1. Best overall
2. Best budget
3. Best in-home
4. Best palm
5. Best budget mini
6. Best compact
The best portable projectors let you cut cords with TVs and monitors and let everyone in the room see the big picture.
They may be small, but don't let the size fool you - projectors for on-the-go use capable of producing high resolutions, crystal-clear images, and vivid detail. But they also need plenty of ports and connectivity, a long-lasting battery, and a sleek, compact design for easy carrying.
We've already tested the best business projectors - so when we reviewed the best portable projectors, we knew exactly what to look out for (and what to avoid). During our review process, we assessed overall portability and picture quality - but digging deeper, we compared dimensions, brightness, resolution, and ease-of-use whether your next screening is in the office, home, or presenting out in the field.
Best portable projectors of 2024 in full
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The best portable projector overall
Everything about Samsung's The Freestyle projector is geared towards ease of use. Starting with its streamlined setup process, which we found a breeze to use as it had us up and running in moments.
This Samsung projector keeps its approachability by offering built-in smart features and streaming apps. It's like a Samsung TV OS that you can take with you.
Speaking of taking it with you, we were surprised by just how portable this projector is during our testing. It weighs just 0.8kg, and at 95.2 x 171.4 x 95.2mm, it's roughly the size of dog food, so you can easily pick it up and throw it in your backpack.
Add to this its impressive (if somewhat fussy) auto-leveling functionality, excellent Full HD picture quality, and surprisingly loud built-in 360° speaker. The Freestyle is easily our pick for the best portable projector you can buy now.
It isn't the cheapest option on this list — look at the Anker Nebula Solar Portable below for a budget alternative — but it's the most polished and covers all of the bases. In our review of the Samsung The Freestyle projector, we wrote: "Compact, portable and with a built-in suite of apps, The Freestyle is a projector that offers everything you need in one place." All you need to do is provide a blank surface to project onto.
Read our Samsung The Freestyle review
The best budget portable projector
The Anker Nebula Solar Portable is a compact and stylish mini projector that we enjoyed testing because it delivers in almost every area at an affordable price.
It sports a sleek design and will look great on a shelf in your living room between uses. But measuring 19.2 x 19.22 x 5.45cm and weighing only 2.38kg, it’s small enough to fit easily into a drawer, backpack, or tote bag for taking outside.
We found the battery will last about three hours, which is decent for such a small, portable projector and should be good for getting in a film when you’re not close to a plug socket. However, its USB-C power port means you should also be able to link up a portable power bank for multiple uses.
The Bluetooth speaker functionality is a great addition to the Solar Portable’s feature set, effectively delivering two devices in one: a Bluetooth speaker and a projector.
While the picture quality is pretty adequate for the price and form factor, during our testing, we were disappointed to find the projector was a letdown on the brightness front. The listed 400 lumens brightness means the Nebula Solar Portable will struggle to remain visible in bright environments, while dark scenes are difficult even in ideal viewing conditions.
If you're looking for a decent projector, it's a good choice. But if you want a bright and impressive picture, you'll need to upgrade to one of Anker's more high-end models, like the Anker Nebula Cosmos Laser 4K below.
Read our Anker Nebula Solar Portable projector review
The best in-home portable projector
The Anker Nebula Cosmos Laser 4K is not your average compact projector. It’s packing in some considerable brightness, peaking out at 2,400 Lumens, which we found to be sufficiently bright for a semi-light-controlled environment during our testing, and its laser lamp makes for a high-quality image.
It's more than capable enough of being your go-to projector and staying put in your living room — it looks great, too. But its form factor at 26.4 x 22 x 15.5 cm and weighing 4.8kg means we had no trouble packing it up and carrying it from room to room when we were reviewing it.
However, there's a big problem when it comes to the Cosmos Laser 4K's portability: there's no on-board battery. In the review we wrote: "Without battery power, the Anker Nebula Cosmos Laser 4K isn’t exactly portable. It’s easy to bring from place to place, but you’ll still need AC power to use it." Bear that in mind if you're looking for a projector to take outdoors or far from home. Check out the Anker Nebula Solar Portable above if you're looking for on-board battery instead.
With built-in speakers and an included streaming stick that stashes away behind a cover, it even has the skill to power the entire entertainment setup for whatever space you bring it into. That’s not a bad offer for a $2,199 / £1,740 / AU$3,055 device.
The Anker Nebula Cosmos Laser 4K has plenty of competition, but if you want a projector that will regularly work in a lot of different places around your home rather than outside it, there are few options that will do it as well and as easily as this one.
Read our Anker Nebula Cosmos Laser 4K review
The best portable palm projector
The Optoma ML750e is a versatile and powerful projector but weighing in at just 0.4kg and measuring only 10.4 x 10.5 x 3.9 it it has a n incredibly small footprint that literally fit in the palm of our hand during testing. This makes it easy to carry around and more than worthy of our best portable projectors guide.
Brightness-wise, the ML750e boasts a 700 Lumens lamp that lets you present in rooms that aren't completely darkened. This is good news if you want to use it outside in the evening, too.
Size and picture aside, the Optoma ML750e is also one of the best portable projectors in the world thanks to its impressive range of ports. It comes with one MHL-ready HDMI input, a USB 2.0 slot for thumbdrives, a universal I/O slot, and a microSD card slot.
During testing, the ML550 handled our 90-inch test screen with impressive results, and peaked at a 60-inch-or-so size. However, it's worth mentioning that you do need to buy a dongle for Wi-Fi access. That's the only significant drawback we've found.
The best budget mini portable projector
The Asus ZenBeam E1 is a projector that's so beautifully-designed it's won awards. We love that it's small enough to pop in your pocket, measuring in at only 8.3 x 2.9 x 11 cm and weighing a super light 307g.
Its teeny tiny dimensions make it ideal for carrying around with you, whether you want to watch movies while you travel or you need an easy way of sharing presentations during meetings or work-related trips.
What's important here is that, despite its small size, it can project images that are up to 120 inches in size with a decent 150 lumen Eco-LED light source.
It has a built-in 6,000mAh battery that can power the projector for up to 5 hours, which makes it rather flexible, as you don't have to worry about finding a plug socket to power the device to get you through a movie — or even two.
In a rather nice touch, the projector can also double as a power bank for other mobile devices as well.
Granted, the Asus ZenBeam E1 isn't the most powerful portable projector in this guide — take a look at the Samsung The Freestyle for more oomph — but its versatility, ease of setup and eye catching design makes it ideal for travel.
The best compact portable projector
The ViewSonic M1+ is small, measuring in at just 5.7 x 1.6 x 5 inches, but it's versatile and has a decent selection of ports despite its size.
This makes it easy to hook up the M1+ to a range of different devices and means it's easy to carry this palm-fitting projector around with you.
The price isn't bad either. However, the relatively low resolution at 854 x 480 pixels means image quality isn't quite as good as some of its competitors. Check out the Optoma ML750e or the Anker Nebula Solar Portable for projectors that are just as portable with a better picture.
What's more, the max brightness is a bit too low at 300 lumens. which means that images may look washed-out when you're using it in bright environments. Still, it's a great portable projector, especially for work presentations or for carrying around on holidays if you don't want to spend much.
Best portable projectors: FAQs
Do more lumens mean a better projector?
We asked Bob Wudeck, Senior Director, Business Development, at BenQ
Lumens for projectors is like horsepower in a car – it’s important but only a part of how well the projector is suited for the task. In the past lumens were the most important element. Now things are different, as most projectors today are far more advanced than projectors sold five years ago. So – what makes for a better projector?
- Color accuracy – While commercial cinema projectors have strict color standards, there are still many classroom and conference room projectors that are not very color accurate. For newer home theater and commercial projectors, Rec. 709 is the standard for color accuracy and measurement to look for in the specifications.
- Resolution – While nearly every TV sold today has over 8 million pixels, you can still buy a projector with under 1 million pixels today. The bigger the screen, the more pixels needed for a nicely detailed image. Look for either 1080p or 4K UHD native resolution projectors for the highest pixel density.
- Solid State Lighting – Projector lamps contain mercury, are expensive, and need to be replaced every few years. They are being replaced by solid state light sources like lasers and high brightness LEDs that last up to 30,000 hours. Today you can get a high brightness LED projector with 4,000 lumens and higher color accuracy for only a small premium over a similar lamp powered projector.
- Throw Ratio – Depending on your setup, the right throw ratio will make a big difference. For example, if you are using a golf simulator, you will want a “short throw” projector that can be mounted in a location that enables you to play without casting a shadow on the screen. Use a projector calculator to see how far back your model needs to be mounted to fill your screen.
Can I watch Netflix on my mini projector?
We asked Bob Wudeck, Senior Director, Business Development, at BenQ
For a portable projector, it should be easy to have Netflix running on your phone and then pair your phone with the projector so that you get Netflix (or other streaming apps) shown in the big screen format afforded by the projector. However, many paid streaming apps like Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, and Disney Plus have copy protection that prevents mirroring from mobile devices due to policies enacted and enforced by content owners. So, if you are casting from a notebook, Netflix content can be cast wirelessly via your laptop’s Google Chrome browser that is connected to an HDMI cable. You can also use Chromecast or Apple TV wireless devices to stream content as well. The best models of mini projectors also have phone apps to enable you to control your streams right from your phone or device to make it easy to use.
Can you connect a phone to a projector?
We asked Bob Wudeck, Senior Director, Business Development, at BenQ
There are three easy ways to connect a phone to a projector:
Cable – Nearly every iPhone and Android device has a video output port. Most projectors still use HDMI as their standard input port, so a simple adapter from either the USB-C connector on an Android or HDMI connector on the iPhone will enable you to get the cable connected – all you need to do is change the source to start screen mirroring from your phone to a projector.
Casting – If you have a Chromecast or an Apple TV, you can wirelessly connect to your projector and mirror your screen. You will need to be on the same network as the receiver, then use your built-in screen mirroring to send it to your projector. This is a nice option when you want to show photos or videos on your device, or for occasional use.
Wireless Presentation System – For business or education use, a wireless presentation system is faster and more secure than the other two options. The best models enable you to plug in a button to your phone or tablet and start sharing instantly. Others use either a dedicated app installed on your phone or Airplay to share the screen. While they are more expensive, the best models encrypt the transmission, so sensitive information can’t be wirelessly captured and seen from curious people in the area.
Are portable projectors any good?
Yes! Think of it like the difference between a portable Bluetooth speaker and the speakers in your living room. The latter may sound better and go louder, but you can't exactly pop them in a bag and take them to the beach. Even taking them into the garden is an enormous pain.
It's the same with portable projectors. They're typically – but not always – less bright and less powerful than their wired siblings, but they compensate for that by being incredibly practical with go-anywhere abilities. Battery-powered portable projectors are more than capable of delivering movie night without you having to worry about finding a power socket, and their portability means they're easy to move around and very simple and quick to set up.
That doesn't mean they're just for the great outdoors, though. Because portable projectors are designed to be small, they're useful for rooms where you don't want or can't have a normal-sized projector, or for homes where you might not want the projector in the same room all of the time.
The main compromise with portable projectors is in brightness: that's the biggest drain on their power, so battery-powered projectors have to strike a balance between the brightness of the picture (which in turn affects the maximum range and size of their display) and the amount of time they can run for between recharges.
What's the difference between a projector and a mini projector?
The main difference between a standard projector and a mini projector is that traditional projectors are designed to produce the highest possible quality at the most significant possible size, and if that means more giant bulbs or LED assemblies and louder fans, then so be it. Mini projectors also deliver good quality, but their priorities are different: they're also designed with portability and price in mind, so they're often more portable and affordable than their bigger siblings and often include built-in speakers and easy Bluetooth speaker connectivity.
Standard projectors are mainly powered, but many mini projectors are also designed to run on battery power. Like any battery-powered device, they have limited running times compared to when they're plugged in, but most models have more than enough power to show multiple movies without requiring a recharge halfway through. It can also mean that the projector is dimmer than a wired one to get more life out of the battery.
The other key difference is that mini projectors are designed to be set up speedily, and that can mean they have fewer connection options than wired models. However, the growing adoption of wireless technologies such as Google Cast and AirPlay and intelligent TV-style features such as streaming apps that work over Wi-Fi means that many mini projectors can get video from many sources.
How to choose the best portable projector for you
It’s important to know what to look for when you're buying a portable projector.
By considering how you’re going to use it, you’ll get the right mix of features. We asked Luke Chen, senior business line manager at Viewsonic Europe, a display and projector specialist for his point of view (no pun intended).
First off, you need to think about the situations you’re going to be using your projector in and find one that fits your requirements. Taking your smart projector on-the-go? Consider how well the projector achieves a portable design. Does it come with a carry handle? Or can it fold into a travel-ready container? If your projector is going to sit on your coffee table, make sure it says it’s a “short throw.”
Think about durability, LED technology avoids dimming projector issues, allowing smart projectors to shine brightly for up to 30,000 hours. LED light sources run much cooler than bulb-based light sources (meaning less fan noise). “Lamp-Free” is what to look for. It means you no longer have to rely on bulbs, which need to be replaced over time. They’re eco-friendly, too. Lamp Free means no glass bulb is needed, which means no mercury.
Something else to consider is resolution. Smart projectors are much smaller than standard projectors, this makes resolution the first thing to go. For those who enjoy camping, and just want some form of entertainment next to the campfire, a lower resolution works. Mini projectors have the hardest time with resolution. But, not all smart projectors suffer from poor resolution. 4K Smart LED projectors are now on the market. If home entertainment is your preferred use, opt for 4K resolution. The highest-end smart projectors will call themselves “True 4K” projectors.
Next, up, apps. Your projector is only as smart as the apps running on it. So, it makes sense to have an app store enabled on your projector. Does the projector you’re looking at come with app store integration? To work with apps, enable voice commands, and stream movies (all at the same time) look for a smart projector with ample processors, memory, and storage.
Most smart projectors have to compromise on sound. This is the only way to fit all the components into such a small size. If you don’t already have a premium sound system integrated into your home theatre, opt for premium speakers. In short, there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all projector.
How we test the best portable projectors
We've tested many different types of projectors over the years, but when we were looking for the best portable projector, we needed to see a few key considerations.
The most obvious is portability. This means different things to different people. In the guide above, we've clarified that some designs are portable because you can move them from room to room, like the Anker Nebula Cosmos Laser 4K. At the same time, others are pocket-sized, like the ASUS ZenBeam E1 Portable LED Projector. Both are, technically, 'portable' but to varying degrees, and we've made that clear in the guide.
Usability is critical with projectors. There's no point carrying one with you if setting up is a pain. So while testing these best portable projectors, we ensured that you could get up and running quickly, even if you've not had much experience with projectors.
Brightness and picture quality vary in our guide above, but all can project TV shows and movies at a decent rate. We were mainly looking for projectors that offered a decent amount of brightness and resolution for their size and value for money. We've clarified when you'll likely get a dimmer experience, but in a tiny and affordable package, which might be more of a priority for some people.
