Dangbei DBOX02 review: A fantastic-value 4K Google TV projector

Up to now, Dangbei has been best known in the UK for manufacturing some of the better budget projectors, with models like the Neo Mini and Emotn N1 providing watchable pictures and good sound for under £400. However, that’s not the full extent of the brand’s ambitions; with the Dangbei DBOX02, they’re looking for a slice of the mid-range projector market.

Like the original DBOX01 (or Mars, as it was known in the UK), it’s a stylish DLP projector with built-in stereo audio, based on a bright laser light source. But where the Mars had a 1080p resolution and an affordable sub-£1,000 price point, the DBOX02 takes the resolution up to 4K and the price point up to nearly £1,800. It comes with improved tech, enhanced Dolby Audio sound and built-in Google TV streaming, but that list price puts the DBOXO2 up against established favourites like the XGIMI Horizon Ultra and 4K ultra-short-throw units like the Hisense PL1. At this level, good isn’t really good enough – Dangbei needs to pull off something special.   

Dangbei DBOX02 review: What do you get for the money? 

A rather stylish projector in a box-like housing measuring 336 x 205 x 180mm (WDH). Inside sits a 0.47in DMD chip from Texas Instruments, as used in a wide range of 4K projectors, and an ALPD laser light source capable of reaching brightness levels of 2,450 ISO lumens. The optical system has a 1.27:1 throw ratio, giving you a 60in picture at 1.7m or a 120in picture at 3.4m, up to a maximum 200in at 5.3m. 

As with most affordable 4K models, the chip has a native 1080p resolution and uses pixel shifting to get the full 4K effect. In practice, though, it’s nearly impossible to tell the difference. On a good screen, sharply focused, the 4K picture looks as ultra-high-definition as you could wish for.

Still, the DBOX02 isn’t just about the pictures. It uses two 12W speakers and a 600ml sound chamber to give you powerful Dolby Audio and DTS:X sound. It also incorporates Google TV streaming, providing access to nearly all the streaming apps you could need with a familiar interface and universal voice search.

Beyond that, you still have two HDMI inputs, one of which supports eARC, plus two USB 2.0 ports, a Gigabit LAN port, a 3.5mm audio output and an optical SP/DIF. These should cover you for gaming consoles and Blu-ray players, not to mention a full surround system if it comes to that.  

Dangbei supplied my review model with its sturdy gimbal stand, which allows you to easily twist and tilt the projector to get the best position for your screen. It’s well-built and holds the DBOX02 very firmly, but is rather pricey at $120 (not currently available in the UK). Given that the projector is already pretty flexible about its placement, you can live without it unless you’re working with a high wall or ceiling-mounted screen. 

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Dangbei DBOX02 review: What does it do well? 

One of the best things to come out of this latest generation of projectors is the shift away from horrible, proprietary Android TV software to a more standardised interface, often based around Google TV. This makes the DBOX02 significantly easier to set up with the aid of your smartphone, though you can use the remote control to input account and Wi-Fi details manually should that not work out. What’s more, it means access to proper, recently updated apps for nearly every service going, including Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, NowTV, Paramount+ and Apple TV+. The BBC iPlayer and Channel 4 apps go unsupported, but otherwise, you’re covered. 

The DBOX02 also does a great job on the other side of setup, getting the picture straight and in focus with everything properly aligned. Dangbei has developed an effective system for sizing the image to your screen, dealing with any keystone effects and auto-focusing the image. Every time you switch it on, it will automatically do it all again. As someone who’d rather spend time watching movies than configuring my projector, this is something I appreciate a lot.

All good so far, then, but what about the picture quality? Well, while it’s hard to make direct comparisons without the Horizon Ultra for side-by-side testing, the DBOX02 delivers a strong performance while falling slightly short of XGIMI’s best. 

There’s plenty of crisp detail to be savoured, with rich and punchy colours in the Movie and Vivid picture modes. It’s also one of the few mid-range 4K projectors that I’ve tested to deliver believable HDR effects. Sure, you won’t get true, deep blacks, but darker scenes aren’t a mess of muddy greys and browns, while bright highlights and neon tones stand out like you’d hope they would. Yet the Horizon Ultra was just a little crisper, with a bit more contrast, and with a slightly richer colour palette. In tests, I found the XGIMI projector could reproduce 92.4% of the DCI-P3 colour gamut. The DBOX02 can reproduce around 76.25%.

Is this a big deal? Probably not. In isolation, I found the DBOX02’s pictures hugely enjoyable, whether watching season two of Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power, Batman: Caped Crusader, lightweight action movies like Bullet Train and Mission Impossible: Fallout, or moody dramas. I also found it a great option for some 4K gaming, even if it lacks the advanced gaming features and 120fps support of more console-focused projectors. 

The DBOX02’s audio is powerful enough to fill a room with sound, and while you miss out on surround effects, the stereo speakers deliver a wide soundstage that’s a lot less directional than with some one-box systems. I’d still say that larger one-box, ultra-short throw projectors like the Hisense PL1 give you more cinematic audio, as they’re closer to the screen and effectively work much like a soundbar. All the same, for casual TV viewing or a Saturday night movie, you won’t need anything more than the DBOX02’s onboard sound. It’s one of the best projectors I’ve used for watching archive live performances from classic bands or music documentaries.

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Dangbei DBOX02 review: What could it do better? 

More advanced users are going to find themselves frustrated by the DBOX02’s settings. The picture and audio settings are hidden away in the main Google TV settings, with many only accessible once you click the All Settings icon. This means you have to pause what you’re watching and head back to the Home screen every time you want to make an adjustment, which also means that you can’t make adjustments while looking at the picture you’re trying to adjust. And while Dangbei has a sensible selection of picture modes and brightness settings, there’s no Filmmaker mode, which is something I’d expect to see on a projector at this price point. Meanwhile, HDR format support stops at HDR10+, with no Dolby Vision onboard.

This is a bright projector outside of the Eco brightness settings, but not quite bright enough for satisfying daytime viewing unless you have all the curtains drawn. I hoped that the High Performance mode might give brightness, contrast and colour a boost, but it makes such an awful racket that I had to turn it off again, with noise levels jumping from a low 29.6dB hum to 43dB.

Dangbei DBOX02 review: Should you buy it? 

As I said upfront, Dangbei needed to pull off something special with the DBOX02, and for the most part that’s just what it’s done. This is a high-quality 4K projector with excellent audio and Google TV streaming. For audio quality and app support, I’d put it in front of the XGIMI Horizon Ultra. 

However, the latter still wins on image quality and has HLG and Dolby Vision support, and with both projectors close in price that still makes it the one to buy for me. Yet Dangbei gets a lot of credit for coming up with such a credible alternative, and its frequent voucher deals often give the DBOX02 a price advantage. These often bring it down to around £1,500; it was available for just £1,140 at the time of writing and at that price, it’s fantastic value.