While I’ve mostly been a fan of mid-range home theatre projectors, I’ve also wanted something more portable to take camping and on other trips. This small and affordable unit from Dangbei checks a lot of the boxes.
While it doesn’t support a traditional OS like Google TV or Roku, the built-in operating system has Netflix, Prime Video, and YouTube. There’s also an app store with a surprising number of programs, but they seem hit and miss. For instance, Plex crashed every time I tried to play a 4K movie, instead of automatically converting it to 1080p as it would do on other low-res screens. However, there is a single HDMI port on the back, so I think most users will want to pair this with a Roku stick for better results.
Other ports include a single USB-A and a headphone jack for connecting a sound system. There are built-in speakers, but due to the small size, they only work indoors when it’s quiet. If you wanted to use this outside, I’d recommend using a Bluetooth speaker. While not perfect, the outdoor mode on the UE Wonderboom 2 has worked surprisingly well for movies outside before.
In day-to-day use, the projector is quite solid at night when you’re in the dark, but since it can only do 200 ISO Lumens, it’s not really usable during the daytime. It’s also only limited to 1080p, but at its $317 price tag, that’s a solid compromise. The screen can also go up to 120 inches before you start losing resolution.
One of the things I like the most about this projector is that it’s small, but still has a built-in tilt mechanism, making it easy to place in front of a wall or screen and tilt it up to project. The built-in autofocus and adjustment tools aren’t perfect, but there are manual modes so you can take things into your own hands. The bottom of the stand also has a quarter-twenty screw so you can easily mount it to a large projector stand or a camera tripod.
One perk of the projector I can’t test is its optics sealing process. Dangbei claims that it has sealed the optical engine to help keep dust out of the housing. Theoretically, this should allow the projector to last longer, but only time will tell how well it works. In my short time with it so far, it still acts like new.
One feature I wish this model had was power-over-USB. Late last year, I tested a unit from LG that was similarly sized but much more expensive. While I found the LG model to be a subpar value, it could be powered with a USB-C cable when on the go. That’s a necessary option that slims down the amount of gear needed to use any projector outside, and I would have loved to see Dangbei adopt that here.
Like the LG, this unit has a small fan that needs to run at high speeds and can be a little noisy because of its compact form factor. It’s easy enough to ignore once you start watching something, but it’s worth noting since it’s likely to annoy some.
I also wouldn’t recommend this to gamers. It can only do 1080p, and it doesn’t have the performance to run at high frame rates or display HDR. It could work in a pinch, but some might not find it as responsive as a modern TV.
Overall, this projector stands out as being just enough for the right price. If you want to jump into the world of projectors, this one is easy to use, affordable, and super portable, making it easy to watch content in a wide variety of settings.
You can find the projector at Staples in Canada for $317.
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