For more than a decade, the entertainment consumer electronics segment, including TVs, panels, projects and soundbars, has been one of the most dynamic. Of course, companies adequately respond to consumer excitement, annually expanding their model ranges. Of course, the constant range expansion is a pleasant factor, but the huge list sometimes makes choosing difficult. However, even a simplified classification can simplify this task.
Modern projectors are divided into:
– light source – lamp, LED, laser and hybrid LED / laser;
– focus – ultra-short-throw (UST) and mid-focal.
Traditional mid-focal models form a projection from a distance of several meters. Their location in the center of the room creates the problem of wires on the floor, which today can only be solved with a ceiling mount. UST projectors use re-reflection from an aspherical lens, forming a 100-inch or more image from a distance of 20-30 centimeters. Located near the screen, they do not create problems with wires and are the most popular alternative to TV in the living room.
– form factor – ultracompact pico (pocket) weighing several hundred grams, compact (0.5 – 2 kg) and full-sized up to 10 kg.
But of course, image quality depends mainly on brightness, resolution and contrast. For example, contrast affects the detail in dark areas of the frame.
Unfortunately, with the exception of LCoS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon) projectors, DLP and 3LCD models provide only from (300-500):1 to (2,000-3,000):1 native contrast. LCoS provides superb contrast up to (40,000-80,000) :1 due to perfect black. This in turn is due to almost complete blocking of parasitic light due to tiny gaps between the crystals. Unfortunately, their price starts from $ 5,000 – $ 6,000.
Brightness and resolution
Brightness – very low (~ 100 Lumens) for pico and integrated into smartphone-projectors, average (up to 1,000 Lumens) and bright models (from 1,000 to 5,000 Lumens).
In fact, brightness compensates for ambient lighting that makes the image colors fade and dull. In addition, it’s necessary for sufficient quality of a large image. A bright projector provides a colorful image with saturated colors of 100 inches or more diagonally even in diffused daylight without additional darkening. A pocket projector can provide acceptable image quality up to 40 inches only in the dark. Therefore, the max image size specified in specs characterizes only the focusing range without taking into account the image quality.
Resolution – HD (720p), Full HD (1080p), 4K (2160p) and 8K (4320p).
Today HD is mainly used only in pocket models, 8K is found in some very expensive projectors. Just a few years ago, 4K models were positioned as premium and were very expensive. The development of pixel shift-based Xpanded Pixel Resolution (XPR) technology for Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) DLP chipset by the American Texas Instruments (TI) radically changed the situation.
In fact, projector divides 8 million pixels of 4K content into four parts. Then, the 2 million micromirrors of the relatively cheap 1080p chipset sequentially display four 1080p images, shifting them half a pixel relative to each other.
Of course, the projector displays only one 1080p image at any time. But due to the high frequency, the vision and brain perceive them as one picture with a higher resolution. The pixel shift is carried out by tilting the lens using 4 XPR module magnets.
Mid-focal Full HD projectors
Today, mid-focal 4K and Full HD models are the most popular. The bright 4K projectors range in price from $ 1,500 to $ 2,000. Mid-bright Full HD models with brightness of ~1,000 Lumens cost from $ 600 to $ 1,000:
– BenQ GP100A – $ 1,000, October 2023, LED, 1,000 ANSI Lumens;
– Epson Epiqvision Mini EF-22/21 (with / without stand) – $ 930 / $ 850, October 2024, 3LCD, Laser Phosphor, white / color brightness 1,000 ISO Lumens / CLO Lumens;
– XGIMI Halo Plus – $ 800, September 2021, LED, 900 ANSI Lumens;
– Anker Nebula Mars 3 – $ 800, July 2023, LED, 1,000 ANSI Lumens;
– ultracompact Dangbei Atom ~ $ 680, 2024, Laser Phosphor, 1,200 ISO Lumens, Google TV with built-in Netflix.
– JmGO N1S / N1 – $ 600 / $ 900, June 2023 / May 2024, RGB Laser, 1,200 ANSI Lumens / 850 ISO Lumens.
For reference, the ratio between ANSI Lumens (ANSI IT7.228 standard) and ISO Lumens (ISO21118 standard) is 1:0.8 (1 ANSI Lumen = 0.8 ISO Lumens);
– Ultimea Poseidon E40 – $ 400, February 2024, LED, 1,000 ANSI Lumens.
The models with light output about 500 Lumens:
– Samsung Freestyle 2nd gen – $ 800, August 2023, LED, 230 ANSI Lumens;
– ASUS ZenBeam L2 ~ $ 640, August 2023, LED, 400 ANSI Lumens, Google TV with Netflix;
– XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro – $ 450, September 2024, LED, 450 ISO Lumens;
– Dangbei Freedo – $ 440, February 2025, LED, 450 ISO Lumens;
– JMGO Picoflix – $ 420, October 2024, LED 450 ANSI Lumens;
– Yaber T2 Plus Keith Haring Edition – $ 280, September 2024, LED, 450 ANSI Lumens.
Yaber T2 Plus
Of course, the superb price of $ 280 / $ 400 (street price / MSRP) radically distinguishes this model from other outdoor mid-focal Full HD LED projectors with brightness ~ 500 Lumens. The optional 100-inch screen adds only $30 to the price.
Despite the modest price, T2 offers AI-powered auto focus and keystone correction (vertical only), intelligent screen alignment and obstacle avoidance, screen mirroring, built-in battery, Google TV (comes with dongle) and 8W JBL speakers with Dolby Audio support.
Unlike most DLP competitors with TI’s DMD chipset, the projector creates an image with a single Thin-Film Transistor Liquid Crystal Display (TFT LCD) panel.
With dimensions and weight onle of (16.5 x 29 x 14 cm / 6.50 x 11.42 x 5.51-inch)@(2.3 kg / 5.51 lbs), this outdoor projector with built-in battery and Keith Haring’s art-decorated handle is perfect for watching baseball in the backyard with friends, beer and chips.
Like Futura 2000, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Richard Art Hambleton and Kenny Scharf, Keith Haring was a pioneer of the graffiti art (street art) movement, and exhibited at the Fun Gallery in New York City in the early 1980s.
The 16W stereo JBL speakers with Dolby Audio support provides superb sound for portable model. Moreover, the projector offers four audio modes, including User (customizable), Standard, Movie, and Music.
Unfortunately, it only has one HDMI, which can be used for Smart TV dongle, game console or Blu-ray player. The included streaming dongle is similar to Fire TV or Roku TV streaming stick but comes with a miniature adapter.
Projector has pre-installed Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Prime Video, YouTube, YouTube TV, and Tubi TV. This list can be expanded with Max, Apple TV+, Starz, NFL, ESPN, Spotify, and even Twitch for gamers.
Color modes and picture quality
The Yaber T2 Plus offers six color modes, including Standard, Vivid, Natural, Dynamic, Sport, and User. They are designed to select saturation and brightness and have virtually no effect on colors. The measured brightness in the brightest Vivid mode varies in the range of 260-300 Lumens. The brightness of the more accurate Standard mode is slightly over 150 Lumens.
Vivid increases contrast, Natural produces more natural colors and is optimal for movies and TV shows.
Dynamic is similar to Vivid with increased saturation by clipping highlights. Sport and Standard differ slightly only in brightness. User mode is essentially Standard with adjustable contrast, brightness, sharpness, and color.
The model does not have a color management system, but offers a choice of color temp, including Cool, Normal, and Warm.
At 1.25:1 Throw Ratio, the projector creates an image size of 40″-120″ diagonally from a distance of (1.1 – 3.3m) / (3.6 – 10.9ft).
But even in the dark, acceptable picture quality is available for images up to about 60″ diagonally. Detail in dark scenes is also limited due to the low contrast.
Of course, higher brightness and resolution are bonuses for any projector, but they should be balanced. For example, high brightness with low resolution or high resolution with low brightness will be redundant due to the image size limitation. When it’s increased in the first case, the viewer will see the boundaries between pixels, and in the second, the picture colors will become faded.
As a result, they will worsen the price-quality ratio due to an increase in price without improving quality. Considering the dependence between image size, brightness and resolution, their optimal ratios can be approximately:
– (100-200)Lumens@720p@(40″-50″), (300-600)Lumens@Full HD@(70″-80″), (700-1,000)Lumens@Full HD/4K@(70″-100″) and 1,000 Lumens and more @4K@100″ and more.
Conclusion
Pros
– low price;
– superb 2x 8W JBL speakers;
– built-in battery for 2.5 hours use;
– Bluetooth 5.0 and WiFi 6 connections;
– Google TV;
– stylish art-design in pop art by Keith Haring.
Cons
– low measured brightness;
– huge input lag;
– low contrast;
– Smart TV requires HDMI dongle.
Perhaps the superb price-quality ratio of portable outdoor Yaber T2 Plus is due to its perfectly balanced specs. At a price of up to $ 300, it offers a fairly high quality image with a diagonal size of ~ 60″ even without an ALR screen. Great 16W Dolby Audio sound with JBL speakers, access to content with Google TV, built-in battery and Keith Haring’s art design are additional bonuses. For comparison, the closest competitors with similar specs today cost $ 450 (XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro), $ 440 (Dangbei Freedo) and $ 420 (JmGO Picoflix), which promises cloudless marketing prospects for the Yaber T2 Plus.
This video demonstrates the new portable outdoor Yaber T2/T2 Plus projector.