QNAP TAS-268 QTS and Android Combo NAS Review

Bohs Hansen / 8 years ago

Final Thoughts

Pricing

At the time of writing, the QNAP TAS-268 can be yours for just $204.99 at NewEgg, £222.94 at Overclockers UK, or €199.34 through Geizhals.

Overview

We’ve seen more than one NAS with unique features and shapes from QNAP and the TAS-268 continues down that road and provides us with something that hasn’t been seen like this before. The dual system with QTS and Android hits a sweet spot in the market and automatically appeals to a broad audience. At the core, we have the renowned and feature filled QTS NAS operating system with everything that this entitles which then is coupled with an Android system to be run directly on your TV or monitor via HDMI.

The addition of Android opens up a whole new world for your living room and multimedia needs with access to Google Play and the millions of apps and games you can find there. There aren’t many things that you can’t do this way anymore and at the same time, you save yourself the costs of an Android set-top box for the living room. Play games, stream media, surf the web, connect to your IoT devices – there really isn’t much of a limitation.

The hardware isn’t the strongest, but the dual-core ARM CPU performed nicely in our benchmarks. It wasn’t a slow experience working with Android either, but it should be something to keep in mind for those who wish to use it for gaming. But board games, candy crush, farming games, and the all-time favourite card games will run sweet on this system.

I really liked this dual system from the moment QNAP first told me about it, but at the same time, I was a little sceptical about how far it actually would be useful on a day to day basis. But after having had the TAS-268 running for quite some time, I can say that I love it. It gives an added functionality to my living room that otherwise would require me to keep a tablet with me at all times, which I always forget somewhere, or far more complex setups. QNAP solves it all in one and it just works. Whether you want to use the included IR remote or attach a keyboard and mouse, or even a game controller, it’ll work like a charm.

The addition of the SD card reader to the front is another thing that I really love. It adds one on top of the USB 3.0 port and allows for easy storage that can be replaced at any time.

Pros:

Dual OS all the advantages of Android on top of QTS
Dual-Core CPU w. 2GB RAM
Easy setup and configuration
Millions of apps and games available through QNAP and Google
HDMI, USB 3.0, and SD Card slot
Compact and tool-less
Included IR remote control

Cons:

CPU might be on the low end for demanding Android apps such as AAA games.

“QNAP’s TAS-268 fills a void with it’s unique combination of a NAS and an Android set top box in one device. That amount of functionality out of the box isn’t something that we have seen before.”