Category: Home Theater

3-LCD short throw laser projectors with 4K UHD and HDR10/10+ Available in the UK; no details of US or Australian availability £4,500 Epson has launched two new “4K Pro-UHD” short-throw laser projectors, the EH-QS100W and the EH-QS100B. Similar to the Epson LS12000, our top pick among the best 4K projectors, the new projectors use Epson’s triple-LCD laser technology, which has separate red, green and blue panels. Epson says that delivers better colour brightness compared to one-chip DLP projectors, and both projectors are definitely bright: they’re capable of up to 4,500 lumens and can project images up to 160 inches in size. The models are identical apart from their colors: the W is white and the B is black. (Image credit: Epson) Epson EH-QS100W and EH-QS100B: key features and pricing The projectors are powered by Epson’s 4K Pro-UHD processing system and have a 5,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio for deep blacks and better shadow detail. The processing also includes frame interpolation and the projectors support HDR10/10+ and have dynamic tone mapping. The laser source has a claimed lifetime of 20,000 hours and Epson says it delivers “near-instant” warm-up and cool-down times to reduce energy use. One of the key features here is full IP control, which enables you to control the projector with related systems such as lighting and sound setups for a seamless home entertainment experience. It is compatible with systems including Crestron and Control4, and there are RS232 and Ethernet connectors. Both models are available now in the UK for £4,500 (about $5,601 / AU$8,958) but there’s no word of a US or Australian launch date. Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. You might also like

One of the coolest things I saw at CES 2025 was Hisense’s mini laser TV projector, which is an interesting prototype that’s not like the many other mini options among the best portable projectors we’ve seen recently. I got to see it away from the CES show floor during a trip to Hisense’s headquarters recently, and to speak to the team about it – and it’s winning me over to the idea of having a laser TV in my home instead of a regular TV. I’m a huge fan of seeing movies at the theater, and so obviously I’m a big home theater advocate – but my own home doesn’t have the space to go all out on a huge screen and speakers, and I’m far from alone there. It’s one reason why Hisense has been pushing the idea of its laser TVs, which are basically ultra-short throw projectors with streaming tech built in, that come with a matching ambient light-rejecting screen packaged. But I haven’t been convinced that this will work for me because they’re big units that still need to sit some distance from the wall – it just didn’t seem like enough of a trade up. @techradar ♬ original sound – TechRadar The Hisense mini projector is so much smaller, and so the surface it needs to sit on can be much smaller, making the UST projector-and-screen combo way more tempting as something that won’t stick a way out into the room. Now I can imagine not only going for a laser TV as my main way of watching, but it’s also making me think I can swap one of the best soundbars for something more meaty at the same time. The Hisense mini laser TV is basically the specs of a Hisense PX3-Pro UST projector packed into a way smaller body, thanks to a next-gen laser projection tech platform, but still hits over 100 inches. We rate this model as the best ultra-short throw projector, and you can read our Hisense PX3-Pro review for why – but the main things are that it’s bright, colorful and natural. Hisense says that this projector beamed onto the company’s new-gen ambient light rejection screen should be capable of creating an image that can hit around 750 nits of peak brightness at 100 inches when you’re actually watching, putting it in line with budget options among the best OLED TVs for brightness. When I originally saw the mini projector at Hisense’s HQ, it was listed as projecting 2,100 lumens, though at CES Hisense said it should match the PX3-Pro’s specs, putting it at 3,000 lumens. Either one is far beyond the small 4K projector competition – the LG CineBeam Q is 500 lumens, for example… And not only is it bright, but it’s 4K and it’s ultra short throw, which other small projectors generally are not. (Image credit: Future) The small size doesn’t just tempt me because the whole setup can stick less far out from the wall (which is essential for me), but the much smaller design leaves more space for other things… such as proper speakers. I can far more easily imagine connecting a pair of Kanto Ren speakers, or Technics’ very cool new active speakers, in a setup like this – the small projector leaves more space and a gap between it and the screen that the speakers would fit in perfectly. It is ideal for moving away from the limited acoustic of the best soundbars and into big, meaty left and right power. What are the downsides? Well, as you might have guessed from the fact that I haven’t mentioned this thing’s name, it’s really a prototype right now, so there’s no price or release date – though the tech inside fully exists, so it’s probably just a matter of time. (Image credit: Future) However, I can tell you that the current version is also notably loud. Those who saw it on the CES show floor would have no idea, but seeing it in a separate showcase, that fan was really working hard. It’s not a surprise – that’s a lot of heat for a small box, and if I commit to my beefy speakers next to it, they’ll probably manage to drown it out. But I would definitely need to see how any real product handles that before I committed to going for something like this. Still, this is the first projector that got me thinking excitedly about the idea of switching to a projector in my current home, rather than the best projectors being just something for something closer to real home theater that I want one day. It feels like a small game-changer, in that way. You might also like…

Epson EpiqVision Mini EF22: One minute review Epson’s smaller, portable EpiqVision home projector models were long overdue for an update, and that’s just what it has done with the Epson EpiqVision Mini EF22. This introduces the tilting, swiveling stand design that’s proven so popular with many other recent projectors, and it packs in Google TV for streaming, which helps bring the EpiqVision Mini EF22 closer to parity with its competition. Add in a pair of stereo speakers and the EpiqVision Mini EF22 proves an effective all-in-one system. The Epson EpiqVision Mini EF22 beams a laser through its 3LCD projection system, providing respectable brightness near 1,000 lumens. It makes for a decent picture, though it doesn’t manage quite the exciting color gamut of triple-laser options like the JMGO N1S Pro. Its 1080p resolution will also have you sticking to smaller projection sizes than you might otherwise opt for with the best 4K projectors like the BenQ X300G or even the older Xgimi Horizon Pro.While the EpiqVision Mini EF22 is a simple and effective little home theater projector selling for a reasonable $999, it struggles to contend with the market it’s entering. Not only are there many great new projectors in the $1000-$2000 range but there’s also a sea of slightly older models that have come down in price. It’s a good projector, but I’m hard-pressed to find a reason to choose it over the alternatives. I’d snag myself a BenQ X300G or Xgimi Horizon Pro instead, both of which have been seeing some impossible-to-ignore discounts. (Image credit: Future) Epson EpiqVision Mini EF22 review: Specs Swipe to scroll horizontally Screen sizes supported: 30-150 inches Brightness (specified): 1,000 ISO lumens HDR support: HDR10, HLG Optical technology: 3LCD Laser Smart TV: Google TV Connections: HDMI, 3.5mm audio out, USB-A, Mini USB (service) Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.5 x 7.5 inches Weight: 6.6 pounds / 3 kg The JMGO N1S Pro 4K delivered strong picture quality across the board (Image credit: Future) Epson EpiqVision Mini EF22 review: Prices & release date Release date: October 2024 Price: $999 The Epson EpiqVision Mini EF22 launched in late 2024 with a starting price of $999 (£799, AU$1,599). It has seen some discounts since then, though these tend to come and go. The EpiqVision Mini EF22 comes in a variety of colors, giving you more options. You can find it in Stone Blue, Opal Green, Quartz Rose, Onyx Black, and Diamond White. (Image credit: Future) Epson EpiqVision Mini EF22 review: Design & features Built-in stand makes setup easy Google TV and automatic image adjustments Built-in 2x 5W stereo speakers Like many of the new consumer projectors in 2024, the Epson EpiqVision Mini EF22 comes with a stand built in. This makes it easy to adjust the vertical tilt and horizontal angle of the projector, even supporting vertical projection up toward the ceiling. This provides a simpler setup, though anything but a perfectly lined-up projection will result in some digital corrections that detract from the usable image. The EpiqVision Mini EF22 makes automatic vertical and horizontal keystone adjustments very quickly, letting you shift the projector around and see the image change shape in real time. It’s also quick to focus automatically. It has an optional setting to avoid obstacles when projecting, and this proves effective, but it is a slower process than the other automatic corrections, taking a few seconds. The EpiqVision Mini EF22 rounds out its smart projection features with eye protection that dims the projector when it detects someone in front of it. The Epson EpiqVision Mini EF22 is plenty compact, proving not dramatically different in size from the JGMO N1S I recently tested. That said, projectors can certainly come smaller, as LG showed with the LG CineBeam Q. It’s hard to have small projectors get very bright or offer solid audio, though, and those aren’t sacrifices the EpiqVision Mini EF22 made. It features stereo speakers and is rated to hit 1,000 ISO lumens. It also comes with Google TV. Unfortunately, Epson didn’t make the most of the projector’s size, as it opted to include just one HDMI port (with ARC), a USB-A port, and a 3.5mm audio output jack. It’s providing options, but not many. The focus of the EpiqVision Mini EF22 really is on being a standalone device that doesn’t call for external connections. The Epson EpiqVision Mini EF22 comes with a simple remote. It’s all plastic with rubber buttons and nothing too elegant, but it’s effective. It has simple navigation controls, a Google Assistant button, a shortcut to the HDMI input (making the input selection button a bit redundant), dedicated volume and brightness controls, and shortcuts for projection settings, auto-focus, as well as YouTube, Netflix, and Prime Video. None of the buttons have backlighting, making it a bit hard to use in the dark, but at least some of the buttons are white, and it’s easy enough to feel out the volume buttons. Design & features score: 4/5 The JMGO N1S Pro 4K’s picture is at its best with bright and colorful images (Image credit: Future) Epson EpiqVision Mini EF22 review: Picture & sound quality Decent brightness No unsightly motion smoothing Color could use a boost The Epson EpiqVision Mini EF22 provides an overall good-looking image, but it’s not the most impressive I’ve seen in this projector category. While natural content looks solid, with the projector offering a great presentation for Dune, it can struggle elsewhere. In the extremely colorful Mind Game, it didn’t keep up with some of the triple-laser options on the market, like the JMGO N1S, and I noticed some banding in color gradients. That said, the 3LCD technology avoids some of the unsightly swimming-pixel artifacts I’ve seen from DLP projectors displaying large monotone regions, as well as DLP rainbow artifacts. The EpiqVision Mini EF22 doesn’t keep up with some of its 4K competition either. BenQ’s X300G may have originally been much more expensive, but it’s come down considerably in price, and it has the chops to really threaten the EpiqVision Mini EF22. I took a rough measurement to overall brightness in the Dynamic profile, which achieved 959 lumens with an ANSI test pattern and a matte white screen. There again, it’s just decent. Competitors like the Dangbei Atom and JGMO N1S offer as much, and slightly more expensive options from BenQ and JMGO take it to another level. Gaming on the Epson EpiqVision Mini EF22, I found the projector added considerable latency if it had any sort of processing going on (i.e., keystone correction or digital zoom). With these disabled, the projector still had a tangible delay between actions and on-screen effects, but it wasn’t significant enough to slow me down as I worked my way through numerous encounters in Hades. Oddly enough, there’s no specific picture profile for gaming that would disable the projector’s processing automatically, so you’ll have to manage these settings on your own. With two speakers on the rear of the EpiqVision Mini EF22, it works reasonably well whether you set the projector up in front of you or at the back of the room. They provide a bit of stereo separation, which adds a touch of depth, though they’re no substitute for a dedicated audio system. They get reasonably loud for a small, quiet room, but the sound gets a bit muddled at higher volumes, making it hard to pick out everything that’s going on in a song, for example. You’ll get clear enough mids and a bit of bass, but higher frequencies tend to suffer when the volume is cranked. To the EF22’s credit, it doesn’t mess around with any unsightly motion smoothing. Right from the jump, it provides good, clear motion. Picture and sound quality score: 3/5 (Image credit: Future) Epson EpiqVision Mini EF22 review: Value Effective all-in-one package Comes up short next to the competition The Epson EpiqVision Mini EF22 puts plenty into one package. It’s a decent projector, providing a bright image that can handle impromptu movie nights or let you settle in to binge the next hot series, as long as you turn the lights off. With Google TV, it’s ready to stream a great variety of content with no external sources. And it packs in a good enough set of speakers to make do in quiet, intimate viewing conditions. The built-in stand also proves helpful, making it that much easier to set up in various places without the need to stack up a pile of books or go buy a separate stand. The biggest thing holding the EpiqVision Mini EF22 back in the value department is the competition it faces. You can get much brighter projectors and ones that offer 4K or provide more vivid color for the same price or just a little more. Compared to these, the EpiqVision Mini EF22 ends up feeling lacking. Value score: 3/5 The JMGO N1S Pro 4K comes in a styrofoam carry case. Although portable, it is on the weightier side (Image credit: Future) Should I buy the Epson EpiqVision Mini EF22? Swipe to scroll horizontally Epson EpiqVision Mini EF22 Attributes Notes Rating Design and features Combines everything you need into one device and even builds in a stand that allows for easy setup 4/5 Picture and sound quality Reasonably bright, modestly sharp, and avoids some of the artifacts that affect DLP projectors. But it’s not 4K, and not bright enough to use in well-lit rooms 3/5 Value Not too shabby for a $1,000 projector, but you can get brighter, 4K projectors for the money, and that alone is enough to sink Epson’s value 3/5 Buy it if… Don’t buy it if… Also consider Swipe to scroll horizontally Comparison: portable projectors Header Cell – Column 0 Epson EpiqVision Mini EF22 JMGO N1S Pro LG CineBeam Q BenQ X300G Price: $999 $1,999 $1,299 $1,799 Screen sizes supported: 30 to 150 inches 85-180 inches 50-120 inches 30 to 150 inches Brightness (specified): 1,000 ISO lumens 2,400 ANSI lumens 500 ANSI lumens 2,000 lumens HDR support HDR10, HLG HDR10, HLG HDR10, HLG HDR10, HLG Optical technology: 3LCD, Laser RGB laser DLP RGB laser DLP LED DLP Smart TV: Google TV Google TV WebOS Android TV Connections: 1HDMI ( with ARC), 1x 3.5mm audio 2x HDMI ( 1with eARC), 3.5mm HDMI, USB type-C (display, power) 2x HDMI 2.0 (1 with eARC) USB-C DP Alt Mode (Image credit: Future) How I tested the Epson EpiqVision Mini EF22 Tested at home in multiple, real-world viewing conditions Presented the display with a variety of media and formats I have tested numerous projectors and displays over the last half-decade I tested the Epson EpiqVision Mini EF22 at home, in real-world conditions. This saw it faced with ambient light coming in from numerous windows, in-room lighting, as well as ambient noise that both the projector and speaker systems had to overcome. The projector was tested both against a bare, white wall and an Akia Screens CineWhite screen. It was presented with streamed content, HDR and non-HDR, and PC gameplay. My testing evaluates the projector’s performance concerning its price and competition from other models that I and my colleagues at TechRadar have tested. I have been testing projectors since 2021 and displays for even longer.

XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro review: Two-minute review Chinese electronics brand XGIMI is on a continued mission to be the brand of choice when searching for a projector, hoping to lure you away from the likes of Samsung, BenQ or LG in the process. The MoGo 3 Pro, released alongside the much higher-end Aura 2 4K UST projector towards the end of 2024, certainly has a resumé to suggest it’s in with a fair shot of becoming one of the best portable projectors: full HD resolution, 450 ISO lumens brightness, Google TV and Netflix onboard and, of course, a portable design. And yes, I recognize XGIMI has diverted away from the design of the previous two MoGo projectors and has instead adopted something akin to Samsung’s The Freestyle projector. Admittedly, the new XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro’s new look does make it a lot more portable and it has added practical benefits. The cylindrical design allows the projector lens to remain covered up when it’s not in use and it can be tilted through a 130º angle. XGIMI claims this allows the projector to beam onto the ceiling but, in my use, I wasn’t able to do so without physically angling the whole projector unit itself. A full 180º of tilt would allow it to perform better in this regard, if that’s what you’re looking for in a projector. Images projected onto a wall using the XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro are of excellent quality, although you will want to dive into the picture settings to make some adjustments for the best results. Out of the box, images could look washed out and overexposed, but after diving into the albeit limited picture settings and making a few adjustments, I found that the projected images were able to deliver good color and contrast. I was impressed with its ability to combat some bright ambient light filtering into my testing room, too. Naturally, when the lights went down, the images projected onto my wall became much clearer. (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge) Because the MoGo 3 Pro is a portable projector it needs to rely on its built-in speakers for sound, which is where things get less positive. The XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro has 2 x 5W Harman Kardon speakers built in which, sadly, fail to deliver anywhere near a cinematic experience, despite XGIMI’s claims. Dolby Audio and Dolby Digital Plus are both supported formats, but it adds little to what is an overall unengaging sound. For casual viewing with friends, family or even by yourself, it can pass, but if you’re planning on movie nights when you’re away camping or on holiday, for example, then you’ll likely be disappointed. You can connect a Bluetooth speaker to help boost things on the audio front, and a Mini HDMI connection is onboard with ARC support, meaning you can connect a soundbar, for example, using a Mini HDMI-to-HDMI cable. But if you’ve taken the MoGo 3 Pro away on a camping trip, you’re unlikely to have access to a full-fat external audio system. The XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro also doesn’t have a built-in battery, which naturally can also affect its portability. If you know you’re going to want to take it somewhere where a power outlet won’t be accessible, then you can connect a USB-C power bank with a minimum power output of 65W, or you can buy the optional PowerBase stand, which not only raises the projector off the ground or a small table, but has its own built-in battery to keep it powered. XGIMI says the stand allows you to “continuously play a full-length movie without interruption,” although I found that would be the case only if said movie is 2.5 hours or less. The other disappointing aspect I found when using the XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro was that it could be slow in use. Volume adjustments using the remote control took a few seconds to register; navigating around the main home page regularly suffered from lag and I even found when trying to watch a particularly fast moving scene from The Incredibles on Disney+ that the projector just completely crashed. I should stress that this was an isolated incident that I couldn’t repeat with other fast-motion content such as sports. The XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro projector is, ultimately, a good option for anyone who wants big-screen thrills when on the go or perhaps as an option for a second bedroom at home in place of installing a TV. Keep in mind when comparing projectors, the 450 ISO lumens from the MoGo 3 Pro is about equivalent to 500 ANSI lumens. It does well against its main competition, Samsung’s The Freestyle projector, particularly when it comes to brightness. But, if your budget can stretch, you’ll find greater performance from the likes of the 4K RGB Laser equipped LG CineBeam Q. XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro review: Price & availability Launched on September 6, 2024 List price of $449 / £429 / AU$1,099 Optional accessories cost extra The XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro was announced and officially launched at IFA Berlin on September 6, 2024, alongside the Aura 2 4K UST projector. It’s available to buy now for $449 / £429 / AU$1,099 for the standalone projector. You can buy it bundled with the PowerBase stand for $499 / £499 / AU$1,199 You can also pick up an optional carry case for the MoGo 3 Pro projector, which is only available in green, for $69 / £59 / AU$99. The XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro portable projector’s list price is significantly less than the Samsung The Freestyle projector in the US, UK and Australia. However, Samsung’s projector does have greater HDR support, with HDR10+ available. The MoGo 3 Pro maxes out at ‘standard’ HDR10, although as we said in our Samsung The Freestyle projector review, “I didn’t see much of a picture quality difference when viewing in HDR from standard HD format”, so the MoGo 3 Pro’s lack of extended support isn’t necessarily a mark against it. XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro review: Specs Swipe to scroll horizontally Screen size support: 40 to 200 inches Brightness (specified) 450 ISO Lumens HDR support: HDR10 Optical technology: LED, DLP Smart TV: Google TV Connections: Micro-HDMI, USB-A, USB-C (power), Bluetooth 5.1 Dimensions: 8.1 x 3.7 x 3.7 inches / 204.9 x 95 x 95mm (H x W x D w/integrated stand) Weight: 2.42lbs / 1.1kg XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro review: Design & features (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge) Compact and lightweight Google TV interface Can double up as a Bluetooth speaker The XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro sports a cylindrical form factor and is finished in an anodized silver aluminum color. It’s lightweight at just over one kilogram, making it a breeze to not only move around your home, but to throw into a bag to take on the road with you. The main projector unit itself features an integrated stand, which also houses the built-in speaker system. When connected to power, the MoGo 3 Pro turns on as soon as you lift it up to separate it from its stand. You can then tilt it through 130º to project an image onto a wall or screen. Alternatively, when you lift the projector from its integrated stand to power it on, you can leave it in this position, where it will light up in one of three selectable colors. In this mode, you can use it as a nightlight or you can stream music to it via Bluetooth, and you can select an option that will see the light pulse – this is more of a flickering of the light rather than it moving in time with the music. (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge) A remote control comes supplied with the XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro and two AAA batteries to power it. The remote feels good to hold, although I wasn’t enamored with the layout of the buttons. I found it required a bit of a learning process: the home button is in the bottom right for example and I’m used to it being more central on the majority of other remote controls I’ve used. I also occasionally pressed the Google Assistant button when I actually wanted to select ‘settings’. The remote control isn’t backlit, which can make things even trickier. Fortunately, the volume button is in an obvious and hard-to-miss place at the bottom, although I found the projector took a short while to register whenever I wanted to turn the volume up. Alternatively, because the XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro uses the Google TV operating system, you’re able to use your phone as a remote control via the Google Home app. The single-chip DLP projector uses an LED light source, which XGIMI says is good for 25,000 hours of use. The company’s ISA 2.0 technology is onboard, which gives access to a number of especially useful setup tools, including automatic keystone correction, autofocus, obstacle avoidance, screen alignment and eye protection. Automatic screen adjustments are just a click away via a button on the remote control and you’re free to manually adjust settings further if you wish. I found autofocus to be the most successful of all the settings, while auto keystone correction delivered mixed results. The idea of this setting is that it will automatically realign the screen if you move the projector around. In most instances it worked fine, but I was occasionally forced to dive into the manual settings to get the screen aligned properly. Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge) (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge) A small selection of accessories is available for the MoGo 3 Pro, including a PowerBase stand which has a built-in 20,000mAh battery for keeping the projector running when a power outlet isn’t accessible. XGIMI says it’s good for 2.5 hours of playback time when the projector’s brightness setting is set to Eco mode, which is just enough for movies such as Deadpool vs Wolverine, but too short for recent releases such as Wicked. When using the MoGo 3 Pro with just the PowerBase stand, the projector defaults to Eco mode. It can be changed, but it will impact battery life significantly. A carry case is also available to keep it better protected during transport and a Creative Optical Filter can be placed over the MoGo 3 Pro’s lens to project a much larger image onto a wall. It’s intended to be used with the XGIMI Wall app to project underwater seascapes or immersive starry night sky images. While the XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro features a Mini HDMI input for connecting to either an external sound system or a media streaming device, for the most part, you’ll likely be using the built-in apps to access content. In this regard, it’s good news as the MoGo 3 Pro uses Google TV, which provides access to a huge selection of apps and services. Perhaps most crucially, Netflix is supported. The ubiquitous streaming service doesn’t always play nicely with projector systems – a third-party app is required to access it on XGIMI’s own Aura 2 for example, which uses the Android TV OS instead – so it’s great to see it front and center here. In a similar vein to the Samsung Freestyle projector, the XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro uses the older Wi-Fi 5 standard, which is more than capable enough to handle streaming, and didn’t cause any issues during my use. (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge) As a predominantly streaming-focused projector, connections on the MoGo 3 Pro are limited to micro HDMI. It would have been great to have received a cable or adaptor in the box, but alas, you’ll need to buy one if you want to connect an external gaming console, Blu-ray player, or other HDMI source. The micro HDMI connection does support HDMI-ARC, which allows you to connect it to a soundbar or other audio system, but there isn’t a 3.5mm audio output. You can also stream music to the projector via Bluetooth, or from the projector to a Bluetooth speaker thanks to dual Bluetooth support. I connected the projector to a Beats Pill to test this feature and experienced no obvious signs of audio delay. Android users can stream wirelessly via Google Cast, and AirPlay is supported too. XGIMI says in the support menus that you need to download the MagiCast app from the Google Play Store, but I searched for it and had no luck. I eventually found another app called AirMirror that allowed me to mirror the screen of my iPhone and stream music via AirPlay. Design & features score: 4 / 5 XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro review: Picture & sound quality (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge) Decent brightness even in ambient light conditions Impressive picture quality after some adjustments Sound is poor unless you turn it up to maximum I went into my review of the XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro with limited expectations about the picture quality it would be able to produce, given its size and limited specs. I’d previously reviewed the XGIMI Aura 2 which produced a gorgeous and bright image, but this was expected since it has a 2300 ISO lumens rating. The MoGo 3 Pro’s 450 ISO lumens rating, therefore, suggested to me it would only really function at its best in the dark. The XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro supports the HDR10 HDR format, which did provide some benefit to contrast in movie scenes with dark and bright elements. The company claims the projector supports 90% of the DCI-P3 color gamut. With Game mode activated, XGIMI says the MoGo 3 Pro has input lag of ≈ 27ms with auto keystone correction turned off and ≈ 60ms with it turned on. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it held up well in a brighter room, with ambient sunlight coming in through a small opening. With the overhead lights turned on, it was totally unusable, but with just some sunlight creeping in, I was able to watch the projected image without too much fuss. You are able to project an image up to 200 inches in size, but XGIMI says that for best results you’ll want to stay within a boundary of 60 to 120 inches. For reference, the size of the image I was able to project onto my wall was around 80 inches, with the projector positioned around 200cm (80 inches) from the wall. XGIMI says the throw ratio of the MoGo 3 Pro is 1.2:1. There are slightly different picture presets depending on whether you’re watching HDR or SDR content. The majority of my testing used HDR content, which presented Standard, Sport and Game presets. I left it on Standard most of the time as I felt this offered the best overall picture. I was surprised to not find a ‘Movie’ picture preset, especially given the fact this will likely be the projector’s main use. (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge) There are also three different brightness settings hidden within the menus: Standard, Eco and Performance. Again, I left the standard option selected the majority of the time. Eco mode limits brightness to 40% to help prolong battery life, and in darker rooms is perfectly fine to watch. If you’re watching in a brighter room, however, it doesn’t do as good a job. Performance mode, meanwhile, introduces a blue tint to the image, which was a little peculiar… I was expecting this mode to ramp up the brightness further, but it seemed to have the opposite effect. When this mode is selected, the built-in cooling fan also gets turned up to 11 to the point where it’s clearly audible. It’s also worth noting that the performance brightness mode can only be enabled when the official power adapter is plugged directly into the projector unit. It won’t work with other power adapters or when connected to a power bank or the PowerBase stand. Enabling Performance brightness mode introduced a blue/green tint to the image. (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge) A stream of Alien: Romulus provided a good test of darker content for the MoGo 3 Pro and, considering its size, specs and price, I was pleased with the results when watching in a dimly lit room. It was able to unearth details in shadowy areas of a scene, while brighter areas such as lights had a satisfying pop. I switched over to Toy Story on Disney Plus for its color-rich palette and generally bright scenes. The various reds, yellows, greens and blues were prominent, although not quite as vibrant as I’ve seen on TVs and higher-specced projectors. Nevertheless, it was still an enjoyable watch. Seeing as though the XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro is designed to be taken out of the home with you, I set it up in my courtyard to see how it fared when being used outside. I will preface by saying I was projecting onto a dark grey wall, but it was also at night and so, despite the color of the wall coming through, I was still able to watch without trouble. I have no doubts that if you project onto a white wall, a sheet or even a portable projection screen, you will have no issues when watching movies on the road. (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge) I also watched my favorite clip from The Incredibles and came across an issue with a fast-moving scene about two-thirds into the movie. When Dash is running through the forest away from Syndrome’s goons, the projector seemed to just crash and stopped playing the movie. Pressing the home button returned me to the main home page, but the same thing happened again when I attempted to watch the scene again. I wasn’t able to replicate this again with any other content, so it could be a one-off, isolated incident or due to a bug that can be fixed via a future firmware update. The projector’s built-in speaker system is more difficult to be excited about. At full volume it does produce a spacious sound that will ultimately pass for whatever you’re watching. At lesser volumes however, it’s too quiet to do any real service and it lacks any real impact. Connecting a Bluetooth speaker is a fuss-free experience and can work wonders to boost the overall sound output, especially as I didn’t experience any signs of audio lag. Picture & sound quality score: 4 / 5 XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro review: Value Cheaper than its closest competitor Great features and performance Portable power options cost extra (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge) With a list price of $499 / £449 / AU$1,099, the MoGo 3 Pro offers enough to make it worth recommending. Its most obvious competitor, the Samsung The Freestyle, costs more in most markets yet has a similar specs list. Samsung’s offering doesn’t go quite as bright, but it does use the excellent Tizen operating system and it supports cloud gaming. Like the MoGo 3 Pro, there’s no built-in battery, but an optional base is available to make it truly portable. To this end, I think the XGIMI’s optional battery-powered base is the better choice as it’s also a tripod. Samsung’s option only raises the projector a few extra inches, so you may still need a table to put it on for optimal results. XGIMI’s MoGo 3 Pro also has the added benefit of keeping the lens protected when it’s not in use. You will need to consider spending extra on the PowerBase stand (which is more cost effective to buy as a bundle with the projector) or a power bank that meets the required criteria. If you can spend more and your only need for a portable projector is to use it in your garden, then almost any projector will do the job when plugged into an extension cord. Value score: 4 / 5 Should you buy the XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro? Swipe to scroll horizontally XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro Attributes Notes Rating Design & features Compact, lightweight, good connectivity and a feature-packed smart TV interface 4 / 5 Picture & sound quality Enough brightness to combat ambient light, which only improves in darker rooms. An external sound system is needed for a more cinematic experience 4 / 5 Value Justifies its price tag and undercuts its closest competitor 4 / 5 Buy it if… Don’t buy it if… Also consider Swipe to scroll horizontally Comparison: portable projectors Header Cell – Column 0 XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro Samsung The Freestyle 2nd Gen LG CineBeam Q Price: $449 / £429 / AU$1,099 $799 /  £649 / AU$,1299 $1,299 / £1,299 / AU$2,499 Screen sizes supported: 40 to 200 inches 30 to 130 inches 50 to 120 inches Brightness (specified): 450 ISO lumens 230 ANSI lumens 500 ANSI lumens HDR support HDR10 HDR10+, HDR10, HLG HDR10, HLG Optical technology: LED, DLP LED, DLP RGB laser DLP Smart TV: Google TV Tizen webOS Connections: Micro-HDMI, USB type-A, USB-C (power) Micro-HDMI, USB-C (power) HDMI, USB-C (display, power) How I tested the Xgimi MoGo 3 Pro I used the projector in a range of light conditions Set it up inside and outside to test portability Watched a variety of dark and bright content I tested the XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro at home over a period of about a month so I could experience it during various daytime living conditions. This meant multiple light sources, be it natural daylight or overhead lightbulbs, came into my testing room, at which point I rated the picture to see how well it performed. The projector was tested against a white wall for the duration of my review, but also on a dark grey wall outside to assess its portable credentials. Both performed well and I could see noticeable differences before and after calibration. I used a variety of content, including HDR and SDR content from a variety of streaming services. My testing evaluates the projector’s performance against other reviews my colleagues at TechRadar have conducted. I have been writing about and reviewing displays for five years. Read more about how we test [First published January 2025]

I could predict simply from reading the contents of my email inbox that CES 2025 was going to be a showcase for projectors, and that very much turned out to be the case. Big TV brands such as Hisense and TCL had new models on display in their sprawling CES booths and these were accompanied by projectors from many smaller, upstart brands, most hailing from China and some promoting their products on Kickstarter. In contrast to the CEDIA trade show, which serves as a launching pad for higher-end examples of the best 4K projectors, many of the models at CES are affordable portable projectors and ultra short throw (UST) projectors. But even projectors at this lower-cost tier now benefit from tech developments such as laser light engines and the Google TV smart TV platform. They demand to be taken seriously, and I approached my task of snooping out the best projectors at CES with open eyes and an open mind. Admittedly, the open halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center where CES is held isn’t the best environment to assess a projector’s picture quality. But with the caveat that not all models were viewed in a perfectly dark room, these are the best and most interesting projectors I encountered at the show. Hisense L9Q Trichroma Laser TV The Hisense L9Q (shown at top) is a new addition to the company’s lineup of Laser TVs, which package an ultra short throw projector with an ambient light rejecting projection screen. Previous Laser TV offerings provided 100-inch or 120-inch screen options, but the L9Q will be available in 100-, 110-, 120-, 136-, and 150-inch screen sizes when it ships later in 20025. Hisense is claiming 5,000 nits peak brightness for the L9Q – a 67% light output boost over previous Laser TV models. The pre-production model the company had on display at CES used a 2.9 gain screen and was delivering an impressive 1,500 nits fullscreen brightness, according to a rep I spoke with. That’s better brightness than you’ll get with most OLED and many mini-LED TVs! Static contrast is stated at 5,000:1, an equally important real-world spec, and the projector’s RGB laser light engine provides 110% coverage of the BT.2020 color gamut The design of the pre-production model Hisense was showing isn’t finalized, but Hisense says the final version will sport a “Black Walnut Décor Panel, Star Orbit Ambient Lighting, and precision brushed metal finishes.” In other words, it will look a lot fancier than your average projector. A built-in 6.2.2-channel audio system – the first-ever in a projector, according to the company – delivers Dolby Atmos and DTS Virtual:X sound, and the company has partnered with French speaker maker Devialet for tuning. Last but not least, the Hisense L9Q will have onboard Dolby Vision support, Google TV with voice assistant, and an ATSC 3.0 tuner to receive Next-Gen TV broadcasts in the US. Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Valerion VisionMaster Max (Image credit: Future) Valerion’s lineup of 4K front projectors get plenty of attention on Kickstarter, and the company’s latest model, the Valerion VisionMaster Max, was on display at CES in a dark room paired with a 220-inch projection screen. Even with a screen that enormous, clips from Avatar: The Way of Water looked impressively bright, and the picture’s deep, detailed blacks made a good argument for the VisionMaster Max’s claimed 15,000:1 contrast ratio, which is made possible by a dynamic iris. Like the Hisense L9Q, the VisionMaster Max runs the Google TV smart platform and uses an RGB laser light engine specified for 110% BT.2020 color space coverage. It supports both the Dolby Vision and HDR10+ high dynamic range formats, and can handle a 1080p input at 240Hz for gaming with just 4ms input lag, according to the company. A lens with 0.9-1.5:1 optical zoom and horizontal/vertical shift comes standard. Other lens options will be available to enhance installation flexibility, and there’s automatic image correction to further ease setup. The Valerion VisionMaster Max is priced at $3,999 and is available for pre-order now on the company’s website. Formovie Theater Premium (Image credit: Future) Formovie was the first company to offer a UST projector with Dolby Vision HDR support. At CES, the company was showing its latest UST projector, the Formovie Theater Premium, a model that’s currently selling for $2,799 on the company’s US website. The company’s step-down model, the Formovie Cinema Edge, is currently the budget option in TechRadar’s best ultra short throw projectors guide, and the Theater Premium bests it with a brighter, 2,200 ISO lumens picture along with Dolby Vision HDR support and a triple-laser light engine with a specified 107% BT.2020 color space coverage. Formovie claims an under 18ms input lag for gaming, and there’s a built-in Bowers & Wilkins speaker system for audio (Dolby Atmos and DTS:X both supported). Formovie’s booth presentation of the Theater Premium at CES wasn’t doing its projector any picture quality favors, but given our positive experience with the more budget Cinema Edge, as well as the basic Formovie Theater model, the Formovie Theater Premium looks to be a compelling UST option. JMGO 02S Ultra (Image credit: Future) As we’ve seen from models such as the Samsung The Premiere 9, UST projectors can be big things, and will potentially take up too much space if you set them up in a small living room. That’s why at CES I was excited to see the JMGO 02S Ultra, which the company is billing as the “world’s smallest laser TV.” This shoebox-sized (12.3 x 11.4 x 5.5 inches) UST projector uses a triple-color laser light source to deliver a specified 2,500 ISO lumens picture with 110% BT.2020 color space coverage. Full-on full-off contrast is specified as 1,800:1, and it can beam a 100-inch image from a 5.75-inch distance. At CES, the 02S Ultra’s picture looked plenty bright and colorful, even as it was beamed in a booth with no curtains or other coverings to dim the convention center’s overhead lighting. Like many other UST projectors making their debut at CES, the 02S Ultra features auto-calibration features for keystone correction, focus, and screen fitting. It runs the Google TV smart TV platform for streaming and supports Dolby Vision high dynamic range. No price information was provided at the show, but the O2S Ultra is “expected to launch globally in Q4 2025.” Samsung The Premiere 5 (Image credit: Future) Another compact triple-laser UST projector unveiled at CES was Samsung’s The Premiere 5. A new take on the company’s portable The Freestyle 2nd Gen projector, this model is even smaller than JMGO’s 02S Ultra, though it’s a 1080p Full HD projector as opposed to a 4K-resolution one. The Premiere 5 is capable of beaming images from 20 to 100 inches with 560 ISO lumens brightness and features auto keystone and focus for easy setup. The projector’s form factor reminded me of a Sonos One speaker and, like an actual Sonos speaker, it can be used for wireless music streaming. There are other tricks The Premiere 5 has up its sleeve. A touch feature lets you interact with the screen and it features “Samsung LightWARP technology to project images onto everyday objects for creative and immersive experiences.” I’m not sure what those features can be used for, but look forward to getting my hands on a Premiere 5 to investigate. Aurzen ZIP (Image credit: Future) The world’s first “Tri-Fold ultra-portable projector,” The Aurzen ZIP looks even cooler in person than it does on the company’s Kickstarter page. The ZIP triple folds are divided thusly: the first for an 8mm optical engine and tiny DLP microchip; the second for the built-in stereo speakers and high-strength aluminum hinges; and the third for a built-in 5000mAh battery that delivers “up to 1.5 hours of joy on a single charge,” according to the company. What’s great about the ZIP, of course, is that it folds up into a phone-size package and can be easily toted anywhere. It then unfolds and has a sturdy support base and its hinges allow for angling the picture at any surface, where an auto-focus and image correction features will kick in. The Zip doesn’t use Wi-Fi but can screen mirror content played on iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows devices. It can also present images in both full-screen and vertical modes, letting you easily share TikToK and Instagram Reels with friends. As you might expect from a phone-sized projector, the picture quality is limited and there’s not much oomph to the sound, though the ZIP’s Bluetooth support lets you connect it to external wireless speakers or headphones. TCL PlayCube (Image credit: Future) TCL’s PlayCube grabbed my attention in an online pre-briefing held by TCL prior to CES, and I’ll admit to being pretty captivated by the company’s new portable projector when I saw it in person at the show. There wasn’t much info provided about the PlayCube other than it has a built-in battery for anywhere-on-the-go use and features a MagiCube design to adjust viewing angles. But that was enough for me to include TCL’s portable on this list since its winning design made it one of the coolest-looking products at the show. You might also like… TechRadar will be extensively covering this year’s CES, and will bring you all of the big announcements as they happen. Head over to our CES 2025 news page for the latest stories and our hands-on verdicts on everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops, smart home gadgets, and the latest in AI. And don’t forget to follow us on TikTok and WhatsApp for the latest from the CES show floor!

LG reveals two new portable, lifestyle projectors ahead of CES 2025 LG PF600U is a 3-in-1 projector/lamp/speaker LG CineBeam S is latest in portable 4K projector lineup LG has revealed two new speakers ahead of CES 2025 – the CineBeam S and LG PF600U – adding to its range of lifestyle projectors. LG hasn’t announced region availability or pricing for either projector as of yet, but this will hopefully arrive at CES 2025 itself. The LG CineBeam S is a follow-up to the LG CineBeam Q, one of the best 4K projectors released in 2024, and while it also supports 4K,HDR picture, the CineBeam S has the distinction of being LG’s smallest ever 4K ultra-short-throw (UST) projector, measuring in at a tiny 110 x 160 x 160mm. The CineBeam S will also support a wide range of screen sizes from 40-100-inches – the CineBeam Q supports 50-120-inches – with a throw ratio of 0.25. It has 500 ANSI lumens of brightness (the same as the CineBeam Q) and LG says it will cover 154% of the DCI-P3 color space. It will also feature a built-in stereo speaker system that supports Dolby Atmos, and will use LG’s own webOS smart TV platform for streaming skills. The other projector revealed is the LG PF600U, a projector that also serves as a mood lamp and Bluetooth speaker. It supports 1080p Full HD resolution images with 300 ANSI lumens of brightness, and can project from 30 to 120 inches. It will also come with LG’s webOS interface built-in for streaming. Taking on a light pole design measuring 290 x 290 x 983mm, the PF600U is designed to serve a whole bunch of needs by also working as a light source and Bluetooth speaker with a stereo speaker array. LG combines it all again (Image credit: LG) Over the past couple of years, LG hasn’t been afraid to experiment with its lifestyle products. Whether it’s the StanByME Go, a portable TV-in-a-suitcase with military grade casing or a disco refrigerator with a transparent OLED display, LG isn’t afraid to combine its AV and lifestyle/home products into one Frankenstein-esque offering. While the LG PF600U projector/lamp combo is unlikely to offer picture quality to top the best projectors, it does fit in nicely with LG’s whacky products that aim to create the home of the future that many people dream about, supposedly, with every product doing multiple jobs. Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. The LG CineBeam S on the other hand is a straightforward, portable 4K projector and if it’s anything like the LG CineBeam Q, which we rated four and a half out of five in our review thanks to its excellent picture quality and handy design, then LG could be onto another winner. You might also like TechRadar will be extensively covering this year’s CES, and will bring you all of the big announcements as they happen. Head over to our CES 2025 news page for the latest stories and our hands-on verdicts on everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops, smart home gadgets, and the latest in AI. And don’t forget to follow us on TikTok and WhatsApp for the latest from the CES show floor!

One of the breakout hits of the tech world over the last couple of years has been the best portable projectors. They’ve really rocketed in popularity because people love the idea of being able to point the projector at a wall anywhere to instantly have big-screen entertainment. Well, stop that right now. The fun police are here, and we’ve had reports of people enjoying their media in a sub-standard manner. Okay, you can keep doing it if the portability of these mobile projectors is vital, but if you’re investing in one of the best projectors that will stay static – and especially one of the best 4K projectors, which are not cheap – you really need to make sure you invest in a good screen, and not just project onto a wall, or the cheapest screen you can find. I recently got a useful demo from Hisense – which makes some of the best ultra short throw projectors, and also has a line of ‘Laser TVs’ that combine a smart UST projector with a matching screen of a specific size – to show what a big difference a good projector screen makes. The demo in question involved the Hisense PX3-Pro projector, which we think is up there with the top choices available today, beaming a picture onto a special-constructed screen that was half plain white plastic screen, and half the company’s own Ambient Light Rejection screen, which is what’s bundled in with its Laser TVs, but you can buy separate ALR screens for any projector. (Image credit: Future) The difference was immediately obvious and is clear from the images I took too, but Hisense had some numbers to back it up. At a projection size of 100 inches from the PX3-Pro, the image on the plain side of the screen was capable of hitting about 250 nits of brightness as visible when you’re sitting in front of it. The ALR screen side was capable of hitting around 450 nits. That’s nearly double the brightness, and it totally changes not just the brightness of white tones, but the richness of the colors, and even the depth and contrast of the image. A good screen doesn’t just enable better brightness, but deeper black tones, for a massive upgrade to the overall cinematic feel. (Image credit: Future) Let’s shed some light on the situation So, what’s going on here? The way that ALR screens work is to control the angle of light once it hits them. When you watch a projector, you’re only seeing reflections – the screen you’re looking at isn’t generating its own light, unlike the best TVs. Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. But it’s not just the light from the projector that’s being reflected, it’s all the light in the room, which then washes out the light you want from the movie. So the trick is to find a way to only reflect the right kind of light, and we can basically do this with the power of geometry. These screens are designed with a surface that adjusts the angle light reflects, based on the knowledge that light from a projector is only going to be coming from a particular angle and that you’ll be sitting right in front of it. So, light coming from the sides is ‘rejected’ (ie, absorbed to bounced away from your eyes), and light coming from below (in the case of a UST projector) is reflected at an angle focused right on your seating position. So the same amount of light is coming from the projector, but you’re getting a better-focused version of it, and with less interference – meaning you see nearly double the brightness level without changing your projector. (Image credit: Future) The downside? Naturally, this type of screen is more expensive to buy – but it also means you really do have to be facing the screen pretty directly. It won’t be good for a room where people might view from an angle because it will actually look worse than the cheap screen. That’s because it’s actively trying not to bounce the projector’s light off to the sides. So: great for home theater, not so great for a big Superbowl get-together. I think a lot of people are tempted to use a cheap screen (if any at all) with cheap projectors – but you can make that cheap projector look like a pricier model with a better screen! The type of screen might be the difference between whether a projector can replace your TV longer-term or not. You might also like…

Formovie Cinema Edge: one-minute review The Formovie Cinema Edge is a follow-up on the well-regarded Formovie Theater, a projector that gained fame upon release for its Dolby Vision high dynamic range support – a rare feature among the best 4K projectors. Rather than being a shiny, new upgrade, the Cinema Edge is a pared-down model with a lower price. While it launched at around $2,199 (about £1,420 / AU$2,775), it has since settled at $1,799, making it a true budget ultra short throw (UST) projector offering. The Formovie Cinema Edge’s ALPD ((Advanced Laser Phosphor Display) laser light engine delivers a reasonably bright and sharp 4K image that looks great in the dark, and decent in well-lit environments. It has Google TV for streaming and a pair of 15-watt speakers, giving you a complete package, though both elements could perform better. While it’s relatively cheap compared to other examples of the best ultra short throw projectors, the Formovie Cinema Edge has serious competition. I recently reviewed the Hisense PX3-Pro ($3,500), and the difference in image quality between the two is stark, with the dazzling brightness, color, and contrast of the PX3-Pro’s picture beating the Formovie Cinema Edge hands-down. The PX3-Pro is considerably more expensive, but even the older but still available Hisense PX2-Pro (around $2,000) has a better-looking picture. Formovie Cinema Edge review: price and release date Release date: September 2024 MSRP: $2,499 The Formovie Cinema Edge’s pricing is a bit all over the place. It launched at a $2,199 (about £1,650 / AU$3,250) pre-order price, though Formovie lists the retail price at $2499. Meanwhile, both Amazon and ProjectorScreen.com in the US now have the price listed at $1,799 – a steep decrease. The Cinema Edge’s laser light engine viewed from top (Image credit: Future) Formovie Cinema Edge review: Specs Swipe to scroll horizontally Screen sizes supported: 80-150 inches Brightness (specified): 1,900 ISO lumens HDR support: HDR10, HLG Optical technology: ALPD laser, DLP Smart TV: Google TV Connections: 3x HDMI 2.1 (1x eARC), 2x USB, Ethernet, optical digital audio, 3.5mm out Dimensions: 17.9 x 3.6 x 12.1 inches (H x W x D) Weight: 15.4 pounds Connections include 3 HDMI 2.1 ports (1 with eARC) (Image credit: Future) Formovie Cinema Edge review: design and features All-in-one design for a simple theater setup Front adjustable feet limit angle corrections Google TV cumbersome to navigate The Formovie Cinema Edge is a compact UST projector standing just over 3.5 inches tall. Width is 17.95 inches and it’s a little over a foot deep. With a 0.22:1 throw ratio, it can sit extra close to the wall, with only a 33 cm distance needed to project a 120-inch picture. The Formovie Cinema Edge sits on three feet with only the front two offering height adjustments. This means unless you’ve got a stand and wall that sit perfectly perpendicular (or at just over a 90-degree angle) to each other, you’ll need an adjustable console underneath the projector. The projector does support digital keystone adjustments, but these should be used only after making physical adjustments, as digital keystone processing increases latency and reduces picture resolution. The Cinema Edge packs in the Google TV smart TV interface and 30-watt speakers, letting you quickly get up and running with all your cinema needs. That said, all-in-one packages can struggle to do everything well. The processor running Google TV on the Formovie Cinema Edge is fairly weak. It stumbles when opening settings while content is playing, and that can be trouble if you’re trying to tweak picture settings while evaluating the impact of your adjustments on the picture. Navigating the operating system can prove a little tedious as well. Sluggishness is a common ailment for projectors running Android or Google TV, and the Cinema Edge falls prey to it. It’s small fries, but if you’re hoping to take the Formovie Cinema Edge out of the box, set it down, and experience its magic right away, you’ll need to temper your expectations. The configuration, regardless of whether you’re going for the full Google TV streaming experience or just basic HDMI input setup, takes a long time. Around the back, you’ll find enough HDMI 2.1 ports for a solid home theater setup, including support for eARC on one of them. Optical digital audio output is also available. A pair of USB ports are located on the back, providing power for a streaming stick or external storage for local media playback. Like many laser projectors, the Formovie Cinema Edge has a feature that detects when someone gets too close to the laser output and automatically dims the display. It promptly activates, though oddly doesn’t go as black as on some others. Design and features score: 4/5 The Cinema Edge’s picture quality shines in a dark viewing environment (Image credit: Future) Formovie Cinema Edge review: picture quality 1900 ISO lumens plenty for dim and dark environments Not as color-rich as RGB laser competitors Motion smoothing by default, but picture controls to compensate The Formovie Cinema Edge readily projects a 100-inch picture with crisp 4K detail. It looks best in a very dim or dark room, though it’s also bright enough to watch some content during the daytime. RuPauls’ Drag Race, for instance, is typically bright, and it’s easy to watch even in a well-lit room, though sunlight can still be a bit much. Contrast is also fairly strong. Alien was a joy to watch, with the intricate, H.R. Giger-designed mechanical details of the ship shining brightly while the nooks and crannies sank effectively into darkness. Alas, the Formovie Cinema Edge is a simple ALPD projector that doesn’t deliver the same color richness of the Formovie Theater or Hisense’s PX3-Pro, both of which are specced to achieve around 100% of BT.2020 color gamut coverage. Watching Avatar 2, it was painfully apparent how much more drab the visuals were by comparison, with the many blue hues looking dull and the flora and fauna throughout failing to exude their characteristic vibrance. This isn’t to say the Formovie Cinema Edge looks bad, but there are better options on the market for picture quality. I also noticed plenty of blown-out highlights in the earlier scenes after the Sully family joins the water tribe in Avatar 2. The Formovie Theater had some tone mapping issues in our hands-on testing, and it appears that’s the case again here. HDR is also limited to HDR10 and HLG on the Cinema Edge – there’s no Dolby Vision or HDR10+. The Formovie Cinema Edge has a fairly aggressive motion smoothing feature (called MJC) enabled in most of its picture settings by default. It’s not the worst-looking implementation of motion smoothing I’ve seen, but it looks better set to Low or disabled outright. Either way, the projector can struggle a bit with motion. Fight sequences looked choppy at times with or without MJC enabled. At Low, it subtly smooths out camera motion, though action can still look a little overdone. For what it’s worth, the Formovie Cinema Edge includes a veritable trove of picture settings to adjust. It does little to explain what any of them are, though, so it may be difficult to dial in things to your liking. Thankfully, the picture generally looks good without getting into the weeds. The sound put out by the Formovie Cinema Edge’s modest built-in speakers isn’t explosive, but they deliver a half-decent volume level for a small living room. The soundstage isn’t very wide, and there’s no deep bass, but it’s fine for casual viewing. For a more serious movie-viewing setup, external speakers will be an obvious upgrade. Picture quality score: 3.5/5 The Cinema Edge comes with a basic remote control to operate its Google TV interface (Image credit: Future) Formovie Cinema Edge review: value Good value at the current reduced price Older UST projectors pose a competitive threat The Formovie Cinema Edge has a suggested retail price of $2,499, but that has since been reduced to $1,799. This discounted price is essential to the value of the projector, as it goes up against the Hisense PX2-Pro, which is now cheaper thanks to the launch of the PX3-Pro. It also faces off against Formovie’s higher-end projector, the Formovie Theater, which has also fallen in price since its launch, now seeing discounts as low as $2,299. Value score: 3/5 (Image credit: Future) Swipe to scroll horizontally Formovie Cinema Edge Attributes Notes Rating Design and features The Formovie Cinema Edge has a compact design and provides all you need for a home theater in one package. It could benefit from better adjustable feet and use a faster processor, but it gets the job done. 4/5 Picture quality performance You get a big, sharp image that’s great in the dark and decent in the light with the right content. But limited HDR support, a more limited color gamut than some competitors, and pushy motion smoothing hold back the experience, as do the underwhelming speakers. 3.5/5 Value The $1799 price tag isn’t as good as it could be when competitors like the Hisense PX2-Pro have fallen in price to more closely match it. 3/5 Should I buy the Formovie Cinema Edge? (Image credit: Future) Buy it if… Don’t buy it if…  Also consider… Swipe to scroll horizontally Comparison: 4K UST projectors Header Cell – Column 0 Formovie Cinema Edge Hisense PX2-Pro Epson LS650 Hisense PX3-Pro Price: $1,799 $1,997 $1,799 $3,149 Screen sizes supported: 80-150 inches 90 to 130 inches 60-120 inches 80-150 inches Brightness (specified): 1,800 ISO lumens 2,400 lumens 3,600 lumens 3,000 lumens HDR support HDR10, HLG Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG HDR10, HLG Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10, HLG Optical technology: 1 Laser DLP 3 laser DLP Laser 3LCD 3 laser DLP Smart TV: Google TV Google TV / VIDAA Android TV Google TV Connections: 3x HDMI 2.1 (1 with eARC), 1x optical, 1x 3.5mm 2x HDMI 2.0 (1 with ARC), HDMI 2.0 2x HDMI 2.0 (1 with eARC), Ethernet, USB type-B (service port), 3x USB type-A, optical digital audio out 2x HDMI 2.1, 1x HDMI 2.0 with eARC, optical digital audio out, 3.5mm audio out, 2x USB-A, Ethernet (Image credit: Future) How I tested the Formovie Cinema Edge Tested at home in multiple, real-world viewing conditions Presented the display with a variety of media and formats I have tested numerous projectors and displays over the last half-decade I tested the Formovie Cinema Edge at home, in real-world conditions. This saw it faced with ambient light coming in from numerous windows, in-room lighting, as well as ambient noise that both the projector and speaker systems had to overcome. The projector was tested both against a bare, white wall and an Akia Screens CineWhite screen. It was presented with both SDR and 4K HDR streamed content. My testing evaluates the projector’s performance with respect to its price and competition from other models that I and my colleagues at TechRadar have tested. I have been testing projectors since 2021 and displays for even longer. First reviewed: December, 2024