Not much bigger than a can of soft drink, the latest portable Nebula projector has enough battery for two hours of entertainment.
Taking your entertainment to go is easy enough with a phone or tablet, but what if you want to share it with others? That’s the domain of portable projectors, but even they may not be truly portable.
We’re seeing a lot of changes here, however, as companies make their pint-size projection systems smaller and smaller. While some are compact boxes, others are smaller again, wrapping a projector, smart TV, and sound system in the guise of a small speaker.
And then there’s what Anker is trying with its latest Nebula Capsule speaker, building a portable projector into something not much bigger than a can of soft drink.
That’s possibly the easiest way to describe the Capsule Air, which bundles in a 720p HD projector into a hand-friendly 650 gram cylinder with autofocus, automatic keystone correction, and a neat base that allows the projector to be angled and aimed at surfaces, such as a wall or ceiling.
It’s distinct from some of Anker’s other Nebula projectors, such as the Capsule 3 and Cosmos 4K, both of which use laser light and offer slightly more power from the lighting units. In the case of the Capsule 3, there’s a Full HD system with 300 Lumens to work with alongside that laser light system, while the Capsule Air halves that to 150 Lumens with 720p and appears to opt for a standard lamp.
Lower lumens means you won’t have as much brightness to work with, and will potentially need a darker room to see anything.
However, the Capsule Air also comes with a pretty staggering price difference, launching in Australia for $799 compared to the Capsule 3 Laser’s $1799 price point.
For that price, Australians can expect to find Google TV built-in, as well as up to two hours of battery life with its built-in battery, though the compact projector can be easily kept charged and running with a USB-C power pack.
You could easily bring a large external battery and keep it going for a while, or just plug the projector into a wall. Anker is even releasing a tripod with a power bank inside by July, essentially killing two birds with the one stone.
We’ll have a full review soon enough, but Australians can find the Capsule Air in stores across the country now.
