With all the rush we live in daily, technology products that offer more convenience, practicality, and portability have gained more and more attention. This is exactly the case of the best mini projectors that I will deal with in this article.

And in this article, I am going to cover another type of projector. While on one side I find the best projectors, powerful and focused on image quality, on the other side I have the Mini Projectors or portable projectors, which as the name implies, are more aimed at the public that seeks practicality and convenience. And it’s these portable and practical models that I’ll talk about today.

Who are Mini Projectors for? Who Should Use Them?

Mini projectors are most recommended for the public whose mobility is a decisive factor at the time of purchase, such as teachers who need equipment of this type to pass content in the classroom or businessmen, who bring their own equipment to carry out the project presentations in different environments.

In general, these projectors are lighter and smaller, making it easy to always carry them with you, and also usually have speakers included and reasonable lumen ratios to ensure good image quality in different locations.

Buying Guide: How to Choose the Best Mini Projector for You?

These projector models have many names and as a way for you to understand what kind of projectors I am talking about, among those names I have portable projectors, pico projectors and what I like to call them: mini projectors.

These models have many, many similarities with the conventional projectors that I see out there, such as the types of display, brightness and brightness, contrast, resolution, and other specifications. 

The focus of this article is mainly to explain the differences that I find in these models and why they are becoming very popular.

Resolution

The minimum resolution I recommend to ensure good image quality, more detail and sharpness to the image, and reduce aliasing, I recommend resolutions above 720p.

Lumen Rate

As stated in our other article, this is the ratio that determines “how powerful” your projector’s brightness will be, so the higher the number of lumens, the better the image quality with ambient lighting.

A good lumen ratio to ensure crisp image quality is at least 1500 lumens.

Drums

A more specific feature of mini projectors is that they contain a battery, which when charged, allows you to use the device away from the socket, allowing even more versatility when using such device.

It is worth remembering that some models end up lowering the brightness when they are on battery to save and increase its useful life, so it’s worth checking the specifications carefully before buying the first model that appears on the front with battery.

Size

The size guarantees the portability of the projector and the ideal thing to fit into the category of mini projectors is that the model weighs less than 2 kilos and fits into a backpack.

How We Choose the Best Mini Projectors

Based on the same selection criteria as our other projector article, to choose the best mini projectors we should consider image quality, lumen ratio, display type, portability, and extra features like a built-in battery and a good throw distance, in addition, of course, good value for money and availability in the market.

Ranking: What is the Best Mini Projector of 2021?

And as usual, to help you choose the best models I’ll give you our recommendations of the best mini projectors for different types of people, check it out:

Best Mini Projector under $200

1. GooDee HD Projector (YG600) – Best Portable Projector Under $200

GooDee 6800L is a good option if you are want to buy a projector for keeping outdoor or backyard.

The main reason is its brightness: as it advertised that it can give you 80% more brightness than other projectors in the completion. 6800 lux ensures wider and brighter viewing, even in daylight.

When it comes to picture quality, it is recommended that you adjust its distance from 9 to 18 feet.

The 3W built-in dual stereo speakers give amazing sound quality as it uses SRS sound technology. It also has an updated fan which is responsible for less noise.

2. BIGASUO B509 Native 1080p

BIGASUO B509 is a mini projector known for its impressive features and technologies under $200. It utilizes LCD technology equipped with six layers to provide a more vivid and clear image quality than the older three-layer technology.

The picture quality has to be clear and sharp as it boasts 7000 lux of brightness and a high contrast ratio of 6500:1. 

Since the projector uses an LED light source, it protects the eyes and offers low-flicker viewing even after a long time watch.

Other noticeable features include its manual ±15 keystone correction and focus function; though it supports digital zoom, it allows image size adjustment from 70% to 100% using four different levels. Further, I loved its sound quality comes from dual 5W stereo speakers, very clear and loud. For better sound effects, you can connect an extra speaker through Bluetooth connectivity.  

Best Mini Projector under $500

3. ViewSonic M1+ – Best Portable Projector Under $500

The ViewSonic M1+ is the Best Portable Mini Projector, having only 772 g and offering several connection options that facilitate its use in any place and environment.

It even has an internal battery that can last from 2.5h to 6h depending on use and can even be used via the remote control and the ViewSonic vCastSender app.

In other words, facilities and convenience are not lacking. It has a power of 45 W, a noise level of 26 dB and a refresh rate of 60 Hz.

With that, it offers a good relation in terms of hearing comfort, image quality and consumption.

Another differential of the product is the presence of double speakers from Harman Kardon, built-in and with exclusive Bluetooth connection for them.

Using the device is intuitive, and you can download applications directly on the projector to watch videos on Youtube, listen to streaming music or watch movies and videos on Netflix.

4. Optoma ML750ST WXGA

Without a doubt the Optoma ML750ST WXGA is the Best Mini Projector for the Classroom as it is compact, lightweight (only 400g) and easy to use.

It is even possible to reproduce different types of documents, as well as videos and photos, such as PDFs.

All direct from microSD, USB devices or via the HDMI connection. So it’s good to know it doesn’t have Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connectivity, okay?

Image quality is guaranteed with automatic keystone correction, reducing distortion in projections up to 50 inches.

Plus, it features 16.7 million color reproduction for even more sharpness and detail, and remote control.

It supports 3D materials but not 4K. As well, it has 22 dB noise level, LED lamp, 1.5 GB memory and shared SD card slot of up to 64 GB.

Finally, know that the ideal operating temperature is between 5 and 40 degrees and the relative humidity of 85%, which makes it very resistant.

5. LG PF50KS – Best Build quality under $500-$1000

The LG PF50KS is the nomination for Best Mini Short-range Projector. Its maximum projection distance is 3.17 m and the minimum is just 0.79 m, which is shorter than most models.

It is dual voltage and offers several connection options, being compatible with smart TV (LG webOS 3.5) and having smartshare for Wi-Fi sharing.

Another interesting feature of this model is the fact that it has two built-in 3W Dolby Surround speakers, which guarantees clear and distortion-free sounds.

In addition, this mini projector has keystone correction Corner for vertical, 4:3 aspect ratio, LED lamp and 24dB noise level.

Its projection system is DLP and its plug & play operation, without the need for difficult software and configurations.

As for power consumption, the maximum, according to the manufacturer, is 65 W, and it has an internal battery that lasts for 2.5 hours.

6. BenQ HT2050A

Finally, the BenQ HT2050A, Best Mini Projector for Home Cinema, could not be missing.

With a high lumen ratio, it ensures quality and sharpness in various environments, whether bright or dark.

Altogether, it offers over 1.07 billion colors, vertical and horizontal keystone correction, 1.3x zoom, and is still compatible with 3D.

It has native contrast, 96% Rec., 709 calibration, and high color accuracy. Furthermore, it has only 16 ms responsiveness, which guarantees low delay and good scene transition, even in heavier games, videos and series.

This mini projector is ideal for projections from 100 inches (2.5 m) up to 300 inches and is even compatible with notebooks, MAC, PC, smartphones, and various consoles.

The only points to consider are its weight of 3.63 kg, which doesn’t make it so portable, and its consumption of 353 W.

As for noise, you will hardly notice the operation of the device, as it has a level of 29 dB.

Conclusion

I hope this article was helpful and that you can learn a little more about these devices to always make the right choice. Any questions or suggestions about what you want to see here on the blog, leave a comment below.

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