Its speaker is not too quiet and its not too complicated. The Mars II looks like a little lunchbox, complete with a carry handle. The BenQ GV1 has a tilting head that lets you point the image upwards without constructing a ramp from bits and bobs you find in the house, and the Viewsonic MV1+ has a full-on swivelling stand. Its a big step down in size and cost to our next pick, the 400 Asus Zenbean S2. Read More, The Optoma ML750 ST weighs less than a pound, making it ideal for travel. At least one valid email address is required. This is the most capable projector on test that still feels like a lifestyle gadget. The size limits the amount of hardware and features that can be packed into the device. It has a laser light source, where the rest use LEDs. That said, we were also fairly impressed by every projector on test compared to some pico models we tested years ago. Users will have to keep the screen size under 40 inches for a satisfactory viewing experience. It's a shame because the Qumi Q3 Plus boasts a native 720p resolution and gets bright enough to accommodate rooms with less-than-ideal amounts of ambient light. Plus: voice-activated commands via an internal Google Assistant.Playback:Up to 7 hours per chargeExpected delivery:May 2019Price:$399 (expected MSRP $599), Picture quality:1080p full HD with clarity up to a 240-inchprojection sizeBrightness:200 lumens, same as aboveSize:A 2.5 x 2.5 x 2.5 cube. He has written for a stack of magazines and websites including Wired, TrustedReviews, TechRadar and Stuff. It is the only projector in the entire test that can create engaging pictures with the curtains open. My favorite aspect of the Nebula Mars II is its Android 7.1 operating system, which comes with popular streaming apps like Netflix, Youtube, and Amazon Video right out of the boxsimply connect the Mars II to a WiFi network and youre ready to go. They must be placed closer to the screen as well. The M1's total resolution (854 x 480) is vastly lower than most of the projectors we've tested to date. How To Buy A Home Theater Projector: What You Need to Know, Top 5 Best Smart Portable Projectors From China 2022. The sheer light output per cubic centimetre here is excellent. Despite a claim of 500 lumen brightness, the Zenbeam S2 is not a great fit for brighter rooms either. Our team is here for one purpose: to help you buy the best stuff and love what you own. Make sure you pack a Bluetooth speaker, though, as the built-in ones are not particularly loud, and struggle to compete with the LH160s quite noticeable fan noise. Even the pressure of your finger on the dial alters the focus. They come with an integrated battery and dont require a power source, making them equally suitable for a night in the backyard or the outdoors. No longer does a projector necessitate a slew ofspecialized equipmentto transmit content from a cable box or satellite, nor a dedicated room in your home whose sole purpose is to house it. Small ones are perfect for the kids room or for camping holidays, but the image just isnt quite good enough to make you want to use it often at home if you have a good TV. Everything you need to host an outdoor movie night. Does the projector come with any sort of carrying case? Finally, as we do with all of the products we test, we took into consideration each projectors price tag overall value. Just dont expect too much if you use it during the day with light beaming into the room. The Asus models can be slow to respond and the Optoma is a bit buggy, which can be a headache when you just want to turn the projector on and start watching. Competitive gamers might see them as a way to set up more screens at a tournament without lugging around armfuls of heavy hardware. First things first: make sure that an ultra-portable projector is the right fit for you. If only the brightest image will do, the Epson EF100 is the projector to go for. We checked out customer reviews and talked to some other experts in the field to try to cut down this list to the portable projects that youll love, rather than tolerate. Why does this matter? Our reasoning was simple: Most people who shop for portable projectors need them for work, and these scenarios usually involve traveling, whether it's down the hall to a conference room or across the country to an important meeting. Crucially, the Mars II is a top-notch performerat least when it comes to the realm of mini projectors. The best portable projectors can throw out a much larger image than any TV at the price, and wont take over your living room like a full-size projector. Due to their compact design, mini projectors have batteries of a limited capacity. You'll need a clear sightline from the remote to the projector's receiver in order for it to work, and even then, there's a good chance it won't. Our writers, editors, and lab technicians obsess over the products we cover to make sure you're confident and satisfied. The M1 features a lithium-ion battery for cordless operation. We also used a light meter to measure their max light, at 40cm from the source. The Qumi Q3 Plus features an on-board 8,000mAh-sized lithium-ion battery and also comes with a small remote control. Portable projectors start from $300 and go all the way up to $1,200, with most of the options costing between $500 and $700. UPDATED: After testing around 30 portable projectors, we now have a clear winner - as you can see below, we have given you a few options as well, for anyone looking for the best portable projector to go into a kids' bedroom and one that works even when the room is really bright. Copyright 2022 ProjectorSavvy. It's free. Many of the portable projectors youll find online are several years old. Theres no battery, though, or many tasty smart features. The mid-range portable projectors are the sweet spot for most. On the other hand, mini projectors have a resolution of 360p or 480p at most. And awesome. It was richer, and more engaging.
Along with convenience, the portability of each projector was considered. This projector isnt as bright as the Epsom, but has deeper blacks and a much smoother look to its image. Theyre thin and nowhere near loud enough. Amazing cut-price audio goodness from Amazon Prime Day. As all portable projectors run on a battery, they wont match the brightness of their standard home or office counterparts. This projector is also quite noisy. He specializes in tech for Reviewed, but also loves film criticism, weird ambient music, cooking, and food in general. Models of the former type have a resolution of at least 720p (HD), with some models generating a 1080p (Full HD) image. We found it sharp enough to make movies look great, but youll notice the difference in the interfaces of games. Theres no battery so real-real-world portability is limited and this is not our favourite at the price for very dark rooms, but its unbeatable for daytime viewing. The remote, though, doesn't always work. All of our portable projector picks avoid the biggest headache of older traditional projectors: lamps. Heres what the Mars II offers from a connectivity standpoint: The Mars II is equipped with a 12,500mAh-sized battery and uses a proprietary cable for charging or for using the Mars II while the batterys dead (you can expect roughly four hours of battery life). These projectors are designed primarily for small, personal spaces, and its important to understand the limitations of each. Reviews, deals and product news for people who like owning nice things. It also beats the Epson EF-100 for black depth, resolution and the character of the image, which is similar to the Asuss. Mini projectors often compromise on attributes and specifications due to their size restrictions. The ceiling was white, not the dark colour youd ideally have. Required fields are marked *.
Which puts out a better picture? VERDICTLook, if youre the kind of person who likes tostand by products that are tried and true, go with the Nebula Capsule II. Whether you're taking it on a business trip or setting up a private screening at home, the Nebula Mars II offers the best mix of quality performance and overall flexibility. Having spent a good amount of that time testing and reviewing TVs, Im well-positioned to evaluate portable projectors, both in terms of their overall picture quality as well as their design. In a vacuum, I'd prefer having a remote control over not having one at all, but the M1's remote is so dysfunctional that I almost wish I didn't have it to begin with. Their runtime ranges from 2 to 4 hours, depending on the model. You need to adjust your expectations before buying a portable projector. This tiny projector is among the most versatile in its class. This article was featured in the InsideHook newsletter. Theres a USB-C port on the back to let you connect other devices, like smart TV sticks, but youll need an adapter cable. And most of them dont have the same level of convenience as petite projectors. And its small and light enough to sling in a rucksack and take to a friends house. We were initially a little disappointed by the raised blacks and the visible pixel structure, which makes the picture look more clinical. Therefore, if battery life is an important consideration, then select a portable projector over a mini one. But there are some concessions made to make it work better as an on-the-go movie machine. It will actually fit in your pocket, if a bit awkwardly.Streaming capabilities:PIQO is also powered by Android, with more than 3 million apps available via the Google Play store, including Netflix. While testing the image quality we also performed a side-by-side comparison of their built-in speakers. Why dont you start the discussion? Purchases you make through our links may earn us a commission. And, vitally, they are getting smaller every day super portable pocket projectors have become a class of product unto themselves, and two of them are currentlycrowdfunding for 2019 deliveries (and well beyond their campaign goals): Kickstarters Nebula Capsule IIand Indiegogos PIQO. All of them have a fixed throw lens, which tells you the distance from a wall or screen it needs to be to achieve, for example, a 100-inch image. On holiday, absolutely, but wed likely stick to the TV when at home. Another issue with them is that their manufacturers specify their brightness rating in lumens and not ANSI lumens, which can be quite misleading. Due to their smaller size, they weigh far less as compared to portable projectors and wont increase the weight of your backpack significantly. Anker Nebula Mars II Pro is one such portable projector model that weighs 3.94 lbs (1.78Kg). The Viewsonic M1+ also has a slightly more flexible stand, which lets you rotate the projector part to just about any angle you like. Who needs a TV, when you can have the best portable projector? If youre looking for a serious projector that does have a battery, you need the Optoma LF160. It is cute as a button and has a modern smart TV like interface that lets you get up and running quickly. Asus, Optoma and Epson use pretty old-school interfaces while the cheaper projectors' software is based on Android. Our pick for the best overall portable projector is the Anker Nebula Mars II, a battery-powered DLP projector (1280 x 720) that offers both hardware and software flexibility, respectable picture quality, and a friendly, practical design.
The Asus F1 has a touch of gamer design. Outdoors movie screenings, camping holidays and TV-free kids' rooms are a great place for a projector. The Nebula Mars II is only 720p, not Full HD. Its speakers are loud and relatively full-sounding, and you dont need a totally blacked-out room to make the image enjoyable. If you consider bad image quality a deal-breaker, then avoid mini projectors. A laser-powered light source gives the Epson EF-100 incredible brightness for its size. But the focus tends to change slightly as you take your finger off, as the construction isnt sturdy enough. Its menu system is very slow to scroll through, and theres just a two-height flip-out stand on the front to get the right angle. Its free. A portable projector is at its best when dealing with situations where a TV just isn't suitable. This is where you can see the pixels, because theres more of a gap between each dot of light that makes up the image. The suitable device for a buyer will depend on their requirements and which features they are willing to sacrifice. The AAXA P2-A is the smallest projector we've tested, but I'd argue that its cube shape makes it slightly more bulky to carry than the bigger, heavier Asus ZenBeam E1. Shoppers may choose a model that does not meet their requirements unknowingly. The weakest element here is the P2-A's color productionthings just don't look vibrant and properly saturated. All rights reserved. The Asus F1 is also a good choice if space is limited, as its 0.8 throw ratio lens means it needs less distance to project a huge image. A teeny-tiny projector just doesnt cut it if you want a cinema-like effect. In a dark or dimly-lit room, the ML750T is bright enough to produce a picture with decent contrast, but as is the case with most mini projectors, the picture will appear flat and washed-out if theres too much ambient light. Asus also rates the maximum picture size at a huge 210 inches. The display technology used is also far inferior to their portable counterparts. First, we took into consideration each devices features, including software, various connectivity options, etc. Lots seem to suggest they are Full HD or 4K resolution, and have the light output of a small star. And can it produce a good picture far bigger than your TV's without spending hundreds on blackout blinds and painting your walls and ceiling black? While it's disappointing that the P2-A's built-in hardware is limited to mini-HDMI and USB, it is nice to have WiFi and Android functionality baked into a projector of this size. They also have better display engines, allowing viewers to enjoy content in high definition and with good picture quality. Our is the Tiger Laptop Stand, available for around 25 from Amazon. Youre not going to see great results in a well-lit setting, but screenings in dimly-lit rooms and nighttime viewings will look greattheres enough luminance that colors pop and shadows dont appear as washed-out as they do on some of the other projectors weve tested. To get to grips with these projectors in the most real-life realistic manner, we tested them at home.