Top 5 compared
The best projectors
A picture as big as the wall allows, for films, football and video games at home.
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The top 5 at a glance
A projector throws a picture onto a wall or a screen, far bigger than most TVs, and packs away when it’s not needed. Some carry a battery and streaming apps, for a film in the bedroom or the garden. Others stay plugged in where they’re set up, and the brightest of those cope with the lights on.
Brightness is best compared in ANSI or ISO lumens, which are measured at nine points across a white screen and averaged; a box that just says “lumens” or “LED lumens” can’t. Resolution should be the native one, the pixels the projector actually shows, not the “4K supported” it will accept and scale down.
What matters
- Auto focus and keystone, so it squares up the picture itself.
- Officially licensed Netflix, if you’d rather not plug in a stick.
- Battery hours that cover a whole film, away from a socket.
- A quiet fan, so it doesn’t drown out quiet scenes.
#1Nebula Capsule 3 Google TV Mini Projector (D2425)
£200–£300
About the size of a tall drinks can, it runs Google TV with official Netflix and plays a film for 2.5 hours on its own battery, so the big screen can move from the living room to a bedroom wall or the garden.
What owners say: Owners are struck by how sharp the picture is from something so small, and like carrying it from room to room.
A closer look: Put it down facing a wall and it focuses, squares up the picture and shifts it clear of anything in the way by itself. At 200 ANSI lumens it’s happiest after dark or with the curtains drawn. Power comes in over USB-C from the adapter in the box, and Chromecast is built in for sending a video from a phone.
- Tall drinks-can size
- Focuses and straightens itself
- Shifts picture past obstacles
- Chromecast built in
- 8W speaker, Dolby sound
Best for: Films anywhere in the house
- Native resolution
- 1080p
- Brightness (maker)
- 200 ANSI lumens
- Built-in apps
- Google TV, Netflix
- Battery
- 2.5 hours
- Largest picture
- 120in
- Weight
- 0.85kg
#2Epson CO-W01 3LCD Projector (V11HA86040)
£200–£300
Epson’s three-LCD design gives as much colour light as white, 3,000 lumens of each by Epson’s ISO figures, so the picture keeps its punch with a lamp or two on in the room, for films, sport or a slideshow.
What owners say: Owners rate the picture highly and say it’s clear enough to watch in daylight or with ordinary room lights on.
Heads up: For Netflix and iPlayer, plug a streaming stick into the HDMI port: it has no apps of its own, and its native resolution is 1280 × 800, a little under Full HD.
A closer look: Eco mode turns the light down by a third, quietens the fan noticeably and doubles the lamp’s life, which suits a film night in a dark room. It sits on a table or mounts on the ceiling, and keystone correction straightens the picture when it can’t face the wall square on.
- Lamp rated 6,000 hours
- Eco mode doubles lamp life
- Table or ceiling mount
- HDMI and USB inputs
Best for: Rooms with the lights on
- Native resolution
- 1280 × 800
- Brightness (maker)
- 3,000 ISO lumens
- Built-in apps
- No
- Battery
- No
- Largest picture
- 378in
- Weight
- 2.4kg
#3XGIMI Vibe One Battery-Powered Projector
£219.00 RRP
A carry-anywhere projector that doubles as a speaker, with two 3W JBL drivers, Google TV with licensed Netflix and a stand that swings round to become the handle.
What owners say: Owners rate the contrast and the picture, and like that the fan stays quiet enough not to distract.
A closer look: Video runs for up to 1.2 hours on the battery in Eco mode, so plug it in for a full-length film and save the battery for music outdoors, where it lasts up to 4 hours. BBC iPlayer and Channel 4 aren’t among its Google TV apps; a streaming stick in the HDMI port covers them.
- Doubles as a speaker
- 2 × 3W JBL speakers
- Stand swings into a handle
- Ambient light in 8 colours
Best for: Garden film nights and music
- Native resolution
- 1080p
- Brightness (maker)
- 250 ISO lumens
- Built-in apps
- Google TV, Netflix
- Battery
- 1.2 hours (Eco)
- Largest picture
- 150in
- Weight
- 1.4kg
#4Dangbei Atom Laser Projector
Over £300
A laser projector under 5cm thick that throws a 1080p picture up to 180 inches, with Google TV and Netflix built in and Dolby Audio from a pair of 5W speakers.
What owners say: Owners like the size of picture it can throw, find it clear enough to watch with the lights on, and say the auto keystone squares it up neatly.
A closer look: Laser light means there’s no lamp to replace, and the flat body sits on a shelf or coffee table without needing a stand. It runs from the mains only, so it’s one for the living room rather than the garden. Aim it square at the wall where possible: keystone correction works, but a straight-on picture keeps the most detail.
- Laser rated for 30,000 hours
- Under 5cm thick
- Focuses and straightens itself
- Dolby Audio, two 5W speakers
Best for: A big living-room picture
- Native resolution
- 1080p
- Brightness (maker)
- 1,200 ISO lumens
- Built-in apps
- Google TV, Netflix
- Battery
- No
- Largest picture
- 180in
- Weight
- 1.28kg
#5Yoton Y3 Mini Projector
£20–£30
A 317g projector for trying out a big screen: plug in a laptop, games console or TV stick by HDMI, swing the 360° stand round to aim it, and it straightens the picture itself.
What owners say: Owners are pleased with the picture for the size, find it easy to set up and move about, and say the sound and fan noise are better than expected.
Heads up: It has no apps or Wi-Fi of its own, and Netflix and Prime Video won’t mirror from a phone, so plug a TV stick or laptop into the HDMI port for streaming.
A closer look: Yoton pitches it at dim rooms, so it’s at its best with the lights off, on a plain white wall or a screen. An iPhone or iPad can mirror to it through a data cable, which isn’t included; most Android phones need an HDMI adapter instead.
- 360° rotating stand
- Straightens the picture itself
- HDMI, USB and microSD inputs
- iPhone mirroring, cable not included
Best for: Consoles and laptops in dim rooms
- Native resolution
- 720p
- Brightness (maker)
- Made for dim rooms
- Built-in apps
- No
- Battery
- No
- Largest picture
- 100in
- Weight
- 0.32kg
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 5.
| Feature | #1Nebula Capsule 3 | #2Epson CO-W01 | #3XGIMI Vibe One | #4Dangbei Atom | #5Yoton Y3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best for bright rooms | Best premium | Best budget | ||
| Picked Rating | 9.0 | 8.9 | 8.7 | 8.5 | 7.9 |
| Price | £200–£300 | £200–£300 | £219.00 RRP | Over £300 | £20–£30 |
| Native resolution | 1080p | 1280 × 800 | 1080p | 1080p | 720p |
| Brightness (maker) | 200 ANSI lumens | 3,000 ISO lumens | 250 ISO lumens | 1,200 ISO lumens | Made for dim rooms |
| Built-in apps | Google TV, Netflix | No | Google TV, Netflix | Google TV, Netflix | No |
| Battery | 2.5 hours | No | 1.2 hours (Eco) | No | No |
| Largest picture | 120in | 378in | 150in | 180in | 100in |
| Weight | 0.85kg | 2.4kg | 1.4kg | 1.28kg | 0.32kg |
| Best for | Films anywhere in the house | Rooms with the lights on | Garden film nights and music | A big living-room picture | Consoles and laptops in dim rooms |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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