Dangbei is one in every of a quartet of Chinese projector producers — alongside XGIMI, JMGO, and Formovie — which might be dominating gross sales globally. Home projectors have gotten way more accessible lately due to the proliferation of Chinese manufacturers, and that is significantly true when you think about what the Mars Pro 2 has to supply: this projector makes use of a laser mild supply and goes as much as 2450 lumen, exhaustive connectivity choices, a modern design, and Google OS with Netflix pre-installed.
The Mars Pro 2 goes up towards the likes of the JMGO N1 Ultra and XGIMI’s latest Horizon S Max, but it surely manages to undercut each rivals, with Dangbei as soon as once more delivering a stellar worth. The projector is routinely discounted to $1,359, and that makes it an incredible choice to think about in case you’re focused on choosing up a brand new residence projector.
I used the Mars Pro 2 for a month, and this is why I feel it is likely one of the greatest projectors on this class.
Dangbei Mars Pro 2: Pricing and availability
Dangbei unveiled the Mars Pro 2 (DBOX02) in May 2024, and the projector is now accessible globally. The Mars Pro 2 has a retail value of $1,899, however it’s often bought for $1,499, and I’ve seen it go right down to as little as $1,299. As of writing, it’s accessible on Amazon for $1,359, which is a really affordable value.
If you are within the projector, you must choose up the bundle that features a gimbal stand; it makes organising and utilizing the Mars Pro 2 that a lot simpler, and it’s also accessible for $1,359 now. Don’t want 4K? There’s a typical mannequin of the Mars accessible, and it has the identical design, will get as much as 2100 lumens, and prices $999.
Dangbei Mars Pro 2: Design
There are projectors that look trendy; XGIMI’s Horizon S Max makes use of gold accents liberally, and has a material cowl that provides it added magnificence. And transportable choices just like the Xming Episode One and XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro have distinct styling that grabs consideration, however with the Mars Pro 2, Dangbei went with a confirmed design as an alternative of constructing the projector stand out.
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The Mars Pro 2 has a black shade scheme with a darkish blue grille that covers the perimeters and again of the projector, and the design itself is respectable. It jogs my memory of the Horizon Pro, and whereas it has an aluminum body, the grille is plastic. There are not any points with the construct high quality, and the projector is not any greater than its rivals.
The vents on the perimeters and again help with airflow, and like different residence projectors, you get a sizeable fan that takes care of energetic cooling. The fan is audible when the Mars Pro 2 is energetic, but it surely would not get so loud as to be an annoyance. The proper aspect is the consumption, and the exhaust vents from the left as an alternative of the again.
My solely situation with the design is the usage of shiny supplies. The entrance fascia has a shiny panel, and the highest additionally has an analogous shiny end, and each side simply choose up mud and finger smudges and want fixed cleansing. Dangbei ought to have used the identical matte texture all through.
Dangbei sells a gimbal stand accent with the Mars Pro 2, and I extremely advocate choosing it up in case you’re within the projector. I did not get the stand, and it was cumbersome to vary the angle and top of the projector — this is not an issue in case you’re going the ceiling-mounted route.
Dangbei Mars Pro 2: Features
The Mars Pro 2 has higher connectivity than different projectors I examined just lately. You get twin HDMI ports on the again, with one port providing eARC and the opposite primarily based on the HDMI 2.1 commonplace. The twin USB-A ports help you plug in storage drives, and there is optical out, Ethernet, and three.5mm out. Other connectivity consists of Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2, and I did not see any points utilizing the projector on my residence community — it maintained a strong sign within the month I used it.
You get the same old options which might be commonplace on all residence projectors on this class, together with auto keystone correction, autofocus, eye safety — if you get near the lens — and impediment avoidance. Auto keystone works reliably, however the Mars Pro 2 is not as quick because the Horizon S Max at correcting the picture, and there have been situations the place it refused to take action in any respect — I had to make use of guide correction to arrange the picture as an alternative.
Coming to the internals, the Mars Pro 2 is powered by the same old quartet of A53 cores, and also you get 2GB of RAM and 32GB of eMMC 5.1 storage. The restricted reminiscence means you get the occasional stutter when navigating the Google TV interface, and projector producers really want to begin together with not less than 3GB of RAM as commonplace on their fashions.
Dangbei Mars Pro 2: Picture and sound high quality
Dangbei did an incredible job with the Mars Pro 2 in terms of the projection high quality, and it is ready to go as much as 2,450 lumens. The projector has a 1.27:1 throw ratio, and is ready to ship as much as a 200-inch picture — I examined it at an 80-inch projection. It makes use of an ALPD laser mild supply with a quoted period of 30,000 hours, and a 0.47-inch DMD chip.
The Mars Pro 2 would not get fairly as shiny because the Horizon S Max, however it’s on par with the JMGO N1 Ultra on this regard. You nonetheless get a shiny projection, and you should utilize the projector in the course of the day — even when there’s ambient mild. There’s an auto brightness characteristic that does a ok job, however I did not use it a lot outdoors of testing its efficacy at day and evening.
Image high quality itself is implausible, and did not see any points on this space. You get vibrant colours and respectable distinction ranges, and it does an incredible job with HDR content material. There’s no Dolby Vision integration, however you get HDR10+, and a devoted low-latency mode that permits you to use the Mars Pro 2 with a console.
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There are 4 image modes, and also you get a Custom mode that permits you to tweak the colours and brightness to your preferences — you may tweak particular person settings in every mode as properly. I discovered shade stability to be the very best in Movie mode, however you may simply change modes or modify colours. The devoted Gaming mode toggle will be activated if you join an HDMI supply — like a console — and it switches to decrease latency.
Brightness is nice out of the field, however in case you want the very best the projector has to supply, you will have to allow High Performance mode. Doing so prompts the fan always, however you get significantly better brightness ranges, and this mode makes all of the distinction if you wish to use the Mars Pro 2 in the course of the day.
Onboard sound is nice as properly due to the twin 12W drivers, and it’s loud sufficient that you could get away and not using a devoted audio system. It is not as detailed because the Horizon S Max, however you continue to get good vibrancy total.
Dangbei Mars Pro 2: Software
The Mars Pro 2 comes with a typical Google TV interface, and also you get Netflix pre-installed. The different two projectors I discussed within the part above — Horizon S Max and N1 Ultra — haven’t got a dependable method to make use of Netflix, so its inclusion on the Mars Pro 2 provides the projector a bonus.
Other than that, you get the identical Google TV interface as another machine. There’s a wall of advertisements if you go to the house display screen, and you’ll set up streaming providers of your selection through the Play Store. The interface was laggy at instances — principally with HDR content material — but it surely wasn’t a giant downside. I discovered the interface to be higher than that of most XGIMI projectors, however actually, you will have to make use of a devoted dongle if you wish to take advantage of out of the projector — I like to recommend the Shield TV Pro.
You get distant as properly; it has a curved again that makes it straightforward to carry, and there are devoted buttons for YouTube, Netflix and Prime Video. It would not have backlit buttons, however outdoors of that, I did not see any issues utilizing it.
Dangbei Mars Pro 2: The competitors
XGIMI’s Horizon S Max is the plain challenger to the Mars Pro 2. The projector has a gimbal design, a brighter projector, and also you get Dolby Vision integration. It is costlier at $1,899, and whereas it does a greater job with HDR content material and has a brighter picture, you get a single HDMI port, and there isn’t any Netflix integration.
JMGO N1 Ultra is respectable as properly. It will get a smidgen brighter than the Mars Pro 2 in common use, and I actually just like the gimbal-mounted design. The largest situation with the projector is that it would not have Netflix pre-installed; if that is not an issue, then the N1 Ultra is an effective choice at $1,399. The N1S Ultra is now accessible, and whereas it has Netflix, it’s a hefty $2,399, and it would not make any sense to shell out that a lot money.
Dangbei Mars Pro 2: Should you purchase it?
You should purchase this if:
- You need a laser projector that can be utilized in the course of the day
- You want nice picture and sound high quality
- You need Google TV with Netflix
- You need good connectivity
You should not purchase this if:
- You want a projector that is comparatively straightforward to arrange and use
- You need a chassis that is not vulnerable to mud
The Mars Pro 2 would not have a flamboyant design, but it surely comes with the options you will truly find yourself utilizing. It’s clear that Dangbei targeted its consideration on picture high quality and connectivity, and the Mars Pro 2 outshines its rivals in these areas. Google TV integration means you do not have to fret about any streaming providers being omitted, and pre-installed Netflix is a giant differentiator.
The projector will get shiny sufficient that you could simply use it in the course of the day, and I did not see any points on this regard within the month I used the Mars Pro 2. The picture high quality itself is among the many greatest on this class, and also you get respectable onboard sound — sufficient to fill a small room.
What I additionally like is that the Mars Pro 2 would not value as a lot as its rivals; coming in at $1,359, it’s a terrific worth — significantly when you think about what you are getting with the projector. If you are available in the market for a house laser projector and want one thing that is versatile and has Google TV with Netflix, the Mars Pro 2 is your best option underneath $1,500.
Dangbei Mars Pro 2 (DBOX02)
