REVIEW – Projectors are usually designed to be bulky home-theater versions with high-end technology, or portable versions that are smaller and lighter but often are much dimmer or have inferior lenses or hardware. The Dangbei Atom Laser Projector caught my eye as a model that might be able to do both, a feat that your typical 65+” LCD TV definitely cannot. Of particular note is the use of ALPD projection technology which should result in better clarity than competing LCD projectors.
What is it?
The Dangbei Atom Laser Projector is a small portable smart projector, capable of streaming pretty much any major streaming platform through its Google TV interface (or you can plug in an external video player/stick/game console/computer/etc.). The picture can be projected onto a wall or screen or any other flat surface.
What’s included?
- Dangbei Atom Laser Projector
- AC Adaptor
- Remote control
- User manual
Tech specs
Click to expand
- Display technology: DLP
- Display chip: DMD 0.33″
- Light source: Laser (ALPD® Laser Technology)
- Light source lifespan: 30,000 hours
- Brightness (ISO Lumens): 1200
- Resolution: 1080P FHD (1920 x 1080)
- Supported formats: HDR10, HLG
- Throw Ratio: 1.2:1
- Image size: 40″~180″ (Recommended 60”~100”)
- Auto focus: Yes
- Auto Keystone adjustment: Yes, ±30°
- Projection methods supported: Auto, Front, Rear, Front ceiling, Rear ceiling, wall mount
- Speakers: 2 x 5W
- Audio supported: Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital Plus
- RAM: 2 GB DDR3
- Storage: 32GB eMMC5.1
- OS: Google TV
- Supported streaming platforms: Netflix, Youtube, Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+
- Inputs: USB 2.0 x 1, HDMI-IN (ARC) x1, DC-in x1
- Output: 3.5mm Audio x 1
- WiFi: Dual-Band 2.4 Ghz/5 Ghz, 802.11 A/B/G/N/AC
- Bluetooth: 5.1/BLE
- Power consumption: 80 watts
- Operating temperatures: 5°C~35°C
- Size: 7.68 x 7.68 x 1.87 Inches
- Weight: 2.82 lbs
Design and features
The Dangbei Atom Laser Projector is one of the smallest projectors that I’ve bought or reviewed thus far, and the thin pancake shape makes it that much more portable than cube-style projectors. In the front is the lens and several sensors. This projector has multiple sensors to perform neat tricks like auto-focus, auto-keystone, obstacle avoidance, and automatic screen fitting.
Both sides have tiny holes for airflow and speaker sound to pass through.
And around back is more ventilation and the IO ports. On the left is a small power button with an LED to indicate status, and on the right are an HDMI port (version unspecified), USB-A 2.0, DC barrel plug power input, and 3.5 mm audio out.
The top features the Dangbei logo and is clean besides that.
On the bottom is a circular rubber foot for stability when on a flat surface, as well as a tripod mounting point in the center. This worked great with my various camera tripods I had lying around, and you can get ceiling/wall mounts that use this connection as well.
The remote works via Bluetooth, and has voice assistant buttons, as well as dedicated quick buttons for Youtube, Netflix, and Prime Video.
On the side are two buttons, the red one enters manual focus mode with a single press, or performs an autofocus with a long press. The lower black button opens a projector settings menu with a single press, and toggles volume mute with a long press.
Assembly, Installation, Setup
Setup on the Dangbei Atom Laser Projector starts with plugging in the laptop-style power brick, and hitting the power button in the back. Note that there are no other controls on the projector itself, so don’t lose the remote!
The rest of the setup is pretty much like any other Google TV product I’ve used (which has been many).
You can opt out of the smart features and skip logging in if you’d prefer to just use the projector with another device providing the actual video source. I like that this is an option, there are times you already have something else like an Apple TV you’d like to connect, and it’s annoying to login to the TV or projector just to then use another connected device.
It looked like just about every major streaming app was present on the suggested list, and because it’s Google TV there’s many more apps you can install so you can find other sources of video content as well.
Performance
From the first time I booted up the Dangbei Atom Laser Projector, I knew this was something special. The brightness is up there with the brightest projectors I’ve used before, and the clarity is fantastic at ~60-80″. If you’re going to 100 or more, you can start to see a bit of blurriness (4K is a better resolution for larger screens, unless you’re sitting very far away). It’s definitely sharper than any other 1080P projector I’ve tested – likely due to the laser projection technology. With most scenes I wouldn’t be able to tell a difference to the previously reviewed Paris Rhône 4K SP005 LCD Projector, except for test patterns or highly detailed scenes.
With such a bright picture, you can easily watch in brighter rooms, though the brighter the room, the more washed out the picture becomes (no amount of projector brightness can fix this). In a dark room, the blacks are very dark with a decent projector screen. Even against white walls, it seemed like the bright areas don’t wash out the neighboring darker areas as much as with other projectors.
The user interface is easy and intuitive (thanks to Google), and it seems snappy enough (some projectors I’ve tested have minor-to-horrible lag while navigating their menus). A gaming mode worked very well with an Xbox Series X and PC laptop for gaming, I couldn’t detect any lag there either.
The speakers are better than average, eclipsed only by much larger projectors I’ve tested that include speakers with twice or quadruple the wattage. They’ll work great in a small quiet room, but if you’re setting up for a home theater, you’ll want a dedicated soundbar or sound system. If using this in a backyard or other outdoor setting, I’d bring a larger portable speaker and use that instead of the built-in speakers.
What I like about the Dangbei Atom Laser Projector
- Very sharp with no blurry zones (some projectors have uneven sharpness, getting one part of the screen causes another to be blurry)
- Pretty bright for such a small projector, works fine with indirect sunlight (no projector works well with direct sun)
- Some of the quietest projector fans I’ve heard so far
What needs to be improved?
- Would have loved a stand/tripod included but providing your own is cheap
- Wish it was 4K but it seems like laser 4K projectors are typically much more expensive
Final thoughts
I really was astounded by the output of this small form factor projector. If portability is an important factor you’re considering but you also want the projector capable of dedicated home theater use, this might be the one for you! Most 4K streaming services aren’t much better quality than Full HD (1080) streaming, so unless you’re watching BluRay you likely won’t tell much of a difference to 4K projectors. Finally, the quiet fans could be the reason I would pick this over other options for a theater room, having loud fans right beside or above your head while watching can ruin the experience for many people.
Price: $899
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by Dangbei. Dangbei did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
