Wanbo T2 Max New autofocus and keystone correction at €135!
A few years ago buying a projector was an almost prohibitive undertaking! Very high costs and only fair performances except in the case of products that are practically inaccessible to most. Today, however, we have several products with a really excellent value for money, including the Wanbo, a Chinese brand that has made its way into the sector. Today we talk about Wanbo T2 Max New, an upgrade of the best-selling low cost model, the T2 Max. Let's see if the improvements have really moved the bar upwards!
Topics of this article:
CONFEZIONE
The packaging is quite sparse, but at least well packed to avoid transport damage:
- Wanbo T2 Max New Projector
- Remote control (without batteries)
- Power adapter (with IT plug)
- Instruction Booklet (English Only, Introduction Only)
- Pack of stickers
DESIGN AND SIZE
Aesthetically it does not differ from the previous model, it is impossible for practitioners to distinguish them! White color and black optics detach well and I must say that it is very pleasant to see. The material appears to be polycarbonate but of excellent workmanship. Above we find the on / off button.
The dimensions, very compact, are of 15cm x 11cm x 14cm for a total weight of 1.1Kg. This gives our T2 Max New excellent portability, also considering that the technical characteristics are of a good level and an even lighter product could not have been made. Below we find the standard attack to be fixed to a tripod, therefore maximum versatility of transport and positioning.
TECHNICAL FEATURES WANBO T2 MAX NEW
Let's start immediately from brightness, a fundamental parameter for a projector! We are at 450 ANSI lumens (therefore almost doubled from the 250 of the old version) which of course are not an excellent value, but we must always keep in mind the price of our device. Surely an important hand to the final response of brightness and contrast is the compatibility with the encoding HDR10. In its price range they are certainly among the highest value that you can find and will ensure you a good vision even in conditions of partial brightness of the surrounding environment. In conditions of total darkness they will instead give you an excellent answer!
The resolution is FullHD, 1920x1080p, but don't worry that videos will also play in 4K! The lamp is certified for 20.000 hours while the size of the image, generated by a DLP system, varies from 40 to 100″ based on the distance at which you will place it (from about 1m to 2.6m).
As for the fire, it is guaranteed by a Wanbo proprietary AI algorithm and I assure you that it works quite well. In a few seconds it finds the (almost) perfect focus and if you move it it will be recalibrated instantly.
The audio is good, played from 2 speakers from 3W of power. It goes without saying that if you want to get higher quality sound you will have to connect a surround system, a pair of TWS speakers or a soundbar. It is still usable even so, much better than other products that I have tested in the category, obviously lacking in low frequencies.
Another feature that I find FUNDAMENTAL is the automatic keystone correction. Simply put, the Wanbo T2 Max New will auto adjust itself to find the perfect rectangular size of the output video. In many projectors of this price range it is manual and I assure you that the perfect shape is difficult to find. Having it automatic saves us from a really annoying and often complicated operation.
Very good the noise that stops below i 30db, so it won't bother you when watching even silent scenes. The BT is 4.2 while Wi-Fi is compatible only with the band 2.4GHz
It does not have an integrated battery, so it will always have to be connected to the power cable which is approximately 2m long. This could be a problem, so get an extension cord if you don't have an outlet near where you're going to put it.
INPUTS - OUTPUTS
The inputs and outputs are as follows:
- HDMI (input)
- USB (input)
- 3.5mm audio (out)
There aren't many but they are essentially what you need. An optical output is undoubtedly missing but we could not claim to have everything. Through HDMI e USB we will have access to any multimedia content we need and with audio output from 3.5 mm or the connection BT we will be able to connect many devices, even excellent ones.
WANBO T2 MAX NEW SOFTWARE
The initial setup is very simple: every time you start the projector it will automatically focus and correct any trapezoidal distortions! and this I assure you is a considerable plus! As the first default home you will find the following:
As you can see, you will have some software already installed (including Netflix, Prime Video and YouTube) and all the others can then be installed via the store. First you will have to go to the "setting" tab and do the following:
- WI-FI icon: connect to the home wi-fi network (2.4GHz only)
- Language icon: set the Italian language
Probably without even accessing the "software update" icon, two software updates will be offered in sequence that you obviously have to do (of course, first one, restart and then the next)
At this point you will be operational and you can set up your projector as best you want. My advice is to keep autofocus and keystone correction on automatic. You can also set the type of projection (desktop front, desktop back, ceiling front, ceiling back). As for the automatic autofocus you can also "fix" it using the remote control with 2 dedicated buttons. From the tests I carried out automatically it reaches an almost perfect focus, but total perfection is reached with the keys. Very small differences but it is worth trying if the automatic fire does not seem optimal to you
The settings are really many and you can find them by following this path, starting from the home: settings tab, options icon, common settings:
You will then have the possibility to select the video source from the default one (Android 9), the HDMI or USB input, search for audio and video files via the "media center", set the startup video source, view the installed APPs, set the audio, change the picture and even set a sleep timer
From the Android home screen you will have 6 tabs from which you can search, go to the home, APP, online video, online music and settings.
To log in to your Google account, just do it from YouTube (you will obviously be sent back to the Google login). As for the Store, you will find it under the name "APP STORE". I was expecting to find the play store but I assume it is the same store as android tv. I did a bit of research for some of the most popular streaming software (netflix, amazon video, disney plus, dazn, pluto tv, chili, etc) and found them all!
Unlike for example the superior model, the TT, with Android we will therefore have no problem finding and downloading all the streaming applications that interest us, thus bringing all the sport, cinema and music we love to 100 inches! We always remember that there will also be the possibility of mirroring from the phone but above all of connecting a stick with an integrated operating system (such as the Amazon fire stick or the Xiaomi Mi Tv Stick) also I assure you that you will not have any of the latter alternative need. There is also the possibility of making a digital zoom to decide the size of the output screen.
I couldn't find information about the processor, only 1GB RAM and 16Gb ROM. The system runs discreetly but you will often encounter obvious lag. Obviously, it is not a smartphone and therefore one could say "who cares" but let's say that perhaps a little more could have been done. Perhaps with subsequent software updates the situation could improve.
The remote control, compact and light, will allow us to interact at 360° with our projector. Among the most important keys, I would like to point out the ones I mentioned above for focusing (long key at the bottom left). The others are easy to understand, including that of making the mouse appear to move through the menus (poco comfortable).
VIDEO QUALITY WANBO T2 MAX NEW
The video quality is really good for a projector of this price. The 450 Ansi Lumens perform well, in fact I tried it in less than perfect light conditions (evening but still a little light coming in through the window and corridor light on) yet the brightness, contrast and color response satisfied me! Recall that the maximum definition is FULLHD but will be able to easily play content in 4K. Compatibility also with HDR10 it certainly helps to have high-level image quality, brightness and contrast. It should also be considered that I tested it on a white wall which we remember is not the best as there is always a drop in brightness if not used with a special projection screen and despite this the result is certainly satisfactory. Take the demo video that I am attaching here with a grain of salt for obvious shooting, framing, etc. reasons.
FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
As with any product, the value for money is essential to understand how logical it is to proceed with the purchase of the same. Well, here we are faced with a really high ratio! In fact we consider that the list price of the Wanbo T2 Max NEW is around 229€ (already very low) but with the offer of GEEKBUYING our partner site (and which we thank for sending the sample) you can take it home with an excellent discount and at this price it becomes a BestBuy in the category. So my advice is this, if you want to try to enter the world of projectors without spending a significant amount but at the same time taking a good quality product that can make you understand the potential of these devices, go straight to this one and there will be no you will regret! The only drawback that I found is that of the auto focus poco precise, even if with the dedicated buttons on the remote control you will fix the problem in a few seconds.
Please note that on GEEKBUYING you can pay, to protect your purchases, with PayPal and that the shipment will take place in a manner FREE, delivery in about 3-5 days, from the warehouse located in Europe therefore without incurring the risk of annoying customs duties.
HI. I confirm the problems with autofocus. However, I would like to point out that the Android operating system does not support many apps. Netflix doesn't work with the basic subscription (without remedy), Amazon prime doesn't work, you have to look for a limited version that works and install it via apk, SkyShowtime doesn't work (without remedy), etc…. When you launch the apps you have to wait an eternity... in short, the installed operating system (an old Android version by the way, not even Android TV) is practically useless. It is mandatory to buy an external smart TV stick... IMHO