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 Soundcore Nebula X1 Pro is too weird to exist. It takes the excellent 4K projector and karaoke microphones from Anker’s Nebula X1 and stuffs them inside a powerful five-speaker Google TV party on wheels. It’s so absurd that it feels like a gadget fever dream – and I’m here for it.
At the heart of this system is the same liquid-cooled, triple-laser, auto-image-correction-everything projector I reviewed last summer. It’s unbelievably quiet for a 3500 ANSI lumen projector that lays claim to the title of being the brightest and most vivid all-in-one portable projector on the market. Now it’s also the loudest, with 400W of audio added to the new Nebula X1 Pro.
Inside the X1 Pro is a big thumpy subwoofer capable of wall-shaking bass. It also hosts four battery-powered speakers that automatically unfold or pop out to produce a total of seven horizontal channels and another four overhead for wireless 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos immersion.
Other than its size and some intermittent connectivity issues, the only complaint I have is that the Nebula X1 Pro is sometimes too loud. That’s not something I thought I’d ever say about a portable all-in-one projector.
If you’ve got $4,999 / €4,999.98 / £4,499 to burn, Anker’s Nebula X1 Pro is one hell of a match.
Since the video and karaoke capabilities of the projector are the same as the Nebula X1 I won’t be rehashing them here. Instead, I’ll focus on why you might choose the X1 Pro: sound.
Looking at the X1 Pro, you might wonder where all the speakers are. The subwoofer is internal, of course, and the two front speakers automatically unfold like wings with a robotic whoosh at the touch of a button. The two rear speakers spring free from the back of the unit with a firm push.
Transforming into 5.1.2 mode is a neat and useful party trick.
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