The Yaber Projector T2 Plus is a uniquely designed portable projector. Featuring built-in rechargeable batteries, dual JBL speakers, LED projection and an attachable Google TV dongle, the Yaber Projector T2 Plus aims to provide a powerful, adaptable and affordable projection solution for users. Aiming to be a leader in portable projection, Yaber has put a lot of work into making the T2 Plus a unique and innovative projection system.
The T2 Plus features a unique vertical design. Measuring 6.5” W x 5.5 L x 11.4” H, the T2 Plus sits quite tall for a projector. The advantage of this design is that the bulb positioning is naturally higher making it easier to position the projector relative to the wall or screen for projection. The bottom portion of the unit contains a dual JBL speaker system along with the sensors for the various auto-detection features (more on this in a moment).
A unique and stylish handle wraps over the top portion of the T2 Plus and also doubles as an angle adjuster for the projector. This allows you to fine-tune the angle at which the projection takes place. It gives a fairly impressive range to work with though the stiffness of the handle does make it a little difficult for small adjustments. Regardless it’s a smart way to handle those small adjustments and works better than the traditional kickstand system provided in standard projectors.
The top back side of the T2 Plus houses all of the projectors I/O. A single HDMI port, one 3.55mm audio jack, an RJ45 ethernet port and a USB port for external hard drive connection are all conveniently located here. For those wanting to leverage a wireless connection, Yaber has included built-in wifi and bluetooth to support multiple connection options. Finally, a single AC port is located on the lower left side of the T2 Plus and doubles as a power source and charging port for the internal batteries.
“With a 1080p resolution and 60FPS, the T2 Plus can project a screen from 40” to 120” making it exceptionally adaptable to the situation and setting.”
Setting up the T2 Plus is a fairly easy affair. Once powered on, the projector takes you through a quick setup process which lands you on the home page of the T2 Plus OS. A quick note here is that while the T2 Plus and its counterpart, the T2, are presented as smart projectors this should be taken with a grain of salt.
The T2 isn’t quite a smart projector as much as it is an option for connecting smart devices. While it does have basic functionality for file management, HDMI input selection and settings management, it really can’t access content like typical smart devices can. This is where the T2 Plus comes in and also one of my main critiques of the system.
To access smart functionality on the T2 and the T2 Plus you’ll need to connect the Google TV dongle that is only included with the T2 Plus model (it can be purchased separately for the T2 model). Leveraging the only HDMI port available the Google TV connects to the T2 Plus and after another quick setup gives you access to Google TV. From here your favourite apps are all accessible and functional, delivering the content you want.
There are a couple of concerns and questions with this design choice. It seems odd to not simply build the Google TV experience into the T2 and T2 Plus as opposed to including a separate piece of hardware to do so. We see many other Smart Projectors on the market with these features baked into the hardware. It’s more convenient and doesn’t require extra hardware.
The second issue is that the T2 seems like an unnecessary piece of hardware. When comparing specs between the T2 and the T2 Plus the only definable difference is the inclusion of the Google TV accessory. The fact that it isn’t built in also means that the projectors aren’t smart projectors at all.
Finally, If you wanted to use this device as your main entertainment system you would constantly need to swap HDMI cables between the Google TV and your favourite console which becomes cumbersome if you are looking for ceiling mounted solution. It would have made much more sense to either include a second HDMI port or simply work the Google TV into the hardware without the use of another accessory.
However, when connected the Google TV dongle does work quite well. I tested several streaming apps including Disney+, Paramount+, Amazon Prime, Crave TV, Netflix and YouTube. All worked as expected, and after signing into my Google account, pulled up my saved passwords when logging in. It is very much a Google TV experience which is a fairly nice Smart TV OS to work with.
Equipped with a 450 ANSI Lumens LED bulb, the T2 Plus provides a solid viewing experience. With a 1080p resolution and 60FPS, the T2 Plus can project a screen from 40” to 120” making it exceptionally adaptable to the situation and setting. To further accommodate a variety of settings focus, Keystone, screen adjustments and obstacle avoidance all automatically adjust and adapt to fit the space provided.
“Featuring a battery system that can get just over two hours of projection in testing, the T2 Plus is a truly portable projector system.”
In testing, the the T2 Plus had no issues quickly adjusting the aforementioned features within a matter of seconds and easily adapted to the various distances and locations it was positioned. Focus and Keystone specifically are impressively responsive allowing for easy adjustments even after the system is set up. As for brightness, while it won’t present well in direct sunlit, it did manage fairly well in well-lit rooms.
Movie watching is a solid experience with the images looking crisp and bright even on a bare wall. Gaming, likewise, was great at 120” with no notable issues or concerns. The overall projection is solid and works great as a large-screen entertainment system.
As for the audio, it’s a bit more of a mixed bag. While the T2 Plus does feature a dual JBL speaker system, one facing forward and one back, the overall audio levels and quality aren’t as good as I had hoped. The low end is quite soft and in most cases lacks any sort of noticeable punchiness. While mids and highs are nice and clear for vocal projection, when the volume is maxed out these frequencies do present with a bit of noise. The bottom line is that, while they are solid enough to watch a movie on, they won’t blow you away with their overall volume levels of audio quality.
I do appreciate the fact that the T2 Plus included a dual speaker system. While we have seen a trend in modern projectors to include some kind of speaker system, said speaker is typically only located in the front of the unit. The result is a less-than-ideal listening experience as the audio is either projecting away from you (assuming the projector is in front of you) or projecting to the backside of your ears (if the projector is located behind you). Thankfully the T2 Plus doesn’t suffer from this design flaw. With two speakers the audio does project well to the viewer regardless of position.
Shifting now to one of the best features of the T2 Plus, it’s important to highlight the battery-powered option that comes with this projector. Featuring a battery system that can get just over two hours of projection in testing, the T2 Plus is a truly portable projector system. Thanks to the aforementioned handle, it’s also exceptionally convenient to carry around and set up. As long as you have an internet connection, going from carrying the T2 Plus to watching a movie can be accomplished in under a minute (unless, like me, it takes you forever to find something to watch).
This is by far the best portable projection experience I’ve tested to date with the batteries getting close to the 2.5 hours of projection as advertised. Depending on brightness it is possible to see those numbers in everyday use. In testing, I was able to watch almost three full episodes of The Orville (which I highly recommend) before needing to plug the T2 Plus into an outlet for power. Additionally, thanks to the built-in speakers the T2 Plus can also double as a bluetooth speaker, even offering the option to simply turn off the screen while still running the speaker. This makes it the ideal companion for camping trips as you can easily get 15-plus hours of audio listening.
As much as I’ve enjoyed many of the features and aspects of the T2 Plus there are a couple of features that failed to meet expectations. The first is the ability to access external media via a USB drive. While there is a built-in file manager that should allow for access to external media, during testing I could not get the projector to recognize any of the four drives tested.
Even after testing multiple file formats for both the drives and content on the drives the T2 Plus simply did not recognize that anything was plugged into it. This is quite frustrating considering that one of the most ideal scenarios for using the T2 Plus (camping) typically means not having readily available Wifi other than your phone’s data. Having access to external media would have been an excellent way to help maintain the beautiful probability that the T2 Plus offers.
“The Yaber Projector T2 Plus is a device full of great ideas, some of which are executed exceptionally well while others land quite flat.”
The second feature that failed to operate as intended is the casting from a device to the projector. While the T2 Plus is supposed to support Apple mirroring and Andriod casting (through the Yaber App), it is a bit of a mixed bag. Technically it does work. I was able to connect an iPhone 14, iPad (9th Gen) and a Pixel 6 to the T2 Plus. Audio streaming worked without any notable issues. Even YouTube could be mirrored to the T2.
However, none of the streaming apps tested (see above) worked when mirrored to the projector. They either hung when starting video playback, crashed out of the app entirely (in the case of the Yaber app on the Pixel 6) or got stuck in a loop of asking if you wanted to mirror a single app or the whole screen every time you started video playback. It’s disappointing considering how much functionality mirroring brings to a device like the T2 Plus.
The Yaber Projector T2 Plus is a device full of great ideas, some of which are executed exceptionally well while others land quite flat. While its modular design, overall visual quality and impressive battery life make it an ideal candidate for portable projection, some odd design choices and broken features hold it back from being truly amazing. Lacklustre audio, the need for an external “smart accessory” and dysfunctional features are all areas that Yaber could refine in their next iteration to make the T2 Plus a truly amazing projection system.
While far from perfect, the Yaber Projector T2 Plus still offers an impressive portable projection experience and is at least worth considering if you’re looking for this kind of solution.
