AWOL Vision Aetherion Max The AWOL Vision Aetherion Max is a premium ultra-short-throw projector designed for scale. It prioritizes image stability, brightness, and color performance, rounded out with a built-in Google TV platform. It isn’t a projector that will casually fit into every room, but for users with the space (or anyone planning a purpose-built media room), the Aetherion goes big.
Ultra-short-throw (UST) projectors are meant to be a practical alternative to massive TVs. They promise big-screen immersion without permanent installations, and I appreciate not having to climb a ladder to mount anything to my ceiling. The irony is that the best UST projectors still require something many homes don’t have: space.
After a week with AWOL Vision’s Aetherion Max, it became clear that I don’t have a room with a wall large enough, or a layout flexible enough, to fully take advantage of what this projector can do. And if a review unit can genuinely make you contemplate the whole layout of your home to try and keep it in use, that’s a really good sign. If you have the room, the Aetherion is one of the most technically impressive projectors I’ve used.
A design that signals ambition
Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority
Ultra-short-throw projectors create massive images from just inches away, using extreme projection angles and precise optics instead of long throw distances. Even once you understand how they work, the effect is still a little mind-bending and distinctly futuristic. Sitting less than half a foot from the wall, the Aetherion throws an image that would normally require a projector mounted across the room. At three inches away, the image will max out at 80 inches. At just 22 inches away, it will grow all the way to a 200-inch display.
The AWOL Vision Aetherion Max looks like a spaceship, and the bold design is matched with modern specs and streamlined setup.
Physically, the Aetherion embraces its high-end ambitions with a design that reads straight out of science fiction. Between its angular shape, sharp lines, and layered surfaces, it looks less like home theater gear and more like a small spacecraft parked at the edge of my living room. Compared to the portable projectors I’ve been testing lately, it’s a behemoth and one that makes little effort to blend into my home decor. Measuring 22.13 × 12.72 × 5.49 inches and weighing in at 19.3 pounds, it’s also not about to be carried outside for a backyard movie night (at least not by me).
Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority
That bold, almost overbuilt design mirrors the Aetherion’s defining purpose. Everything about it, from the chassis to the optics, assumes you’re planning to go big. Practical touches, including the motorized dust-sealing lens cover, reinforce that this is hardware meant for regular use rather than occasional movie nights. Setup remains straightforward by UST standards, though placement precision still matters. To that end, adjustable feet make fine-tuning placement easier, once you remember which way to turn to make them longer or shorter.
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