Anker Nebula Mars II Pro review: Petite portable projector performs proficiently

Anker’s Nebula Mars II Professional is a surprising minor projector. And I do mean minor. It is really small enough to conceal totally underneath a 6-pack of Coke. With constructed-in streaming and a battery very good for all over 3 and a fifty percent hrs of projection, the Mars II Professional is a great companion for a movie evening in the yard or somewhere farther afield. And in addition to remaining a projector, it is also a significant Bluetooth speaker.

Movie excellent will be very good enough for numerous viewers, but as opposed with a similarly priced property projector it is significantly dimmer, with even worse distinction ratio and coloration precision. As opposed with other tiny, battery-powered projectors nevertheless, the impression is extremely watchable and speakers audio amazingly potent. 

The key rationale to get the Mars II Professional is if you want ultra-transportable movie, particularly outdoors. It is really straightforward to put around a wall or screen and stream some Netflix within just minutes, everywhere. If you plan to use it frequently in the exact area inside, nevertheless, you’re in all probability greater off with a far more conventional projector.

Essential specs

• Native resolution: one,280×720 pixels
• HDR-appropriate: No
• 4K-appropriate: No
• 3D-appropriate: No
• Lumens spec: 500
• Zoom: None
• Lens shift: None
• Lamp daily life (Regular mode): 30,000 hrs

The Mars II Professional is more compact than you could possibly believe. It would fit quickly inside any backpack with loads of area to spare for a h2o bottle, hoodie or digicam. Anker could have built the carrying strap out of inexpensive-experience plastic, but has a fake-leather best and is smooth underneath. It is really wonderful to contact.

There are buttons on the best for all the standard functions, but no controls for zoom or aim. This is reasonable since there is certainly no zoom and aim is automated. An integrated slide-open lens cap also turns the projector on and off.

To get a one hundred-inch impression, the Mars II Professional desires to be about 9 feet from the screen. Resolution is 720p, which is rather small for a projector these times and decrease than the competing ViewSonic M2, which is 1080p. The LED lamp is rated at 30,000 hrs. 

Max brightness is a claimed 500 lumens. I measured about 37 nits, which calculates out to about 337 lumens. For comparison, the ViewSonic M2 generates 349 lumens by my measurements, whilst the a little far more expensive, but significantly fewer transportable, Optoma HD146X places out all over one,146. 

Anker promises the inner twelve,500-mAh battery is very good for about 3 and a fifty percent hrs viewing time, and about that extended to charge again up all over again. If you preserve it in the substantial brightness mode, that drops to one and a fifty percent hrs. If you’re just using the Mars II as a Bluetooth speaker, Anker promises about 30 hrs for audio-only playback.

However not specifically talked about as a characteristic by Anker, some applications take care of the Mars II Professional as a cellular unit, so you can in fact download reveals to its 8GB inner storage. 

Connectivity and benefit

• HDMI inputs: one
• USB port: 1 
• Audio input and output: three.5mm output
• Digital audio output: None
• Wi-Fi: 802.11a/b/g/n
• Remote: Not backlit

There is one HDMI input, which is loads on a projector like this. The USB port lets you stream written content from a USB memory stick, or you can charge a unit (like your cellular phone), using the Mars II Pro’s beefy battery. 

Which is it for bodily connections, other than the power port, which requires a separate power brick. Which is a bummer: I’m a hardliner “anything transportable should charge by way of USB.” If you want to charge the projector away from property, you are going to have to pack the brick also.

The Mars II Pro’s runs Android seven.one, which places all the streaming ability inside the PJ. So all you need is to tether the projector to your cellular phone or connect to some readily available Wi-Fi. 

You never get the complete Google Perform Shop, nevertheless, or even Android Tv set. As a substitute, it is Aptoide, a type of culled or curated model of the Perform Shop. It is really a little bit of a liability with the ViewSonic M2, and it is no greater here. You can find Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Key Movie, Hulu, Disney Plus and others you could or could not realize. You can find HBO Nordic and HBO Go, but no US HBO or HBO Max. Chromecast is not supported. Total it is not terrible, but you could possibly not be capable to uncover just about every services you’re utilised to.

The remote is wafer slim, but not backlit. Which is fine for the reason that you’re in all probability not likely to use it. As a substitute, there is certainly the Anker Hook up app (Android and iOS), which connects quickly and does all the exact matters. In simple fact, some of the applications in fact require the app. Management in the projector’s menus operates fine, but it is a little bit clunky in the Netflix app for occasion. Not a significant concern, but it could be smoother.

There are two facet-firing 10-watt speakers and a rectangular passive radiator in the front. That doesn’t audio like considerably, but it is relatively loud and the audio excellent is greater than I expected from these a small unit. This is one of the few projectors I’ve in fact turned down to obtain a usual listening level.

Photo excellent comparisons

I as opposed the Mars II Professional to the ViewSonic M2, a different transportable projector, and the Optoma HD146X, a conventional plug-in PJ. The M2 is extremely identical to the Anker, can run off a battery and also runs applications from the Aptoide shop. The Optoma is a extremely diverse projector, and only a immediate competitor in one sense: price tag. 

I have a experience the Mars II Professional could possibly draw in the interest of an individual not generally interested in projectors, so the Optoma is here as an example of what identical cash can get you in a non-transportable, typical projector. I connected these by way of a Monoprice 1×4 distribution amplifier and seen all on a 102-inch one.-acquire screen.

1st up is brightness. The M2 and Mars II are remarkably identical. Their light-weight outputs and distinction ratios are generally identical. In both of those circumstances, this total is “fine.” Looking at the sizing and their capacity to run off batteries, somewhere all over three hundred lumens is acceptable. When making a one hundred-inch impression that equates to about 37 nits. Which is enough for a watchable, albeit dim, impression. You happen to be greater off going the Anker nearer, which will produce a more compact but brighter impression.

The Optoma, on the other hand, is noticeably brighter than both one. On a exact sizing screen I measured over 127 nits, which is over 5 instances brighter than the Mars II. The Optoma is considerably far more watchable at one hundred inches. And if you use the Optoma’s most coloration correct mode, it is continue to twice as vibrant as the other two. 

And we absolutely need to discuss about coloration. The Mars II Professional has some of the the very least correct hues of any projector I’ve at any time reviewed. Blue is the only coloration out of the 3 primary and 3 secondary hues that is correct. Inexperienced is oversaturated. Yellow isn’t really but is pretty greenish-yellow. Magenta is oversaturated and also blue. The final result seems to be like you’ve received the coloration manage a few ticks above wherever it should be. It is really not unusual, for each se, and in general it continue to seems to be greater than the M2, but in general it is absolutely far more Pace Racer than The Grand Budapest Resort. 

Facet by facet with the Optoma, it is evening and working day. Or at the very least Technicolor and Kodachrome. The Optoma isn’t really tremendous correct by itself, and in fact errs on the facet of remaining undersaturated, but its hues glimpse significantly far more purely natural than the Anker.

In contrast to the Optoma, the Mars II doesn’t have intensive photo options. It has two. You can change the coloration temperature: Regular, Amazing and Warm, and even the most correct (Warm) is continue to way also cool. You can change the lamp options: Common, Battery and Car. Common is its brightest. Battery is dim but gets you that 3-in addition hour check out time. Car switches concerning the two other modes based on irrespective of whether or not the projector is plugged in. Which is it. No brightness, distinction, tint. A person final result is that you won’t be able to change distinction to restore clipped specifics in vibrant whites.

Contrast ratio, like the brightness, is acceptable specified the group. I measured an normal of 354:one across all modes. That appears to be small, and it is, but the vast majority of sub-$one,000 projectors are only two or 3 instances that. The substantial close of that effectiveness vary, the BenQ HT2050A is two,094:one. The ViewSonic is generally the exact as the Anker, at 376:one. The Optoma is 568:one. 

The Anker’s impression lacks punch but not as considerably as you could possibly believe. In simple fact, for the reason that the Anker’s black level is a minor decrease than the M2 it seems to be a minor greater. The M2 is extremely a little brighter, which isn’t really recognizable. That black level is even decrease than the Optoma, but that projector is so considerably brighter this edge isn’t really applicable. 

Lastly we come to depth. Both the M2 and HD146X are 1080p to the Anker’s 720p. On a one hundred-inch screen this is most recognizable if you’re close enough to recognize the unique pixels, which are relatively massive. If you shrink the impression down to 60-eighty inches, it seems to be comprehensive enough that it doesn’t glimpse smooth. 

Conclusion

Truthfully, I was not expecting considerably from the Mars II Professional. I’ve been underwhelmed with most battery-powered transportable projectors I’ve reviewed. I’ve also found that providers not recognised for movie gear tend to miss some crucial matters when it will come to projectors. For occasion, photo excellent. 

Total I’m impressed that Anker received a lot correct with the Mars II Professional. At the very least when graded on the curve of price tag, sizing and battery power. As opposed with an normal property projector it will come up shorter in just about every effectiveness metric, so If you’re hunting for a little something that will by no means stray also significantly from an outlet, you’re greater off with a far more “conventional” projector. But if you want a little something transportable to enjoy films exterior, the Mars II Professional has a great layout, seems very good, is straightforward to use and has a far more watchable impression than the ViewSonic M2 — all for fewer cash.

As very well as covering Tv set and other display tech, Geoff does photograph excursions of cool museums and spots all over the world, including nuclear submarines, significant aircraft carriers, medieval castles, plane graveyards and far more. 

You can comply with his exploits on Instagram and YouTube, and on his travel blog, BaldNomad. He also wrote a bestselling sci-fi novel about town-sized submarines, alongside with a sequel.