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The best portable mini projector
By Daniel Varghese and Adrienne Maxwell This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, Wirecutter and Engadget may earn affiliate commission. Read the full portable mini projector guide here. 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. What impressed us most about the Mars II is its ease of use, great Android TV interface, and long battery life. Although no projector we tested produced an incredibly accurate image compared with a full-sized projector, the Mars II delivered good performance, with solid image brightness and contrast. The Anker Nebula Mars II delivers the best combination of features, performance, and ease of use of any mini projector we tested. It offers plenty of connection options, and it features the Android TV operating system to stream services like Netflix and Hulu. 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. Though its picture quality was not the absolute best of the group, the Mars II doesn't have any major flaws on this front, emitting a picture that's bright, detailed, and relatively color-accurate. The original Anker Nebula Mars offers the best overall image quality of any projector we tested in 2018, and it has many of the same features as the Mars II, including plenty of connection options, internal applications, automatic focus and keystoning, and a well-laid-out remote. But it has shorter battery life, and it's less intuitive to use than its successor because it lacks support for a mobile remote app, so the menu system and apps like Netflix and Amazon Video are more difficult to navigate. 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. But if you don't mind having to connect a computer, Blu-ray player, media streamer, or thumb drive in order to watch content, the Mars Lite offers surprisingly good image quality and long battery life at a much lower price than our other picks.
WowWee Cinemin Swivel iPod and iPhone pico projector review
The first time we saw a pico projector some of us thought: "Err... What's the point?" Slide show presentations from your phone? Doubt it -- not powerful enough for practical use. Cinematic experience in the toilet? Maybe, but you'd want a built-in projector on your PMP instead of a separate brick. Funky dance? Only in Japan. Finally, WowWee took a break from robotics to give us the answer with its foldable Cinemin Swivel pico projector: for watching videos on the ceiling while lying in bed, obviously. Still, we have our doubts about image quality, portability and practicality -- especially for $299. Read on to find out if this little guy is worth it.
BeamBox Essential G2 projector is tiny, available for pre-order
Remember when 190 grams felt feathery light? BeamBox wasn't satisfied with that, and has put its pocket projector on a strict diet, cutting its weight all the way down to 75 grams. The Essential G2 promises VGA resolution on up to a 73-inch projection, though we'd expect the listed 20 lumens to produce usable images closer to 7.3-inches. Alas, you have to expect sacrifices when moving to such miniature dimensions. USB connectivity takes care of both power and image source, though there's 1GB of integrated memory if you don't feel like lugging a comparatively monolithic laptop or netbook along. If this has piqued your interest, a remote control comes as part of the deal and pre-orders are being taken now -- £220, $250 or €240, depending on your local currency -- with general availability set for July 29.
OLED mini projector prototype for mobile phones using a series of lenses developed
Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute -- partnered with project HYPOLED -- have created an OLED mini projector prototype for mobile phones. Unlike many previous iterations of similar technologies, this new prototype doesn't need an additional illumination system, instead relying on a lens system to project images produced by an OLED onto a screen or wall -- making it both smaller and more energy efficient. The prototype currently displays a monochrome image with a brightness of 10,000 candelas per square meter, and color images with a brightness of about half of that. The lenses are also made of glass at this point, though cheaper and simpler plastic ones are in the works. No word on when we might see these prototypes hitting the streets in actual projector phones, though.[Via Gizmag]
Researchers ditch DLP, develop OLED panel-based mini projector
Looking for a way to differentiate among the ever-expanding niche of pocket projectors, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering (IOF) of Germany are working on an OLED panel-based mini projector, using static optical systems and not the usual reflective system à la DLP. Currently being shown at SID Display Week 2009, the decidedly green picture (seems to be the norm with OLED prototypes these days) forms via a 6-inch VGA screen from 30 to 50 centimeters away, and the machine itself takes up just about ten cubic centimeters of space. Despite all the faith, there's still the rather nasty problem of luminance, which the scientists estimate needs to be about four or five times as bright as current levels -- but hey, you gotta start somewhere, right?
BenQ's $499 Joybee GP1 pocket projector up for pre-order
We had the pleasure of checking out BenQ's Joybee GP1 pocket projector back in March at CeBIT, and now the bantam beamer is just about ready to ship here in the States. Starting now (like, right now), interested consumers can plop down $499 in order to secure a place in line, ensuring that you'll be one of the first on the block to take possession of the planet's first LED-based PJ with a USB reader. Specs wise, you'll find a DLP projection system kicking out an 858 x 600 resolution, 100 ANSI lumens, a 2,000:1 contrast ratio, a built-in 2-watt speaker and VGA / component / composite inputs. Five bills sounds a little steep for what it is, but hey, it's a 1.4 pound projector -- did you really expect it to be economical?
$100 EyeClops Mini Projector announced for untatered tots
We knew it was coming, and sure enough Jakks Pacific just introduced its EyeClops Mini Projector for a penny shy of $100. Still light on specs, we can tell you that the palm-sized, LED projector features built-in speakers and up to 10 hours of operation off an unspecified number of D batteries when away from the mains. As to the quality, well, you typically get what you pay for and this pup is targeting a demographic of ages 8 and above -- 'nuff said. Look for it to ship sometime in the Fall.
Jakks Pacific unveils EyeClops mini projector for the little ones
We see a ton of tiny little projectors these days around here. This one, by toymaker Jakks Pacific, is still pretty eye-catching, anyway. Expected to be on hand next week at the Toy Industry Association's annual International Toy Fair in New York, the EyeClops is obviously designed with children in mind, with a build similar to adult picos. We don't have full specs on this one yet, but it's capable of projecting a 70-inch images via its LED, and can be hooked up to all your child's favorite gadgets -- DVD players, digital cameras, and gaming consoles. The real kicker here is that the EyeClops is expected to sell for under $100 -- much less than most projectors for oldies. [Via About Projectors]
3M's MPro110 pocket projector reviewed: okay for geeks, so it's okay for you
3M's MPro110 never set out to blow minds, just to wow those who thought projectors could never be this small. According to Gadling's hands-on review, it achieved its goal(s). With a brightness of just 7 lumens, the actual image that it produced wasn't exactly stunning, but it was deemed "far from useless." The biggest knock was just how limited it was in terms of real-world usage; unless the room was perfectly dark, it wasn't the most gorgeous thing to look at, which means those midday sales presentations may not fly if there's a window in the room. In the end, the MPro110 was found to be more of a geek's toy than a proper presentation tool, but who says that's a bad thing?
Optoma's DLP PK101 pico projector up for pre-order at $399.99
"Coming soon," huh? Soon, indeed. Optoma's DLP-based pico projector, which is formally known as the EP-PK-101 (or PK101 in some circles), is now up for pre-order at Amazon. So, just how much will you pay for a 4-ounce beamer that you can carry in your left front pocket? If your answer is anything less than $399.99, you're out of luck here.[Via I4U News]
3M MPro110 / Optoma PK101 pico projectors get dissected
Sure, we frequently come across gizmos so small that tweezers and eyeglass repair kits are needed to dissect 'em, but rarely are those gadgets projectors. With the new wave of minuscule beamers comes a new kind of tear down, and Tech-On has taken the time to split apart and photograph both the 3M MPro110 and Optoma PK101. The splaying gets pretty detailed, too, with us being informed of two large LSIs on the former (one from Weltrend; one from TI) and a hard look at the LEDs of the latter. Have a peek at the writeups and accompanying images below, and see just how long you can go without uttering an "aww" -- we'll bet it's not long at all.Read - 3M tear downRead - Optoma tear down
Scitec's VLP-100 mini projector: QVGA never looked so bad
At first glance Scitec's VLP-100 seems to present a fairly below-average stab at the almost-mini projector scene, offering up 350 lumens, a 150:1 contrast ratio and a paltry 320 x 240 resolution. The 34,800 yen pricetag (about $352 US) does seem palatable, and the 2-inch thickness and 6-inch length are kind of nice, but Scitec absurdly expects you to spread that paltry image over 40-, 50- and even 60-inch screens, which is frankly ridiculous. The projector hits Japan later this month, so start saving up on suspension of disbelief.
Adapt's ADPP-100 pocket projector shown on video
Another week, another pocket projector sighting. In an attempt to get known before it gets buried by the hundreds of alternatives sure to pop up here in the coming months, Adapt has hosted a short video of its mX ADPP-100 mini projector. Said beamer features LCoS technology, a rechargeable battery, an SD card slot, inputs for "almost any device," and the ability to project a 50-inch image (however blurry) onto the wall. Not much else is known right now outside of that, but you can check it out in action just after the break.[Via AboutProjectors]
3M reveals MPro110 pocket projector: ships this month
It's official: the age of the pico projector has arrived. And we're not talking the age of pico projector announcements, we're talking about launches. Just after Toshiba came clean with its LED Pico Projector, along comes 3M (of all companies) with one of its own. The MPro110 pocket beamer got handled by PopSci, and the results were pretty much as we'd expect. Decently bright, extraordinarily novel, but not exactly world-class. Brightness (the lack thereof, actually) was an issue, and a few movie scenes were deemed "indecipherable." Additionally, it has no built-in speaker, but for just $359, we suppose that's an omission we can live with. Best of all, this one's set to ship on September 30th. To America. Woo![Via AboutProjectors]
Fuchitek reveals PEP01 pico projector
We've seen one pico projector after another emerge, but we're getting pretty antsy as we wait for one to ship en masse to North America. Call it a hunch, but we highly doubt Fuchitek's PEP01 will be the first to fly stateside. The handheld beamer measures in at just 11.5- x 5- x 2.2-centimeters and features a 640 x 480 native resolution, 80:1 contrast ratio, support for NTSC / PAL, composite input and a battery life of around 40 minutes. Per usual, there's no indication of when Fuchitek plans on releasing it (let alone a price), so we suppose we'll spend yet another night holding the PLC-XL50 up with our hands and pretending that everything's kosher.[Via Pocket-lint]
Mint's V10 mini projector gets price and release date
Wait, who's this Mint character anyway? Ah, yes -- that Australian firm that hires Aiptek to do at least some of its dirty work. The V10 mini projector that we spotted earlier this year has been blessed with an official price and release date, promising a VGA beam in the palm of your hand for around $600 this September. As a refresher, you'll get 1GB of internal storage, a microSD expansion slot and a woefully inadequate 60 minutes of battery life. But hey, it's ridiculously small.[Via CNET]
Dell's Pocket Projector is easy to overlook
We can't blame you if you missed it, but Dell's latest leaked PowerPoint had one little gem tucked away near the end of the 31 slide deck. No, not the Coolslice homeslice, rather the Pocket Projector. Weighing just 1.1 pounds, this LED projector is either incredibly small, or that's a Texas-sized coffee mug... either of which could be true in Dell country. No word on release date though we expect it to pop with the rest of the Latitude E-series in Q4.[Thanks, William]
TI showcases 3D projector and DLP Pico chipset at InfoComm
InfoComm is in full swing down in Vegas, and Texas Instruments isn't wasting any time showcasing its latest gear. First up is a prototype 1080p beamer hailed as the industry's first with a lamp-free design. Said unit also utilizes a PhlatLight LED light source and a BrilliantColor chipset, and if TI is to be believed, certain vendors will be shipping wares based on this stuff later this year. Moving on, we're being (re)treated to the planet's "first" 3D front projector (also known as the F10 AS3D), designed in cooperation with projectiondesign. Hidden beneath the big boys is the DLP Pico chipset for mobile applications, which will unsurprisingly pop up in pico projectors from companies like Optoma in late 2008 (Europe and Asia) / 2009 (the rest of us). Peek the full release after the break. %Gallery-25432%
Aiptek joins the fold with PocketCinema V10 mini-projector
If there are two things Aiptek knows, it's cheap and small. Along with Foxconn and Honlai, Aiptek is introducing a pocket-sized projector over in Taipei, and it's being eloquently dubbed the PocketCinema V10. Reportedly, the device taps 3M's miniature projection technology to shoot up a 50-inch image, and if you don't have a bona fide source laying around, it can still entertain guests by reading from the 1GB of internal memory or 3-in-1 multicard reader. Furthermore, it packs a built-in battery and stereo speakers, but unfortunately, we can't tell you where or when you'll be able to purchase one of these unpriced wonders.[Via AboutProjectors]
Foxconn showcases tiny PD-W1001 DLP projector
Although Computex has largely delivered a slew of netbooks to digest, a handful of new pico projectors have also managed to get a little face time. The latest is Foxconn's PD-W1001, which features a 0.3-inch Texas Instruments DLP chip, WVGA (854 x 480) resolution and 25 Lm -- all within a 55- x 46- x 26-millimeter package that weighs just 65-grams. In its current form, we can't see this being much more than a novel concept, but when these critters start inching closer to 1080p, you can color us very much interested.[Via AboutProjectors]
