I’ve been testing the InFocus Quantum LED Apex Master after years with a Nebula Capsule II, and it represents a meaningful step-up for anyone moving beyond entry-level projectors.
Picture Quality
Picture quality is great. I’ve been using a Nebula Capsule for years, a 720p projector with funky software that didn’t really like Netflix and similar streaming services. I ended up connecting a Chromecast or Google TV dongle to it for most use, which isn’t ideal but common enough with portable projectors from that era.
The Quantum LED Apex Master is an upgrade on my Nebula Capsule II in every way. It’s fully 1080p, which makes a tangible difference when you’re watching anything with fine detail or text overlays. The picture is clearer, sharper, and brighter, all while being bigger. For context, 1080p gives you roughly 2.25 times the pixel count of 720p, you notice this immediately when watching modern high-budget content that’s designed to be viewed at higher resolutions.
The brightness improvement matters more than you might expect. It’s better when there’s light in the room, although no projector truly likes ambient light, that’s just physics. The LED light source helps here, delivering more consistent brightness than older lamp-based models without the warm-up time or gradual dimming over their lifespan. If you’re planning to use this in anything other than complete darkness, which most people are, the extra lumens make it significantly more versatile for evening viewing when you haven’t drawn all the curtains.
Software and Performance
The onboard software is considerably better than what I had before. It runs proper Google TV software, which means you can install any apps you like from the Play Store or through sideloading if you’re comfortable with that. This is a massive improvement over proprietary operating systems that often have limited app support and require constant workarounds.
The OS was respectably snappy and didn’t give any trouble during testing. Menus responded quickly, apps launched without excessive delay, and switching between sources felt fluid enough for daily use.
That said, I’ll still probably use a dedicated external box like a Chromecast with Google TV or similar device because those are always more powerful and receive updates more consistently. If you already own one of these dongles, you’ll likely default to it out of habit and performance preference. But for someone buying their first projector, the built-in software is genuinely usable without needing additional hardware straight away.
Audio
The sound is great, which is a big plus. Many portable projectors treat audio as an afterthought, tiny drivers that sound tinny and struggle with dialogue clarity. This model delivers surprisingly full sound that works for casual viewing without immediately making you reach for external speakers.
It won’t replace a proper soundbar or dedicated audio setup, but for bedroom viewing or situations where you can’t easily connect external audio, it’s more than adequate. You can actually hear lower frequencies, and dialogue sits clearly in the mix rather than getting lost.
One drawback is that the onboard fans for cooling are a little on the louder side. This is the trade-off with LED projectors. They generate heat and need active cooling to maintain brightness and lifespan. You’ll notice it during quiet scenes in films or when navigating menus in silence. It’s not intrusive enough to ruin the experience, but it’s there as a low background hum.
If you’re particularly sensitive to fan noise or planning to use this in a completely silent room, be aware. The Nebula Capsule had fans too, but they were less noticeable, likely because the overall brightness was lower, requiring less aggressive cooling.
Design and Physical Setup
I’ve got this mounted on a floating shelf over my bed, and it’s ideal for that use case. The base allows you to adjust the projection angle up or down physically, which gives you coarse positioning control. Then the auto keystone correction fixes the last little bit of alignment digitally, squaring up the image without you needing to obsess over millimetre-perfect placement.
Keystone correction isn’t perfect, it works by cropping and warping the image slightly, so you’re technically losing a small amount of resolution, but modern implementations like this one do it well enough that you won’t notice unless you’re projecting test patterns. For practical bedroom or living room use, it means you can set this up in minutes rather than spending ages with spirit levels and precise measurements. The build quality feels solid without being heavy, and the overall footprint is compact enough to leave in place permanently without dominating the space.
Value and Competition
At about €300, this is a very good projector. I know the price pales in comparison to the raft of projectors flooding TikTok Shop and similar marketplaces. Yes, they’re cheaper, sometimes dramatically so, but they’re nowhere near as good as this one from InFocus. Those budget models typically use inferior light sources, lower native resolutions (often 480p upscaled and marketed deceptively), terrible colour accuracy, and software that barely functions.
InFocus has been making projectors for decades, which shows in the execution here. This is a much better middle-of-the-road projector to buy if you want something that actually works reliably and delivers on its specifications. You’re paying for genuine 1080p output, decent brightness levels, functional software, and quality control. The gap between this and a €100 impulse purchase is enormous in real-world use, you’ll actually want to keep using this one rather than immediately regretting the purchase.
For someone upgrading from an older portable projector or considering their first serious purchase in this category, the Quantum LED Apex Master hits a sensible sweet spot between capability and cost.
