Earlier this year, I had a lot of fun testing a fairly high-end 4K projector with a $1500 price to match. So when an updated model of a mini projector priced below $300 arrived for testing, I expected it to basically be a toy in comparison. And while there is a big delta in capabilities, I’m very impressed with what something cheaper by more than $1200 can deliver.
BOOM for your buck
The latest projector I’ve been testing is the Aurzen BOOM Air. It retails for $299.99, but you can find it for $199.99 before a 10% discount as of this writing.
My high-level takeaway is that this is absolutely something I could spend a couple hundred bucks on and feel good about the purchase.
You can project the equivalent of a very large TV screen with rich colors and crisp resolution onto a blank wall — no actual TV required.
The downside? Like other projectors, the biggest drawback is that you’ll want a reasonably dark environment for the best viewing experience with the Aurzen BOOM Air.
My understanding is that using a projector in brighter environments works best with at least 4000 ANSI lumens, and these can cost $2500 or more. The $1500 projector I tested before was no match for the sun, and it advertises 2600 ANSI lumens.
So what’s a sub-$300 projector output? Just 300 ANSI lumens. That’s not enough to deliver HDR content, but it gets the job done in a dark environment.
Benefits of a portable projector
For me, the appeal of these projectors is being able to have a highly portable large screen TV that just appears out of thin air. The Aurzen BOOM Air checks that box for me at a price I’d actually consider.
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