Whether it’s making the most of the fleeting British sun and making your own outdoor cinema, or snuggling up in front of a not-quite silver screen in winter, a projector can be a game-changer for how you watch movies and TV.
But while setting up an in-home system might be hard, portable projectors make it easy. Not only are they compact enough to be kept in a drawer, backpack, or handbag, they usually come with a whole host of features that allow them to connect to other portable devices such as your phone.
With that in mind, your budget will affect what projector you want to go for. The cheapest models available will have a decent picture, but will need a dedicated input in order to perform to their best.
As you go up the price range you’ll get better image quality, while those with the biggest price tags have built-in app support.
When testing these portable projectors, we set up each in the same dark room, from the same distance from the white wall they were projecting against, and played the same content from YouTube, Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and downloaded movies on a USB drive.
We judged each projector on a number of metrics, including their size, how simple they are to set up, picture and sound quality and of course the ease at which you can take them out and about. No matter how much you have to spend, these are the best contenders out there.
You can trust our independent reviews. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections, which are formed from real-world testing and expert advice. This revenue helps us to fund journalism across The Independent.
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10 best portable speakers
Anker nebula capsule II
Connections: USB-C, HDMI, USB, wifi, Bluetooth
Battery life: 3 hours
Resolution: 720px
Speakers: 8w
As small as a soft drink can, with a multitude of both wireless and wired connections, Anker’s offering walks the path that all portable projectors should follow in the future.
One of the key selling points is how easy the capsule is to use, avoiding the issues many people have to face when setting up a projector in multiple locations. This projector keystones (changing the dimensions of content to lie flat fit the screen) automatically, and has an Android operating system built in.
Android TV is another vital component, as it means users have access to more than 3,600 apps they may not have downloaded to their smartphone, such as Amazon Prime, YouTube, Plex, Google Play, ITV, and more.
As well as that, while other small projector manufacturers have a tedious method of signing into wifi for wireless connectivity, Anker’s companion app is surprisingly smooth and works as both a remote and a keyboard.
Battery life and connectivity are two of the most important factors when it comes to portable projectors, and this one excels in both departments. The capsule’s three-hour battery life means it will power through most films and its USB-C cable is both common enough and portable enough that if you forget your own, you’re more likely to find a compatible spare.
There’s only one real downside to the capsule: its operating system, Android, lacks Netflix. This is because the streaming service is very strict about what platforms it can or cannot be played on. Barring that, there’s little to fault with this projector and would be a good addition to anyone’s home.
Buy now £599.00, Amazon
Anker mars II pro
Connections: USB, HDMI, wifi, Bluetooth
Battery life: 3 hours
Resolution: 720px
Speakers: 2x10w
If you like the character of Anker’s capsule projector, but are looking for something a bit beefier, then the mars II pro is ideal. Measuring 5.4 x 4.8 x 7 and weighing 3.9lbs, its larger body gives the 10w speakers even better sound quality while projecting a clear, high-quality image.
Impressively, this projector is also quite capable in sunlight where lesser models would struggle. Its 500 lumen rating means that it can still provide a bright and colour-accurate image even in a well-lit room.
Like its little sibling, the speaker also has various streaming services built in: Amazon Prime, YouTube, Plex, Google Play, ITV and – because it is running an older version of Android – Netflix.
While it unfortunately requires a 19v DC charger to keep its 12,500mAh battery powered, the projector’s built-in leather handle makes it easy to carry around and setting up the device is impressively easy.
Buy now £420.30, Anker
Acer C250i
Connections: Bluetooth, HDMI, USB, wifi
Battery life: 5 hours
Resolution: 1920px x 1080px
Speakers: 5w
The strangely-shaped Acer C250i is possibly one of the sharpest projectors on this list. Each curve is another marker of this projector’s flexibility; set it upright and it can mirror your smartphone’s screen and play video in portrait mode, but put it on its side and it switches to landscape mode, and can be rested at a variety of angles due to its unique design.
While it might not have the wireless chops of Anker’s models, this projector offers a greater range of connections. It also has a distinctly more detailed image, and its 9,000mAh battery will get you through half of a TV series with ease.
Its remote is easy to use and choosing input is simple, and barring the addition of an Android operating system, its only mild issue is a physical focus wheel that can take some getting used to, as well as it needing to use a wifi dongle rather than having it built-in.
Once you’ve got it ready, however, you won’t have any regrets about your choice – and with a significantly smaller price tag, you get a lot of bang for your buck.
Buy now £399.99, Argos
ViewSonic M1+
Connections: HDMI, USB, MicroSD, wifi, Bluetooth
Battery life: 6 hours
Resolution: 854px x 480px
Speakers: 2x 3w
The M1+ is the successor to the supremely capable M1 projector that came out in 2018, and since many of the qualities that made the original so good remain in the new version, it remains a well-priced option for on-the-go cinephiles.
It uses a similar handle-come-stand design its siblings do, with four buttons on its rear for playback control and volume and its numerous ports surreptitiously stashed under a pull-out cover. This flap can sometimes be difficult to access practically, but aesthetically it makes the projector look more seamless and professional.
While it only has a 854px x 480px resolution, it is capable of taking in a full HD image and downscaling it and while its 300 lumen rating means it struggles under bright lights, in a dark room it works well with a decent picture and a good handling of colours.
Setting this projector apart from the crowd is its access to apps through the Aptoide store – an open-source variety of the Google Play Store. This gives it access to some platforms automatically, like the BBC iPlayer and Twitch, but apps like Netflix need to be installed manually. It is better to simply use a streaming dongle, such as the Amazon Fire TV Stick, than be caught out when setting up the projector at another person’s house.
It also has a bigger battery than its rivals, claiming six hours of life per charge – enough to get you through two films or a decent TV show binge – which could be the make-or-break factor for people who don’t want to keep its DC charger with them at all times.
ViewSonic’s M1+ ticks all the boxes nicely: decent battery, solid picture, versatile and portable at a price that won’t break the bank, all of which makes it a strong mid-range option for entertainment and business.
Buy now £32296.00, Amazon
ViewSonic M1 mini plus
Connections: HDMI, USB, Bluetooth, wifi
Battery life: 2.4 hours
Resolution: 854px x 480px
Speakers: 2w
The cheapest, most compact, and most colourful projector on this list, the ViewSonic M1 mini plus is one to keep in your bag at all times for impromptu movie nights – as long as you don’t expect quite the same capabilities as more expensive portables.
Most of the projector’s charm is in its design, which uses its small handle as a stand and lens cover. The range of the arm is suitable – between approximately 10 degrees to 60 degrees – and its 6w speaker packs surprising spirit for its small stature.
Viewers will have to make allowances for picture quality however. Its 480px resolution and 50 lumens rating means that texture and colour accuracy is best achieved in a dimly lit room – the darker the better.
Nevertheless, this projector has a good range of connections, a simple (if a little stiff) remote, and automatic keystoning to get the best picture it can in any situation. With the ability to stream content from your phone to your device too, via the same Aptoide store as the larger M1+, this is one of the strongest portable projectors on the market right now.
Buy now £160.50, Amazon
Optoma LH200
Connections: 2x HDMI, USB
Battery life: 2.5 hours
Resolution: 1920px x 1080px
Speakers: 2x 4w
The LH200 might not have the same stylish look at the ViewSonic M1 mini or the Acer C250i, but this device makes up for its lack of flair by being closer to what most people would consider a “proper projector”.
Headlining its specifications is its 1920px x 1080px resolution and its capable brightness, as well as its comparatively quiet fan. Contrasts in colours are clear, as are the inky blacks that this projector manages to drag up; video texture is also sharp enough for an enjoyable viewing experience no matter where you take it.
This projector has a good range of connections, but also requires a wireless dongle to connect to your smartphone through its dedicated app, so will be best utilised when paired with a laptop.
In contrast to its smaller sibling, this projector can be run of its own battery power – giving it two and a half hours of life before it needs to be plugged in.
Users who have to give presentations on the road or simply want something they can bring into the office to spice up meetings and take home afterwards will want to give this projector serious thought. It’s a no-nonsense, straightforward machine at a well-justified price.
Buy now £745.05, AV Parts Master
Optoma MI1050st+
Connections: HDMI, USB, MicroSD
Battery life: N/A
Resolution: 1280px x 800px
Speakers: 1w
This is another compact projector similar to the M1+, and while it might not have the same snappy design it makes up for it with a sizable step-up when it comes to its specs.
This projector has a higher resolution – 1280px x 800px – than many of its competitors and the results are clear. Even in bright rooms this projector performs well, and in dark rooms colours come across with aplomb without erring on brashness.
There are some drawbacks: although it has a whole host of ports to play your media from, this projector does require a wireless dongle for playing content from your smartphone – along with a fiddly companion app.
The other issue is that the projector has to be plugged in at all times, as it doesn’t have its own battery. This has the benefit of keeping its weight low, at an impressive 420g, but does diminish its portability.
That said, for buyers who know they will be using this device inside, and are more concerned about picture quality than built-in streaming services, the Ml1050st+ might be the perfect projector – as long as they are willing to put up with its hefty price tag.
Buy now £634.27, Amazon
The verdict: Portable projectors
The best all-round speaker is Anker’s nebula capsule II and wins the best buy, followed by the same brand’s mars II pro for those that want something bigger and booming. Following those, Acer’s C250i is a sharp, smartly-designed alternative, while the ViewSonic M1+ walks the line between low-cost and high-performance very well.
Read our review of Samsung’s sero TV to find out if rotating screens are the future of home entertainment
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