Verdict
A compact , mostly convenient ultra - short stroke projector that ’s open of bring out rich , bright ( for a portable beamer ) and colourful paradigm . The levelheaded caliber is not too tatty either , though there are bother points with its app option and deficiency of a fully featured Netflix app
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
While TVs seem to be set out giving and bigger , projectors are getting pocket-size – case in item , the Philips Screeneo UL5 .
As an option to one of thebest goggle box , the UL5 take up less blank space but can offer a filmdom size of up to 120 - inches , shadow the screen sizes even the biggest ( and most expensive ) telecasting can bid .
There are matter a projector ca n’t do as well as a TV , but if you ’re short on space and fancy a big screen experience without the baggage of a TV hog what blank space you have , the Philips Screeneo UL5 is here to rescue rest home movie theater in a pocket-sized parcel .
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Design
The Screeneo UL5 is well the modest I ’ve tested . At 206 x 94 x 86.6 mm ( HWD ) , it ’s smaller than my size 11 Adidas trainers .
It ’s initially put off which way to orient the projector but the UL5 works both in perpendicular and horizontal placements . If you ’re beaming onto a paries you ’ll want to set it horizontally ( lengthways ) , and as an extremist - short throw projector it can go close to a rampart , spare space in the process . If you want to project an image on the surface the Screeneo UL5 sits on , then place it vertically .
Aesthetically it ’s a smart looking projector , the white plastic interlocking neatly with the grey material on its side . There ’s a grille on either side for ventilation ( and I conceive of it ’ll help drive sound away from the UL5 too ) , while dotted around the speaker are physical connecter withHDMI 2.1 , USB - A and two USB - C inputs ( one of which is the power supply ) .
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power the Screeneo UL5 can be done through either the button on the projector or the remote control , although regardless of which you practice , it takes two press to get the UL5 up and running ( or powered down ) . There ’s no built - in bombardment so the UL5 is reliant on main power .
The remote itself is packed with all the clit you ’d need from linchpin conformation to brightness , volume , generator choice and others . The remote ’s button are n’t backlit , which is n’t helpful in a drear room .
Interface
The Screeneo UL5 ’s interface is not powered byGoogle TV , Fire TV or any other major supplier you may bonk of but by LuminOS , which is Android - based .
It is its own thing and keeps things simple with just two sections : Home and the App Store and that stimulate the interface easy to traverse . In term of latency there is n’t an issue other than when the Screeneo UL5 is left jobless for a few hour it requires a 2d pressure to answer .
The chief context can be access through the remote control , and the scope themselves are comparatively simple . In most cases it ’s a choice of on / off or choosing between presets .
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Where things start to get odd about the LuminOS is with its selection of apps . What ’s supply inclination heavily toward the Americas with apps such as Claro TV+ ( Latin American ) , Hulu and HBO Max ( not Max , but theHBO Maxversion ) .
The UK match - up and on - requirement apps are not establish - in ( but BritBox make an appearance ) , although for the technically more gifted they could be sideloaded as APK files or downloaded from the APK Updater app .
There are heavy hitters in the form of Netflix , Disney+ , Prime Video , and Apple TV+ ; but that bring me to a few more ill-chosen aspects with the LuminOS interface .
At the clock time of critical review Disney+ was n’t influence , with error code 83 pop up up whenever I enter . A check online revealed that the Screeneo UL5 was an incompatible machine . A fix was in the work when I asked in other December 2024 , the trouble uprise from the a la mode Disney+ app update .
Another issue is that the Netflix app call for turn the remote into a cursor and mouse controller ( there ’s a push on the remote to shift ) , and it make navigate the app impractical .
The app itself is a condensed variant of Netflix , so it does n’t have all the features of the video app . But even trying to incur my ‘ My List ’ was a sorely dense experience . If you ’re base outside the US the app selection is not especially commodious .
Features
The Philips Screeneo UL5 doesnotsupport4 K resolution , making do with Full HD ( 1920 x 1080p ) instead . There is HDR10 ( and apparently HLG ) support but noDolby VisionorHDR10 + . I was tell any app that supports HDR on Android will be patronage on the Screeneo UL5 , so expect the likes of Prime Video , YouTube to have HDR , although that courtesy does n’t extend to Netflix .
The light germ is a triple optical maser RGB , which Philips says is able to deliver “ cryptic contrast and vivid image in any precondition ” , though I do n’t hold with the second part of that statement ( I ’ll get to why in the next section ) . The throw ratio is 0.23:1 , which let the Screeneo to sit close to a paries , while the lifetime of the laser source is 30,000 hour . Suffice to say that ’s a very long clock time .
Philips claims the best execution is had at around 80 - in , and also claims it can reach 120 - inches in a dark room . The wall I used for examination was only cock-a-hoop enough for 60 - inches , but I felt that was o.k. enough .
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allot to Philips , the Screeneo UL5 Smart is the public ’s first mini RGB laser ultra - brusk throw projector that can produce image that cover 100 % of REC2020 , 200 % of REC709 , and 150 % DCI - P3 for a colourful trope . There ’s also 3D accompaniment but you ’ll need to purchase 3D DLP Link glasses .
Keystone Correction is let in and can be deepen either mechanically or manually . The image was slightly curved on my wall and playing around with the Keystone did n’t alter it for the better but the end solvent was still watchable .
cleverness hits 550 lumen – more than theAnker Nebula Capsule Max ’s 200 and exactly the same as theSamsung Freestyle 2ndGen . Wi - Fi and Bluetooth 4.2 are support and the latter help if you ’re adding aBluetooth speakeras the construct - in audio scheme only yields 6W of great power .
Performance
Few projectors are capable of matching theHDR performanceof a television receiver , and at the price the Philips Screeneo UL5 Smart is at , you ’re not getting that same spirit level of direct contrast or precision with HDR high spot . But as long as you ’re not expecting that stratum of operation , there ’s much to like about the Screeneo UL5 .
It ’s not the sharpest image at 60 - inches , and given that I ’m projecting images onto a textured , yellow dyed wall , that does n’t help detail levels either . But the Screeneo UL5 draws its lines and the defines border well – outlines of characters or objects do n’t look erose or fuzzy – and it tout a potent sense of colouring material with look-alike that are punchy , rich and saturated .
It ’s a brightly - looking image too , though dingy room condition get along better as if you watch it during the day the image will come out blown out . Contrast , highlight , colour – everything is affected by ambient lighting .
So shut the curtains and dim the lights and I mean you ’ll discover that the Screeno UL5 is equal to of pretty good black levels ( with SDR – stock active range cognitive content ) and enough shadow particular , so you ’re realize most of what ’s in the darkest parts of the persona without being affected by black crush ( which remove that contingent ) .
With HDR contentedness I find the Screeneo UL5 is open of potent total darkness that fend off look grey with the Fallout TV series on Prime Video , but potentially at the expense of some dour point .
The Standard and Movie modes are n’t much different from one another but across testing I find it depends on what you ’re observe . With Fallout I could n’t see much of a departure but with The Mitchells vs the Machines on Netflix ( in SDR ) , the Movie way offered stronger blacks and colours looked more accurate while in Standard it was brighter and colours appeared fat .
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Highlights in worldwide suffer but the Screeneo UL5 delivers an agreeable sense of contrast . Bright physical object look lustrous , and calamitous level are upstanding . Playing with the smartness , and I did n’t go above 60 % as that caused the simulacrum to look washed out .
The audio performance was a surprise for me . For such a thick gimmick , the soundstage is self-aggrandizing and broad . There ’s decent crispness to the highs and dialog is by nature reproduced . Bass is flattened but for whatever reason I didn’tnoticethe lack of if . you could summate a Bluetooth utterer to give it more oomph , or with the HDMI stimulation you could consider adding a soundbar or even an AV amplifier to addict the Screeneo UL5 to a surround sound organisation .
Should you buy it?
The Screeneo UL5 is capable of some impressive figure for a projector of its sizing , with unanimous contrast and better than expected contraband levels that ’ll make for a suitably enjoyable cinema nighttime indoors
The price makes the Screeneo UL5 an awkward option alongside the likes of the less expensive Samsung Freestyle 2nd Gen and XGIMI options . Add a US - centrical focus to its app selection and it ’s not the best in term of value
Final Thoughts
I wish the Philips Screeneo UL5 Smart projector – it ’s the type of projector that ’s easy to live with , and commodious for the most part , though it does be more than some of its close rivals .
The delineation character is good than I require with fat , bright colours along with self-colored line and black levels . The audio quality is above arithmetic mean for a projector of its size , though do n’t anticipate it to produce much bass .
There are clumsy painfulness point about its interface . For one , it ’s pitch towards American apps so if you ’re after a smart projector that has the UK catch - up apps , they are n’t built in here . TheNetflix appis also frustrating as it use different control and sailing scheme than other apps , as well as not being the same fully - feature app that it is on TV .
Alternatives come in the sort of theEpson EF-22N , which pack a more user - favorable Google television receiver interface . TheSamsung Freestyle 2ndGenalso comes with a smart interface which is more commodious and advantageously featured . There ’s theXGIMI Halo+to consider , which is still available and just as portable .
The Samsung is the respectable , slicker operator over the Philips , which makes the Freestyle 2ndGen still our just overall pick for thebest portable projector .
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How we test
We examine every projector we review soundly over an extended geological period of time . We use industry - stock exam to equate features properly . We ’ll always tell you what we find . We never , ever , accept money to review a product .
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FAQs
The Screeneo UL5 stick out HDR10 on all the available apps that support HDR on Android which include YouTube , Amazon Prime Video , Disney+ . It does not support HDR with Netflix , however .
Full Specs
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