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Casio XJ-A257 Portable Laser Projector Review – Summary

Posted on September 17, 2018 by Chris Kahl

Casio XJ-A257 Portable Laser Projector Review – Summary: Summary, Pros, Cons

Summary

The Casio XJ-A257 Portable Laser Projector is intended for business and educational uses.  It is extremely portable, being the size and weight of a single ream of copy paper.  This projector has an internal storage capacity of 2GB, coupled with a versatile onboard media player; it is able to meet the needs of anyone who requires a bright, clear image in an easily carried package.  It’s automatic, digital, vertical keystone correction makes setup a snap, and it’s lampless Laser & LED light engine with a lifespan of 20,000 hours make this projector virtually maintenance fee.

Casio XJ-A257 Portable Laser Projector Inputs and Connectors

Though the XJ-A257 fell short on its advertised brightness of 3,000 lumens with a top brightness of only 53% of its claim, I believe it is bright enough and it’s other features, such as its ease of portability, internal storage capacity, ability to serve as an access point for mobile devices allowing for control and presentations from a smartphone or tablet, and quality audio make up for this.  This Casio projector is offered with a price tag of $1,509, making it a great choice for an entry level portable laser projector.

The Casio XJ-A257 has five standard color modes, and two ECO Off color modes: Standard, Game, Graphic, Theater, Blackboard, ECO Off, and ECO Off Bright.  Colors are generally good, with Theater mode being the best.  This projector also allows for five brightness settings in the five ECO On modes, allowing you to make your presentations as eco-friendly as you like, but the darker modes are suited only for extremely dark environments.

Pros

  • $1,509 List Price
  • WXGA Resolution (1280 x 800) – Very sharp!
  • Laser Light Engine – Light engine life of up to 20,000 hours
  • 18” to 300” Diagonal Projection
  • Ultra portable, only 1.7 inches thin, and the size and weight of a ream of copy paper
  • Digital Zoom – Digitally zoom into the content to focus on a specific section of the image
  • 1 Watt Mono Speaker – Surprising loud for such a small speaker
  • Wireless Networking
  • Compatible with iOS and Android
  • 2GB internal storage
  • Versatile Onboard Media Player for PC Free presentations
  • Crestron Ready
  • Instant On/Off Function
  • Closed Captioning
  • Soft Carrying Case Included
  • Automatic digital vertical keystone

Cons

  • Loud fan
  • Doesn’t even come close to its advertised 3,000 lumens (1,575 lumens in ECO Off Bright)
  • Focus, zoom, and position of the projected image shifts between uses when the project hasn’t been moved and I can’t find an explanation for it (projectors often fall out of focus between uses, but the image shifting is a bit odd - if you're constantly moving the projector, as is the case with road warriors, this won't be so noticeable)

Casio XJ-A257 Portable Laser Projector Review – Summary: Summary, Pros, Cons

Summary

The Casio XJ-A257 Portable Laser Projector is intended for business and educational uses.  It is extremely portable, being the size and weight of a single ream of copy paper.  This projector has an internal storage capacity of 2GB, coupled with a versatile onboard media player; it is able to meet the needs of anyone who requires a bright, clear image in an easily carried package.  It’s automatic, digital, vertical keystone correction makes setup a snap, and it’s lampless Laser & LED light engine with a lifespan of 20,000 hours make this projector virtually maintenance fee.

Casio XJ-A257 Portable Laser Projector Inputs and Connectors

Though the XJ-A257 fell short on its advertised brightness of 3,000 lumens with a top brightness of only 53% of its claim, I believe it is bright enough and it’s other features, such as its ease of portability, internal storage capacity, ability to serve as an access point for mobile devices allowing for control and presentations from a smartphone or tablet, and quality audio make up for this.  This Casio projector is offered with a price tag of $1,509, making it a great choice for an entry level portable laser projector.

The Casio XJ-A257 has five standard color modes, and two ECO Off color modes: Standard, Game, Graphic, Theater, Blackboard, ECO Off, and ECO Off Bright.  Colors are generally good, with Theater mode being the best.  This projector also allows for five brightness settings in the five ECO On modes, allowing you to make your presentations as eco-friendly as you like, but the darker modes are suited only for extremely dark environments.

Pros

  • $1,509 List Price
  • WXGA Resolution (1280 x 800) – Very sharp!
  • Laser Light Engine – Light engine life of up to 20,000 hours
  • 18” to 300” Diagonal Projection
  • Ultra portable, only 1.7 inches thin, and the size and weight of a ream of copy paper
  • Digital Zoom – Digitally zoom into the content to focus on a specific section of the image
  • 1 Watt Mono Speaker – Surprising loud for such a small speaker
  • Wireless Networking
  • Compatible with iOS and Android
  • 2GB internal storage
  • Versatile Onboard Media Player for PC Free presentations
  • Crestron Ready
  • Instant On/Off Function
  • Closed Captioning
  • Soft Carrying Case Included
  • Automatic digital vertical keystone

Cons

  • Loud fan
  • Doesn’t even come close to its advertised 3,000 lumens (1,575 lumens in ECO Off Bright)
  • Focus, zoom, and position of the projected image shifts between uses when the project hasn’t been moved and I can’t find an explanation for it (projectors often fall out of focus between uses, but the image shifting is a bit odd - if you're constantly moving the projector, as is the case with road warriors, this won't be so noticeable)

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