Buy: Buy: As convenient in size as many of these mini projectors are, they often will surprisingly require a power adaptor to run.
In order to use it, you must connect an external device to its HDMI or USB port. AAXA P6: The P6 is brighter and more color-accurate than its predecessor, the P300. But those projectors lack some usability features that we think are more important to the overall experience. It also works with an app called Nebula Connect, which lets you stream content to the projector from your phone (copyrighted material wont stream). $279.99. Not only does this mini projector have an advanced cooling system, but its lamp life is 55,000 hours! Asus ZenBeam E1: This projector produces a tiny 854480 picture at 150 lumens. Theyre small enough to not take up a lot of space in your room, but portable enough to take with you to someone elses place too. Adrienne Maxwell has reviewed projectors and home theater equipment for over a decade. The Mars is not as user-friendly as the Mars II. Our team of experts spends hundreds of hours analyzing, testing, and researching products so you don't have to.Learn more. As we said before, the Anker Nebula Mars II doesn't have the best image quality, objectively speaking, of the mini projectors that we tested. Along with our own experts, DWYM analyzes the top expert reviews of the leading products and generates a score you can actually trust. Mini projectors are designed to be portable enough to carry around while also packing the same punch as a much larger model. One thing to consider as you shop for a projector is mobile connectivity. Screenshot: Sarah Kobos, The Mars II remote offers only the buttons you really need, in an intuitive layout. Unfortunately, not all projectors come with good speakers, and youll probably find that applies to miniature projectors, as well. Considering that other projectors we tested from AAXA and LG sounded compressed and actively unpleasant, we don't think the shortcomings of the Mars II are a big dealespecially since you can easily connect external speakers via a 3.5 mm input or Bluetooth. In addition to its ports, the PF50KA supports LGs SmartTV platform and ScreenShare, so you can access content wirelessly. Fits on Any TabletopThe lamp in this mini projector is designed to last for up to 500,000 hours. DWYM simplifies the research process by aggregating the reviews of the top product review sites. Vivitek Qumi Q6: This projector has dual HDMI inputs and supports 3D, but it exhibits video processing bugs that reduce the image quality. The Anker Nebula Mars II delivers the best combination of features, performance, and ease of use of any mini projector we tested. You won't be able to use a mini projector as a TV replacement if you tend to watch TV during the day or in a very bright room, but in the dark they look fine and are great space savers.
But its 854480 resolution is just too low for streaming movies. DBPower T20: This frequent Amazon best seller claims to produce an extremely bright image (1,800 lumens) and a 1080p resolution. Anker Nebula Mars II USB Mini Projector, 16. Want more Rolling Stone?
Optoma ML550: Compact and portable with a rated 500 lumens, this projector has no battery option. Anker Nebula Mars Lite Portable Projector, 19. For the category, we analyzed 36 of the most popular reviews including reviews from and more. Kylie's 17-Minute Flight Has Nothing on the 170 Trips Taylor Swift's Private Jets Took This Year, Kelis Calls Out Beyonc for Theft Over Using Milkshake, But Her Real Beef Lies in Years-Old Feud With Pharrell, Feds Charge Russian Puppetmaster for Secretly Directing U.S. This should be more than enough power to last through an entire movie. $549.99. In previous years, we tested and dismissed these projectors: AAXA P300 Neo: This projector looked like a newer, smaller, cheaper version of the AAXA P300.
Now a novelist and professional writer, her writings on electronics have been published on top tech sites. Power is also a consideration with miniature projectors. You can fit them in a backpack, but it would be awkward to carry much else. This mini projector connects easily to a whole host of devices, including DVD players, smartphones, laptops and even PS4s.
This projector has a native resolution of 854 x 400, and can throw a maximum screen size of 80 inches from 6.43 feet away. Optoma LV130 Mini Projector CiBest Built-In Speaker Portable Mini Projector, 6. These are all great features, but they come at the cost of resolution (854 x 480; 480p), and brightness (250 lumens). Along with user reviews from Amazon. - A weekly roundup of our favorite tech deals. Anker Nebula Capsule Tripod Mini Projector, 18.
Most of the mini projectors we tested produced a good, but not great, image, and the Nebula Mars II was no exception. To determine which projectors to test for our latest update, we considered the following elements: With these parameters in mind, we narrowed the list to six projectors to test against our previous pick, the AAXA P300. The projector can be used with just about any device, including a camera, cell phone, gaming console, television or laptop. If youre buying a projector for portability, chances are you want to be able to travel without the burden of extra equipment. Mini Projector, PVO Portable Projector for Cartoon, Kids Gift, Outdoor Movie Projector, LED Pico Video Projector for Home Theater Movie Projector with HDMI USB Interfaces and Remote Control (Electronics), Mini Projector,HOMPOW Portable Projector 1080P Supported 2022 Upgraded Movie Projector and 176" Display, Compatible with TV Stick/HDMI/VGA/USB/TV Box/Laptop/DVD/PS4 for Home (Electronics), AuKing Mini Projector 2022 Upgraded Portable Video-Projector,55000 Hours Multimedia Home Theater Movie Projector,Compatible with Full HD 1080P HDMI,VGA,USB,AV,Laptop,Smartphone (Office Product), Mini Projector, 2022 Upgraded CiBest Video Projector Outdoor Movie Projector 7500L, LED Portable Home Theater Projector 1080P and 200" Supported, Compatible with PS4, PC via HDMI, VGA, TF, AV and USB (Electronics), Mini Projector, GooDee W18 WiFi Movie Projector with Synchronize Smartphone Screen with 1080P Support and 200 Video Projector Support TV Stick, HDMI, VGA, USB, Laptop, PS4, and iOS/Android Phone (Office Product), DWYM simplifies the research process by aggregating the reviews of the top product review sites. And the image looked really good with real contentit's bright enough and has a high enough contrast ratio that the image was vibrant even in a room with some ambient light. This guide may have been updated by Wirecutter.
Even those that do run on batteries have limited runtime, which is something youll have to consider every time you fire your projector up. Adrienne cast a 55-inch image from each model on a 1.1-gain Elite Screens matte white screen. The result is the, 1.
Look for the DWYM seal for products that are the best in their category. Both the AAXA M6 and the Anker Nebula Mars produce a brighter image and have a higher contrast ratio, and the AAXA P6 is more color-accurate. DBPOWER Portable High Contrast Mini Projector, 14. And if you want to use the Mars II unplugged from the wall, its internal battery lasts almost four hours, even if you're using the built-in Netflix app the entire time.
2022 Rolling Stone, LLC. $309.99.
Battery life:Portable projectors are a battery power balancing act: brightness, speaker size, weight, and resolution all play a part in how much time youll get to use them per charge. We initially found this annoying, but ultimately we ended up preferring to use the app over the remotenot having to dig into the folds of our couch just to adjust the volume is pretty great. The Nebula Mars II has a limited selection of ports: only one USB and 1 HDMI port, but it makes up for this in a couple of ways. at Political Groups, Grrrrrreat! Anker is dominating the category right now.
It runs on the same Android software as the Mars and Mars II, which means it is just as easy to use and claims its battery lasts up to four hours. The speakers actually stand out the most, because theyre five times more powerful than the other projectors on this list. The Anker Nebula Mars Lite lacks some of the features that make the Mars II so easy to use in any situation, including the Android TV operating system and support for a mobile remote. To be truly portable, youll need your mini projector to be able to run on batteries. Its automatic focus and keystoning, well-laid-out remote, and intuitive mobile remote app make the Mars II the easiest projector to set up and use, and its almost-four-hour battery life was the best of the bunch. After testing seven models this year, we think the Anker Nebula Mars II is the best portable mini projector for the occasional movie night or Netflix marathon.
VANKYO says the sweet spot for this projector is 90 inches, which makes sense because of its lower resolution. Until recently, the idea that you could bring a projector anywhere you go was a work of science fiction, or at the very least technology for people with a lot of cash to burn.
For example, when streaming Netflix on the Mars II, we were easily able to use the app remote to select the specific season and episode of Parks and Recreation that we wanted to show to our friends. It offers plenty of connection options, and it features the Android TV operating system to stream services like Netflix and Hulu. at DWYM Electronics Experts plus Its not the highest-resolution projector, and youll need to plugged in at all times, but VANKYOs Leisure Mini has a lot to offer. The unit is widely compatible, so you can use it with everything from a TV to a Nintendo Wii to a notebook. Projectors have come a long way in recent years, as consumers have discovered the benefits of beaming an image onto a large surface. But it's just not bright enough.
We don't recommend anyone buy it. Once we receive a response, we will send a payment request for your projector. The Mars II works with the Nebula control app, which makes navigating the built-in streaming apps like Netflix much easier. Buy: Plus, it has the most accurate color temperature, which means the "color of white" won't look too blue or too red. Chris called it "by far the worst display device I've ever tested, with a grayscale that is excessively blue and colors that are not accurate at all, with very low HDTV gamut coverage."
Daniel cast the image directly against a white wall, which is how we think most people will use this type of product. Most have different power settings, which gives you some control over how long theyll last, but in general you should expect to get through one or two movies without much trouble. Unfortunately, not only does this projector lack internal apps, but it also cannot keystone its image. The projector is easily portable and offers compatibility with everything from a PS4 to a USB. There are posterization artifacts with moving objects, especially on faces, which makes it a worse choice for movies. Weight:The biggest upside to having a portable projector is its portability, so its important to factor in weight. It manages to produce all those lumens by adding an excessive blue tint to the image, which makes it appear brighter but produces a horrible image. Brightness:The image thrown by a projector is highly susceptible to light pollution, which will dim its image before it hits your screen or wall. The result is a ranking of the best of the best .
In order to use it, you must connect an external device to its HDMI or USB port. AAXA P6: The P6 is brighter and more color-accurate than its predecessor, the P300. But those projectors lack some usability features that we think are more important to the overall experience. It also works with an app called Nebula Connect, which lets you stream content to the projector from your phone (copyrighted material wont stream). $279.99. Not only does this mini projector have an advanced cooling system, but its lamp life is 55,000 hours! Asus ZenBeam E1: This projector produces a tiny 854480 picture at 150 lumens. Theyre small enough to not take up a lot of space in your room, but portable enough to take with you to someone elses place too. Adrienne Maxwell has reviewed projectors and home theater equipment for over a decade. The Mars is not as user-friendly as the Mars II. Our team of experts spends hundreds of hours analyzing, testing, and researching products so you don't have to.Learn more. As we said before, the Anker Nebula Mars II doesn't have the best image quality, objectively speaking, of the mini projectors that we tested. Along with our own experts, DWYM analyzes the top expert reviews of the leading products and generates a score you can actually trust. Mini projectors are designed to be portable enough to carry around while also packing the same punch as a much larger model. One thing to consider as you shop for a projector is mobile connectivity. Screenshot: Sarah Kobos, The Mars II remote offers only the buttons you really need, in an intuitive layout. Unfortunately, not all projectors come with good speakers, and youll probably find that applies to miniature projectors, as well. Considering that other projectors we tested from AAXA and LG sounded compressed and actively unpleasant, we don't think the shortcomings of the Mars II are a big dealespecially since you can easily connect external speakers via a 3.5 mm input or Bluetooth. In addition to its ports, the PF50KA supports LGs SmartTV platform and ScreenShare, so you can access content wirelessly. Fits on Any TabletopThe lamp in this mini projector is designed to last for up to 500,000 hours. DWYM simplifies the research process by aggregating the reviews of the top product review sites. Vivitek Qumi Q6: This projector has dual HDMI inputs and supports 3D, but it exhibits video processing bugs that reduce the image quality. The Anker Nebula Mars II delivers the best combination of features, performance, and ease of use of any mini projector we tested. You won't be able to use a mini projector as a TV replacement if you tend to watch TV during the day or in a very bright room, but in the dark they look fine and are great space savers.
But its 854480 resolution is just too low for streaming movies. DBPower T20: This frequent Amazon best seller claims to produce an extremely bright image (1,800 lumens) and a 1080p resolution. Anker Nebula Mars II USB Mini Projector, 16. Want more Rolling Stone?
Optoma ML550: Compact and portable with a rated 500 lumens, this projector has no battery option. Anker Nebula Mars Lite Portable Projector, 19. For the category, we analyzed 36 of the most popular reviews including reviews from and more. Kylie's 17-Minute Flight Has Nothing on the 170 Trips Taylor Swift's Private Jets Took This Year, Kelis Calls Out Beyonc for Theft Over Using Milkshake, But Her Real Beef Lies in Years-Old Feud With Pharrell, Feds Charge Russian Puppetmaster for Secretly Directing U.S. This should be more than enough power to last through an entire movie. $549.99. In previous years, we tested and dismissed these projectors: AAXA P300 Neo: This projector looked like a newer, smaller, cheaper version of the AAXA P300.
Now a novelist and professional writer, her writings on electronics have been published on top tech sites. Power is also a consideration with miniature projectors. You can fit them in a backpack, but it would be awkward to carry much else. This mini projector connects easily to a whole host of devices, including DVD players, smartphones, laptops and even PS4s. This projector has a native resolution of 854 x 400, and can throw a maximum screen size of 80 inches from 6.43 feet away. Optoma LV130 Mini Projector CiBest Built-In Speaker Portable Mini Projector, 6. These are all great features, but they come at the cost of resolution (854 x 480; 480p), and brightness (250 lumens). Along with user reviews from Amazon. - A weekly roundup of our favorite tech deals. Anker Nebula Capsule Tripod Mini Projector, 18.
Most of the mini projectors we tested produced a good, but not great, image, and the Nebula Mars II was no exception. To determine which projectors to test for our latest update, we considered the following elements: With these parameters in mind, we narrowed the list to six projectors to test against our previous pick, the AAXA P300. The projector can be used with just about any device, including a camera, cell phone, gaming console, television or laptop. If youre buying a projector for portability, chances are you want to be able to travel without the burden of extra equipment. Mini Projector, PVO Portable Projector for Cartoon, Kids Gift, Outdoor Movie Projector, LED Pico Video Projector for Home Theater Movie Projector with HDMI USB Interfaces and Remote Control (Electronics), Mini Projector,HOMPOW Portable Projector 1080P Supported 2022 Upgraded Movie Projector and 176" Display, Compatible with TV Stick/HDMI/VGA/USB/TV Box/Laptop/DVD/PS4 for Home (Electronics), AuKing Mini Projector 2022 Upgraded Portable Video-Projector,55000 Hours Multimedia Home Theater Movie Projector,Compatible with Full HD 1080P HDMI,VGA,USB,AV,Laptop,Smartphone (Office Product), Mini Projector, 2022 Upgraded CiBest Video Projector Outdoor Movie Projector 7500L, LED Portable Home Theater Projector 1080P and 200" Supported, Compatible with PS4, PC via HDMI, VGA, TF, AV and USB (Electronics), Mini Projector, GooDee W18 WiFi Movie Projector with Synchronize Smartphone Screen with 1080P Support and 200 Video Projector Support TV Stick, HDMI, VGA, USB, Laptop, PS4, and iOS/Android Phone (Office Product), DWYM simplifies the research process by aggregating the reviews of the top product review sites. And the image looked really good with real contentit's bright enough and has a high enough contrast ratio that the image was vibrant even in a room with some ambient light. This guide may have been updated by Wirecutter.
Even those that do run on batteries have limited runtime, which is something youll have to consider every time you fire your projector up. Adrienne cast a 55-inch image from each model on a 1.1-gain Elite Screens matte white screen. The result is the, 1.
Look for the DWYM seal for products that are the best in their category. Both the AAXA M6 and the Anker Nebula Mars produce a brighter image and have a higher contrast ratio, and the AAXA P6 is more color-accurate. DBPOWER Portable High Contrast Mini Projector, 14. And if you want to use the Mars II unplugged from the wall, its internal battery lasts almost four hours, even if you're using the built-in Netflix app the entire time.
2022 Rolling Stone, LLC. $309.99.
Battery life:Portable projectors are a battery power balancing act: brightness, speaker size, weight, and resolution all play a part in how much time youll get to use them per charge. We initially found this annoying, but ultimately we ended up preferring to use the app over the remotenot having to dig into the folds of our couch just to adjust the volume is pretty great. The Nebula Mars II has a limited selection of ports: only one USB and 1 HDMI port, but it makes up for this in a couple of ways. at Political Groups, Grrrrrreat! Anker is dominating the category right now.
It runs on the same Android software as the Mars and Mars II, which means it is just as easy to use and claims its battery lasts up to four hours. The speakers actually stand out the most, because theyre five times more powerful than the other projectors on this list. The Anker Nebula Mars Lite lacks some of the features that make the Mars II so easy to use in any situation, including the Android TV operating system and support for a mobile remote. To be truly portable, youll need your mini projector to be able to run on batteries. Its automatic focus and keystoning, well-laid-out remote, and intuitive mobile remote app make the Mars II the easiest projector to set up and use, and its almost-four-hour battery life was the best of the bunch. After testing seven models this year, we think the Anker Nebula Mars II is the best portable mini projector for the occasional movie night or Netflix marathon.
VANKYO says the sweet spot for this projector is 90 inches, which makes sense because of its lower resolution. Until recently, the idea that you could bring a projector anywhere you go was a work of science fiction, or at the very least technology for people with a lot of cash to burn.
For example, when streaming Netflix on the Mars II, we were easily able to use the app remote to select the specific season and episode of Parks and Recreation that we wanted to show to our friends. It offers plenty of connection options, and it features the Android TV operating system to stream services like Netflix and Hulu. at DWYM Electronics Experts plus Its not the highest-resolution projector, and youll need to plugged in at all times, but VANKYOs Leisure Mini has a lot to offer. The unit is widely compatible, so you can use it with everything from a TV to a Nintendo Wii to a notebook. Projectors have come a long way in recent years, as consumers have discovered the benefits of beaming an image onto a large surface. But it's just not bright enough.
We don't recommend anyone buy it. Once we receive a response, we will send a payment request for your projector. The Mars II works with the Nebula control app, which makes navigating the built-in streaming apps like Netflix much easier. Buy: Plus, it has the most accurate color temperature, which means the "color of white" won't look too blue or too red. Chris called it "by far the worst display device I've ever tested, with a grayscale that is excessively blue and colors that are not accurate at all, with very low HDTV gamut coverage."
Daniel cast the image directly against a white wall, which is how we think most people will use this type of product. Most have different power settings, which gives you some control over how long theyll last, but in general you should expect to get through one or two movies without much trouble. Unfortunately, not only does this projector lack internal apps, but it also cannot keystone its image. The projector is easily portable and offers compatibility with everything from a PS4 to a USB. There are posterization artifacts with moving objects, especially on faces, which makes it a worse choice for movies. Weight:The biggest upside to having a portable projector is its portability, so its important to factor in weight. It manages to produce all those lumens by adding an excessive blue tint to the image, which makes it appear brighter but produces a horrible image. Brightness:The image thrown by a projector is highly susceptible to light pollution, which will dim its image before it hits your screen or wall. The result is a ranking of the best of the best .