MECOOL KM2 Plus Review: Is this the best streaming box 2022?

We had the opportunity to test the MECOOL KM2 Plus 4K Certified Streaming TV Box, so today we can show you the MECOOL KM2 Plus review. As you know, MECOOL KM2 Plus is the successor to the still popular MECOOL KM2 from 2021. In addition, it is another certified media streamer in the MECOOL portfolio. Currently, MECOOL has four certified streaming devices. More precisely, two streaming TV Sticks (KD3 and KD5) and two streaming TV Boxes (KM2, and the latest KM2 Plus).

Regarding the features of the specification, the MECOOL KM2 Plus offers a lot. It has the efficient S905X4-B SoC that supports 4K HDR / HDR10+ AV1 decoding and Dolby Audio. In addition, it is certified by Google and Netflix, runs on Android TV 11, and has 16GB of eMMC storage. So, can it be considered that MECOOL KM2 Plus is the best streaming box in 2022? And most importantly, is it worth buying a KM2 Plus Streaming TV Box? You should find the answer to these questions in our KM2 Plus review.

Availability and price

MECOOL KM2 Plus Review: Product details

MECOOL KM2 Plus TV Box Specification

• SoC – Amlogic S905X4-B Quad-Core A55 up to 2.0GHz, 24000DMIPS
• OS –  Google Certified Android TV 11
• Memory – 2GB DDR4
• Storage – 16GB eMMC flash, MicroSD card slot
• Video
  • Output – HDMI 2.1 up to 4Kp60 with HDCP 2.3, HDMI-CEC support
  • Codecs – AV1, H.264/AVC, H.265/HEVC, VP8 & VP9
  • HDR – HDR10+, HDR & HLG
  • DRM – Widevine L1, Playready 3000
• Audio
  • Optical S/PDIF, AV, digital audio via HDMI;
  • Codec – AAC & HE-AAC; Dolby Digital & Dolby Digital Plus & MS12; Dolby Atmos Passthrough
• Networking – Fast Ethernet, Dual-band 802.11b/g/n/ac WiFi 5 2R2T & Bluetooth 5.0
• USB – 1x USB 3.0 Type-A port, 1x USB 2.0 Type-A port
• Power Supply – 12V/1A via DC jack
• Certifications
  • Google ATV, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video
  • MS12 including DD & DD+/HDMI 2.1 (with CEC)/HDCP 2.3, CE/FCC, RoHs, PoPs, REACH
• Dimensions – 98 x 98x 20mm
• Weight – n/a

The box included:

• KM2 Plus 4K Android TV Box
• 12V/1A Power Adapter
• HDMI cable
• Quick Start Manual
• G10 Bluetooth Voice Remote Control

Unboxing MECOOL KM2 Plus 4K TV Box on Youtube

On our YouTube channel, you can take a look at more MECOOL KM2 Plus details and bundled accessories.

KM2 Plus First impressions, settings, an overview of features

KM2 Plus TV Box has a small size (measures 98 x 98 x 20mm). In addition, the housing is made of high-quality plastic, and the top cover has a metal flat plate for heat dissipation. So far we have known TV Boxes with all plastic housing without metal plates for heat dissipation. So this solution is definitely a plus and has a positive effect on the reliable and stable operation of the device.

The front panel has 3 LEDs (IR, NET, Power). On one side are two USB ports (USB 2.0  and USB 3.0) and a micro SD card slot. In the back are the SPDIF optical, AV port, RJ45 Ethernet port, HDMI 2.1 port, and DC jack (12V/1A). On the bottom, there are four rubber pads that ensure a stable position of the device. In addition, vents and device data.

The MECOOL KM2 Plus streaming player comes with the well-known G10 Bluetooth voice remote control. The voice remote is black, the same for the MECOOL KD3. G10 Android TV / Google TV reference design remote control has 4 dedicated buttons (Youtube, Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney+) and the distinctive Google Assistant button. Pictures below.

Impressions from the use

MECOOL KM2 Plus works reliably and stably. We have at our disposal the well-known Android TV 11 OS with built-in Google Assistant and Chromecast. WiFi and Ethernet connection works fast. Wifi: Download – 288.7Mbps Upload – 174.6Mbps, Ethernet: Download – 97Mbps Upload – 88Mbps. Chromecast built-in works fine. Of course, the operation of voice commands via the G10 BT voice remote control is also without reservations.

In addition to video streaming, KM2 Plus allows for gaming entertainment. You can play games available on the Google Play store for Android TV and in the cloud (Stadia, GeForce NOW). If you want to use a gamepad, we recommend GameSir G4 Pro. Contrary to most certified streaming devices, inside KM2 Plus TV Box we find 16GB eMMC storage (exactly 13GB). Besides, KM2 Plus streaming box also works well with Kodi and Plex. For managing KM2 Plus via smartphone, you need to install the Google TV app from the Google Play store. A few screenshots are below.

Streaming Services via MECOOL KM2 Plus 4K Android TV Box

KM2 Plus Android TV Box supports video content in 4K resolution. It supports all popular streaming up to 4K@60fps with HDR10, HDR10+, HLG. Interestingly, if you have a TV with Dolby Vision, you will be able to play content with Dolby Vision via KM2 Plus. Moreover, KM2 Plus supports 4K AV1 decoding. Below is also a screen with an AV1 sample from Youtube. Popular Streaming services in 4K UHD (2160p) resolution:

• Youtube 4K
• Google Play Movies 4K
• Netflix 4K
• HBO Max 4K
• Disney+ 4K
• Apple TV+ 4K
• Prime Video 4K

Besides, KM2 Plus has Dolby Audio certification, and supports Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS HD, DTS 5.1 / 7.1, and Dolby Atmos.

Operating system and components

The heart of the KM2 Plus Android TV Box is the Amlogic S905X4-B SoC (Quad-core ARM Cortex-A55 CPU) with ARM-G31 MP2 GPU supporting AV1 codec (AV1 MP-10@L5.1 up to 4Kx2K@60fps). Streaming box runs on Android TV 11.0 OS, Kernel version 5.4.125, and supports OTA updates. CPU speed between 100MHz and 2.0GHz. The factory model of the device is SkyworthDigital HP44H (HP4414-MECOOL). 

Besides device supports Google Widevine L1(HDCP 2.3)/Playready and CENC ClearKey. The device does not have root access. Some screenshots.

Performance tests and benchmarks

Video test

In addition to online streaming, the KM2 Plus streamer can also be used as a media player for local playback or via NAS via Kodi or Plex. Playback by Kodi 19.3 runs almost smoothly and is stable. AV1 samples work better with MX Player and VLC. A device without problem seems to play movies with the resolution of 480p,720p, and 1080p (24fps, 30fps, 60fps) and also 4K (60fps) with various formats and codecs videos such as AV1 codec, H.265/ HEVC, VP9, H.264, MPEG2, MPEG4, RMVB, and audio. Dolby Digital 5.1 passthrough worked fine via HDMI. As we mentioned before, the device supports also Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS HD, DTS 5.1 / 7.1 and Dolby Atmos.

Video Playback via Kodi 19.3 Matrix

Typical 1080p	Result
MPEG2 / MP2 2.0 – 6.6Mbps	OK
MPEG4 / MP3 2.0 – 7.6Mbps	OK
H264 / AAC 2.0 – 7.2Mbps	OK
VC1 / WMA3 2.0 – 25Mbps	OK
VP8 / VORBIS 2.0 – 7.8Mbs	OK
Jellyfish 1080p HEVC 10bit – 90Mbps	OK
4K Video
Sintel – H264 / AAC 2.0 – 24fps	OK
BBB Sunflower -H264 – 30fps	OK
BBB Sunflower -H264 – 60fps	OK
Honey Bees – 96fps	OK
Skyfall – H264 / AAC 2.0 – 10Mbps	OK
Puppies Bath – h264/AAC 2.0	OK
Cinemartin H265/HEVC	OK
Tears of steel – 60fps	OK
HD Club Chimei – H264 / AAC 2.0 – 60Mbps	OK
Jellyfish 4k uhd HEVC 10bit – 140Mbps	OK
Jellyfish 4k uhd HEVC 10bit – 200/250/300/400Mbps	OK
LG Demo – Istanbul 3840×2160 MP4/H264 8bit – 116Mbps	OK
Sony 4K – Camp HDR MP4/HEVC 10bit – 75.8Mbps	OK
Demo Samsung 2014 – USA Road Trip TS/HEVC 10bit – 51.4Mbps	OK
Samsung UHD DUBAI TS/HEVC 10bit – 51Mbps	OK
H.265/VP9 Video
Tears of steel – H265-HVEC / AAC 2.0 – 15Mbps	OK
Youtube – VP9 / 1080p	No
VP9 / 4k – Eye of the Storm 4K Ultra HD.webmv	OK
VP9 / 4k – 10 Incredible 4K (Ultra HD) Videos.webmv	OK
VP9 / 4k – Australia – Land Down Under in 4K.webmv	OK
AV1/ 4k – Summer Nature.webm	Not smooth
AV1 / 4k – Holi Festival.webm	Not smooth

Benchmarks

For testing, we use Benchmark v9.3.0, GeekBench 4, 3D Mark (two tests only). Internal memory benchmarks (via A1SD Bench app): Read 133.18MB/s – Write 133.18MB/s. RAM copy speed was 3095.28MB/s. Below are benchmarks screenshots.

MECOOL KM2 VS MECOOL KM2 Plus

Even though KM2 Android TV Box came out in 2021, it’s still a good streamer. By purchasing it, you will be satisfied with its use. KM2 Plus, on the other hand, offers more up-to-date features compared to KM2. It has a powerful S905X4-B SoC with AV1 decoding support. It also has 16GB eMMC storage (KM2 8GB) and runs on Android TV 11 (KM2 runs on Android TV 10), and supports Bluetooth 5.0. As for the other video and audio features, they are similar. As for the price, the MECOOL KM2 is a bit cheaper, it costs $71.10 (with our coupon: ANDROIDTVBOX), while the KM2 Plus with the coupon costs $74.70.

The difference in price is slight. If we were to decide, we definitely choose MECOOL KM2 Plus.

Why is it worth getting a streaming player that uses AV1 decoding?

Most of the currently popular streaming services use the latest AV1 decoding. AV1 is a high-performance, royalty-free video codec that provides 20% improved compression efficiency over HEVC/VP9 and manages to save up to 30% in bandwidth for the same image quality.

Review MECOOL KM2 Plus TV Box Conclusions

Undoubtedly, MECOOL KM2 Plus is a media player that should appear in every home entertainment center. KM2 Plus is a certified streaming box offering the currently popular AV1 decoding and supports all available streaming services up to 4K@60fps. At the beginning of the MECOOL KM2 Plus review, we asked the question – Is this the best streaming box of 2022? Certainly one of the best streaming box available on the market. It only lacks Dolby Vision support to be fully satisfied with its use. If you are looking for a valuable certified streaming device in TV Box format then KM2 Plus is worth buying. We highly recommend MECOOL KM2 Plus.