Soundcore Nebula P1i Projector Review: An Affordable Option With Accurate Color And Loud Sound

Anker’s Soundcore projectors person go an charismatic action for buyers acknowledgment to models for illustration nan P1 and Nebula X1 that harvester capacity and portability. Now, nan institution has added "affordability" to that equation pinch its latest model, nan $369 P1i. Instead of being detachable for illustration connected nan P1, its speakers fold retired toward listeners, promising amended and louder sound than astir inexpensive projectors.

The P1i besides delivers 1080p video, Google TV for streaming and nan aforesaid easy surface fresh setup arsenic different Anker projectors. However, dissimilar immoderate portable models, it lacks a built-in artillery for existent portability. Overall brightness is little arsenic good astatine 380 lumens compared to 650 connected nan P1. Despite those issues, nan P1i is an outstanding fund projector that’s perfect for impromptu indoor screenings and outdoor statement use.

Features and design

With its comparatively mini size (8.9 x 7.2 x 8.0 inches) and flimsy 5 lb weight, nan Soundcore Nebula P1i tin beryllium perched astir anyplace and is easy toted astir by nan soft grip connected top. It’s almost excessively light, arsenic moreover a flimsy bump tin displace it and ruin nan picture. It does person a tripod mount, though, which makes it easy to group up extracurricular aliases instal connected your ceiling.

Fortunately, nan P1i is possibly nan easiest projector successful this value scope to align pinch your wall aliases screen. It has Anker’s Smart Instant Setup that automatically adjusts nan autofocus, keystone correction, surface fresh and obstacle avoidance. For my 120-inch rotation down screen, I conscionable had to group nan P1i astir 11 feet from nan wall, make judge it was reasonably level and past tilt nan guidelines truthful it pointed astatine nan screen. Then, I conscionable ran nan smart setup which instantly gave maine a correctly set-up image.

The P1i is not a laser projector but its LED ray root lasts moreover longer, rated for complete 30,000 hours. It runs reasonably cool compared to a bulb aliases laser model, but it still has a instrumentality that kicks connected from clip to time. One annoyance is that nan instrumentality seemed to prosecute moreover erstwhile nan projector was turned off, truthful I recovered I had to unplug it to extremity that.

Connectivity-wise, nan P1i has a azygous HDMI 2.0 larboard pinch ARC (Audio Return Channel), on pinch a USB-A larboard for outer media and a 3.5mm auxiliary audio output. The projector allows for a maximum input of 4K astatine 60 fps (it outputs 1080p astatine 60 fps), truthful it’s only bully for ray gaming. Plus, you’ll want to support successful mind that if you do immoderate keystone correction, gaming latency quadruples from 20ms to 80ms. It besides supports Wi-Fi 5 for streaming and Bluetooth 5.1 to link other speakers.

Google TV is built successful for streaming and projector control, which is simply a bully characteristic for a projector nether $400. It provides a ample room of apps via Google Play on pinch a acquainted interface. You besides get Netflix’s charismatic exertion pinch support for 4K Dolby Vision without nan request to plug successful a streaming device, positive there’s Chromecast support and Google Assistant for sound control. The downside is that nan interface tin occasionally beryllium sluggish. As for those foldable speakers, you tin purpose them up, down, guardant aliases backwards, and they support Dolby Audio astatine 10 watts each.

Image quality

Image value is decent but not outstanding, astir what you’d expect for a projector astatine this price. While it’s very crisp successful nan center, nan edges are fuzzier, peculiarly if you’re tilting nan projector up aliases down and utilizing plentifulness of keystone correction. With conscionable 380 lumens of brightness (I measured it astatine conscionable complete 300 lumens successful modular mode), it’s champion to usage nan P1i successful a acheronian room aliases astatine nighttime — if there’s immoderate ambient light, you won’t beryllium capable to spot overmuch detail.

The P1i offers aggregate image profiles, including Standard, Vivid, Sports, Movies and Games, on pinch a Conference mode for maximum brightness. I recovered that nan “Vivid” mounting gave maine nan champion operation of colour accuracy and brightness.

Color accuracy is simply a beardown point, pinch earthy looking, nicely saturated hues. Surprisingly, nan P1i supports 10-bit HDR to thief amended colour accuracy and max retired what small brightness location is, though it’s a gigantic agelong calling a 380 lumen image (around 50 nits) "HDR." I tested nan P1i connected my accustomed roster of content, including Once Upon a Time successful Hollywood, Andor, Dune 2 and Spider-Man: No Way Home, and recovered nan colors to beryllium pleasing and realistic. If they’re not rather to your liking, you tin make good adjustments manually.

Sound

The superior trading constituent of nan Nebula P1I is those fold retired speakers. However, considering Soundcore’s estimation for coagulated audio capacity (take nan Nebula X1 Pro for example), sound value was a spot disappointing. It’s comparatively tinny pinch very small bass, providing a less-than-theatrical experience. Those speakers tin spell beautiful loud, though, and midrange sounds for illustration voices are very clear.

Fortunately, location are a mates of solutions. The P1i has aggregate EQ settings, including Movies (with enhanced bass and treble), Music for nan astir earthy sound and Outdoors to guarantee clarity successful unfastened and noisy spaces. The champion of those, I found, was Movies, arsenic it mildly improves nan lows and highs. There’s besides a “custom” mode that lets you fine-tune nan equalization. I was capable to get acceptable sound value erstwhile I boosted nan bass to astir nan maximum level.

The different option, of course, is to brace nan P1i to immoderate Bluetooth speakers. I did conscionable that pinch Soundcore’s outer speakers sold arsenic an action pinch nan Nebula X1 and nan sound value was overmuch improved. Of course, that would region overmuch of its convenience and summation nan value for amended sound.

Wrap-up

Anker’s $400 Soundcore Nebula P1i is an fantabulous action for buyers looking for a portable projector to usage outdoors aliases successful nan spot of a 2nd TV, though it suffers from subpar sound and image quality. Competitors for illustration XGIMI’s MoGo 2 Pro connection akin brightness, built-in speakers and Google TV. And if you person a spot much successful your budget, Anker’s $800 Nebula P1 is brighter and easier to group up. Finally, for those looking for artillery portability for camping aliases different activities, return a look astatine XGIMI’s $500 Halo+ aliases nan $530 Anker Nebula Capsule.

The P1i is awesome for elemental nighttime movie screenings outdoors. If you consciousness for illustration watching a movie aliases bid successful bed, you tin bring it into your room, task nan image onto a wall and bask your streaming work of choice. You whitethorn not beryllium disappointed pinch nan wide image quality, though you whitethorn wish for somewhat amended sound.