So here’s the deal: I’ve tried a lot of budget projectors and I purchased this when it had a coupon for 50% off. Great price for what you’re getting.
Pros:
1. Built-in Android TV makes it very convenient to watch from your favorite channels without plugging in an Apple TV, Roku, or Fire Stick. I personally stuck with my Fire Stick, just because I didn’t want to go through the setup of my new accounts, but if you’re on the go, this makes for a compact solution.
2. Built-in Autofocus and Keystone makes it easy to adjust screen. Much better than manual adjustments.
3. It does seem to be the advertised 500 ANSI lumens in brightness. If you compare it to other high end laser or lamp projectors, they are usually above 1,000 ANSI lumens, so obviously, they can perform in more flexible environments. For this one, I’d recommend a darker room/theater room with minimal ambient light. It still works when the lights are on, but for this price, 500 ANSI lumens is probably the best you’re going to get.
4. Fantastic remote and sensitivity. I can’t say enough how most of these Chinese projectors have a very poor user interface and half the time, the IR sensor doesn’t detect signals from the remote. This projector had no such problem and the remote was as sensitive and responsive as my Fire stick remote.
5. Comes with a nice carrying bag; very nice addition.
Cons:
1. I hate Android setup. The smart TV is not technically built into the device and requires to open a hidden compartment to plug in the Android smart TV hdmi. To me, that’s no big deal and I thought it was a clever way to save on costs. In fact, all the integrated smart tv projectors I tried from Chinese companies always had issues and this one was smooth. But boy do I dislike all the setup for Android. If you’re an Android user already or you don’t mind a longer initial setup, this is no problem.
2. You need to set the projector at its most optimal throw distance and without many keystone changes for the best picture quality. Otherwise, like most budget projectors, the projector is brightest in the center and also is fuzzier in the corners. Honestly, in most applications, you can’t even tell; only if you’re a cinephile and care… but then why are you buying a budget Chinese projector?
Overall, this is a great projector for the price. With measured expectations, this should last a long time while delivering convenient, decent image quality. A projector like this a few years ago would have been $900 plus…
