Yaber T2 Plus review: “standout value in a competitive space”

Yaber isn’t a new name in the projector space, but it is making a more concerted effort to stand out from the pack with its latest T2 and T2 Plus devices. We aren’t exactly swimming in budget-friendly portable projectors that actually offer solid value for money, but the $359 / £349.99 T2 Plus is an exception.

I was testing this retro-styled thrower at the same time as the Sony Bravia Projector 8 - a 4K theatre-grade projector at the very top of the price range. That turned out to be a matchup that would win Yaber some serious points - while it’s by no means in the same league as a $15K specialist device, it’s incredible what you can actually get for your money at the lower end of the price range. It’s never going to be the best projector on the market, but it’s a solid contender among the many portable and outdoor options.

Design

That much might not be too evident from the design alone. While that handle is a big indicator that this projector has its sights on travel, it’s a tall and fairly chunky device overall - far larger than the likes of the Samsung Freestyle and Anker Nebula Capsule. It’s heavy as well, too heavy to comfortably carry for a long period of time. If you’ve only got a short hike to your campsite or you’re setting up in a garden, though, it’s well worth the extra heft considering the battery life and brightness levels.

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It’s also dressed particularly well. A beige plastic chassis and felted material cover wrapping around the top makes for a low-key aesthetic, with the additional tan section along the top of the handle bringing an extra visual spice. It looks far more expensive than it is, and feels great from a durability standpoint as well. I’d still be concerned about it in the rain, but for dry days the plastic seems like it will be able to take a tumble.

The front is dedicated to the lens itself (thankfully there’s a dust cap included, but unfortunately it’s not attached and is incredibly easy to lose) with a speaker grill/vent etched into the panel. You’ll also find the automatic adjustment sensor and camera at the bottom. This is a slightly awkward placement - when placed straight on a table it can sometimes misread the edge of the surface as an obstruction. The handle swings down to form a stand, which makes setup so much easier - but when set to its lowest angle the handle actually blocks this sensor, which feels like a design oversight.

The power port is located on the left flank, with more vents and grills on the rear panel, as well as your ports. These connections are right at the top of the device, providing easy access.

Features

This is one of the best portable projectors I’ve tested because it packs everything you need into a price tag that doesn’t inflate itself. All the basics are covered here - a 2.5-hour battery, easy carrying handle, Google TV streaming stick (that means Netflix is back on the menu), super easy autofocus and keystone correction, and simple screen sharing processes. Of course, there are a few quirks that could be ironed out with future releases.

The most difficult to overcome during my testing was the figure 8 power port. This is a strange sight on a portable projector, and it essentially means you’ll need a full-sized power pack (with mains ports) to keep it plugged in out in the wild. Still, that 2.5-hour battery means you’re covered for at least a movie, and in Bluetooth speaker mode the Yaber T2 Plus can run for up to 18 hours.

I also wouldn’t trade the easy setup for easy charging. While I’m not a massive fan of auto-keystone adjustments (and keeping these settings on does result in a grainier, slightly darker picture on the T2 Plus), it’s an exceedingly fast setup system. The projector re-calculates its image every time it moves, and it does it particularly well. That means it’s a real sit-and-shoot device, I was surprised by how little faff went into the initial setup.

All of this is controlled by Yaber’s own operating system, a neat and clean interface that provides access to a good range of basic controls, from choosing between different presets to tweaking your picture yourself across brightness, sharpness, contrast, and saturation. Plugging in the Google TV dongle provides access to the full smart experience, with apps from Netflix to Disney Plus included.

That’s a massive benefit for the T2 Plus - previous portable projectors have relied on their own app systems for streaming, and many struggle to get rights to Netflix. Not only that, but Yaber has implemented this in a handy manner, a small adapter acts as a go-between for the stick and the projector, keeping it at a right-angle so as not to stick out the back of the device while also making sure it can run without needing to be plugged in separately. Many projectors use these streaming sticks, but often keep them tucked inside the device (like the BenQ X300G). This way you can use the included gadget or any Fire stick you happen to have already. However, it does mean that the single HDMI port is already taken up, which means I needed to swap cables whenever moving over to PS5 gameplay.

Rear ports are simple overall, with a USB 2.0 and 3.5mm audio out sandwiching that video connection. There’s also an ethernet port on the end of the lineup, a strange choice for a device that requires a separate WiFi connection for its streaming stick.

Like all great portable projectors, the Yaber T2 Plus comes with a substantial sound system baked in. This is a dual 8-watt speaker setup provided by JBL and I was pleasantly surprised by the power behind those drivers when I first booted it up. At the price, I was expecting to test these speakers and then ditch them for a separate system (either via the 3.5mm cable or the Y2 Plus’s Bluetooth connection) - but I generally found myself content with the audio on offer whenever I returned for more viewing. It’s not going to replace the best gaming headsets, but these speakers provide a robust sense of detail and a good level of power for everyday TV and movies. It’s not quite strong enough to hold up as a Bluetooth speaker, though, so I wouldn’t rely on the T2 Plus to provide tunes all too often.

Visuals run in 1080p resolution at 60Hz, with 450 lumens of max brightness, and there’s no HDR or fancy pixel-enhancing tech going on in the background - but that’s pretty much all you can expect from a $350 device that still punches above its weight in the battery and brightness department.

Performance

I needed to make a few visual tweaks before truly enjoying the picture thrown out by the Yaber T2 Plus. It’s certainly workable straight out of the box, but needed that max brightness setting to offer any kind of detail in darker scenes (particularly with ambient light at play). I was impressed that bumping this brightness up (while plugged in) brought out those shadow details without over-blooming lighter scenes. I did need to fiddle with the contrast and sharpness settings to get those high-key moments looking as best they could, but considering the price I was pretty amazed by what I was presented with.

The only real sacrifice I could notice in the picture quality (aside from the cheaper 1080p resolution) was in color saturation. Compared to a more expensive BenQ model, Astro Bot’s incredibly vivid landscapes and characters were noticeably more muted straight from the off. The streets of Shibuya lacked that vibrant zeal I was used to in Ghostwire Tokyo. If that’s the only real visual downgrade from a $1,000 projector that most everyday viewers will notice, though, I’m pretty happy.

Ambient light really does throw off both darker and lighter scenes, which is why I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone looking for the best outdoor projector on the market. The Conjuring suffered significantly from these drops in detail and definition. That all changed once the sun set, with a much better picture overall, and far more visual information coming to the forefront.

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With ambient light and default settings

At night, after customization

Speed is an issue if you’re looking for a gaming device. The latencies on offer here are nowhere near as low as you’ll find in the best projectors for PS5 and Xbox Series X - and they make themselves known during more frantic moments. It’s just fine for casual play during all but the fastest solo adventures, but I wouldn’t count on it for competitive endeavours.

Should you buy the Yaber T2 Plus?

If you want big-screen entertainment at home or on the go, but don’t want to invest in a machine with a price that matches its resolution, the Yaber T2 Plus is a fantastic choice. I can see this easily settling into the home of someone who prioritizes TV viewing for everyday entertainment, but wants a larger display for certain movies and sports events. Similarly, I’d recommend the Yaber T2 Plus to anyone hunting down a projector simply to keep in a secondary space. I’ve kept this device in my bedroom for the past few months and wouldn’t regret spending the cash on this more casual use-case afterwards.

If you need to travel with your portable projector, I’d recommend something a little smaller and lighter, like the Anker Nebula Capsule 3.

How I tested the Yaber T2 Plus

I used the Yaber T2 Plus for two months, testing it alongside the Sony Bravia Projector 8 for a short amount of time as well. During my testing process, I generally used the device for evening viewing after dark, watching a variety of 1080p movies from both Netflix and Disney Plus. I also spent time directly testing under different lighting conditions, using The Conjuring, Cocaine Bear, and Astro Bot (via PS5 Pro). For more information on how we test projectors, check out the full GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.

If you want a higher resolution, check out the best 4K projectors available now - or to maximize your setup, take a look at the best projector screens. We’re also rounding up all the best gaming TVs for a more traditional approach.