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Best portable pico and pocket projectors 2019

Of course, any TOP is always subjective and depends on the opinion of experts. Nevertheless, most successful models are present in many lists, which, of course, testifies to the objectivity of their assessment. This article offers several such models, including: - Anker Nebula Mars II; - Optoma ML750ST; - Asus ZenBeam E1; - ViewSonic M1; - Vivitek Qumi Q3 Plus; - AAXA P2-A. This list does not include the new 2019 models and does not correspond to the list of the best mini-projectors according to consumers. But this situation is natural, as experts analyze first of all objective specs. In turn, the opinion of consumers depends on the price and positive feedback from other consumers to a much greater extent. This review may be useful for those buyers who prefer to choose the optimal mini projector based on their real specs.

Anker Nebula Mars II

As known, Anker is the global leader in charging technology, including wireless charging, car charging, etc. In addition, in past few years, this company produces smart projectors under the Nebula brand. Today, the line of their portable models includes the Nebula Mars and Nebula Capsule series. In the spring of 2018, the company introduced Nebula Mars Lite and Nebula Mars II. They have the same design, size and weight (14 cm x 12 cm x 18 cm and 3.3 lbs).

Both projectors provide brightness of 300 ANSI Lm at 1280 x 720 (16:9, HD) resolution with contrast of 1,000:1 (full on/off). In addition, they have powerful 10.0 W × 2 speakers. According to the company, their Throw Ratio (1.20:1(D:W)) includes: 100" @3.08 m; 80" @2.46 m; 60" @1.73 m; 40" @1.15 m.) On the other hand, the company indicates a range Projection Size 30 -150 in, but warns that 150" is the maximum picture size and will only be clear and saturated in very low-lighting. Additionally, both models provide single-second autofocus and vertical Auto Keystone Correction ±40°. Moreover, Nebula Mars II is a smart model (Android 7.1) and supports Miracast, Streaming Apps, etc. Of course, Android 7.1 OS which comes with popular streaming apps, including Amazon Video, Netflix, and Youtube, is its significant pros. The list of its connectivity contains HDMI, USB, Bluetooth, WiFi-enabled with Android 7.1 and a 3.5 mm audio jack. 12,500mAh battery provides roughly four hours of video playtime. Unfortunately, Mars II will not be able to provide high quality in a well-lit room, but in a dark room its brightness provides an excellent result. Today Nebula Mars II costs $ 500.

Optoma ML750ST

This legendary miniature projector of 2016 continues to be in most of the TOPs from various experts, despite the rather high price (just under $ 500).

Of course, throw ratio of 0.80: 1 - this is its main advantage. In fact, this model was the first portable Short Throw projector. The "ST" in its name stands for "short throw". A projector only needs a 56" distance for 80" image. In addition, it has the contrast of 20,000: 1 (full on / off) and low audible noise (22.0 dB). Additionally, the company reduced the input lag of the model to an unprecedented 16ms (minimum), in fact, creating a gamer model. ML750ST provides a standard set of connections, including HDMI/MHL, USB, Bluetooth and has 3.5 mm audio jack. 1280 × 800 WXGA resolution provides clear image from a distance of around 10 ft. Of course, the brightness of the 700 ANSI lm is very high for the pico projector. However, its contrast anyway substantially depends on the ambient light and requires dimming. Unfortunately, the model does not have an on-board battery and runs on an AC power cord. Of course, this greatly limits its use, for example, in the yard. In addition, the low power 1 W speaker is significantly inferior to competitors, for example, 10 W audio drivers of Nebula Mars II. Given these factors, today Anker Nebula Mars II seems more preferable.

Asus ZenBeam E1

This sleek, metallic pocket projector is also very popular for over 3 years. It has a size of only W4.3 x H1.1 x D3.3 inches and weighs only 0.68 pounds. Compact and successful form factor making it one of the most travel-friendly projectors.

Asus ZenBeam E1 has HDMI/MHL (HDMI cable is included), USB, and 3.5mm audio jack. The model provides a brightness of 150 ANSI lm, 854 x 480 resolution (with 1080p / 4K auto conversion to WVGA), and contrast of 3,500: 1 (full on / off). From a distance of 5 ft, the projector provides a 50" image diagonally and 70 nits (recommended image brightness) for rooms with low ambient light and Screen Gain = 1. Built-in 22mAh rechargeable battery provides up to 5 hours of playtime. Asus ZenBeam E1 uses DLP IntelliBright technology and supports Auto Keystone Correction. Set-up is very simple and fast. Unfortunately, the relatively low brightness requires a thorough dimming of the room. Otherwise, the image is very dim. But its low price nearly $ 269 partially compensates for this drawback.

ViewSonic M1

Compact ViewSonic M1 of 2018 with rounded corners uses swiveling lens cover as a stand.

Of course, the built-in Dual Harman Kardon speakers are another advantage of the model, providing high quality audio playback. A built-in battery provides up to 6 hours of power. Moreover, the model has USB - C, in addition to traditional HDMI, USB - A, microSD, and 3.5 mm audio jack. Moreover, auto-keystone software does a fine job correcting for off-angles. The projector provides a brightness of 250 ANSI lm, 854 x 480 native resolution, and dinamic contrast of 120,000:1. Throw Ratio of 1.20: 1 (D: W) provides a 60" image diagonally and 50 nits (recommended image brightness) from a distance of 5 ft for rooms with low ambient light and Screen Gain = 1. Unfortunately, further enlarging the screen significantly reduces image quality. Remote control is another model issue. The passage of his commands is unstable and requires a clear sightline from the remote to the projector's receiver. Today, this model costs $ 300.

Vivitek Qumi Q3 Plus

This stylish and colorful projector with glossy finish is also very popular for over 3 years.

Qumi Q3 Plus has HDMI, 2 x USB (Type A), microSD, Bluetooth, WiFi-enabled with Android 4.4, and 3.5 mm audio jack. Projector uses quad-core CPU at 1.5GHz and an Android V.4.42 OS. In addition, the projector uses an 8,000mAh lithium-ion battery and a small remote control. Model has HD 720p (1280 x 720) native resolution with HD 1080p compatibility. Its brightness reaches 500 lm at contrast of 5, 000: 1 (full on/off). Throw Ratio of 1.66:1 (D: W) provides a 85" image diagonally and 80 nits (recommended image brightness) from a distance of 10 ft for rooms with low ambient light and Screen Gain = 1. In addition, Vivitek Qumi Q3 Plus also provides digital auto keystone correction with motorized focus, which greatly simplifies its setting. Unfortunately, the Qumi Q3 Plus doesn't have any navigational buttons on the unit itself, and the remote is not very reliable. Therefore, its breakdown requires immediate replacement. At the same time, many users complain about the difficulty of acquiring it on the Internet. Of course, this aspect significantly reduces its competitiveness. Today it costs nearly $ 220.

AAXA P2-A

In in 2017, the company introduced the AAXA P2-A Android Smart Full HD LED Pico Projector with WiFi and Bluetooth. Today this is one of the smallest projectors.

The P2-A runs uses a 1,800mAh battery, but its low capacity significantly limits its capabilities, providing only 2,5 hours of playtime. As known, many modern models provide 4 or more hours. It uses a powerful quad-core 1.3 GHz processor powering its Android 5.1 OS. In addition, P2-A uses Vibrant Color Technology. Unfortunately, projector provides only 130 Ansi lm at 854 x 480 resolution with contrast of 1,000:1 (full on/off). The cubic form factor with dimensions of 6 cm x 7 cm x 7 cm and a weight of 0.6 lbs is fully consistent with the Pico classification. Throw Ratio of 1.20:1 (D:W) provides 40"@42 inch for optimal 111 nits at Screen Gain of 1,2 (low ambient light). In addition, the model provides connections Mini-HDMI, Micro-USB, USB (Type A), WiFi-enabled with Android 5.1, and has 3.5 mm audio jack. Of course, model has a tripod. This projector costs nearly $ 200, which, of course, is a bit for these specs. The video offers a demonstration of its capabilities. Read the full article

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AAXA pico projectors Review

As known, traditional projectors use powerful lamps as a source of light. The list of their shortcomings includes a limited resource, high cost and high heat dissipation. As a result, such models require a large internal volume for heat dissipation and a powerful cooling system with high noise levels. But the rapid development of semiconductors radically changed the situation. Their specs have become sufficient to use LEDs as a light source in projectors. As known, LEDs and laser LEDs practically do not heat up, and their service life reaches 30,000 hours, which corresponds to more than 10 years of active use. Of course, companies began to develop such models. Compact light sources have led to the emergence of a whole segment of LED projectors. Of course, compactness has become one of the main directions of their improvement. Today such models are often called pico projectors. But many companies use the terms mini, pocket or portable. Of course, consumers have responded enthusiastically on a new offer. As a result, many companies have focused their efforts on a this direction. As a consequence, today many companies, including Sony, Miroir USA, LLC, Optoma, Rif6, LLC, Anker, Apeman International Co, etc offer pico models. AAXA Technologies Inc is one of them. It was founded in 2008 as a developer and manufacturer of a micro and pico projectors. Company uses LCoS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon) and DLP (Digital Light Processing) technologies, as well as LED (light emitting diode) and Laser light-sources. In 2010 AAXA launched the world’s first laser pico projector. Today, the company belongs to the leaders in this segment. In addition, the modern market offers smartphones with projector functions.

AAXA P300

In November 2012, the company introduced the model of its first popular portable AAXA P300 projector. This projector provides 300 ANSI lm, up to 550 peak lm and 160 ANSI lm with battery at native 1280 x 800 HD resolution with contrast of 2,000:1 (full on/off). The dimensions (4 cm x 15 cm x 10 cm (H x W x D)) and a weight of 1.3 lbs are consistent even with the modern classification of a mini projector. The projection calculator from the authoritative https://www.projectorcentral.com shows Throw Ratio (1.40:1 (D:W)) of 60"@71 inch for optimal 111 nits at Screen Gain of 1,2 (low ambient light). In addition, the model has two 1 W speakers, a Memory Card Reader and a tripod. Today, this model costs about $ 330.

AAXA LED Pico Projector

Already in August 2013, the company introduced the AAXA LED Pico Projector. This significantly more compact model (2 cm x 11 cm x 6 cm, 0.22 lbs) provides Lumen Output of 25 ANSI lm at 960 x 540 resolution with contrast of 1,000:1 (full on/off). Lamp Life of this model reaches 15,000 hours, which was an unprecedented for 2013 compared to lamps. Unfortunately, its Throw Ratio of 1.70:1 (D:W) provides only 17"@26 inch for optimal 120 nits at Screen Gain of 1,2 (low ambient light). As known, the image quality, including clarity and color saturation, directly depends on the ambient light level and is inversely proportional to the screen size. In turn, the requirements for the ambient light level directly depends on the brightness. Therefore, projectors with low Lumen Output or brightness (several tens of ANSI lm) cannot provide high projection quality for a sufficiently large screen size (for example, 50” and above). In addition, they require complete dimming. Otherwise, image will be too dim. Of course, light-absorbing panels on the walls and a special screen with a high Screen Gain partially solve this problem. But companies often do not specify this aspect, indicating the maximum possible screen size. Of course, projector has Memory Card Reader and tripod. Unfortunately, model does not have a built-in speaker and does not support of Digital Keystone. The level of its noise reaches 30.0 dB. But the price of this model today does not exceed $ 126.

AAXA P5 and M5 HD LED Pico Projectors

In 2016, the company introduced the P5 and M5 HD LED Pico Projectors. AAXA P5 provides 300 ANSI lm at native 1280 x 720 resolution with contrast of 1,000:1 (full on/off). Dimensions 5 cm x 11 cm x 10 cm and weight 0,88 lbs is consistent with the mini form factor. Throw Ratio of 1.47:1 (D:W) provides 61"@78 inch for optimal 111 nits at Screen Gain of 1,2 (low ambient light). The model uses the gorgeous high-density lithium ion battery, which provides 135 minute. In addition, the projector has a 1.0 W mono speaker and tripod. Unfortunately, model does not support of Digital Keystone. Today, the model costs $ 452. AAXA M5 is one of the brightest portable projectors. Its brightness reaches 900 Lm (or 500 Lm with battery) at 1280 x 800 resolution with contrast of 2,000: 1 (full on / off). Unfortunately, its dimensions are 5 cm x 15 cm x 15 cm and its weight is 1.98 lbs a bit large for a pico projector. But unprecedented brightness compensates for this aspect. Throw Ratio of 1.20 (D: W) provides 103"@ 105 inch for optimal 111 nits at Screen Gain of 1,2 (low ambient light). Of course, this is an excellent result for mini models. In addition, the projector supports Digital Keystone, has a tripod and a built-in 2.0 W mono speaker. Today it costs $ 499.

AAXA P2-A and M6 HD pico projectors

Already in 2017, the company introduced five new models. This list includes AAXA P2-A, AAXA M6, AAXA P300 Neo, AAXA P300 Neo Smart and AAXA P2-B. AAXA P2-A is a Smart wireless video streaming pico projector. It uses a powerful quad-core 1.3 GHz processor powering its Android 5.1 OS. Projector provides 130 Ansi Lm at 854 x 480 resolution with contrast of 1,000:1 (full on/off). The cubic form factor with dimensions of 6 cm x 7 cm x 7 cm and a weight of 0.6 lbs is fully consistent with the Pico classification. Throw Ratio of 1.20:1 (D:W) provides 40"@42 inch for optimal 111 nits at Screen Gain of 1,2 (low ambient light). The model traditionally has a tripod and uses a 1.5 W mono speaker. The projector costs $ 199, which, of course, is a bit for the Smart model. Of course, the AAXA M6 HD Pico Projector belongs to a higher class. It provides 1,200 Ansi Lm at native 1920x1080 (1080p) with contrast of 2,000: 1 (full on / off). Unfortunately, its dimensions 5 cm x 18 cm x 18 cm and a weight of 2.4 lbs are too large for the pico model and more correspond to a mini projector. Throw Ratio of 1.10:1 (D:W) provides 93"@89 inch for optimal 111 nits at Screen Gain of 1,2 (low ambient light). Of course, this is a great result. This projector does not support Digital Keystone, but has 2.0 W × 2 speakers, Memory Card Reader and built-in premium 90 minute Lithium Ion battery. Unfortunately, its price reaches $ 599.

AAXA P300 Neo Projector

As the name implies, the AAXA P300 Neo Projector is an improved version of the popular AAXA P300. The new model provides slightly increased brightness (430 vs 300 ANSI lm), supports the same 720p HD (1280 x 720) resolution, but with contrast only 1,000: 1 vs 2,000: 1 (full on / off) in P300. Of course, significantly reduced size and weight (3 cm x 14 cm x 9 cm vs 4 cm x 15 cm x 10 cm and 0.8 lbs vs 1.3 lbs) while maintaining the basic specs became its main advantage. Model supports vertical digital keystone and uses 1.0 W mono speaker. In addition, the Lamp Life of the projector doubled (30,000 vs 15,000 hours). Moreover, Throw Ratio of 1.20:1 (D:W) provides 72"@76 inch vs 60"@71 inch for optimal 111 nits at Screen Gain of 1,2 (low ambient light). Finally, a premium lithium ion battery delivers 1.5 hours of media playback in eco mode. At the same time, the company reduced the price of the model to $ 279 vs $ 330 (street price of AAXA P300).

AAXA P300 Neo Smart and P2-B projectors

As the name implies, AAXA P300 Neo Smart has become the Smart version. Just like the AAXA P2-A, it uses a powerful 1.3 GHz quad-core processor and Android 5.1 OS. The projector brightness reaches 400 ANSI lm at 1280 x 720 resolution with contrast 1,000: 1 (full on / off). Its dimensions, weight, design, Lamp Life, 1.0 W mono speaker and support vertical digital keystone completely coincide with the P300 Neo. But Throw Ratio of 1.50:1 (D:W) vs 1.20:1 provides only 72"@94 inch vs 72"@76 inch in P300 Neo for optimal 111 nits at Screen Gain of 1,2 (low ambient light). In addition, the projector has a powerful built-in media player for playing 4K content, megapixel slide shows and music. Of course, P300 Neo Smart costs more ($ 319 vs $ 279). AAXA P2-B projector became the lower cost variant of the popular Smart P2-A pico projector. Their specs, including design, are fully consistent with each other, of course, with the exception of Smart features. At the same time, the P2-B has a 150 minute lithium ion battery and is cheaper by $ 40 ($ 159 vs $ 199).

AAXA P6 and P7 pico projectors

In April 2018, the company introduced the P6 Pico Projector with a bright 600 LED light engine capable of delivering 140" diagonal size (for dark area). Of course, the brightness of 600 ANSI Lm at 1280 x 800 resolution with contrast 2,000: 1 (full on / off) corresponds to a fairly high level for a mini projector. In addition, Throw Ratio of 1.23: 1 (D: W) provides 84"@ 88 inch for optimal 111 nits at Screen Gain of 1.2 (low ambient light). Moreover, the model provides Digital Zoom and vertical digital keystone, has a 2.0 W mono speaker, and its Lamp Life reaches 30,000 hours. Its dimensions 4 cm x 13 cm x 12 cm and weight 1.2 lbs can be considered average for this class. A projector costs $ 334. In February 2019, the company introduced the AAXA P7 Projector. List of its pros includes brightness of 600 ANSI Lm at native 1080p (1920 x 1080) Full HD resolution with contrast 2,000: 1 and multiple connectivity options. In addition, its Throw Ratio of 1.20: 1 (D: W) provides 98"@ 102 inch for optimal 58 nits at Screen Gain of 1,2 (low ambient light). Moreover, the projector supports vertical digital keystone, has 2.0 W × 2 speakers, Memory Card Reader and tripod, and its Lamp Life reaches 30,000 hours. Additionally, the model can use the powerful 38 Watt Lithium-Ion Battery, which is sold separately. At the same time, the size and weight of the model does not exceed 7 cm x 12 cm x 11 cm and 1.4 lbs, which is excellent results for such specs. Today, this model costs $ 399.

Conclusion

Of course, the review format does not allow to include all models under this popular brand. For example, it does not include ST200 Short Throw (0.8: 1), AAXA S1 Mini Nintendo, AAXA P4-X Android, etc, as well as AAXA 4K1 LED (spring 2019). Of course, this magnificent model does not belong to the mini class (3.27 x 2.83 x 0.94 in and 3.8 lbs). But its specs are impressive. At a cost of $ 1,000, this projector provides a brightness of 1,500 ANSI lm at native 4K UHD resolution, forming a projection of up to 200" on a diagonal with great quality. In general, a wide range of AAXA pico projectors allows any consumer to easily choose the optimal model. This video illustrates the capabilities of the AAXA P7 Projector. Read the full article