I finally found an Android TV box that rivals the Shield TV Pro, and it's $119 for Prime Day
Mecool's KM2 Plus Deluxe is much better than I initially thought.
![Mecool KM2 Plus Deluxe](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Q8Q8Q8nTJpyd7HmZdgx3TN-320-80.jpg)
Look, most Android TV boxes suck; they either don't have the requisite codecs, have issues with rendering HDR, or tend to be laggy. I used products that had all three drawbacks, but that was before the Shield TV Pro; NVIDIA somehow managed to create the ultimate Android TV streaming box, and I liked it so much I ended up buying three.
Like every year, the Shield TV Pro is down to its customary $169 asking price for Prime Day, and if you haven't made the switch yet, I highly recommend it. But if you don't want to pay that much and are interested in considering an alternative, you should pick up Mecool's KM2 Plus Deluxe. It usually retails for $149, but it's available for $119 at the moment — you'll need to use the 20% coupon on the page.
The KM2 Plus Deluxe also runs Android TV based on Android 11, and while I was wary of the brand at the beginning — I used way too many shoddy streaming boxes — it turned out to be pretty great. I set it up with the bedroom projector a month ago, and I didn't run into any issues.
Mecool KM2 Plus Deluxe: $149 $119 at Amazon
The KM2 Plus Deluxe has the best features of the Shield TV Pro; it's fluid in daily use, has full-fledged Android TV 11.0, and does a great job with HDR content. You get AV1 decode as well, and the best part is the affordability.
✅Recommended if: You need a powerful Android TV box that handles HDR and AV1. The KM2 Plus is lag-free in daily use, and there are considerable savings over the Shield TV Pro.
❌Skip this deal if: You want Dolby Vision, and don't like the bloated interface of Android TV.
Setting up the KM2 Plus Deluxe is similar to other Android TV boxes, and there are no feature omissions. It comes with 4GB of RAM, and the interface is just about the most fluid out of any Android TV device I used. You get access to the Play Store, it handles HDR content really well, and there's AV1 decode. However, there's no Dolby Vision.
Just like the Shield TV Pro, you get a standard HDMI port alongside USB-A and Ethernet connectors, so you can plug in an external drive to the KM2 Plus Deluxe with relative ease. Given that it is down to just $119, I suggest giving it a try if you want a powerful Android TV box.
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Harish Jonnalagadda is Android Central's Senior Editor of Asia. In his current role, he oversees the site's coverage of Chinese phone brands, networking products, and AV gear. He has been testing phones for over a decade, and has extensive experience in mobile hardware and the global semiconductor industry. Contact him on Twitter at @chunkynerd.
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DarkShadow2024 MECOOL specifically states that the KM2 Plus Deluxe supports Dolby Vision. Are you sure you have the right device?Reply
https://www.mecool.com/products/mecool-km2-plus-deluxe -
harish
It says so, but it doesn't actually render any Dolby Vision content. It's good with HDR10, and I'm talking to their product guys to see if they can roll out an update to sort out the issue.DarkShadow2024 said:MECOOL specifically states that the KM2 Plus Deluxe supports Dolby Vision. Are you sure you have the right device?
https://www.mecool.com/products/mecool-km2-plus-deluxe -
brofelgood I've had this player since its launch in Dec 23 and playing DV content has been flawless. Playing HDR/HDR10 content had been an issue but that was resolved in a Jan 24 firmware update.Reply
I think the bare minimum before you put out an article like this would have been to verify your findings against reviews on Youtube e..g uyLIIKUjQE4:126 and JtAfT2jfANI as well as discussions in the various forums, e.g. https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=375662 and https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=375187
Double check your player's display setting, video app settings (in the case of Kodi), and make sure your TV is Dolby Vision capable (not all brands, Samsung included, support DV). -
tube517
I have 3 of these in the house. They have all been solid. There are some bugs but it is an easy fix.os2baba said:I'm happy with my $20 Onn 4K from Walmart
Overall. Well worth $20.
I do have a Nvidia shield pro on my main TV. It was worth the sale price on Amazon.