple's success over the competition is the fact that they tailor the hardware and software to get the best results from both.

And that's exactly what Actions Microelectronics is doing - and, judging from the over 4 million downloads the EZCast app has on Google Play alone, they are very successful.

Impressed? You should be.

They are selling selected hardware themselves on iezvu.com, where they have no less than 1.08 million registered users, but "EZCast" is also licensed to many other hardware makers, so there are devices with all shapes and sizes out there using their excellent interface.

Sadly the devices are less popular here in Europe, although Actions Semi folks do claim that they are used in over 200 countries and territories.

Let's take a quick look at the device specs and then proceed with the unboxing.

EZCast 4K full specs

• SoC : Actions Semi AM8270
• CPU : dual core, 1.0+ GHz
• RAM : 512MB DDR3
• ROM : 256 MB NAND (firmware only)
• Wi-Fi : 802.11ac Dual Band 2.4G/5G
• USB : 1x micro USB port
• Output : 1x HDMI up to 4K resolution @ 30 Hz, MHL support
• Power supply : DC 5V/1A via Micro USB port (HDMI), DC 5V/0.9A via MHL

EZCast 4K unboxing

EZCast 4K is an HDMI dongle similar in size with Intel® Compute Stick, so it comes in a small package that pretty much gives away everything there is to know about the devices, from compatible operating systems (Android, Windows, ChromeOs,iOS, and macOS) to the connecting options and features.

Inside the little box we found the EZCast 4K device, an HDMI extender (useful if your TV's HDMI port is hard to reach), USB to micro-USB cable and the Quick Start Guide, which is quite detailed, covering all important features and setup options - with pictures.

The product itself is made out a good-quality plastic, with a LED for Power and Wi-Fi status, the 5V/1A power input (microUSB), and the clever MHL/USB physical switch.

Reviewing the EZCast 4K device will take a while, so until then, feel free to follow us on Twitter so you can be notified when new articles are added on MiniPCDB.

I would like to thank the good folks at Actions Microelectronics for providing this sample for review. You can get one from one of their resellers, from Amazon or directly from them.