This review is so incomplete. Where’s the details of the other projectors other than the Anker? Also, 480p at 100 lumens is objectively terrible image quality. Almost unusable for 90% of media the average person consumes in 2018.
Resolution isn’t the biggest deal with a projector. I’ve seen this at 100 inches at night on a projector screen looked fine and the latency was fine for something like super smash and Mario cart
“It supposedly reaches up to 100 lumens of brightness, but it definitely didn’t seem that bright...” That’s because 100 lumens is not much at all. A typical lightbulb is about 600. 100 is pathetic.
Spencer Dale decent projectors go 3000 lumens and upwards, 100 lumens is horrid for easy viewing. It’s a shame that such a compact and well thought out device is ruined by its form factor.
I bought the LG PH550 a yr ago and I love it. I use a Chromecast and JBL Pulse 3. Yes, sound is an issue but it fits my need for on the go outdoor entertainment
We bought the nebula capsule. And it works very well. Very light. very easy to operate. Yes the lumens can be brighter however it is sufficient in low lighting. Volumize excellent for me. I would recommend the nebula capsule to everyone. It is well worth the price. Thank you.
My nebula capsule arrived yesterday and I must say it was a pleasant and hassle free experience, although 480p you won't really notice it unless you're someone who is constantly examining the pixels up.close.
I hanve an anker nebula projector and I really like it. Ultra portable... easy to pack in your luggage for traveling. the app works fine for me, I mostly just use the remote but if the battery dies in the remote... then it's nice to have that as a backup. Its nice that it can be used as a Bluetooth speaker BUT the audio doesn't sound the greatest. If you want good audio stick to a dedicated Bluetooth speaker.... but it does have Bluetooth connectivity SO if you are watching a movie and the speaker on the nebula just isn't cutting it you can link the Bluetooth to a better speaker
Yes i am using the Sony MP - CD1. The main advantage is its very compact. Even you can use it as a power bank while travelling. No noise issue and its a laser projector. The only drawback is that you need an external speaker for a good audio output.
At those prices, you can buy a used HD projector that would destroy any of those pico projectors. Obviously you don't get the same portability, but at least you're getting decent picture quality for the money.
That really depends on the projector. Short throw/ultra short throw projectors can be used from much shorter distances compared to traditional projectors. Also not sure what your point is about the heat. Sure projectors produce heat, but the same can be said about pico projectors. In fact, I'm sure larger projectors would have more efficient cooling solutions compared to pico projectors since they are much larger.
Yep, I have an Optoma HD20 It's a little bit older but it's DLP. I paid £200 with it and then £80 for a bulb. Yeah it's not super portable like these, but honestly, are you going to carry round a projector in your bag just incase? It's pretty unlikely.
I have the Anker and used it more times than my old hot bulb bulky projector not as powerful bright but its ok for the low power to use in the motorhome , easy portable
I got a Nebula from the early financing batch. It was so cheap that I didn't mind the low quality. Truth is, it's barely noticeable. The size of pixels is smoothed out and it's only apparent in very close projections. Impressive as it may sound, when I compared it to my office's business projector, the brightness was more important than resolution (considering that you can scall down ultra HD, but that scaling up 480 will always return 480). Of course, with a 100 lumens, my cellphone screen is bright enough to cause a significant drop in video quality. So yeah, it is the most portable, but only if you're moving between platonic caves.
This is the best portable one I've seen made by Hardoutline. 3000 lumens + Native 720p www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073WLZ5QP/ref=as_li_ss_tl?&ie=UTF8&linkCode=sl1&tag=tabletsforme-20&linkId=7b08f4fa84171aed94524be00d44d1ad
So i get it you travel around in a 4k monitor? Seriously though we are talking about pico projectors able to play video powered by a battery and able to fit in your pocket and you demand they have the same quality as the top of the line monitors out there.
To be fair, LG says they don't think someone would use the internal loudspeakers of the PH550 really. The projector has a pretty good Bluetooth Loudspeaker support. They assume you'll use buetooth anyway to get sound and not the internal loudspeaker, which they see as a stopgap solution. Of course you can agree or disagree if that is a "good" solution or not.
Thank you for bringing attention to the pico projector scene. I have been waiting for literally years for this market to grow and in turn bring more innovation. Honestly though at this point if you do not need a pico projector i would wait for the laser ones to come out. A couple of them are already being sold but at some ridiculous prices for what they offer, but the technology is there and already being used we just have to wait for something more affordable and more feature packed.
I got the 550, from the sounds of the Anker, I would definitely put the lg as the best. Better resolution, I have it setup with my computer, as well as my computer's speakers, though have also used it with a set of Bluetooth speakers, so sound isn't an issue. And I managed to get it for less than £300. Also it has a usb port, so you could just put a bunch of films on a usb stick if you wanted
At $500 you can get a late model benq or optoma projector that has 1080 P and measures lumens in the thousands! I know they’re not as portable as these options and don’t have amazing speakers, but they still are not that big and I would never use a projector’s internal speaker no matter how good it claims to be anyway.
Low resolution, no 3.5mm headphone out, it doesn't run proper Android TV, so you're limited in resolution from say the Netflix app, doesn't have built in Google Cast... The Anker seems like a lemon.
Be careful with "pocket projector" because some of these are not that. I have a 100 lumen Brookstone and a 200 lumen Brookstone, both under $300, both just under true 1080, but both powerful enough to cast a 10 foot TV on my bedroom wall. 100 lumens you will need almost complete darkness to enjoy, but you can fall asleep to it. 200 lumens is enough to play 60 fps games and watch HD movies in soft light. The key is THESE are pocket projectors, and for $600 I would expect something on par with a 60" 4k smart TV. For $600 I would expect 2k and 400+ lumens
Under $600, they seem expensive, but still a concept to carry a projector instead of an lcd display that you can use instead, there are many lcd displays for around $100 that are portable with good battery life.
As others have said in comments, for those prices, you may as well buy a proper projector and watch things in all their glory. Portable projectors have a way to go to be useful by the looks of it.
Try the wowoto T8E, resolution 1280x800, it supports 1080, 2000 lumens, auto keystone correction and zoom, 16:9, 16:10 and 4:3, built in android 4.4, Bluetooth, wifi, ethernet, 3.5 output, 1 HDMI port, 2 USB ports, is almost noiseless, price is around USD$450. I have a wowoto H8 and is just great, it has almost the same features than the T8E.
You forgot the ZTE S PRO 2 : 720p Resolution, 200 lumens, 5" LCD Touch Display with Android, wifi , bluetooth and LTE so you can use it as a Hotspot, Till this day is my favorite projector and you can easily fond one on sale for about $300 USD Brand new
If anyone is still watching this: check out the LG PH450UG projector. It's an ultra short throw projector, aka it shines upwards to your wall, so you can place it right against it. Perfect for bedrooms, for example. It's small, has speakers, it's bright, native 720p, fans are quiet, has LED with 30.000 hours (aka 8 hours per day for 10 years), has a built in battery that lasts like 2+ hours... Doens't come with Android, so buy a Chromecast or whatever. Should cost about 400 dollars new, but my tip is that you buy an Amazon Warehouse return for way less... it basically means the product has been opened by someone else, tested and returned. Boohoo. It saves you so much money, and the product is almost always in perfect condition.
Just buy an Excelvan 720p non portable projector for 130-170 bucks (depending on which model you choose)... Forget the portability aspect... You will soon find out that you won't be moving your projector arround that much and when you do, you most likely have a power outelet arround. Take a miracast/airplay device for 20 dollars if you want to add that functionality and you're good to go. Save yourself some bucks and the need to charge it before you could use it. Feel the quality difference and the brightness difference between a portable and a non portable projector. Also, please... buy some decent speakers with the bucks you save from buying a non protable projector -_- Half of the experience is sound and you shouldn't ignore that. (just to clarify myself, I do own a projector and it's a 2000 dollars epson one, I also own a 1500 dollars sound system, I'm also a PC technician, so I'd like to think that I know what I'm talking about. The Excelvan 720p projectors have accptable quality for a crazy low price (they certainly have better image quality than any projector featured in this video (the LG one might have something similar to offer, but 550 bucks... just no -_-). Just forget the whole portable aspect, It just isn't worth it...)
I will like to bring my Pico projector to outdoor to my dinning place which below a block of flats. Maybe even lay down somewhere point the projector to the ceiling to enjoy my movies and favorite RU-vid.
Kicstar V my kids and I love to watch movies and play MARIO kart on our patio. They also like to float in the pool and watch jaws. I bought a Rif 6 Cube Pico Projector about 4 years ago. Stupid easy to set up and plays files locally. Makes sleep overs really great.
THANK YOU for this review! I recently got rid of my tv (put it up on a shelf in my room, lol) because it was simply too bulky to justify it staying where it was while I almost never used it! I will most likely be picking up a projector this summer to watch netflix almost consistently! BUT ALSO, Ashley, OH MY GAWD WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR GLASSES!!?!?!?! At 4:24 I was screaming because I have been looking for a fashional pair, and these are them!
I think this is the worst review I have ever seen on The Verge. For the money at 720p, the AAXA P& is probably the best unit there, but she completely dissed it without any details. Hey, bulky form factor doesn't mean anything to me since I'm looking for something to carry room to room in my house. Pathetic review. Give us the information, and let us draw our own conclusions. Thanks.
How little do you have to know about projectors and useful resolution for your "top pick" to be an 854x480 native device? My cell phone had a better res than that 10 years ago.
AAXA M7 just got released and it obliterates everything here. And sorry but the P6 is not bulky I use the M5 (same size) everywhere I go, and its perfect and very bright.
Out of LG ph550, JmGo p2, ViewSonic M1 & Xgimi CC aura which one to go for? wanted a feedback on which is the best quality for and has the least fan noise
I used to have a android zte 720p spro 2 it was fun to use as it had a projector and screen but unfortantly no support for the device so no updates and no hulu. Also for 550 you should just buy the optoma hd142x its 1080 and highly rated.
Is 480p acceptable? I mean, whenever I watch content in that resolution, it looks pretty bad, but I also understand that that's largely because of the fact that it's not my monitor's native resolution
Good ones, but there is a much much better one, the SPRO 2 and the (still waiting for release) ZTE SPRO PLUS, these are ways ahead of this ones. Good video anyway
I think they played it safe. The nebula is nice and all but I think an off brand projector would destroy it. For me the wowoto t8e would be a top pick for sure.
Better to invest in an Oculus Go if you want a portable big picture IMO. The only con is it's a personal use machine, whereas a portable projector can be enjoyed with friends. I would only buy a Pico projector if: 1. Google Chromecast/Airplay 2. Wifi and the ability to play MKV's 3. 1080p or greater resolution 4. No fan, solid state 5. At least 500 lumens 6. Powered by USB (so a USB battery pack can be used) 7. No larger than an iPhone 6 Plus in dimension Looks like I'll be waiting a while...
I'm thinking about returning mine.. Was on sale for Prime day, it had great reviews everywhere you looked, so I bought it to use with my Samsung Dex so I could do work from my phone when I travel. Nope... 480p, 100 lumens. It's dim if there's any light in the room and you can make out words like a file name. Plus, you can't stream Netflix to it, or Prime videos, or any DRM protected content. The RU-vid app doesn't have an option to sign in. Amazon Prime video on the device is broken. Etc... I'm surprised it has so many recent good reviews. Thinking about getting a Vamvo Ultra instead.. It is 1080p, 1800 lumens, it's smaller, and cheaper by $100
nice videos, thanks. But I don't understand how to play content off my phone while there's no wifi around, like on camping, so what am I missing when you say portable? How can you mirror your phone to the projector without wifi?
Still not sure how the projector with literally the worst image quality won. Not to mention that a cylinder isn't exactly easy to store. But hey, that movie you can barely see sounds pretty OK I guess.
I just don't think pico projectors are quite good enough yet. They're not bright enough and the resolution is just too low, even on the nebula it's just 480p, which is crazy low for the size you want to project it at.
This was an extremely unhelpful video, as someone who has kept up with pico projectors for a few years now. Brightness and resolution are more important than any other features like an Android OS.
Thank you for the review. You mentioned that you have a home media server. Could you share more information on your home media server? I am thinking about getting one, but I don't know where to start. -- Thank you
Darius Bizimana are you saying that all pocket projectors are cool, or that pocket projectors are not cool? Because if it was the latter I’d have to disagree with you. Being able to carry a 100 inch screen in your bag, carry on, or hand is awesome if you want the full theatre experience no matter where you are. I also like tiny living spaces, and having a 100+ inch screen that doesn’t take up any of that space is really, really cool.
I definitely agree with you a normal sized projector was never a problem besides you fear that performance will become worse so I think a decent normal projector is better.
