As much as I love getting dressed up, and checking out the latest bars and restaurants that are considered ‘trendy’, with my friends on a Saturday night…there’s something about a cozy movie night that I simply cannot resist! Nibbling on popcorn, sipping on some red wine, while watching my favorite Netflix movie – sounds like the ideal weekend plan to me. Whether it’s a rom-com with bae or a horror movie with my girlfriends – I’m always up for a great movie night. But what makes a great movie night truly great – the ideal projector! There are tons of projectors on the market, each one promising immense innovation, top-notch functionality, and sleek looks. Picking a projector to meet your movie-watching needs can be a bit intimidating – hence we’ve curated a collection of innovative yet handy projector designs that promise to provide you with the ultimate movie night. From an FHD projector that lets you watch Netflix on a massive 200-inch display to a portable tripod-inspired projector – these projectors are all you need to watch your favorite movies on the big screen comfortably at home!
1. The Jireno CUBE4
For under two Benjamins, the Jireno CUBE4 makes pretty lofty promises. Sure, it isn’t a 4K multimedia device, but then again, it delivers an absolute bang for its buck. The projector comes with a compact design that’s reminiscent of the Anker Nebula Mars 2, with its handle on top that lets you carry it around the place, so you can bring the party to your friends’ houses. Although it’s marketed as a portable projector, the one thing it lacks is an internal battery, so having a power-source nearby is a must. On the design front, the Cube4 has an all-aluminum body that, aside from giving the projector it’s premium aesthetic, also helps with heat dispersion, allowing the projector to stay cool at all times – a feature further reinforced by the CUBE4’s potent inner cooling system.
2. The Freestyle
In stark contrast to most projectors, the Freestyle comes in a sleek cylindrical form that looks like a mix of a spotlight and a smart speaker. In reality, that is almost exactly what it is, though it substitutes the spotlight for an LED projector. The Freestyle’s body can swing 180 degrees, making it trivial to place the projector anywhere and still get a good view. The projected image can go from 30 to up to 100 inches with a Full HD resolution. Despite the more compact size, the Samsung Freestyle is actually packed with features you’d see in bigger projectors. Those include autofocus and automatic keystone correction, both of which give the projector its advertised freedom.
3. The JMGO U2
An ultra-short-throw tri-color laser projector, 4K resolution, 100-inch screen size, with 4 Dynaudio-tuned electromagnetic speakers with a 50W overall audio output… The JMGO U2 is the closest thing to having a movie theater in your house. It’s even 3D compatible, and all you need are JMGO’s 3D glasses and you’ve got yourself a cinema in your living room. The projector can also push out media at 3,600 ANSI lumens of brightness (when used with the JMGO ALR Screen), allowing you to watch movies, videos, episodes, and matches without needing a completely dark room. An auto-brightness feature inside the U2 kicks in to tweak the brightness based on external light, so you don’t have to fiddle with manual controls or go draw the curtains.
4. The ViewSonic M2e
The ViewSonic M2e smart portable LED projector is equipped with dual speakers by Harmon Kardon. The smart projector provides up to 100″ display from just 2.7 m away! It also boasts an Auto Focus feature. The M2e offers perfect visuals, no matter which angle you sit in. You don’t have to confine yourself to sitting in the center. You get a great view, irrespective of your seating position! Amped with corner adjustment capabilities, the smart projector can shape images from all directions – front, side, above, and below. Not to mention, the compact little projector is extremely portable! You can carry it for movie night to your partner’s place for a romantic date night.
5. Togic One
Being holed up in our bedroom for months on end with nothing to do but create TikTok videos has made many of us reconsider our bedrooms and how we can best design them to reflect our personalities. LED mood lamps and video projectors are two designs that help bring social media and TikTok to our bedrooms. Togic One from Fu Fu is a small home projector that can be adjusted to different positions and project film from anywhere in the room. Tightly wrapped in Guilford of Maine, Togic One has a familiar texture and design that would fit right in on a shelf lined with your portable speaker and smart assistant. Boasting a simple design, Togic One features only two small projection lenses that transmit film from the camera to your bedroom walls.
6. The Oui Smart Lenso mini projector
The Oui Smart Lenso mini projector has a cute palm-size form that can convert any flat wall into a 1080p screen. It features a thin tripod design while delivering movies to you on a 240inch screen. You can connect the projector to your smartphone, and play any content you like! A USB port also enables you to stream content from a USB stick. An auto-correct angle sensor discovers the best angle to project from, creating the perfect movie-watching experience for you. It also offers up to 40 hours of music playback, and 2 hours of video playback.
7. The SMASH
This all-in-one smart projector comes with the ability to stream content across 30 platforms, all in 1080p high-definition. It even supports casting from your phone or tablet (in case you want to play content you’ve recorded or stuff from social media), and has an HDMI port for connecting your laptop, making it great for presentations or if you’re a bit of a cord-cutter. The SMASH’s patent-pending design comes with built-in 360° speakers that push out booming audio to match the 10-foot screen being cast by SMASH’s 300 ANSI HD LED projector. There’s even a miniature display on the SMASH’s body and an integrated remote for easy navigation, although they simply play the second fiddle to the fact that the projector has Alexa built right into it.
8. The VAVA Chroma
VAVA makes a few really compelling arguments on behalf of its cutting-edge projector. For its compact size, the VAVA Chroma can project a display that measures anywhere between 80 inches to 150 inches diagonally. While most projectors require a dedicated spot and careful placement and orientation, the Chroma is an ultra-short-throw projector and can directly be placed against a blank wall, while it projects an image upwards onto the wall. As far as the image itself goes, the Chroma uses the world’s most advanced ALPD® 4.0 laser technology and a Red, Green, Blue Plus triple laser light source to produce a sharper 4K UHD image with HDR10, up to 106% Rec. 2020 color range, exceeding the color range of top movie theater projectors.
9. The Splay
The Splay is a pretty unique device if you come to think of it. It’s a projector as well as an external display, all packaged into a product that can easily fit into the average backpack. The projector can be used as a standalone device, allowing you to watch 1080p content on a nice 80-inch surface… but things get even more interesting with the Splay’s expandable display that turns your projector into an external monitor using an inverted umbrella-shaped device that lets you project images onto a bright 24-inch screen. In this format, the pico projector transforms into a monitor that you can use alongside your laptop, or with your tablet or phone, for added productivity.
10. The BenQ GV30 smart Bluetooth projector
The BenQ GV30 smart Bluetooth projector projects content at an intriguing 135-degree angle, allowing you to watch movies, videos, and more from any angle you like. It has 3 viewing modes – Plus, Cinema, and Day Time. The different modes adjust the lighting in accordance with the time of the day, and the environment. You can wirelessly connect the BenQ GV20, and stream content from your smartphone, tablet, or laptop. Optimized picture modes, 300 lumens of brightness, and 720p HD clarity create the ideal movie-watching experience!
