Watching the big game while camping or having an outdoor movie night in the garden is easy with a portable projector. The best portable projectors are lightweight, compact enough to carry, and can work in the wilderness or other places without electricity because they have built-in batteries. They offer impressive FHD or 4K visuals and include built-in speakers for an incredible home theater experience.
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At Pocket-lint, we’ve reviewed many brands and models, including the best 4K projectors, to make it easier to find the best product to suit your needs. This time, we’ve selected the best portable projectors based on their price, features, and performance – so there’s one for every buyer and budget.
Best portable projectors: Our favorite picks
Anker Nebula Capsule 3 Mini Projector
1. Best overall portable projector
The people’s champion
$740 $800 Save $60
Anker’s Nebula Capsule 3 is compact enough to take around with you and offers superb image and build quality.
- Compact size
- Built-in battery
- Great picture quality
- No Netflix app
- Could be brighter
Anker’s Nebula 3 tops our list because of its amazing all-around design and performance for a competitive price. Its compact cylindrical shape resembles a soda can and only weighs 2.09 lbs to fit into most bags. Connectivity is decent with HDMI, USB-C, and Bluetooth, and there’s an integrated 8-watt speaker and 3.5-millimeter port for audio. You also get a built-in battery offering around 2.5 hours of viewing and up to eight hours in Bluetooth speaker mode.
As a laser projector, it’s brighter than conventional LED variants and has a longer estimated lifespan of around 30,000 hours. Its FHD 1080p resolution is expected at this price and ensures a vivid and clear picture on a massive display. You can also fine-tune the image quality with three presets or create a custom alternative with contrast and sharpness to suit your preferences.
The Nebula 3 feels like a quality product thanks to its sturdy design, and it’s perfect for weekend getaways and other outdoor entertainment at a compact size, capable of going anywhere with you. Its picture quality is great for the price, although it could be brighter, and it’s a pity there’s no included Netflix app.
BenQ GP500 4K smart Home Projector
2. Best premium portable projector
Cinematic wonder
$1000 $1800 Save $800
The BenQ GP500 has stunning 4K image quality and four speakers for a home theater experience.
- 4K resolution
- Four speakers
- Very bright
BenQ’s GP500 is the best option if you want high resolution and fantastic brightness, but it comes at the cost of portability. This projector is marketed as a home cinema but manages to scrape through onto this list because its 10.2 x 10.5 x 7.2-inch design and 11.9 pound weight is feasible to carry outside for barbecue entertainment or a movie night under the stars. Part of its size is due to its four integrated 5-watt speakers providing excellent 360-degree sound.
The main reason to get the GP500 is its stunning 4K UHD picture quality and exceptional 1,500 ANSI lumens of brightness for one of the best viewing experiences possible. It’s also HDR-compatible and can display lower-resolution video in 1080p, depending on what you’re watching. Gamers can enjoy the Fast Mode to reduce latency while playing their favorite titles.
You can’t have it all, and it’s easy to forgive the GP500’s bulk, considering its outstanding audio and visual capabilities that push it past most conventional portable monitors. Its hefty price tag aligns with its performance and delivers great value when you get a cinema-like experience with 4K UHD content on a huge display.
ViewSonic M1+ Portable Projector
3. Best value portable projector
Easy does it
The Viewsonic M1+ has a sleek and compact design and includes a user-friendly stand and built-in memory, so you can watch movies and shows no matter where you are.
- Built-in stand
- Internal memory and SD card slot
- Stylish design
Viewsonic’s M1+ is reasonably priced and includes a built-in stand to find the best viewing position easily. It offers excellent 1080p picture quality from the LED system, and you can swivel it side to side or adjust the height with the L-shaped stand that attaches to the projector’s right side. The audio is courtesy of dual Harman Kardon speakers, which you can also connect to your smartphone via Bluetooth to enjoy music and podcasts.
The Viewsonic M1+ also has a built-in battery offering around six hours of runtime to handle a few movies or shows. You can also store content on 12GB of internal storage or use the SD Card slot if you’re out camping and can’t access Wi-Fi. Connectivity options are pretty decent, too, with HDMI 1.4, USB-C and USB-A ports, and 3.5mm audio to connect to headphones or external speakers.
There’s no worrying about positioning or height adjustment, and you can easily watch your content anywhere with the Viewsonic M1+. It’s portable enough to go to most places and doubles as a Bluetooth speaker, but it doesn’t allow you to access streaming services unless you use a third-party dongle.
Epson 2350 4K Smart Gaming Projector
4. Best portable projector for gaming
Gaming Goodness
$1000 $1300 Save $300
Epson’s 2350 has a fast response time and a high-resolution 4K display to appeal to gamers and anyone looking for an amazing visual experience.
- 4K
- Fast response time
- Very bright
- Blacks could be darker
- Single HDMI port
Gamers demand speed from all their devices, and Epson’s 2350 was designed to provide low latency and high resolution to satisfy the needs of the complex 3D graphics of modern AAA titles. That said, its 20-millisecond response time is better for single-player console games rather than online shooters, MOBAs, and other competitive titles requiring split-second inputs. It’s not only for gaming, and the 4K UHD resolution with a bright 2,800 lumens of brightness is perfect for movies and sports too.
The Epson 2350 has an all-white rectangular businesslike design with a pair of 10-watt speakers for audio. When it comes to connectivity, there are two HDMIs, a 3.5-millimeter audio output, and a USB-A port, although one HDMI is used for the included Android TV dongle by default. This projector blurs the line of portability with its 9.0-lb weight and 4.80 x 13.10 x 10.9-inch dimensions and made this list because it’s still possible to take it on the road, even though most buyers won’t
While the Epson 2350 has the speed to bring out the best in the latest PlayStation and Xbox games, it’s also great for movies and shows, thanks to its high resolution and incredible brightness. Its blacks aren’t very rich in certain lighting conditions, and the single usable HDMI might be inconvenient for some users, but it does little to detract from its comprehensive feature set and value, which make it a top choice for all types of buyers.
Xgimi Halo+ Portable Projector
5. Best designed portable projector
Sound and style
$741 $800 Save $59
The Xgimi Halo+ has a stylish design with high brightness and FHD 1080p resolution.
- FHD 1080p
- Built-in battery
- Harman Kardon speakers
- Low brightness on battery power
- No Netflix app
Xgimi’s Halo+ offers the perfect blend of picture quality and portability, and its speakers blow most of the competition away. It oozes class with a stylish silver 6.75 x 5.71 x 4.47-inch and 3.5-lb design that’s probably too bulky for most laptop bags but portable enough to carry nonetheless.
XGimi Halo+: A punchy and portable projector
We test the battery-powered XGimi Halo+ portable projector. Read for our full verdict.
Connectivity options include a single HDMI port, a USB-A, and a 3.5-millimeter audio port, and you can connect via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
The Halo+ stands out from the competition by including two 5-watt Harman Kardon speakers for best-in-class audio and a built-in battery offering around 2.5 hours of viewing when there’s no power available. It has the picture quality to match, with FHD 1080p resolution and 700 ISO lumens of brightness for outstanding visual performance.
With a reasonable price tag and great audio and video performance, the Xgimi Halo+ is an excellent choice for anyone wanting to watch movies and other content on the move. It lacks a Netflix app, and the brightness is mediocre when using a battery, but these drawbacks go with the territory and aren’t anything to worry about.
BenQ GS50
6. Best outdoor portable projector
Rugged performance
Viewsonic’s GS50 is excellent for camping and other outdoor activities because it’s splash-resistant and has a tough exterior to handle knocks and bumps on the road.
- IPX2 splash resistance
- Dust and shock resistance
- Android TV
- Not the fastest projector
- No 3D
Campers and adventurers need a durable portable projector like the BenQ GS50 that’s tough enough to handle the outdoors. The stylish green and white design has rounded edges and is covered with a splash-proof film offering IPX2 protection. It’s also dust and shock-resistant and includes a handy carrying strap to get a firm grip when transporting it.
Performance-wise, the GS50 delivers 1080p resolution with HDR10 and HLG compatibility and has six picture modes to tweak the image quality. The 5W speakers and the 10W subwoofer offer superior audio performance to many rivals and can connect directly to your phone via Bluetooth. Streaming from popular services is easy with built-in Android TV, and you can also attach other devices via the HDMI 2.0b, USB-A, and USB-C ports.
BenQ’s rugged GS50 is a fantastic traveling companion because it can withstand occasional bumps and rain on the road while delivering excellent picture and sound quality. It can access most streaming services and connect to physical devices with its wide port selection, although it could be faster and lacks 3D support.
Samsung The Freestyle Portable Projector
7. Best user-friendly portable projector
Point and play
$510 $600 Save $90
Samsung’s The Freestyle has an innovative design with a 180-degree rotation, voice assistant compatibility, and more features, making it simple to set up and use.
- Innovative design
- Auto Leveling, Auto Focus, and Auto Keystone
- Voice assistant compatibility
- Doesn’t come cheap
- Battery is an optional extra
Samsung’s The Freestyle takes the stress out of setting up a projector with its unique design, making life easier for you. Its all-white cylindrical shape is attached to a base with an arm on each side, allowing it to rotate up to 180 degrees freely.
Samsung The Freestyle: Big screen fun anywhere
This design enables you to easily adjust the projector’s height to match your wall, and you can even project videos and images onto the ceiling or floor if you’re having a party. This feature combines with the autofocus, leveling, and keystone features, making it a breeze to get going.
The FHD 1080p resolution with HDR is expected at this price point, and it delivers excellent color accuracy, if slightly dim. Sound is courtesy of a 5-watt speaker providing sound in all directions with Samsung’s “360-degree” system. Connectivity is limited to a single micro-USB port and a USB-C for power, and most buyers will use Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to connect. The Freestyle has the same Tizen operating system as Samsung’s TVs for a fluid experience, and it also has Bixby and Alexa voice assistant compatibility for added convenience.
It’s hard to judge The Freestyle on a like-for-like basis with the other projectors here because, on paper, it offers less for more, and you must buy the battery as a separate accessory. On the other hand, it’s difficult to put a price on convenience and practicality, and the extra you spend will be worth it when you don’t need to waste time setting it up all the time.
Kodak Ultra Mini Portable Projector
8. Best budget portable projector
Portability without the high price
$180 $200 Save $20
The Kodak Luma 75 has a lightweight, compact design that can go anywhere, making it perfect for business presentations.
- Low price
- Excellent connectivity options
- Two-hour battery
- Not the best for movies
- No wireless connectivity
The Kodak Luma 75 is an ultraportable projector that is handy for business presentations or road trips. Measuring 7.6 x 7.6 x 2cm and weighing just 150 grams, the Luma 75’s flat design is compact enough for the smallest bags, yet tough, with a metal finish on the sides and touch controls on the top. All the inputs, like the USB-A, HDMI, and SD card reader, are on the side, and there’s also a nifty tripod mount. For a compact projector, there’s also an integrated battery with a two-hour life expectancy and a built-in 1.5-watt speaker that barely gets the job done.
Kodak claims the Luma 75 to be an HD projector, although it has a native 640 x 360 resolution and scales the images to fit. It still performs well for presentations, images, and short videos, but might not be the best for movies and shows because of its small display area of around two meters.
In this case, you get what you pay for, and the Kodak Luma 75 offers an impressive port selection, a built-in battery, and excellent build quality, considering its budget-friendly price. It’s far from perfect, with average sound and picture quality, but it still offers incredible value as a sturdy device that can fit in your pocket.
The bottom line. Which is the best portable projector?
The Nebula Capsule 3 from Anker is the best portable projector because it’s compact, includes a built-in battery, and has great image quality for a competitive price. BenQ’s GP500 is the best premium pick because of its 4K UHD resolution and four speakers for a home cinema experience. The Viewsonic M1+ offers the best value because it comes at a fantastic price and includes a built-in stand and 1080p resolution.
Anker Nebula Capsule 3 Mini Projector
Editor’s Choice
$750 $800 Save $50
How did we choose these portable projectors?
Our team tests all types of hardware from various brands and decided to try portable projectors as fantastic niche products offering something different. They have hands-on experience with many models listed here and used image quality, construction, and value as the three main criteria when evaluating them.
We graded them based on their resolution, brightness, contrast, and general visual performance for the price. We then assessed by comparing size and weight to see how portable they really are, then considering other factors like connectivity, speakers, and batteries to see how they rank.
Most buyers, including us, make purchasing decisions based on value, and the best way to determine which projectors are best was to compare their image quality and construction to their cost factor to work out a price-to-performance ratio.
FAQ
Q: What is the number one portable projector?
There are many great portable projectors, and the Nebula Capsule 3, Samsung Freestyle, and Xgimi Halo+ are some of the best options.
Q: Are mini projectors worth buying?
Yes, mini projectors are worth buying because they are compact enough to go on the road, so you can watch movies, shows, and other content on camping trips or fishing expeditions.
Q: Is a projector better than a TV?
They both have their pros and cons. TVs can deliver better 4K resolution and a sharper picture, but they have a smaller display area and aren’t portable. Projectors have massive display sizes and portability but won’t match a high-end TV’s image quality.
