6 Best Portable Projectors (2024) - IGN (2024)

Enjoy a movie night under the stars during a camping trip or game on a big screen in your tiny dorm with a portable projector. Our favorite is the Xgimi Halo+, but we’ve found plenty of other options suited for various needs. Jump to a detailed look at the best portable projectors, or check the list below:

TL;DR – These are the Best Portable Projectors:

• Xgimi Halo+
• ViewSonic M1 Mini+
• Anker Nebula Capsule 3 Laser
• Anker Nebula Apollo
• ViewSonic M2w
• Optoma ML1080

Whether you’re focused on the brightest image, stunning picture, excellent sound, or an affordable price tag, there’s a portable projector for the task, and we’re here to help you find it. If you’re unsure of what to look for in a portable projector, be sure to take a look at the bottom of our guide.

Best Portable Projectors

1. Xgimi Halo+

Best Portable Projector Overall

• See it on Best Buy
• See it on Xgimi

With everything from a battery that lasts up to 2 hours to two 5W Harman Kardon stereo speakers (and more), the Xgimi Halo+ is among the most complete portable projectors available.

The projector is able to produce a Full HD (1080p) resolution that shines at up to 900 ANSI lumens, which is ideal for nighttime outdoor viewing. An onboard Android interface with Chromecast, plus 2GB of memory and 16GB of flash storage, nearly completes the package.

Finally, the automatic keystone adjustment, auto focus, and Intelligent Obstacle Avoidance features together make setting this projector up in just about any environment much easier. It even has a low-latency (26.5ms) gaming mode for portable tourneys. The cherry on top: it’s all just $850.

2. ViewSonic M1 Mini+

Best Budget Portable Projector

At $230, this ViewSonic model isn’t even the cheapest portable projector, but it's more complete than the most affordable models, which is worth saving up for.

This isn’t a portable projector to play games on or use as an HDTV replacement (unless you’re comfortable in the 720p range). It’s best as a portable presentation aid, a carry-on movie player for long-distance hotel stays, or for as much quality as possible on a tight budget.

We particularly admire the projector’s unique kickstand that helps it reliably display a straight picture from its range of throw distances, helped by automatic keystone adjustment. It also has decent JBL speakers and can last nearly 2.5 hours on its battery, making it a relatively complete package.

3. Anker Nebula Capsule 3 Laser

Best 1080p Portable Projector

Delivering a crisp 1080p resolution through a 300 ANSI lumens lens, the Anker Nebula Capsule 3 Laser may not be the brightest, making it best to use at night with little ambient light. But it shines where picture quality is concerned, offering surprisingly excellent color accuracy and great contrast.

You can’t beat Anker Nebula Capsule 3 compact size either, being slightly larger than a can of co*ke and weighing just 2.1 pounds. Somehow, it still manages to squeeze in a battery, which should last as long as a 2.5-hour movie, and 8W speakers packing Dolby Digital Plus that can also act as Bluetooth speakers.

It’s even fitted with Android TV 11, making for easy TV and movie streaming or light gaming over WiFi. However, the Anker Nebula Capsule 3’s Full HD resolution and ample functionality do come with an $800 price tag, putting it right on par with the Xgimi Halo+.

4. Anker Nebula Apollo

Best Portable Projector for Sound

• See it on Nebula

If you’re most concerned with the audio from your portable projector, Anker’s $350 Nebula Apollo has the largest speaker of any portable projector we’ve seen.

While output amounts to an average 6W, it’s the cylindrical surface area of the speaker hardware that matters more for a fuller sound. Also, the Apollo doubles as a Bluetooth speaker when connected to your phone.

When it comes to portability and audio quality, the Apollo strikes both while delivering up to 4 hours of battery life, which is well above average. This might be thanks to the projector’s just-above-720p resolution, but that’s a worthy trade-off for some.

5. ViewSonic M2w

Best Portable Projector for Brightness

At a whopping 1,700 ANSI lumens, the ViewSonic M2w is dazzlingly bright while remaining relatively affordable at $700. That means you can enjoy this projector from pretty much anywhere, even in spaces with high ambient light.

Of course, the M2w is perfectly portable with a lightweight, compact design and built-in 6W Harmon Kardon stereo speakers that deliver a decently powerful sound to fill up most rooms. And if you’re away from a power outlet, this projector can be powered by a battery bank for big-screen entertainment—up to 150 inches—on the go.

As for picture quality, this projector supports up to Full HD resolutions and delivers immersive, accurate colors for lifelike images, though there’s no HDR support. You also don’t get any streaming functionality, but you can connect to most streaming devices, computers, and phones to enjoy your favorite content.

6. Optoma ML1080

Best Laser Portable Projector

By using RGB laser technology, the Optoma ML1080 can produce accurate colors and rich details for a stunning picture quality that’s hard to find in projectors of this size. It’s also more energy efficient, as laser technology consumes less power when you compare it to its lamp-based counterparts.

Even though it uses less power, the projector still manages a 1,200-lumen brightness and will shine in almost any setting, including spaces with some ambient light. When you add in a Full HD resolution and innovative features like Time-of-Flight (ToF) and four-corner correction, you’ll enjoy a perfectly projected image almost every time.

Perhaps most importantly, the Optoma ML1080 is easy to take anywhere thanks to its compact dimensions and lightweight. It doesn’t come with a battery but offers a USB-C power input to use the projector with a portable charger when on the go.

What to look for in a portable projector

Space: You must consider your most regular viewing spaces before buying a portable projector. Look at the throw range of each model to make sure it reasonably fits the dimensions of your space for the image size that you want. For outdoor spaces, you will need to see whether you have a level enough environment for the projector to sit on, though automatic keystone correction might help with this.

Brightness and resolution: Especially for outdoor viewing, the brightness is hugely important. This is difficult to gauge for indoor environments where it might be in use during daytime hours. Brightness is measured these days in ANSI lumens. We recommend a projector capable of at least 800 ANSI lumens to use outdoors at night. As for resolution, projectors support anywhere from 720p to 4K resolution. Your target resolution should account for your intended image size: the larger your image, the higher resolution you should go. That said, a 60-inch image projected at 1080p resolution, for example, would be just fine.

Battery: If you only plan on viewing in your backyard with access to your home’s outdoor DC power outlets, maybe you don’t need a battery. But, if you’re planning on taking the projector elsewhere without that kind of outlet access, consider one with a battery. Generally, these batteries will last for at least a 90-minute movie, but some can last for hours.

Joe Osborne is a writer and editor with more than a decade of experience in games and tech media. You can find his work elsewhere at Insider, TechRadar, Laptop Magazine, Tom’s Guide, and more.