Reviews of Handheld Projectors

Handheld projectors aren’t really a category, but it is a search phrase that a lot of people use. Essentially, a handheld projector is just that, something small enough to carry in one hand, though for some reason few projectors have handles.

For all practical purposes, most projectors that could be called handheld, fit into the pico projector, and pocket projector categories. That is to say, very small projectors weighing less than 2 pounds (and as little as three ounces).

There are a number of other light projectors though that might just qualify. InFocus always seems to have something under 2.5 pounds, with lots of lumens, that’s fairly small, even if massive compared to the pico projectors.

Pricing of handheld projectors is all over the place. Of the Pico projectors, we’re seeing pricing from about $100 on the entry level end, to $600 – $800 for laser light source Picos. The heart of the market, though, is $200 – $400. Our favorite projector in the 2010 Pico projector report, however, produced 50 lumens (a huge amount for a Pico projector), for a $399 list price.

The pocket projectors also span a wide range, from about $400 and also up to about $800. If you add in a few of the smallest or most hand-holdable of the portable projectors, you will find some over $1000 including some of the Casio models.

Resolution for the Handheld Projector also varies across a wide range. Today’s crop of pico projectors now include widescreen models and even XGA models. A few of the bigger, heavier pocket projectors, are now available in XGA or WXGA resolutions.

Of course the smallest lightest of the portable projectors find models going up even higher, and will continue to offer higher resolutions, just as each generation will get brighter, and have other improvements.

Most Handheld Projectors can run for about 1 hour on rechargeable battery, and many can recharge in 4 hours or less.

Unfortunately not all pico projectors have removeable batteries, so you may not be able to have a spare. That would be a drag if you wanted to watch a movie, but couldn’t plug in.

A great combination is Optoma’s PK301 – 50 lumens on AC, 20 lumens on internal battery. The PK301, however, offers a external battery pack (made by a 3rd party). It’s roughly the size of the projector, and likely weighs a little more.

When using the projector with the battery pack, the projector produces that full 50 lumens again. As an added bonus, the pack is standard USB, so I have been recharging my iPhone with it too. (I can get a full four iPhone charges off of it, between recharging it’s own battery supply.

The applications for handheld projectors are varied. From gaming to missionary work (truly a huge market for pocket projectors, and soon also pico projectors, especially now that we’re seeing 50 lumen models).

These tiny projectors are new. They are fun. Are they practical?

Check out A Guide To Pico Projectors to read more about current handheld projectors, pico projectors, mini projectors and pocket projectors.