3 Mini Projectors by Category
Whether your want to relax at home with a good movie, or make your presentations feel more professional, you could use a mini projector. Many people even use them for artistic purposes. Mini projectors are surprisingly versatile tools and often times can provide an expensive alternative to traditional TVs. While a 65″ TV can cost you between $500 to $1000, all of the projectors on this list can play at that size and cost less than $250! They all also fit into a backpack (or your back pocket) rather taking multiple people to move safely.
The only problem is actually purchasing one. Buying them can be tricky if you don’t know what some of the commonly used turns mean. 5000:1? 35″ to 150″? If those terms aren’t familiar, we’ve included a list of features to look out for when buying mini projectors.
What to look for:
Resolution
This is probably something that everyone is familiar with, but resolution is the quality of an image or video. This can be especially important with projectors because the image needs to be high enough quality to be able to be blown up onto a wall without losing readability. The reason why many DIY projectors fall short is because enlarging the image on your phone to the size of a TV causes it to become almost unreadable.
Contrast
Contrast is a measurement of how different the colors can get when projecting. In other words, it’s how vibrant and distinct the colors can be. When the contrast is low, colors can become muddied together.
Usually with mini projectors it’s written as 1000:1 or 5000:1, which is how many times brighter the whites are than the darkest blacks. Meaning that the higher the number, the higher the contrast.
Size
When it comes to mini projectors, there are 2 sizes that matter: product size and projecting size.
Obviously the actual product size is what makes it a MINI projector, but they can get surprisingly small. Part of the appeal of mini projectors is their portability so you should make sure to get one that suits your needs. Though most of them are fairly close in size.
Projecting size on the other hand can vary widely from product to product. Some lose readability when enlarged beyond 60″ but some can stay crystal clear when projected onto an entire wall. So make sure to get one that can project large enough for your purposes.
Connectivity
Since you obviously want to use your mini projector, you have to be able to connect to it. So you should make sure that you buy a projector that is compatible with what you have available to you. Luckily, this is an easy task because most newer projectors are compatible with almost every input under the sun. HDMI, VGA, AV, USB, Wifi, Bluetooth, microSD just to name a few. And if none of these are what you’re looking for, you can find adapters on amazon to nearly every kind of port out there.
Additional Features
The best mini projectors have additional features on top of the basics. Built-in speakers, touch controls, and included projection curtains are just a few features that can be seen between some of the best.
Although, sometimes a projector can stand out by leaning into one of it’s more basic attributes. Shrinking it’s size to that of a smartphone, enhancing it’s quality to 4k, or simply packing features in for a reasonable price are all ways to sit higher than their competitors without including anything extra.
Now that we’ve gone over some terms and features, we can actually go over some of our top picks.
Best Mini projector on a budget: Meer Mini Projector
Based solely on price, the Meer mini projector has the rest beat. As of writing this, it only cost $69.99! When compared to other mini projectors with $180 to $300 prices, it’s an absolute steal. And in spite of what the low price point may have you believe, the Meer out performs some of its pricier competitors too.
Small size, good resolution, mid-sized display area, and most of the connection types you’d ever need! The only areas where it suffers are its contrast ratio and lack of battery. Being only 800:1 means the colors will be less vibrant. And if you want to use it without an outlet, you’ll need a battery bank. But the listed price alone more than makes up for these deficiencies. If you’re looking for a decent mini projector at a great price, the Meer is the one for you!
-Resolution: 1080p
-Display Size: up to 60″
-Contrast: 800:1
-Product Size: 4.7″x3.4″x1.9″
-Supported Connection Types:
- USB, micro SD, HDMI, AV
-Ext.:
- Built-in speakers
best Mini projector by quality: KODAK Luma 150 mini projector
Possibly the most impressive entry to this list is the KODAK Luma 150. Even when compared to other mini projectors, it feels tiny. This pocket-sized piece of the future boasts a hefty price tag of $219.99, but that price sounds like a steal when weighed against its features!
The size is the most obvious bonus, as it’s a 3-inch square that’s less than an inch thick. It literally fits in your pocket. And in spite of its tiny design, it has a massive 150-inch display area and 4k resolution. That’s larger and higher quality than some TVs that cost twice as much! And its contrast is nothing to sneeze at either. You can even use it for up to 2.5 hours without an outlet because of its built-in battery.
The list of features packed into this bite-sized beast goes on and on. All in all, if you don’t mind something a bit pricier, the KODAK Luma 150 is far and away one of the best mini projectors out there.
-Resolution: 4k
-Display Size: up to 150″
-Contrast: 3500:1
-Product Size: 3.1″x3.1″x0.9″
-Supported Connection Types:
- USB, micro SD, HDMI
-Ext.:
- Touch controls, Universal inputs with adapter(not included), Built-in speakers, Built-in battery
recommended Mini projector: TMY Mini Projector
In this article, we’ve gone over an inexpensive but below-average quality projector and a pricey but feature-packed projector. And for anyone who couldn’t choose between them, this one may be just right.
The TMY mini projector is the perfect middle of the road between our previous entries. In fact, in a few ways, it outperforms even the KODAK and isn’t too much more expensive than the Meer. It currently sits at a shockingly low $99.99, and it blows other projectors with a similar price out of the water!
With 1080p resolution, a 220″ inch maximum display size, and an impressive 5000:1 contrast ratio, the slightly clunkier design and lack of built-in battery are easily forgotten. And the included 100″ projection screen means you can be vegging out to your favorite movie in a matter of minutes with no extra purchases needed!
Overall, the TMY mini projector is one of the best mini projectors out there for under $200.
-Resolution: 1080p
-Display Size: up to 220″
-Contrast: 5000:1
-Product Size: 7.5″x3.8″x2.8″
-Supported Connection Types:
- USB, micro SD, HDMI, AV, VGA
-Ext.:
- Built-in speakers, Included projection screen
Conclusion
Mini projectors pack a lot of power into small bodies, and the entries on this list are proof of that. They can project massive images that dwarf most home TVs and can fit in your pocket. And paired with some string lights and some popcorn, you can make the perfect home cinema. There’s no question as to how useful they can be.
There are only 2 questions left to ask: why don’t you have one already, and how do they make them so gosh darn SMALL?!