Hompow portable projector review

REVIEW – The Hompow portable projector is lightweight and casts a screen size of up to 176 inches (diagonal).

What is it?

An easy-to-use, basic projector.

What’s in the box?

• Projector
• Instruction manual
• Remote
• Charger
• HDMI to HDMI cord

Hardware specs

• Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.8 x 2.8 inches
• Weight: 3.1 pounds
• Brightness: 2400 lumens,
• Contrast: 2000:1
• Resolution: 1080 pixels
• Lamp life: 50,000 hours
• Warranty: 2 years
• ASIN: B07QMRRHPY
• Model number: T20

Design and features

By using the buttons on the projector or the remote control, you can:

• Select which input source you’re using (USB, AV, VGA, SD or HDMI).
• Pick your “Color Temperature,” with Standard as the default. (Soft looked best for our uses.)
• Select Noise Reduction options.
• Choose your projection mode, which depends on the device you’re using and where the projector is positioned.
• Select the aspect ratio (point to point; 4:3 or 16:9).

Setup

Setup was easy. My fifth-grader could handle it without help. Just plug it into the wall, and plug in your device. And press the power button.

Positioning was a little harder. There’s a riser on the bottom you can unscrew to adjust the front height, though we needed to play with that and added some coasters for our viewing. Then just fiddle with the focusing rings until you get a clear picture.

The lens cap is attached with a string, which is handy.

Performance

We tried this in three different rooms in our home and for watching TV shows and playing Wii games. At only 3 pounds it was very easy to move, and I’d even consider traveling with it.

I also noticed it didn’t get as hot as some of the older and more expensive projectors we’ve had.

The sound quality and volume were decent. Movie buffs and serious gamers would likely ask for better speakers.

The screen size varies a lot, depending on the distance between your screen and the projector, as you can see from the illustration in the manual. (Note that it’s inches to meters.)

The charging cord (47 inches) and HDMI cord (38 inches) included with the projector are very short, which gave us limited options for positioning it, unless we used an extension cord or different HDMI cord.

In our basement, the largest room in the house, we needed to position it in the middle of the room so it would project straight onto the wall (diagonal projection gives you a trapezoid-shaped effect). Plus we needed an extension cord so it would reach the center of the room. This made it quite awkward. We found it worked better in smaller rooms, where we could position it near an outlet and the device it was projecting, and point it straightforward.

It’s listed as having 1080-pixel resolution. When projected on a white wall, we found the picture quality for TV shows disappointing. Perhaps it’s because we watched shows that were literally and figuratively dark (Black Mirror and Stranger Things).

We found it worked much, much better for playing the Wii, especially more cartoonish games where image crispness isn’t so crucial. It worked well in our living room for an impromptu Just Dance party, and I can see it being fun when my kids have friends over. However, the video-game connoisseurs in my house noted the refresh rate was a bit slow for competitive Mario Kart sessions.

I should note that we tested it on our (untextured) white walls and not an actual screen.

What I like

• Lightweight
• Easy to set up and use

What I’d change

• Longer cords
• Better picture quality

Final thoughts

It’s a fun, portable projector for casual use. Movie lovers and true gamers should consider a higher end model.

Price: $69.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Hompow.