CNET's key takeaways
Anker's Nebula Mars 3 Air is a compact portable projector with a reasonable $599 price (and currently on sale for $470
Despite its size, it delivers a bright picture and loud audio for a portable projector. It can even double as a Bluetooth speaker.
Its size is great for backyard movie nights or car camping, but might be a little large for backpackers.
I recently took an epic road trip through a land of giants, and there's only one compact projector I would take with me to complete my camping experience.
Anker's Nebula Mars 3 Air made my nights at Kings Canyon National Park, home of the world's largest grove of sequoia trees, even more picturesque, without taking up too much space.
I review projectors for CNET, and I've also built a DIY campervan, so I know that a lot of the best portable projectors sacrifice too much for their size. Not this one. With the side of my van (which is conveniently white) doubling as a screen, I rewatched some episodes of Andor I'd downloaded from Disney Plus after the sun went down at the campsite, capping off a beautiful day in nature with the right mix of bright picture, loud audio and portability.
If you want to watch a movie with the family while camping, and crowding around an iPad doesn't cut it -- this is the way to go.
My experience with the Mars 3 Air
As far as performance goes, the Mars 3 Air does quite well for its size and price. In my lab, I measured a contrast ratio of 405:1, which isn't amazing, but it's better than most portable projectors. That means the image doesn't look washed out or flat. (You can see all my testing data in my guide to the best portable projectors.)
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