AAXA P7+ Projector Review

The projector housing is predominantly black and dark gray plastic. The AAXA P7+ weighs just 1.17 lbs and measures 3.87 in x 3.87 in x 2.25 inches. This makes the P7+ an incredibly light and small transportable projector that can easily be taken anywhere.

Looking from the front of the projector, the lens assembly is on the front left side of the P7+.

On the left side of the chassis (from the front to the rear) is a recessed reset button, the manual focus wheel. Next is the projector's TF card slot for Mini-SD, a 3.5mm headphone output, a USB-C port, and the power on/off switch.

On the back panel of the projector are a single USB Type-A port, an HDMI port, the DC input, and a single speaker.

On the right side of the chassis are two exhaust vents.

The bottom of the AAXA P7+ has a threaded ¼" tripod input for attaching a compatible tripod or light stand. AAXA includes a pocket tripod in the box.

Like almost all AAXA projectors, the control panel is on the top of the projector and comprises capacitive touch controls. The controls are simple and easy to figure out. Visual icons mark them for Up, Down, Left, and Right; Volume Up and Down; a Menu and a Back button; and the Enter button labeled "OK" in the middle.

Like previous models I've reviewed, AAXA did not use any raised elements to allow you to identify each control button or even feel if you are on a button. This makes the projector almost impossible to control without mistakes in the dark. I wish AAXA would at least put a touch-activated backlight under this panel.

Access to a solar charger for a portable video projector is an interesting feature to add with specific benefits for the road warrior or traveling consumer. On the surface, having a solar charger included with the projector is very cool, but is it a big benefit? Maybe.

The solar charger included with the AAXA P7+ could be useful, especially in specific situations. An example AAXA gives is camping. You can charge the projector during the day and watch movies at night.

Using the solar charger to keep the battery topped off is another benefit when using the projector to charge compatible USB devices via the USB Type-A 5V output.

Eco-friendly consumers will appreciate having an external solar charger because it reduces environmental impact. And everyone will benefit from not worrying about finding power outlets because the solar charger can function as a daytime power source.

So even though it doesn't run the projector directly, the solar charger is definitely a uniquely beneficial tool.

The projection lens on the AAXA P7+ is manual focus with a 1.2:1 throw ratio. AAXA says it can project an image from 16-200 inches at a 16:9 aspect ratio. In my testing, I found 80 inches to be the maximum size that a movie or TV image looked good to my eye. Other types of content, such as animation and PowerPoint or text documents, looked fine at a larger size because of their high contrast.

The lens is recessed, making it relatively safe from scratches. It does not come with a lens cap, but the deep setback means it shouldn't require much cleaning. A periodic wipe with a microfiber lens cloth should do the trick.

This fixed lens has no zooming capabilities, typical of the small LED projectors in this class. The theory is this type of projector can easily be moved closer or farther away from your screen surface.

AAXA does include digital keystone adjustment. We highly recommend squaring the image manually because these digital corrections can negatively impact overall image quality, specifically brightness.

The P7+ menus are easy to navigate. The Main menu is your direct access to the projector’s media player. You can choose from these options: Videos, Music, Photos, and Brightness.

The Setting and Inputs menus are also located on the Main menu screen. Users can select and adjust Picture, Sound, Basic Options, and Text settings from here. There are also additional menus that are easy to navigate. Though the parameters are simple, you can customize the picture and color, which I consider a selling point of the AAXA P7+. The projector can display content from a USB or TF card for Photo, Video, and Music content.

Overall, the menu layout is easy to understand, providing the flexibility to customize the picture and sound quality of the P7+ as well as control the brightness level.

Because of its small size, built-in battery, and portable solar charger, the AAXA P7+ is the perfect projector for the road warrior. It has the overall picture quality needed to get the job done, whether a movie while camping or in a hotel room, a Powerpoint presentation at a business meeting, or TV in the kids’ bedroom. The picture quality is fine for all of these and other on-the-go uses.

One of the great things about the AAXA P7+ is its native resolution of 1,920 x 1,080p with no pixel shifting. You will not see any pixelization on anything up to about a 100-inch diagonal image due to the new native 1080p DLP imager.

The image is bright for the projector's size, specifications, and price range. I didn't have problems viewing presentations or watching videos in darker environments. I preferred P7+ in the STANDARD brightness mode and STANDARD video effect to achieve the best results when watching movies in a light-controlled space. I strongly recommend keeping the projector's light settings to the BOOST mode for other environments with uncontrolled ambient light.

The AAXA P7+ is the latest in the company’s line of portable projectors. The P7+ is a bright projector for its size. In my testing, the AAXA P7+ measured 390 ANSI lumens, which is impressive but comes at a cost. The P7+ runs hot. Like many other AAXA LED projectors I have reviewed, the P7+ performed acceptably in rooms with some uncontrolled ambient light. However, for the best experience, users should attempt to make the room as dark as possible.

AAXA has significantly improved image quality by making the P7+’s DLP imager a native Full HD (1,920 x 1,080p) sensor. The image that this native Full HD sensor produces is incredibly sharp, with none of the pixelization that can be seen on many PICO DLP projectors.

AAXA lists this projector's maximum recommended throw size as up to 200 inches diagonal. In my testing, video content like movies and TV lost too much clarity and color after 80 inches. High-contrast content like animation or presentations holds up very well when projected at larger sizes.

The P7+ has just about every input and connection, both hard-wired and wireless, a user needs, including TF cards, USB, HDMI, WiFi, and Bluetooth connectivity.

The P7+ has a built-in rechargeable battery that will run for 90 minutes at the projector's maximum brightness and longer if placed in ECO mode. Be mindful that anything less than the Boost mode will be harder for people to see in rooms with uncontrolled light sources.

The included solar panel charger is an interesting addition by AAXA. This device is for charging only and cannot be used while the projector is turned on. The solar charger is great for campers who don’t have access to power. These users can charge the projector up during the day and use it to watch movies at night. The solar charger could also be useful for road warriors who lose their AC adaptor and want to charge the projector during the day.

I was satisfied with the sound performance of the P7+. The 2-watt speaker didn't produce a very loud sound, but it was good enough for a small room or casual viewing with a small audience. I recommend that users connect an external speaker using the included 3.5mm jack or Bluetooth wireless connectivity for larger venues.

The P7 series runs on Android OS 10, providing users with a rather large library of Android applications, at least ones that are not dependent on Google Play Services. I had some issues with the projector's user interface and some of the pre-installed streaming applications. I talked to AAXA, and they assure me that they are working to address these issues that are typically related to application updates. The important takeaway is that as these issues come up, the AAXA engineering team is working to resolve each of them quickly. Also, there is always the option of adding a very affordable Android TV streaming stick that sells for around $20.