Short throw projectors can project a big screen even when kept just a few centimeters away from a surface. If you have a small room or you don’t have space to rest a projector a few feet away, a short throw projector is the best solution. When you’re traveling, you might want to take it one step further and get a portable short throw projector. Here are some of the best portable short throw projectors that you can get to enjoy an immersive experience. Before we get to the projectors, though, here are some suggested articles that may interest you –
If you’re just looking for a mini projector without the short throw functionality, take a look at the best portable projectors for under $200.Do you want to project from your phone when traveling? Take a look at these mini projectors for iPhone.
With that out of the way, let’s get to the projectors.
1. AKIYO Mini Short Throw Projector
Output resolution: 480p | Brightness: 120 lumens | Projection size: Up to 120 inches
This mini projector from Akiyo takes its name pretty seriously. It fits into the palm of your hand which means you just need a small surface to rest it on. You also get a tripod in the box for some elevation. It can output 1080p content but the output resolution is restricted to 480p which is the industry standard for mini projectors. It has a built-in battery that provides a playback time of up to 1.5 hours. Thanks to a USB-C port on the rear, you can also use a power bank to charge it and extend your binge-watching session. You also get a full-size HDMI port and a USB-A port on the rear for input which is nice to see on a projector of this size. The only complaint several users have is with regard to poor battery life but as mentioned already, a power bank can fix that issue. The brightness isn’t very high either, so you may have issues using this projector in a bright environment.
2. AAXA P400 Projector
Output resolution: 1080p | Brightness: 400 lumens | Projection size: Up to 180 inches
This little projector has so many tricks up its sleeve. Apart from being portable and having a short throw distance, you’re getting an in-built battery that lasts up to 2 hours. It’s also brighter than most portable projectors, so you don’t need pitch darkness to use it. In terms of connectivity options, there’s a USB-A port, a full-size HDMI, and a microSD card slot to play clips directly which is handy. Unlike the first option, you don’t get an in-built speaker on this product but that’s an understandable compromise since the other features are a lot better. You can always get an external speaker and connect it to the projector via the 3.5mm jack. The few downsides as mentioned by users are the lack of Wi-Fi and keystone correction. Some users have also reported that it’s hard to get it to focus correctly and you’ll have to play around with the focus ring for a bit.
3. JMGO O1 Ultra Short Throw Projector
Output resolution: 1080p | Brightness: 800 lumens | Projection size: Up to 100 inches
The O1 ultra short throw projector from JMGO isn’t as tiny as the two projectors mentioned previously. This is because it packs in powerful hardware capable of processing 4K videos although the output resolution is limited to 1080p. Where this projector shines, quite literally, is in the brightness department. you get 800 lumens of output which is excellent and on par with some bigger projectors. It also has stereo speakers for immersive sound along with handy features like autofocus and auto keystone. As for connectivity, there are 2 USB-A ports, 2 HDMI ports, an optical port, and a LAN port. Now, the picture quality via this ultra short throw projector is great but there are a few downsides that can’t be ignored, especially at this price point. Firstly, this projector does not run on a battery. So while it’s portable, you will have to power it via a wall outlet. The Luna OS that it runs is quite buggy and several apps like Netflix don’t run properly so you will have to plug in an external device like a streaming stick. If you can deal with these compromises, you can get this projector purely based on its impressive picture quality.
4. ViewSonic X10 4K Short Throw LED Projector
Output resolution: 4K | Brightness: 2400 lumens | Projection size: Up to 120 inches
If picture quality is the highest parameter on your priority list, and you want to enjoy crisp, bright content, the ViewSonic X10 is for you. It’s an entry-level 4K projector with a large 120-inch screen output that can directly stream content from YouTube or Netflix via Wi-Fi. The included Harman Kardon speakers add to the immersive experience. While it’s not as portable or tiny as the other options on this list, it’s fairly easy to carry around since it’s not very bulky. However, this product has one major downside that you should be aware of before you add it to your cart. The projection size is fixed which means you need at least 6 feet of distance from the screen to keep the projector, otherwise, the output will not be focused. With other projectors, you can keep the projector closer to the screen for reduced picture size. But, that’s not possible with this projector. If you have that free space, there’s no doubt that this is an excellent short throw projector. There’s also some latency while gaming as observed by a particular user so if you want to use it for that purpose, you should probably opt for a projector with a high refresh rate.
Don’t Let Space Be a Constraint
If you live in a small apartment or you just don’t have enough space when you’re traveling to mount a large projector, a portable short throw projector like the ones mentioned in this article is a great way to overcome space constraints. You can enjoy a large-screen experience in a small form factor that’s easy to carry around.
