Growing up, I’d always wanted a man cave. You know? Gaming, movies and gadgets all in one spot in the gaff. While I don’t have a dedicated man cave, I do have quite a few gadgets, games and spend a lot of time watching movies. I dreamed of having a projector in my man cave, but always thought they’d cost too much. Like, they used to be the big feature on MTV’s Cribs, so how could I get one? The good news is, projectors have become very affordable and I’ve been testing out Nebula Capsule from Anker which is simply the best mini projector on the market.
What Makes it Great?
I won’t lie. My first impressions of the projector were a little meh. That’s because I dived in, trying to get all the ropey apps on board to work. You know the apps I’m on about, they sit in this strange grey area of not being illegal while you know they’re just not legal. Anyway, once I started using the likes of YouTube, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, the Nebula Capsule projector started coming into its own.
Projection Quality
Let’s get things straight from the word go here. You’re not going to be running a bootleggers cinema on this or anything, but the quality is mighty impressive. I’ve got mine on a shelf over the bed and it’s projecting to a wall about two and a half meters away. The effective screen size at this range is about seventy inches. Remember that later when we start talking about the price.
This isn’t the first projector I’ve owned. That title goes to one I got from Amazon two years ago for about €100. The cooling fan was a little loud but speakers sorted that out. The projection quality wasn’t amazing though. While great in the dark, any light at all rendered the picture unviewable.
While Anker’s Nebula Capsule mini projector won’t work brilliantly in sunlight, I’ve been able to watch movies with the curtains open or the lights on. Pretty impressive for such a wee little projector.
So, with the picture nailed, it’s on to the second most important feature on a personal projector: the sound.
The Sound is Sound Too
While my first dip into the projector world resulted in the need of a speaker, my second dip in certainly does not. I will admit, I have a Soundcore speaker that I sometimes link up with the Capsule, but it’s just fine without it. It works especially well in the bedroom considering the duvet and pillows help improve the sound quality even more.
Quite remarkably, I’ve read a few people online say the fan is loud. I’m not too sure where this is coming from because my fan is silent. It might be down to my first projector sounding like a tractor at times, but I can’t for the life of me imagine anyone turning this on and their first thought being the fan is loud.
There you have it. The two key features when considering a projector and the Anker Nebula Capsule rocks at both. But it doesn’t stop there as the design of this mini projector certainly deserves a mention
Incredible Design
I have to talk about design here. Why? Well, not too long ago, projectors were closer to the size of carry-on luggage and now, this projector from Nebula is the size of a Coke can. Literally! That’s actually what they’ve modeled it on to make sure it stays nice and portable.
Yup, portable. The Nebula Capsule has a 5200 mAh battery built in which will give you enough juice to watch, at least, a full movie.
Other nice little design features include a tripod mount fitting in the base, so you can get the perfect angle, and remote control. Even though, I’ve been using the Nebula Connect app more than the remote – an app available for iOS and Android from Google Play.
Nebula Capsule: The Verdict
I still can’t really get my head around just how affordable technology has become in recent years. This mini personal projector probably sums this up the best. The quality this thing produces in amazing. The design of it is stunning. But I’ll admit, the price of it might leave it still out of reach for the average punter.
With that said, if you’re on the fence and it’s just the price you’re hesitating over, you’re unlikely to get a better personal projector for a better price. If you want to totally change how you experience Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and more at home – this is the way to do it.
Where to Buy The Nebula Capsule in Ireland
If you want to buy the Nebula Capsule in Ireland, on the High Street, you should pop into Brown Thomas on Grafton Street. They’re stocking the Nebula Capsule Pro which gives you some extra bang for your buck.
If popping into Brown Thomas doesn’t suit, Amazon is probably the handiest place to pick up one of these mini projectors. You can order it online from them for €435. Don’t forget you’ll probably need to use AddressPal to route this through a mainland UK shipping address.
Finally, if you do think that’s steep, think about a seventy-inch TV. Could you really afford to have that space taken up? With this projector, you only use the space when you need it and it’s about the third the cost of a TV anyway!
Note: Nebula has launched a new Kickstarter campaign for the successor of their first Capsule projector. It’ll be a similar price with an improved Android TV operating system. Just so you know!
