Not everyone has the space for a full - sized projector , and if that add up your post then you should have a gander at the adept portable projector
Portable projector are known by various epithet : pico , thick or mini , and basically they are smaller - sized models that proffer more flexibility in terms of where they can be placed . They ’re a convenient , way - well-disposed pick for more casual living room drug user and if they ’re shiny enough , they could even be used to fancy onto a screen in a garden .
We ’re here to aid you find the beneficial portable projector for you , sieve through our reviews to present this list of the honorable performing models .
When we survey pico projectors we reckon at how whippy they are in footing of emplacement . Do they support a tripod or come with a gimbal ? We take into account their form quality , what features and smart they have and how commodious they are to expend , and of form their picture and sound .
For more dwelling cinema fans you should take a look out ourbest projector . For those who want to take their plate cinema into the garden , we have abest outdoor projectorslist to look at too .
Of course , if you determine that you ’d rather just go down the traditional path and opt for a home entertainment system that requires a little less sustainment , then we also have you plow with our guides to thebest TVsand and thebest soundbars .
Best portable projectors at a glance
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How we test
Learn more about how we test projector
We test projectors by , well , determine lots of movies on them . But not just movies : we watch sports and goggle box program to get a sense of how they work in terms of movement , bite , point and overall trope fidelity .
Depending on the projector , we ’ll test them in a bespoke home movie theatre room or in our own rooms and garden to see if they live up to the manufacturer ’s claims about their performance .
If it ’s an HDR projector , we ’ll catch pile of HDR content to square up if colouration are right and whether the projector can do a decent approximation of HDR . If it ’s a gaming projector we ’ll screen the latent period to determine how responsive it is .
We ’ll also assess the projector in terms of its size and whether it ask a consecrated induction , as well as how much noise it make during operation and whether that can be a hindrance to watching content . Are they easy to utilize ? And do they command more proficient cognition to operate are considerations we also take into account .
With our reviewers knowledge of previous projectors tested , they ’ll be consider to what ’s add up before to determine whether they offer good economic value , regardless of how much or how piffling they cost .
Epson EF-22N
Pros
Cons
XGIMI Horizon Ultra
Samsung Freestyle 2nd Gen (2023)
BenQ X300G
XGIMI Halo+
Trusted Score
While theSamsung Freestylemay make more sense to those with a tight budget , and theXGIMI Horizon Ultrais the better option purely for ocular fidelity thanks to its use of Dolby Vision , the Epson EF-22N is arguably the good portable projector for most people , coming in an at price that still undercuts most of the rivalry , all while boasting a gross ton of greatly appreciated features .
strictly from an amusement perspective , the use of Google TV on the EF-22N is perfect for diving event into popular streaming services like Netflix and Disney Plus , as well as more niche options including Mubi and Crunchyroll . There ’s even support for euphony service like Spotify and Tidal . regrettably , due to licensing issues , iPlayer and Channel 4 are n’t available in the UK , which is n’t a deal - breaker but still deserving love in advance of clip .
On the purpose front , the EF-22N ’s 360 - degree swivel base is a matter of beauty . It provides near outright tractableness on where you place and stick out the equipment , with a 180 - degree up / down tilt allow for projection on the ceiling if required . The fact that the charge embrasure is built into the base and not the projector itself also makes a mint of sense as it prevents any cables from getting tangled or unplugged during movement .
When it really comes clip to start see your favorite pic and appearance , automatic keystoning assure that you’re able to get set - up in next to no time , while the incredible 5,000,000:1 contrast ratio , couple with the impressively mellow luminance level of up to 1000 ISO lumens , assure that the viewing experience is detailed and immersive .
It would have been nice to see more sex appeal from the inner speaker , but it ’s still serviceable enough for an gratifying film nighttime .
Reviewer : Sean CameronFull Review : Epson EF-22N
Housed in a hard-nosed yet stylish intent , theXGIMI Horizon Ultrais packed full of impressive feature includingDolby Vision HDR .
Thanks to dual light technology that combines laser and LED , the Horizon Ultra delivers gamey - luminosity figure of speech with a more natural gloss pallet , with Dolby Vision HDR livelihood allowing brightness and line to be adjusted prospect - by - view for the best performance .
It ’s not just picture timber that ’s impressive though as the Horizon Ultra includes dual 12W speakers , tune up by Harmon / Kardon which allow for fantabulous audio that easily fill a room . Although we found the speakers to be cheap , lovesome and rich , they lack depth with low frequency .
The built - in Intelligent Screen Adaption 3 ( ISA3 ) technology offer auto - focus and keystone rectification plus obstacle shunning . ISA3 also adjusts filmdom brightness to suit ambient light , which works by opening the iris to advance brightness and closing it to up the contrast .
The Horizon Ultra also admit optical zoom which signify it can mechanically descale to suit a detected screen without the motive for digital correction . There ’s even a useful motorised shutter at the front which slides up when the projector is turned off to protect its lens , plus a utile tripod mount underneath .
Running on Android video , you’re able to download the like ofApple TV+ , Disney+ andAmazon Prime Videodirectly from the Google Play Store . At its hind end you ’ll find two HDMI inputs , a 3.5 mm line out and two USB ports . There ’s also an ethernet port wine for plug instantly into the router .
An option include theAnker Nebula Cosmos 4 K SE , which also has Dolby Vision , Google TVand is less expensive but the Horizon Ultra has a bright and more accomplished picture timber
referee : David LudlowFull Review : XGIMI Horizon Ultra
TheFreestyle 2nd Gen’scylindrical frame and stand allow it to be easily carried to and fro , with the adjustable stand capable to be slant from 90 to 180 degrees , along with an mental image size that can stretch from 30- to 100 - inches . That helps to make the Freestyle a various , soft to coiffure - up and lodge projector .
Our commentator chance the chassis feel rather full-bodied , so it could survive a few belt , and controls are keep unsubdivided and accessible with trace tender buttons for power , casting and book , as well as a switch for activate the microphone .
Connectivity here is also keep on nice and uncomplicated with a Micro HDMI 1.4 interface that supportsHDR signalsandARCfor a soundbar , while the USB - C port is only for connecting the Freestyle ’s mogul adaptor or external stamp battery .
For wireless connection there ’s Wi - Fi 5 , Bluetooth 5.2 andApple AirPlay 2that offer up a range of a function of ways to connect nomadic equipment to the Freestyle . Wi - Fi supporting also give up Samsung ’s Tizen smart interface with access to apps such asNetflixandDisney+ , plus there is Bixby andAmazon Alexafor articulation assistants . Samsung ’s Gaming Hub is supported , fix it possible to play Xbox Game Pass on this projector .
During examination , we found the flick to be generally very good with a clean and detailed performance and punchy HDR colours with its 550 lumens of luminosity it has at its disposal . The SDR / HDR image is accurate and motion treatment is excellent . It does put up from the usual issues that plague DLP projectors with weaker demarcation and dim levels that are more gray-haired .
We measured input lag for gaming at 40ms , somewhat better than the older manikin but a portable projector such as theBenQ X300Gis quicker . We also evaluate interference level at 25dB at a distance of 2 ft , create for a quiet enough experience when in operation .
The built - in talker sound good for such a small projector , the size of the phone is extended beyond the casing for a big sound than was ab initio have a bun in the oven .
Reviewer : Steve WithersFull Review : Samsung Freestyle 2nd Gen
BenQ’sX300Gis a portable projector design for gambling , its forgetful - cam stroke design would make sense for those in minuscule rooms .
There ’s an extensive range of gaming features with multiple low input modes , 1080p/120Hz support , and an FPS Crosshair feature of speech to give you the advantage in games such as Call of Duty . BenQ ’s SettingXchange allows you to spell impost gaming modality and colour parametric quantity created by expert and professional gamers .
Our commentator measured stimulation lag at a down 16ms , and at 1080p/240Hz the operation falls to 4ms which is as good as some of thebest TVs .
If you decide to find out movies on the X300 G , we found it offered a solid operation with reasonable levels of color truth . The 2000 lumen of luminousness is n’t really enough to guard against ambient twinkle , so we ’d recommend drawing the mantle when using the X300G. As with other single silicon chip DLP projectors , black level are more grey and contrast is n’t as good as what BenQ take out of the boxful .
colour only cover 84 % of DCI - P3 range , which means you ’re not consider all the color potential , but its HDR tone function works successfully to produce a colourful image and the gesture handling is excelent .
The Bongiovi speech sound organisation ( designed by Jon Bon Jovi ’s full cousin ) is decent for casual viewing but does n’t have the scale leaf or power to really complement its big cover mental image . It ’s worthconsidering a soundbarto go with this projector .
Reviewer : Steve WithersFull Review : BenQ X300 G
Compare theXGIMI Halo+to the original Halo and the brightness has been upped to 900 lm from 800 , make it a undimmed choice to theSamsung Freestyle . While the boost in brightness is not monolithic , it does help when using it in darker elbow room .
trope size can go as far as 200 - in , though we come up half that size to be more than adequate . The XGIMI supports resoluteness up to Full HD , and we found it produced shining images with vivacious and rich color , especially when make out with brighter content . Contrast is generally dear , although blacks do veer to greyness and it can be hard to get a sentience of detail in dark scenes – the addition ofHDR10+helps by revealing more detail .
gasconade double 5W Harman Kardon verbaliser , we found the audio character was comely with good volume and lucidity . The lack of basso puts a spanner in offering a honest cinematic experience but for casual TV audience it ’s a upstanding performance . Battery life we found to be around two hours when unplug from the briny , which intend median distance films should be fine but the Halo+ will likely skin with epic runtimes . The XGIMI ’s LED lamp is arrogate to last up to 30,000 hours , which is around ten geezerhood of use if the XGIMI were used for eight hours a day .
For a portable projector , there ’s convenience in the bod of an automatic procedure that optimises the icon when the Halo+ is move , mean you wo n’t have to occupy about monkey with the picture each time . Android TV is supported with its commodious and nonrational layout , and although there ’s access to Google Play Store subroutine library we found thatNetflixwasn’t supported for this projector an apps such as NOW are n’t available . consider adding aFire TV Stickor have a feeling at Freestyle , which has more supported apps .
In terms of its sizing the Halo+ can fit into a bag or travelling bag , but is pushing at the threshold of portability considering it lacks a handle like theAnker Nebula Capsule Max . There is a way for positioning the projector , as it can be placed on a flat open , used with its integrate kickstand to angle the projector up , or shore up on a tripod backing .
reader : David LudlowFull Review : XGIMI Halo+
Test Data
Full Specs
Yes , especially for those that do n’t have much place for a more consecrated installation , then a pico projector can turn its illusion by propose more flexibleness in price of arrangement . They ’re not as good as dedicated projectors , but are fine , affordable efforts for more free-and-easy viewing .
