Until now, it has been difficult to get an inexpensive TV Stick with Google certification that allows you to watch media in high quality on streaming platforms such as Netflix, Prime Video, and others. But thanks to Mecool KD2 that comes with a Google Certification DRM level L1 to stream HD or 4K and is equipped with an Amlogic S905Y4 quad-core SoC which offers superior performance in all tasks and is supported AV1 decoder and powered by Android 11, in addition to 4GB RAM and storage capacity of up to 32GB, all this allows you to watch and enjoy thousands of movies and series in 4K resolution, so it’s time To talk about this TV Stick and see if it is worth investing in and what its pros and cons.
Mecool KD2 Features
- Amlogic S905Y4 Quad-Core SoC
- ARM Mali-G31 MP2
- Android 11
- Google Certified Widevine L1
- DDR3 4GB, eMMC 32GB
- 2.4 & 5G Dual Wifi
- Support 4K Youtube, 4K primevideo, SD Netfli
- Supports HDR10+, AV1
- Support OTA update, Google Assistant
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Design And Build Quality
The design implemented in the Mecool KD2 is beautiful and with professional touches, however, you will not need to see the design because the TV Stick will be behind the TV, the device is a rhombus plastic case with the good build quality and has the Mecool logo on the top with LED light.
Moving on to the ports, there are not many just HDMI 2.1, Micro USB 5V/1A, and USB 2.0, It obviously lacks many important ports like a microSD reader or ethernet port, this is a big drawback compared to other competitors.
Under The Hood
The SoC used in the Mecool KD2 is Amlogic S905Y4 64-bit Quad-core ARM Cortex A35 1.8GHz but they are slower than the Cortex-A55 that we can find in the Amlogic S905X4. This processor is known for its good manufacturing quality at 12nm and gives you more performance than the previous generation compared to the S905X3 found in most TV box devices. Also, It’s designed for high-performance devices and supports AV1 decoding which is now mandatory for popular streaming services and compatibility with HDR10+, HDR10, HLG HDR processing.
The Mali-G31 MP2 GPU offers good performance without forgetting the 4GB RAM for greater multitasking capabilities and provides excellent results in navigating and running applications. And storage capacity, it has 32GB eMMC without support TF card slot to expand. Unfortunately, one of the weaknesses of this TV box is a small memory, which is the minimum, and in 2022 I think it is not acceptable, and more memory capacities must be provided to choose.
Connectivity Of Mecool KD2
For connectivity, the Mecool KD2 box contains 2.4GHz / 5GHz WIFI IEEE 802.11 b / g / n / ac dual-band, the network is acceptable but not the most stable, with the absence of the LAN port, that’s why I recommend 5GHz because it provides better quality and Faster data transfer. And has Bluetooth 5.0 which is fast and works well.
Software
One of the strengths of the Mecool KD2 TV Stick is that its equipped with an Android 11 operating system to provide you with a more efficient and secure operation, better compatibility with the latest applications, and thus better user experience (not rooted).
launcher
In the beginning, it’s fast to boot up, it will not take 30 seconds to take you directly to the launcher with some configuration wizard, where we can connect to the Wi-Fi network and define which apps will be installed by default.
The launcher is clean with a flat design and has a complete desktop layout for Android 11, what I find missing is the lack of a navigation bar and status bar for easy navigation and multitasking. but, you’ve got shortcut Apps that you can customize yourself. The overall performance is very good, we can move smoothly and quickly between menus.
However, Google Assistant is integrated into the remote control, and thus users simply press the Google Assistant button to activate voice control and ask an unlimited number of questions such as checking weather information, finding the latest blockbuster, playing popular music, etc.
Applications
Android 11 allows the installation of apps from Google Play Store (Google Play Store version for Android TV OS) and contains pre-installed apps such as YouTube, Amazon Prime, Disney Plus, Hulu, Spotify, Tubi TV, and many more.
Mecool KD2 supports Google services and allows you to install the full app that is available in the play store because is a certified Android TV. and you can use a third-party store or use Google browser to search the apk app, then download and install the app you want.
This is the official Android TV OS, so you don’t get features from the mobile version such as root access, navigation bar or status bar, screen rotation, etc. But, KD2 Supports OTA updates, it is necessary to solve some possible problems or upgrade the system.
Mecool KD2 Performance
The KD2 TV Stick offers you a good solution if you are a fan of series and movies and like to enjoy the highest possible resolution, then this device will give you a resolution of 4K with HDR and compatibility with most programs that display video content with the ability to play some games with a great experience.
Video playback
Mecool KD2 supports 4K 30fps video output via HDMI 2.1 port which brings you high definition viewing and fluent video playback, making it the highest resolution signal available for home movies to let you watch 4K movies smoothly, every detail of the screen is clear and with high color saturation and quality excellent picture, no lag or stuttering, that’s the strength of this device.
Mecool KD2 Streaming Service
The current Netflix version on the Play Store is not available to install with an incompatibility message, you can download it APK by a third party. As it’s known, it’s not possible to watch paid services like Amazon Prime and Disney Plus in 4k because these applications require specific licensing, But KD2 has the DRM support level L1 to stream HD or 4K, And this is where the strength of the Android TV OS, which you cannot find in the other TV Stick. Unfortunately, this does not apply to Netflix which you can be watching only at 480p.
However, IPTV services remain one of the solutions that you will find on this device and support any high resolutions you want, and there are also other programs similar to Netflix for free.
YouTube Quality
When you go to YouTube, you can play videos on 4k 30FPS HDR, and this is the maximum limit to enjoy high quality without freezing and with smooth performance, although playing videos on 2k will be more than enough. However, this box has a maximum refresh rate ranging from 40 to 60 fps on average in FULL HD / 2k.
Play Games
The graphics processing in the Mecool KD2 is based on the Mali-G31 MP2, which offers good performance on medium games like Asphalt 8, and this is at a resolution of 1080p because at 4K the situation will be disastrous, as for powerful games like PUBG or Call of Duty you will be able to play with low settings, that is why I think that the rest of the games will not face any problems and the gameplay will be smooth for the best gaming experience.
When you put this KD2 under pressure its temperature can be reached 75ºC or more, causing a performance little drop. But on normal use like watch movies, the temperature is acceptable between 50ºC – 60ºC And I find that the cooling system is fine on this box because the body has a big number of ventilation holes, which provide the necessary cooling of the tv box. and you can make it even lower by using a cooling fan for this purpose.
Conclusion
Finally, for watching movies and TV shows, the Mecool KD2 TV Stick will not disappoint you, its provided good performance, especially in playing 4K videos without any problems, as for YouTube, 4K resolution may have some delay, All the popular TV streaming apps are available HD except for Netflix lack of DRM so play SD, playing games was ok, The launcher remains fast and the system we have is Android TV 11, which is very stable, moves very smoothly and we can run any game or app compatible with Android TV. In short, the new Mecool KD2 is a good TV Stick under $65.
Mecool KD2 Price And Where To Buy
The Mecool KD2 TV Stick is currently available on Banggood and AliExpress Store and Amazon for a very good price So, don’t miss out on this great deal. And to view its price or buy it, you can access the offer by clicking on the store icon.
Package Contents
- Mecool KD2 TV Stick
- IR+BT Voice remote
- Power Supply(12V/1A)
- USB-MICRO cable
- User Manual
Mecool KD2 Specifications
| CPU | Amlogic S905Y4 64-bit quad-core ARM® Cortex™ A35 CPU |
| GPU | ARM G31™ MP2 GPU processor |
| SDRAM | 4GB |
| FLASH | 32GB |
| WiFi | Built-in 2T2R 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2.4+5G Wi-Fi |
| Bluetooth | BT5.0 |
| LED Indicator | the standby mode is red, the working mode is white |
| OS | Android 11 ATV |
| Video decoder | – AV1 MP-10@L5.1 up to 4Kx2K@60fps – VP9 Profile-2 up to 4Kx2K@60fps – H.265 HEVC MP-10@L5.1 up to 4Kx2K@60fps – AVS2-P2 Profile up to 4Kx2K@60fps – H.264 AVC HP@L5.1 up to 4Kx2K@30fps – MPEG-4 ASP@L5 up to 1080P@60fps (ISO-14496) – WMV/VC-1 SP/MP/AP up to 1080P@60fps – AVS-P16(AVS+) /AVS-P2 JiZhun Profile up to 1080P@60fps – MPEG-2 MP/HL up to 1080P@60fps (ISO-13818) – MPEG-1 MP/HL up to 1080P@60fps (ISO-11172) – RealVideo 8/9/10 up to 1080P@60fps – Multiple languages and multiple format sub-title video support – MJPEG and JPEG unlimited pixel resolution decoding (ISO/IEC-10918) – Supports JPEG thumbnail, scaling, rotation, and transition effects |
| Video encoder | Video/Picture Encoding Amlogic Video Engine (AVE) with dedicated hardware decoders and SW H.264/ VP8 encoders – Support multi-video decoder up to 4x1080P@60fps – Supports multiple “secured” video decoding sessions and simultaneous decoding and encoding |
| HDR | Supports HDR10+, HDR10, HLG HDR processing |
| 3D Graphics | ARM G31 MP2 GPU – 4-wide warps, dual texture pipe, 2x 4-wide execution engines (EE) – Concurrent multi-core processing – for OpenGL ES 3.2, Vulkan 1.1, and for OpenCL 2.0 support |
| Decoder format | HD MPEG1/2/4, H.265/H.264/HEVC, VC-1/WMV, AVS, AVS +, AVS2 RealVideo, AV1, MP-10, VP9 Profile, RM, RealVideo8/9/10 |
| Media format | Supports *.mkv,*.wmv,*.mpg, *.mpeg, *.dat, *.avi, *.mov, *.iso, *.mp4, *.rm and *.jpg file formats |
| Music format | Supports MP3, AAC, WMA, RM, FLAC, programmable with 7.1/5.1 down-mixing |
| Photo format | MJPEG/JPEG |
| Network Function | Chromecast, for Airplay, Skype chatting, Picasa, Youtube, Flicker, Facebook, Online movies, etc. |
| Language | Chinese, English, Germany, Japanese, Korea, etc. 24 languages |
| OTA | Support OTA update |
| Port | 1 x HDTV 2.1 Dynamic HDR 4Kx2K@60 max resolution output 1 x USB 2.0 1 x Micro USB 5V/1A |
