News Beat
The best portable projectors of 2025 tested by a home cinema expert
While the average size of the UK living room has shrunk from 24.9m2 back in the 1970s to just 17.1m2, the best portable projectors offer a brilliant way of getting big-screen thrills for those who can’t or don’t want to accommodate a large television.
“Portable projectors are relatively lightweight and mobile, which makes them great for moving around to different rooms in a house, or even while travelling or camping,” says Matt Horton, TV and projector buyer at Richer Sounds.
“The main difference between compact projectors and full-size examples is that the latter offers better image quality and brightness,” explains Matt, “But while full-size projectors create a more immersive viewing experience, they can’t be moved around with the freedom a portable projector can provide. That’s a major bonus if, say, you want to watch a movie or do a bit of big-screen gaming at a friend’s house, where there isn’t a large-screen TV.”
“There are no end of options,” continues Matt. “Entry-level models from brands such as Philips start at under £100, ranging up to £1,000 for premium offerings from projection specialists like Epson, with a host of others in-between.”
The best portable projectors: At a glance
How to choose the best portable projector
The fundamental point of portable projectors is that they are supposed to be easy to move, so weight and dimensions are the first major considerations. Look out, too, for built-in battery power, especially if you intend to use the projector when you’re a distance from the nearest mains power socket, or if you are in a field while camping.
A couple of hours of running time should suffice to watch a film. Be warned, however, that you likely won’t get the same brightness levels when running off the battery as you would get from mains power.
When it comes to screen size, the sweet spot for most portable projectors is around an 80in-100in diagonal. Many models say that they can deliver an even larger image, but inevitably, the penalty is a pretty drastic decrease in brightness.
The majority of current portable projectors are built around the Android-based, Google TV platform, allowing onboard streaming of services like Netflix, YouTube and Amazon Prime, so as long as you’re in reach of a Wi-Fi signal (or a smartphone hotspot) you should be all set.
Happily, virtually every portable projector also now has an ARC-enabled HDMI input, so hooking up to an external source like a Sky Q box or a Blu-ray player when you’re indoors is easy.
Outdoors, it’s usually still possible to play back content via wireless/wired screen mirroring/casting (from a smartphone), or from content downloaded onto a suitably formatted USB memory stick.
