While televisions no doubt provide a great entertainment experience, if you really want to take the party to another level, you will go with a portable projector.
While most TVs stick to the 55-75-inch size, grabbing a portable projector means you can easily scale your picture up to 100 inches or larger, without spending a blooming fortune. Most importantly, a portable projector isn’t a one-trick pony as it can have multiple purposes and be used for many different occasions.
With that in mind, let’s jump right into the 7 reasons why you might want to buy a portable projector right now.
What is a Portable Projector?
Before jumping into all of the reasons why a portable projector should be next on your Amazon wishlist, it’s helpful to properly define what a portable projector is.
What helps define this category is that a portable projector can be easily moved around as it doesn’t need to be in any one position to work. In some cases, a portable projector can even fit in a pocket or a small bag, which is what helps give it an edge over a larger, more stable projector that requires a desk or table to operate.
It’s also important to know that portable projectors, depending on their feature set, can easily show up in a range of prices.
Now that you have a solid understanding of what a portable projector is, let’s get right to the reasons why you need to buy one today.
#1: They Are Portable
This reason is pretty much obvious as portable is in the name, but it would be wrong to dismiss portability as not being a primary reason to make a purchase. As it can be carried from one room to another for a myriad of reasons including business presentations, entertainment, or even schoolwork if you so choose, having a portable projector makes it super easy to find a way to use one.
As some portable projectors weigh as little as a few pounds, you can even take them on the road and use them at a campground, a hotel, or anywhere in the world you can find a space for a large projection. It’s this level of flexibility and freedom that helps make portable projectors such an attractive purchase.
#2: Big Screen Size
When you buy a television, you do so with the understanding that you are buying a fixed-size screen. No matter if it’s 55 or 75 inches, the television will never get larger or smaller until you buy another model. The opposite is true with a portable projector in that you have a ton of flexibility with screen size.
Do you want to throw up a 100-inch projection on the wall of your home while you are barbecuing? You can expect to be able to do exactly that. The same goes for a 200 and 300-inch screen size if you choose to purchase a portable projector that offers that large a projection.
As you have so many different options, it’s a huge bonus to go with a portable projector instead of an outdoor TV. The amount of flexibility with a screen size can come in handy depending on what you are trying to do.
Going big while watching a movie is a nice bonus but having the option to size down a little when you are presenting in an office is equally helpful. As a portable projector can work in just about any size room, with any size wall, it offers a significant advantage over fixed-size televisions where it’s all or nothing with trying to find the exact right fit.
#3: Less Money Spent
There is no question that a smart TV comes with a host of helpful features like the ability to access thousands of different apps, including your favorite streaming services. It’s one of the many reasons you pay a lot for a television.
However, what if you could pay half or maybe even a quarter as much as a TV and not lose out on a lot of the features you generally find on a television?
For the most part, a large number of these portable projectors work in tandem with a smartphone or tablet, both of which offer access to the very same apps you might find on a smart television. Better yet, portable projectors can often enable you to download apps like Hulu and Netflix directly onto the unit itself, so you’re working from the same streaming movie and TV show libraries as your smart TV.
One of the most popular portable projectors, the Anker Nebula, offers the opportunity to download Netflix right onto its internal drive and stream using your home Wi-Fi network. Yes, it’s true, you won’t get a cable connection this way for live TV, but that’s where streaming from your smartphone apps comes in handy.
#4: Connect Your Devices
As stated above, connecting your devices to increase the amount of content a portable projector can offer is another big reason why these devices are so popular. There is a very good chance that if your portable projector of choice doesn’t already include a streaming app, you can connect to your smartphone, tablet, or even a PC, and stream through the projector to make sure you have the depth of programming options you need.
In fact, you might even need to stream, and in some cases, you might be able to connect through HDMI to a USB-C connection from your Android smartphone and open up the vast library of streaming services you can stream through your portable projector.
There is no question this is a little more work than just turning on a television, but you’re also not going to be able to find a television that can push a 100-inch screen the same way a portable projector can, especially at what the portable projector costs.
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#5: No Power Required
One major highlight of a portable projector that should not be overlooked is that you can use it in just about any place as it rarely requires a power outlet. This is not to say they never need to be charged, but finding a portable projector with a 4-5 hour battery life is the normal range, so you can easily make a movie night in your backyard without worrying about any type of power supply to complete a whole film or binge a Netflix session.
More importantly, it doesn’t take very long to recharge a portable projector. In the case of the Anker Nebula, you can recharge its battery using its included USB plug-in in under 3 hours, so you’re absolutely ready to hold another movie night outdoors every day over the summer and indoors during colder months.
#6: Multiple Control Options
While a TV is generally just controlled through a remote, when you opt to use a portable projector, you open up the number of methods you can use to control your technology. With a product like the Anker Nebula, you can look at using HDMI, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi, as well as the physical buttons on top of the unit itself.
This is all on top of the available remote control, which also works in the same way a traditional remote would work with options for volume control, play/pause, and more. Screen mirroring is also an option on many portable projectors along with Chromecast. Those are two options only available on some television models, giving the projector yet another feather in its cap.
#7: Choose Your Surface
When it comes to the screen of a portable projector, you know that you have big flexibility with the screen size, but did you also know you have similar flexibility with the type of surface you are using to display the screen? Basically, as long as you have a flat, light-colored wall, you are in pretty good shape.
The same goes for glass, where you can display a projector screen on glass surfaces, like a window or mirror. Similarly, you can also set up your portable projector to work on a giant piece of fabric or even a window curtain. While some of these surfaces are more likely to be used than others, they still give you a lot of flexibility around setting up a portable projector and quickly watching a movie or show.
The Best Portable Projectors You Can Buy Today
#1 Best Overall: Anker Nebula
- 200 ANSI lumen
- Portable
- 6W Speaker
- 100-inch picture
- 4-hour video playtime
Widely established as one of the most popular portable projectors around, the Anker Nebula is a terrific choice for all the right reasons.
Right from the jump, the Anker Nebula shines bright as a smart purchase thanks to its 100-inch picture, which is displayed beautifully on a myriad of surfaces thanks to its 200-lumen DLP lamp.
The power of this lamp helps provide the Anker with outstanding picture quality in dimmer environments, which very well may be exactly what you want for a backyard movie night. With 4 hours of battery life on a single charge, movie night can go long enough for back-to-back viewing sessions.
More importantly, though, the Anker Nebula supports multiple connections like HDMI and USB devices, as well as AirPlay from your favorite Apple device, Miracast, or Bluetooth. Regardless of how you watch, you can scale down to a screen size as low as 40 inches while also enjoying the built-in 6W speaker. Better yet, pair the Nebula with a separate Bluetooth speaker to amplify the sound quality in a big way.
Check out the Anker Nebula on Amazon.
Best Speakers: XGIMI MoGo 2
- 400 ISO lumens
- Android TV 11.0
- 2X8W speakers
- Auto Focus
- Object Avoidance
- Screen adaption
If you want a portable projector that offers booming sound while also delivering excellent picture quality, the XGIMI MoGo 2 is the portable projector you need.
The best part of the XGIMI MoGO 2 is undoubtedly its dual 8W speakers that are absolutely room-filling thanks to built-in support for Dolby Audio. Courtesy of a unique design by XGIMI, the bass available on the MoGo 2 is unquestionably a best-in-class experience among the portable projector crowd and sets the bar for the competition.
Thankfully, the MoGo 2 isn’t all about the speakers as it also has a terrific auto-focus feature, support for over 5,000 downloadable apps from the Google Play Store, and a 25,000-hour-long lamp life. Add in the unit itself, which weighs just under 2.5 pounds, and you have a truly portable projector that can easily shake up a room.
Once you fire up the picture, you’ll see why the speakers are so great. The picture is another major highlight with a cinematic experience delivered with accurate colors and strong brightness thanks to a 400 ISO lumens lamp.
You can find the XGIMI MoGo 2 on Amazon.
Reasons to Buy a Portable Projector: Summary
| 1. As the product name suggests, a portable projector is truly portable, which means it can go anywhere you go. |
| 2. Finding a big screen size is no problem as many portable projectors can go up to at least 100 inches of screen size. |
| 3. If you go with a portable projector, you are spending far less than you would on a smart TV. |
| 4. You can easily connect all of your devices thanks to support for HDMI, Bluetooth, AirPlay, Miracast, and more. |
| 5. With built-in battery support, you don’t have to worry about a constant power outlet connection. |
| 6. You also have a good number of different ways to control your projector. |
| 7. As long as you can find a flat surface like a light-colored wall, curtain, or glass, you can use your portable projector. |
Wrapping Up
There is a good chance that many people are unaware portable projectors exist, never mind how beneficial they can be as a tool in your electronic arsenal.
From late-night movie sessions and big screen viewing in a basement to traveling, you have so many different ways to use and enjoy a portable projector, that it’s really up to you if you even need to spend 3 to 4 times as much on a smart television.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©DondykRiga/Shutterstock.com.
