Yaber K2s review: Convincing smart projector at a fair price

With the K2s, the Chinese manufacturer Yaber presented a 1080p projector at the CES 2023 at the beginning of the year, which wants to convince with high-quality technology and smart features. Our Yaber K2s review clarifies what the projector has up its sleeve.

The Yaber K2s comes in a plain white cardboard box, which despite its manageable size brings quite a bit to light. Most of the space is taken up by the projector itself, of course, but it is joined by a whole range of accessories that the manufacturer includes individually packaged.

In the so-called “Brand Kit” we find the quick start guide and warranty card, while another bag with a microfiber cloth, instructions and cotton swabs is intended for cleaning the lens.

An additional box includes the remote control for the integrated androidTV dongle, while the normal remote control finds its place in its own box. Annoying: The required AAA batteries for the remotes are not included. Finishing off the package are the cables in the form of power cable, HDMI cable, 3-in-1 AV cable.

With its glossy black design, contrasting fabric elements on the sides and frame, and a bronze-colored font, the Yaber K2s leaves an excellent impression purely in terms of looks.

On the front we find the lens, which can be protected from dust and dirt under a magnetic cover, as well as the IR windows for communication with remote controls.

On the top, the projector has various controls such as power button, volume rocker, silent night mode, Bluetooth speaker button, and NFC area. The ports for connecting to video sources can be found in the back. Sitting here:

It also gets interesting once again on the underside, where the androidTV dongle is integrated, which can also be removed if desired. Here, the manufacturer integrates the HAKO mini mint androidTV 10 model, which is connected via microUSB. The stand has a push button with which the K2s can be adjusted in height.

Measuring 221 mm x 280 mm x 291 mm, the Yaber K2s is neither too big nor too small and weighs in at 3.2 kg. There is nothing to complain about the build quality, which is on a very high level.

Once we’ve connected the Yaber K2s to the power cable, we’re ready to turn on the projector. Thanks to automatic focus and automatic keystone correction, the projector takes care of image adjustment and alignment all by itself. This is done in a few seconds and works flawlessly. If you want to do something yourself, you can adjust the focus using the remote control.

After that, the projector already guides you through the setup process, which is completed in no time via either the remote control or an Android smartphone.

While one remote is responsible for the projector, the other is used for the TV dongle. In the test, however, I found that navigation is also possible with only one remote control if desired, when Android TV is selected via the menu.

The navigation in the Google operating system works flawlessly and exactly as one is used to from Android TV. In contrast to the Formovie Dice (our review), I did not notice any real jerks. Only now and then does the K2s allow itself a second or two when loading content.

By the way, the projector connects to the fast Wi-Fi 6 network. Even 4K videos are loaded quickly with a good connection quality. The provider’s E-Share app is needed to play files via NFC, but videos and photos from a smartphone can also be shared quickly – AirPlay on the iPhone is supported, for example, and a video shared via it starts in no time.

Click here to display content from youtu.be

Always display content from youtu.be

The “Quiet” mode, on the other hand, is a bit disappointing. During normal use, the projector reaches a volume of around 50 dB(A). In the quiet setting, the manufacturer promises a maximum of 37 dB(A), which is accompanied by reduced brightness. However, we couldn’t determine a difference in the volume itself.

There are a few minor bugs here and there, but nothing really bad. For example, the music of the setup process did not stop playing after the initial setup and overlapped with the other sound in YouTube and co. After restarting the beamer, however, the problem was gone.

The Yaber K2s allows playback in 1080p at a maximum of 60 hertz. And that’s with a throw rate of 1.54:1 and a maximum projection size of 40 inches to 200 inches. However, the projector would have to be around 7 meters away from the wall for the full size – whereas around 1.4 meters is sufficient for the minimum size. However, I couldn’t try out really large projections due to the limited space.

But I liked the image that was thrown onto the wall. The colors are strong when the room is darkened, the contrasts are convincing, and the image is sharp across the board.

With a brightness of 800 ANSI lumens, the K2s achieves an above-average and good level. With that, you can enjoy movies, series and videos very well in a somewhat darkened room. In daylight, however, there is a lack of brightness, from which the picture quality suffers. The picture is pale, the contrasts weak. However, this is completely normal in this price range.

Yaber integrates two 10-watt speakers tuned by JBL and supporting Dolby Audio. These deliver, considering the size of the projector, a very good and clear sound. The mids and highs lack a bit of detail, but for integrated speakers, what’s offered is really good.

Here you then have to resort to speakers or a soundbar, which fortunately can also be paired quickly and easily. Wirelessly via Bluetooth or with a cable.

The overall volume that the Yaber K2s achieves is excellent. There’s also an option in the menu to switch between different profiles (Standard, Movie, Music), which have a slight effect on the sound – in Movie mode, for example, the mids are a bit clearer.

With the Yaber K2s, the manufacturer delivers a very good projector for a fair price. The model looks classy, has a high-quality finish and scores with a high operating speed, thanks to which the smart features can be used quickly and reliably.

The picture quality is really very good in a somewhat darkened room, and you can also work very well with the beamer in terms of sound. It also scores with convincing additional features and, for example, plays content from the smartphone wirelessly. It is a bit unfortunate that an additional app is required for the NFC screencast, but that is not too tragic.

Apart from a few small bugs and the not really functioning Quiet Mode, which has almost no impact on the fan noise, there is not much to complain about. On the contrary: The automatic keystone correction and auto-correction also work quickly and precisely.

Those looking for a convincing 1080p projector with practical and smart features for the home will be excellently served by the Yaber K2s. Especially when combined with the coupon and discount currently on offer, the price is almost unbeatable.

A classy design, high-quality workmanship, very good image quality and smart features make the Yaber K2s a convincing 1080p projector at a fair price.