Pico projectors are a great accessory for camping, even if your campsite is just your backyard. There are a few great projectors out there with a built-in battery so you can take them into the great outdoors and still be able to watch your favorite shows or movies.
One such projector comes from AAXA. Its new P300 Neo projector has 2.5 hours of battery life, and a few options to connect your favorite devices.
| Category | Features |
|---|---|
| Price | $350 |
| Format | Pico |
| Max resolution | 720p (1200x800) |
| Peak brightness | 420 LED Lumens |
| Throw ratio | 1.26 |
| Aspect Ratio | 16:9 |
| HDMI inputs | 1 |
| Other video inputs | 1 Mini-VGA, 1 Composite (with included adapter) |
| Audio outputs | 1, 3.5mm |
| Remote control | Yes, Infrared |
| Connectivity | WiFi, Bluetooth, micro-SD, 1 USB-A |
| Operating system | Android |
| Other | Tripod included |
| See at Amazon | $1,300 |
I have been using the P300 Neo for a few different occasions over the last three weeks. AAXA provided the projector for review, and it is being returned following the review period.
What ports are on the AAXA P300 Neo?
There's Composite Video/Audio-to-3.5mm adapter, a full-sized HDMI and a Mini-VGA port for getting video to the projector. There's also a USB-A port for playing files from a thumb drive, or for powering a streaming stick.
What's good about the AAXA P300 Neo?
I was kind of surprised when I saw the shipping box the P300 Neo came in — it was no larger than a shipping box for headphones or other small accessory. The projector itself is tiny : it can easily slip into a pocket in your backpack, or even your suit jacket if you really wanted to. It also weighs less than a pound, so it's not adding much weight to your bag.
AAXA includes a few key accessories with the projector as well. The best of these is easily the tripod: it's not particularly fancy, but it'll work well and it's great to see it in the box. You also get a power supply and the aforementioned Composite adapter.
At first, I was upset about the lack of on-device navigation controls. But this led to me to something brilliant: there's a touchpad on top of the projector for pointing around the interface. This took a bit longer to discover than traditional navigation buttons would, but it's much faster to operate than those traditional controls would be.
What's just okay about the AAXA P300 Neo?
The 400 Lumens of brightness doesn't sound very bright, and it's not. It will work well at night, or in my dim apartment. But don't try to use this during the day. AAXA notes that the projector can be used by businesses for presentations, but most brightly-lit offices will preclude that use.
What's bad about the AAXA P300 Neo?
Don't buy the version of the P300 Neo with AAXA's version of Android. There are no Google services on board, and the interface isn't anything special. Most of all, the Android version costs $60 more than the version with a more basic OS. That can still handle image and video files from a USB drive, and you can just use your existing stream stick or other media device.
The projector charges with a barrel-plug charger, and it would have been much better to see USB-C. If you're going to bring this camping, it'd be so much more convenient to be able to charge it from a portable battery, like on similarly priced competitors .
Should you buy the AAXA P300 Neo?
Maybe. Again, don't spend the extra money for the Android version. But the standard version is great — it's compact, 720p is a good-enough resolution for this type of product, and the battery should last through the length of a film. Just don't try to use it during the day time, and you'll be set.
