Dangbei DBOX02 review - The only Google TV 4K HDR laser projector with licensed Netflix

I recently reviewed the 1080P Atom from Dangbei, an impressive laser projector that covers most bases, only lacking support to play 4K media scaled to its 1080P output.

Enter the DBOX02, formerly known as the Mars Pro 2, the update to the Mars Pro. This model uses the same technologies as the Atom but with double the brightness, 4K HDR support, and a few other smaller upgrades.

What this means is that the DBOX02 is more expensive, as well as being bigger and heavier. This review also includes the optional stand that Dangbei offers, which I do recommend for convenience and adjustment since this projector does have considerable heft. The stand is not yet listed for sale, but as soon as details are available, an update will be provided here.

Parts of this review will inevitably end up mirroring the Atom's review since the same features, OS and applications are present.

The DBOX02 is available to the USA market with a special offer via the Dangbei USA store at $1499, as well as an Amazon UK offer at £1549. The regular price once the offer term ends will be $1899 / £1790.

Specifications

Construction

Just like with the Atom, construction quality is very good, consisting of Aluminium with a glossy top and front fascia.

I did notice that within minutes, dust had settled on all the panels. It seems the texture is slightly different on the DBOX02 than on the Atom which has caused this. It's a good thing that a microfibre cloth is included as I can imagine this will be used often to wipe the panels of dust.

The top panel also houses the power button which is touch-sensitive and ringed with a white LED indicator as opposed to the physical button found on the backside of the Atom:

The optional stand is also very hefty. It rotates at the base and pivots allowing the projector to be aimed all the way up to the ceiling:

If the stand is not used, then the DBOX02 sits on four non-slip rubber feet. Using it this way will make fine-tuning placement more difficult with more reliance on the AI/auto-alignment features in the software, which could result in zooming out, making the end projection image smaller than desired.

The articulation of the stand is excellent, everything feels premium.

Setting up

Just like with the Atom, the DBOX02 is very easy to set up. If you have an Android phone, then the process is even simpler as the Google app will recognise the Google TV connection, and you simply follow the instructions from both phone and projector after entering in the associated Google account details.

Once in, the remainder of the setup really consists of logging into Netflix, Prime Video and so on, and since this is Android, the Google Play Store is built into the main apps search screen. I was able to install VLC, MX Player, MPV and Solid File Explorer for browsing my network shares over SMB.

The pre-installed apps can't all be uninstalled, stuff like YouTube and Netflix are baked in, but they can be updated just like they can on a phone or smart TV.

Here is a short video showing the various menu options:

General observations

The menu system and Google TV OS interface are also the same as on the Atom. The underlying OS is Android 11, and the speed and performance in my testing felt the same as on the Atom. I feel that the general snappiness of the OS is fine but could have been better if the processor was slightly faster and it had more than just 2GB of RAM.

Any mid-range or beyond Android smartphone these days has at least 4GB of RAM, for example. It's not the end of the world of course, but just don't expect content to load the second you click the select button on the remote, at least a few seconds will pass by as it processes the request. For a 4K projector running Android at its core in 2024. I would personally have expected double the system RAM at the minimum, and a beefier processor to be able to move that memory around quicker. The saving grace is that system updates do seem to improve the OS performance and general optimisation.

The lower RAM is also apparent when scrolling through the timeline when watching media in any of the built-in apps such as YouTube or Netflix, it takes a few seconds for the player to catch up on a 4K stream, and this is on my 1Gbps fibre connection. The same stream on a laptop, tablet or phone scrolls the timeline with instant catch-up, as it does on my smart TV.

Like the Atom, the auto keystone/alignment features are excellent. I had no trouble getting these working, and object avoidance is also quite cool. If something gets in the way, then the lens will auto zoom/adjust to try its best to project away from the object.

I found the 1080P HDR playback on the Atom to be excellent for both brightness (with curtians closed in sunlight) and picture quality, with no obvious flaws in the projected image on the wall. The same applies with the DBOX02, just at 4K now with even greater detail, and there's no need to close the curtains any more.

The above is YouTube 4K HDR content playback. Bear in mind that YouTube compression of this recording can only go so far as to showcase the quality, but it gives you a good idea of the quality on offer.

Members on reddit asked me to check how good animated content is, too, I found there to be no problems with animation watching things like Cyberpunk: Edgrunners on Netflix, or streaming animated shorts on YouTube. This was also trying each of the MEMC modes.

None of the typical projector issues can be seen on this, usually there is some fringing towards the edges of the image, or speckled pixels. It seems Dangbei has retained the benefits of the laser emitter and high-quality optics of the Atom here.

In daylight conditions the 2450 lumens do help in being able to see the screen without needing to close curtains, too.

The fan noise is mostly silent in the normal brightness modes, there is a high-performance mode that ever so slightly increases the brightness, which then ramps up the fan to what sounds like 100% at all times, take a listen:

A system update was also made available this week, version 11.1.0.62 is what this review is based on. Updating is done over-the-air, and here is where I found myself waiting for over 20 minutes for a 1GB update to install.

This was again likely due to the 2GB of RAM and processor speed and is a common issue I found on older Android phones and tablets that simply didn't have the grunt to do intensive tasks like this at a decent speed.

I did notice a random bug where the screen would go blank and then loop back and forth as if it was trying to load the home screen but was looping back to the blank screen. It eventually returns to the home screen with no error, this was before the system update and reminded me of the old days when you installed a third-party Android homescreen launcher and sometimes it would cause a crash leading to a homescreen boot loop for a bit.

I have not seen the issue since installing the system update, although it has only been a couple of days so only time will tell if it resurfaces.

Lastly, Dangbei recommends keeping it within the 80" to 120" projection size for optimum sharpness. Whilst it can illuminate up to 200" image, the sharpness and brightness tail off as you would expect. I've been using it up to 120" for reference and it is bright enough to be easily visible during daylight in the room as shown above, and could be used as a TV replacement really.

Gaming

With a HDMI 2.1 port and 4K 60fps or 240Hz at 1080p, this is well suited to gaming in conjunction with the Gaming mode in the display settings. I borrowed my brother's Nintendo Switch for this test and am happy to report that not only does the gaming mode reduce the latency response, but the overall picture quality and visual experience are excellent.

Here is a demo of input latency with a Bluetooth controller paired to the Switch, and the Switch connected to the HDMI port along with the game mode enabled on the DBOX02:

In practice, it felt as normal as it does on a dedicated smart TV, and for this gaming section, MEMC was disabled as frame insertion introduces frame latency that can be noticed, even in gaming mode. I didn't feel as though having MEMC turned off impacted the gaming motion experience at all, especially at 60Hz or above anyway.

I later tried out using Steam Remote Play which is supported on Android, pairing the EasySMX X10 via Bluetooth to the DBOX02 was as simple as it is pairing any device to a phone. I was able to connect to Steam Remote Play without a problem although the Wi-Fi connection

For this purpose, Wi-Fi didn't seem the most optimum, whether due to the projector's chipset or low memory, again, I don't know, but an ethernet cable going directly to the router was the best way to leverage latency and bandwidth or Steam Remote Play features.

Conclusion

The DBOX02 plugs some of the gaps the Atom had, it does cost more to cover those gaps, though, but I think that with all the specs laid out, the fact that it runs Google TV is licensed for services like Netflix and offers plenty of scope to install Play Store apps and customise further means it sits a cut above the competition.

A high-end 4K laser projector generally costs more than what the DBOX02 sells for, too, and they don't typically come with some of the features we see here, such as Google TV or Chromecast.

With the current offer through the Dangebei website and Amazon, this might be a compelling option for those after a projector that can also double as an all-around multimedia display with Dolby-powered speakers that can fill the room.

Just like the Atom, Dangbei has another great projector here with a wealth of features catering to those who want a big screen display without the big screen footprint that comes with a 65" greater TV set. It certainly covers all TV and movie-watching needs, whether daytime or night, with its brightness as well as 4K HDR playback.

I have also received a few messages about this projector in the past week, please feel free to ask any specific questions or requests in the comments below and I will do my best to get an answer to you.