I’m looking to buy a small portable projector to use in small classes/meetings. I see that there are some pocket sized ones out there but it’s hard to know what’s “good enough” versus overkill. So, anyone here have any advice on such a thing?
If you are going to be in a dark or mostly dark room, nearly any projector with 30+ ANSI lumens is fine. if you are in near daylight, and need to show bigger than 80 inch screen, you need 500+ lumens. There are a few out there that are 200-300 lumens that I think are great compromises. I have worked with a Acer K11 that works well as long as there is some shade and I don’t have to project too far. I don’t know about the M2 Micro. I have heard it is almost as bright and better form factor. At work we have many Dell 3400MP(1500 lumens) and a few Dell115HD(450 lumens) and they are great for all situations.
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My suggestion would be to get a smaller Full Size projector with a bag. I’m not a fan of the micro / pocket sized projectors. It is always better to have a projector that can push too much light than to be stuck with a projector that can’t get bright enough. I tend to lean towards at least 1080p resolution and 700 to 1000 lumens. Also a super helpful feature is having throw and skew adjustments, but those are not necessary.
If you just want one of those pocket projectors, go for it. They often have a bunch of trade offs, but they are cool. Just make sure you put them on a solid surface, because they shake a lot easier than the larger projectors.
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The “throw distance” to the wall or screen it critical … the further that is, the more lumens the projector will need. You may want to think about the size of your “typical” meeting/classroom.
It also depends on what you plan to show. If you plan to show primarily text slides, then something with low resolution will be adequate.
We own a one pound AAXA P300 “pico” projector … 1280 x 800 resolution, DLP. Approx. 400 lumens when run on the power cord, approx. 200 lumens if you run it on the batteries. We have used it with roughly a 10 foot throw distance in a room with normal overhead lights but no windows. It was perfectly fine under those conditions.
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