is a deputy editor and Verge co-founder with a passion for human-centric cities, e-bikes, and life as a digital nomad. He’s been a tech journalist for 20 years.
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The best all-in-one portable projector is the one that makes all the right compromises. It needs to balance image and sound quality with battery life and responsiveness in a device that’s not too expensive and small enough to take anywhere. TCL’s fun little PlayCube delivers the right mix to justify paying $800 for a 1080p projector in 2026.
I tested the TCL PlayCube running Google TV during a two-month road trip, and then again for a few months at home. It’s so small, adaptable, and enjoyable that I’ve had no problem setting it up at a moment’s notice, day or night, anywhere I’ve been.
TCL says the PlayCube’s 90-degree rotating design was inspired by the Rubik’s Cube. Just give it a twist whenever you need to lift the image over obstacles. Otherwise, you can mount it on a tripod via the threaded connector at the bottom, or flip it over onto its backside for some bedtime ceiling viewing. The PlayCube also features all the automatic adjustment modes you’d expect in a modern portable projector, including focus, keystone correction, obstacle avoidance, screen detection, and eye protection.
The other notable thing about the PlayCube is its brightness. 750 ISO lumens isn’t bright for a home theater projector, but it’s very bright for a portable that easily fits into the palm of your hand, measuring 149.8 x 96.6 x 96.6mm (5.90 x 3.80 x 3.80 inches) and 1.3kg (2.7 pounds).
It’s bright enough to watch videos during the day when all those lumens are focused into a tight 30-inch rectangle inside my van, or at 100-inches when projected against it at night. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have that color-adaptation tech found on Samsung’s new (battery-less) Freestyle+ projector, so the blue-gray hull affected the palette. Regardless, it was still very watchable.
Watching an NFL game streamed over the DAZN app inside my van at night. Enjoyable during the day inside my van even under a scorching Croatian sun. Can project over obstacles without needing a tripod. Projected onto the side of my van at night with volume turned down.
The audio produced by the PlayCube’s lone 5W speaker is fine. There’s no stereo separation, but it’s loud enough to fill a room. It just lacks fullness, warmth, and detail. Music from Florence and The Machine and Kendrick Lamar sounds shrill and thin. The screeching tires, gunshots, and explosions from a 007 chase scene produced a rather muddled soundscape, but it was still enjoyable. The sound is uncomfortably harsh above 60 percent volume, which is still plenty loud. During one outdoor movie night, I felt compelled to set the volume no higher than 20 percent to avoid bothering the closest neighbor some 50 meters away.
Alternatively, you can connect headphones or self-powered speakers through the audio jack or over Bluetooth. The projector can also be used as a Bluetooth speaker, which turns off the lamp but, annoyingly, not the fan. That fan produces 27dB when measured at a distance of one meter, which is fairly quiet for a projector but still noticeable during still moments.
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