best in class
We found the best options for impromptu movie or gaming nights indoors or out.
By Jordan McMahon, a technology and gadgets writer at the Strategist. He’s been covering technology since 2017 and previously wrote for Wired, Wirecutter, and Reviewed.com.
Photo: Marcus McDonald
Photo: Marcus McDonald
In this article
- Best overall
- Best less expensive option
- Best rugged projector
- Best for bright environments
- Best for simple setup
As much as I love watching movies and playing games on my TV, my house isn’t big enough to host a movie night for more than one or two guests. Instead, I’ve been using portable projectors for outdoor movie nights with friends, or just as a way to unwind after a long day while still getting outside. These small projectors are all about convenience and portability, so they aren’t as bright or sharp as a high-end projector, but for a casual screening indoors or out, they can’t be beat.
To find out what makes a good portable projector and what to avoid, I tested a few projectors in my home and outdoors in both completely dark and dimly lit settings. I also spoke with Mark Steinberg, a senior technologist at B&H Photo, as well as Eric Lin, a cinematographer based in Brooklyn. And I looked at reviews from our colleagues at the Verge. Here are some of the best portable projectors you can buy online.
What we’re looking for
Brightness
Brightness
A projector’s brightness, which is measured in lumens (the amount of light emitted), is one of the most important things to look for in a projector. Some projectors have their brightness measured in ANSI lumens, while others are measured in standard lumens; we’ve converted them all to LED lumens to keep things consistent. Steinberg says that any projector with less than 500 lumens will lose some contrast and black levels, but in my testing, the difference is negligible if you’re only using your projector for casual viewing with friends and family.It’s also worth noting that projectors with built-in rechargeable batteries won’t shine at full brightness while on battery power, so it’s important to account for that if you’re planning on using it away from an outlet.
When Lin was looking at projectors for a small space in his home, brightness played a key role, as he needed something that would show up against a good deal of ambient light. “Even with 2,000 lumens, once you start calibrating it, the peak brightness goes down,” he says. “If you put it on cinema mode instead of vivid, it drops a lot due to softer elements like contrast. You probably wouldn’t want to watch a movie at peak brightness.” Even if you don’t manually calibrate the picture settings on your projector, switching to a preset mode like cinema (which will provide more accurate color reproduction) can make for a better overall picture quality than the standard settings.
Resolution
Resolution
Your projector’s resolution will determine its picture quality. No matter what, if you’re using a portable projector, its image quality won’t be anywhere near that of a TV. You’ll want a projector with at least a 1080p resolution — as all the models on our list have — to make sure you get the best image quality possible.
Depending on your needs, you may need a projector that’s just small enough to fit in a carry-on to accompany you on work trips, or you might need something smaller to toss in your bag for a weekend camping trip. There are projectors that pack a decent image into a tiny package — some can fit in the palm of your hand — but you’ll trade brightness, battery life, and screen size for that portability. If you’re willing to lug around a projector with a slightly larger footprint, you’ll be able to get a better and brighter image, and it’ll last longer on a single charge when you’re away from an outlet.
Screen size
Screen size
Having the brightest and crispest picture won’t matter if it’s too small for you to see. Portable projectors may not be capable of producing screen sizes as large as bigger, more sophisticated projectors, but some can produce images as large as 120 inches (diagonally) from a distance of roughly nine feet. Projectors with a wider range of potential screen sizes will be more versatile in a variety of spaces, but that’s at the expense of some portability.
Connections
Connections
If you’re using a laptop or streaming device such as a Roku or Apple TV, a projector with an HDMI port will suffice as long as you have an HDMI cable. On the other hand, if you’re streaming movies or TV shows from your phone, you’ll need an HDMI connector, as most streaming apps unfortunately have DRM protection that prevents wirelessly streaming to an external device via something like AirPlay or Chromecast.
Many of the projectors we recommend come pre-installed with an operating system that can download apps like Netflix or Amazon Prime Video, but you’ll have to rely on the projector’s OS being kept up to date in order to ensure those will keep working. Currently, many of the devices we recommend are running old versions of Android (8 versus the current 13), and there’s no way to be sure that streaming apps will keep supporting older versions of the operating system. We recommend using an HDMI cable and your phone or laptop instead for fewer issues.
Power source
Power source
If the battery can’t get you through an entire movie on a single charge, as can be the case with projectors that have smaller batteries, it won’t matter how easy the projector is to carry from place to place. All of the projectors with rechargeable batteries that we recommend can only be charged via A/C power, so you’ll need to find your way to an outlet eventually.
Most battery-powered projectors I’ve tested can handle about two hours of continuous playback. That’s usually with the brightness at about 50 percent, though, so keeping it at max brightness will yield shorter runtimes.
Sound
Sound
Most portable projectors come with built-in speakers, but they won’t be as loud as the sound you can get from external speakers. If you do need that extra volume, many portable projectors have the ability to connect to other speakers via cables or Bluetooth.
Best portable projector overall
$550
$550
Brightness: 480 lumens | Resolution: 1920 x 1080 | Projector size: 3.1” x 3.1” x 0.87”, 1 pound | Screen size: Up to 150 inches from 12.5 feet away | Connections: USB-C (charging and input), USB-A, HDMI, 3.5mm audio | Power source: A/C, built-in rechargeable battery | Sound: Two 1W speakers
Kodak’s square-shaped Luma 450 is about the size of a small children’s book, making it portable enough to carry from place to place in a bag while still packing enough pixels to produce a great image no matter the setting. I’ve used my review unit to host outdoor movie nights in my backyard, as well as to watch movies on my ceiling while I’m in bed. In both cases — from up close to far away — the projector’s 1080p resolution looked great even for action movies like Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2.
At a maximum brightness of 480 lumens, it’s not as powerful as the BenQ GS50, but it’s brighter than the smaller AAXA P7, and its speakers aren’t as loud. Nearly all its other specs can go toe to toe with the GS50, though, and it does so in a significantly smaller package. Unlike the GS50, the Luma comes with an adjustable tripod you can use to prop the projector at just the right angle. Despite the Luma’s weight, the tripod didn’t falter at all during a two-hour movie viewing, and it’s held up over months of testing.
Kodak’s projector can cast an image of up to 150 inches diagonally from 12.5 feet away. From that distance, I was able to play all of Arrival with a full battery, running at about 45 percent brightness once the sun had set.If you need enough juice for more than two hours, this projector comes with a USB-C port for charging and external storage, something the more affordable Luma 350 lacks (it uses USB-A for storage).
The biggest drawback to any portable projector running some version of Android is that Netflix doesn’t like to play ball, and you’ll have to do some funky workarounds to view Netflix on your projector. It’s easy enough to log in to the Google Play store and download Netflix (other apps come pre-installed), but it’s a bit time consuming, so avoid my mistake of waiting until my guests arrived to log in.
Best (less-expensive) portable projector
Brightness: 600 lumens | Resolution: 1920 x 1080 | Projector size: 4.7” x 4.4” x 2.7”, 1.4 pounds | Screen size: Up to 120 inches diagonally from 7.5 feet away | Connections: Two HDMI, USB-C, and mini VGA | Power source: A/C, optional rechargeable battery | Sound: 2W speaker, Bluetooth
The AAXA P7 isn’t just cheaper than the Luma 450; it’s also more portable. It’s small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, and it’s brighter than the larger Luma (600 lumens, compared to the Luma’s 480), though AAXA notes that when running on battery the brightness drops down to 450 lumens.
Despite its tiny size, the P7 packs the same 1080p resolution as the Luma 450 and can project a screen size of 120 inches from up to 7.5 feet away. Unlike the BenQ GS50 or XGIMI Halo+, the P7 doesn’t have any autofocus features or smart-TV software onboard, and its battery life tops out at 90 minutes, according to AAXA, but Steinberg says that’s a necessary sacrifice for such a small projector at this price point. It’s the only model with a rechargeable battery that isn’t included, though, and that’ll cost you an extra $30. On the plus side, because the P7’s battery is swappable — the other models we recommend with rechargeable batteries have the built-in kind — you can get an extra one to extend runtime.
The P7 has inputs for HDMI, USB-C, and mini VGA, plus ports for a microSD card and a USB-A flash drive. It also comes with a small tripod you can mount the projector on, but as with the Halo+, it’ll work with any standard tripod if you need more height flexibility. Like the other models on this list, there’s a built-in speaker, but you can connect it to your favorite Bluetooth speaker for better and louder sound — given the P7’s tiny size, there should be room in your bag for a decent speaker.
Best rugged portable projector
now 13% off
$699
Brightness: 1,200 lumens | Resolution: 1920 x 1080 | Projector size: 7.32” x 6.06” x 5.75”, 5.07 pounds | Screen size: Up to 100 inches diagonally from 8.7 feet away | Connections: Two HDMI, USB-C, USB-A | Power source: A/C, built in rechargeable battery | Sound: Two 5W speakers, Bluetooth
The BenQ GS50 isn’t as portable as the Luma 450 or the P7, but it’s far more rugged, making it the perfect portable projector for outdoor movie nights and weekends at your favorite campsite. At 1,200 lumens, it’s significantly brighter than smaller projectors like the Luma. It has a charming, outdoorsy look with a waterproof and dustproof exterior that’s drop-proof from up to 2.3 feet, and it’s the only projector we recommend that features that kind of protection. It even has a strap on the side for carrying it around, which should make up for the fact that it’s too big to drop in your bag.
The GS50 also has a built-in autofocus that adjusts the image when it gets blurry, which less expensive projectors like the AAXA P7 lack (though Kodak’s and Xgimi’s projectors do this as well), so you don’t have to fiddle with the lens yourself. Depending on your needs, this projector can produce an image ranging from 80 inches (diagonal) from a distance of seven feet up to 100 inches from 8.7 feet, and it’s one of only two projectors we recommend that can project an image from an angle and straighten itself. It has two HDMI ports, one USB-A port, and a USB-C port, and if you leave your cables behind, it has Android TV built in so you can stream directly from apps, as long as you’ve got a hotspot or wireless network nearby.
Among all the projectors Steinberg has tested at this size, he says the GS50’s speakers sound the best. It has a 2.1 stereo channel as well as a dedicated subwoofer, which no other projector we recommend has. This projector can even be used as a Bluetooth speaker when paired with a smartphone. “The sound won’t rock your world, but it’s better than most,” he says.
Best portable projector for bright environments
XGIMI Halo+
$850
$850
Brightness: 700 lumens | Resolution: 1920 x 1080 | Projector size: 4.4” x 4.7” x 6.7”, 3.5 pounds | Screen size: Up to 120 inches from 10.46 feet away | Connections: Two HDMI, USB-A | Power source: A/C, built-in rechargeable battery | Sound: Two 5W speakers, Bluetooth
Xgimi specializes in projectors, and it shows in the quality of its gear. The Halo+’s overall footprint is larger than the Luma 450’s but smaller than the GS50’s, and it is slightly brighter than either one at 700 lumens. It has the same 1080p resolution as both those projectors. The Halo+ has built-in 59W battery and should provide about two and a half hours of runtime according to XGIMI, which is much longer than the other battery-powered options we recommend, and as with the GS50, the Halo+ can be used as a Bluetooth speaker.
Also like the GS50, the Halo+ comes with Android TV, as well as software that can autofocus and detect obstacles obstructing the image and adjust the placement of the image accordingly. That software can automatically align the screen with the surface it’s projecting onto when placed at an angle. When I tested it on Xgimi’s MoGo 2 Pro (see below), this feature worked quickly and without any hiccups or mistakes.
The Halo+ is capable of projecting a screen size of up to 120 inches from 10.46 feet away and can also be placed as close as 5.2 feet for a 60-inch screen size — which is a wider range than the other models we considered. Like the P7, you can also attach the Halo+ to a tripod, though a tripod isn’t included as with the Luma 450.
Great as this projector is — its additional brightness and improved speakers are a welcome improvement over smaller models — its bulkier size makes it less portable than either the Luma 450 or P7.
Best portable projector for simple setup
Xgimi MoGo 2 Pro
$550
$550
Brightness: 400 lumens | Resolution: 1920 x 1080 | Projector size: 6.33” × 4.68” × 4.25”, 2.42 pounds | Screen size: Up to 200 inches from 12.5 feet away | Connections: USB-C (charging and input), USB-A, HDMI, 3.5mm audio | Power source: A/C, supports power banks over USB-C | Sound: Two 8W speakers
Xgimi’s MoGo 2 Pro isn’t as slim as the Luma thanks to its taller, more rectangular shape, but it has a more streamlined setup process and better speakers. If you have an Android phone, you can transfer your account info directly to the projector (which also runs Android) without having to retype all your passwords. Like most other Android-powered projectors, it also supports Chromecast. This means you can stream movies to the projector from your phone rather than through the projector’s remote-based operating system. Some iOS apps, such as YouTube and Hulu, offer support for Chromecast, but you’ll have to do all the setup on the projector if you have an iPhone. Again, though, some apps like Netflix restrict wirelessly casting media to a projector, so you may still have to log in directly on the device.
At 400 lumens, it’s not quite as bright as the BenQ GS50 or Luma 450, but in my testing, it was bright enough to produce a vibrant, crisp image on the outside wall of my house. The key to Xgimi’s projector, though, is its automated keystoning, which resets the size and angle of the screen when your projector isn’t perpendicular with the surface it’s projecting onto; without this, your screen might look more like a trapezoid than a rectangle. The projector is smart enough to detect this on its own, but you can quickly trigger it by hitting the settings button on the remote, which also gives you easy access to Bluetooth connections. That comes in handy since a Bluetooth speaker will sound much better than the MoGo 2 Pro’s built-in ones, which were easily muddled by nearby sirens.
The MoGo 2 Pro’s biggest drawback is that unlike some other projectors its size, this one doesn’t have a rechargeable battery; you’ll need to keep it plugged in. That shouldn’t be a problem if you’re using it in your backyard with an extension cord, but it also supports power banks, so you can just keep it plugged into an external battery with enough juice to get you through a full movie. If you do want a more portable projector to carry outside the house, smaller projectors like the Luma 450 or P7 both are better options.
Our experts
• Alix Diaconis, former senior video director at the Verge
• Eric Lin, cinematographer
• Mark Steinberg, senior technologist at B&H Photo
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