The best portable projector: small, battery-powered and ready to go
A portable projector is a different kind of buy from a home cinema one: you trade brightness and resolution for the freedom to throw a big picture in the garden, at a campsite or in any spare room, off battery, with nothing else to carry. Here's what to expect, and which of our tested projectors travel best.
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What a portable projector is for
A portable projector exists to go where a television and a fixed projector cannot: the garden after dark, a camping trip, a child's room for a treat, a spare room with no kit set up, a holiday let. The whole point is that you can carry it in one hand, point it at any flat light surface, and be watching in under a minute. That freedom is something no TV can match, and it changes how you use a big screen, turning a film night into something you can set up anywhere on a whim. In exchange, you accept a dimmer, lower-resolution picture than a mains-powered cinema projector, which is a fair trade for the portability if you understand it going in.
Battery and size are the whole point
The two things that define a portable projector are its size and its battery. A genuine portable should be small enough to drop in a bag and light enough to carry easily: the Anker Nebula Capsule 3 is a 950 g can, and the Samsung Freestyle is 0.83 kg. A built-in battery is what frees you from a power socket, and a good one runs for two to three hours of video, enough for a film, with the Anker managing about two and a half hours and recharging over USB-C so a power bank extends it. Not every small projector has a battery, though, so if untethered use matters to you, check specifically for a built-in battery rather than just a compact size, because some small projectors still need mains power.
Understand the brightness limits
This is the trade you make for portability, and it is worth being clear-eyed about it. Portable projectors are dim by design, because a bright lamp and the battery to power it would make them large and heavy. Our portable picks measure 225 to 285 ANSI lumens, which makes them firmly after-dark devices: in the garden once the sun is down, or in a darkened room, they look sharp and bright for their size, but switch a light on or try them in daylight and the picture washes out fast. Do not buy a portable projector expecting daytime use; buy it for the evening, and it will reward you with a surprisingly big, clean picture from a tiny box. Ignore any huge lumen number on the box, which is usually a "LED lumens" figure several times the real ANSI brightness.
Smart TV and sound built in
Because a portable projector is meant to work on its own, away from your AV kit, it needs streaming and sound built in, and the good ones have both. The Anker Nebula Capsule 3 runs Android TV 11 with a capable 8 W speaker, and the Samsung Freestyle runs Samsung's full Tizen smart TV with a 360-degree speaker that doubles as a Bluetooth smart speaker. Both have auto-focus and auto-keystone, which square the picture up by themselves wherever you point them, so setup is genuinely instant. A plain white wall or a hung white sheet works as a screen, which is part of the appeal outdoors, so you rarely need to carry anything beyond the projector itself.
Our portable picks from the test
For most people the Anker Nebula Capsule 3 Laser is the best portable projector and the best value at £549: a true 950 g can with a 2.5-hour battery, a sharp laser-lit 1080p picture, autofocus and Android TV, ideal for the garden or a trip. The Samsung Freestyle is the alternative if you want a cleverer 180-degree cradle, the polished Tizen smart TV and a speaker that doubles as a bedside Bluetooth speaker, though at £699 you pay more for the styling and it has no battery in the box. Both are dim, after-dark, 1080p devices, which is exactly right for the job, and both set themselves up in seconds.
Frequently asked questions
Are portable projectors any good?
For their purpose, yes. A good portable projector like the Anker Nebula Capsule 3 gives you a sharp, big picture from a 950 g box with its own battery and smart TV built in, which no television can match for portability. The trade-off is brightness: portable projectors are dim by design to stay small and run on battery, so they are after-dark devices, not daylight ones.
Do portable projectors need a screen?
No, a plain white wall or a hung white sheet works fine, which is part of their appeal in the garden or while camping. A proper screen does improve the picture, but the whole point of a portable projector is that you can set up anywhere, point it at any flat light surface, and watch. Auto-focus and auto-keystone, which both our portable picks have, make that even quicker.
How long do portable projectors run on battery?
Typically two to three hours of video, enough for a film. The Anker Nebula Capsule 3 manages about two and a half hours and recharges over USB-C, so a power bank extends it indefinitely. Not every portable has a battery, though, so if untethered use matters to you, check for a built-in battery rather than just a small size.
Our advice in one paragraph
Buy a portable projector for what it is uniquely good at, throwing a big picture anywhere after dark, and accept the dim, 1080p picture as the fair price of that freedom. The Anker Nebula Capsule 3 Laser is our best portable pick and the best value, with a battery, a laser picture and Android TV in a 950 g can; the Samsung Freestyle is the lifestyle alternative with a cleverer stand and full Tizen smart TV. Treat both as evening and dark-room devices, and check for a built-in battery if you want true untethered use. For a brighter projector that doubles for the bedroom, see our best projector for a bedroom guide, and read our buying guide to understand lumens and throw distance in full.