Main Interface

While Dangbei does not clearly tell you on which version of Android the Dangbei Atom is based on, we know that it is Android 11 based on the deep dive into the settings. The latest version of Android TV is 14, which was released in May 15th 2024. That said, Google did skip the version number 13 for some reason, so being on 11 is perfectly fine, and you won't really notice anything to distract you from all the needed smartness and integration you would come to expect. Navigating to the apps row highlights it in full brightness, which bodes well to the overall brightness capabilities of the Dangbei Atom.

Settings

General Settings

All the general settings of the Android TV based interface are present on the Dangbei Atom as well. There are no elements missing and it seems Dangbei has done as little as possible to deviate from the vanilla experience. Considering how far Android TV has come, it makes sense to not try to re-invent the wheel, especially as the device supports the Google App Store and streaming apps like Netflix natively. This holds true almost to a fault as you won't find any additional apps to easily access storage elements either.

Input Settings

As a projector, you also find the usual input pane much like you would on a TV. This lists the one HDMI port clearly, but also gives you the CEC based controls you are used to, so that you may control the connected devices through the unit. The only discrepancy is that Android TV refers to the projector as a "TV" instead of the proper device type. But that simply means that Dangbei is not trying to mess with Android TV, and it is highly unlikely that Google will start maintaining two development tracks for the OS to differentiate between a TV and a projector anyway.

Projector Settings

There is a menu item for the projector specific settings around Focus and Image Correction. Dangbei does a very good job in providing both manual and automatic functionality for both the focus and keystone correction. The manual keystone is based on four points. While this is fine, some bigger projectors can offer eight points to allow for a little bit of finer tuning.


The Dangbei Atom can also support "Bluetooth Speaker Mode" which basically turns the projector into a speaker while keeping the screen as dark as possible. This is a feature that other brand enabled through an app vs. buried inside a setting, which makes it a bit hard to reach. That said, it is probably wiser for anyone to get a dedicated Bluetooth speaker instead of adding unnecessary runtime to your projector.

Display & Sound Settings

Obviously picture setup is always a big deal, more so on a Projector than a TV. You are given plenty of presets as well as some customization capabilities. The High Performance Mode doesn't really give you a huge benefit but in turn cranks the built-in cooling to 100%, which isn't useful in your traditional home theater environment. This setting may be of interest for commercial settings, where noise is of no issue.


The Dangbei Atom also provides plenty of audio present and the ability for basic customization of balance, base and treble. While that could be useful, you are going to be limited by the pair of 5 watt speakers for the most part. As the unit is Dolby Audio certified, it also provides those output methods in their digital form.

System Settings

Diving into the units "About" settings, you can update the OS through here, and we did actually get an update when we first plugged the Atom in. As you can see clearly in this part of the OS, it lists Android 11.1.0.84 and OS security patch level of April 2024, which may not be the very latest, but is still pretty up to date. As the Dangbei Atom allows for native Netflix playback you will also find the respective ESN listed here.


The rest of the System information seems pretty straightforward for the most part. The one aspect that we always look at is actual available storage. While the Dangbei Atom advertises 32 GB of eMMC5.1 storage, 8 GB of that is dedicated to the OS, so you actually only get a total of 24 GB. That is plenty to accommodate your app installs and in line with what most modern TVs also offer. Thanks to the USB 2.0 port, you can easily expand it for movies or music, if needed.