10 Best Mini Projectors 2024 in the United States

A mini projector is a “handy” device--both literally and figuratively: Many of them are able to fit in the palm of your hand! There are others that are somewhat bigger, but still small and light enough that you can take them along wherever you need them. Some of them are suitable for projecting video content on a wall, to display it to a classroom of children. Others can also display text at high-quality, which is ideal for a business presentation, or for displaying an informative Powerpoint at a booth at a fair or expo.

But these projectors differ greatly in quality. The strength of the lamp is a big determining factor: Some will only be bright enough to just barely cut it when the room is perfectly dark. Others will be powerful enough to project a clear image even in ambient light, such as in your living room. And you’ll also want a projector that can take content from a variety of sources, such as a smartphone, camera, tablet, or even a USB flash drive.

We’ve composed this buyer’s guide to help you make the right decision when selecting a mini projector. It'll help you:

• Choose the right type of mini projector,

• See useful tips about that particular type of mini projector,

• Read reviews of different mini projectors, and what customers are saying,

• Select the right brand of the best mini projectors, and

• Compare prices and find the best deals.

Mini projectors are relatively small, but there’s a big variation in size anyway. Let’s look at the size categories:

• Pocket projectors: There are various miniature projectors which are around the same size as a cellular phone, so they can literally be stashed away in your pocket. They are also called “pico projectors”, which do a very barebones job of projecting content.  The usually have an LED lamp that isn’t very bright, usually projecting at around 1000 lumens, and their audio capability may be barely audible, without some sort of external speakers. An example is the YG300 HD 1080p LED Mini-Projector. It measures 5.1 inches x 3.34 inches x 1.77 inches, and weighs only 8.65 ounces!

YG300 HD 1080p LED Mini Projector

• Palmtop projectors: These are a bit larger, and have somewhat better specs than the pico projector models. An example is the Mini FHD 1080p LCD Projector Multimedia Home Cinema Theater by Excelvan. It measures 13.5 cm x 12.5 cm x 5.2 cm (5.3” x 4.9” x 2.3”), and weighs only 445 grams (a little less than a pound).

Excelvan Mini FHD 1080p LCD Projector Multimedia Home Cinema Theater

• Portable projectors: These projectors are even larger, but not so much as to make it difficult to carry them around. They’re around the size of a tablet computer and will come with a convenient carrying case. An example is the Vankyo Leisure 3 Mini Projector, measuring 7.9” x 5.9” x 3.1” and weighing 2.12 pounds. Manufacturers will also allow for the option of hanging the projector from a ceiling mount.

Vankyo Leisure 3 Mini Projector

There also are some functionality differences between projectors, depending on their purpose:

• Home projectors: These are principally for home theater. You might set them up in your living room since they’ll have a lamp of over 2000 lumens, that will be able to project a clear image, even if the room isn’t perfectly dark.

• Office projectors: These are good for displaying movies, but are also suitable for Powerpoint presentations and the like, in an office setting, where there is text on the screen that has to be legible. These projectors have a brighter output, with a lamp of 4000-6000 lumens.

• Connect phone with USB cable: Customers were pleased with the Topvision mini projector because it accepts content from their iPhone via a USB cable, without requiring a special adapter for iPhones. There are settings on the phone to allow it to connect immediately.

• Doesn’t heat up: As opposed to projectors that used to employ an incandescent bulb, LED projectors always remain cool. That allows you to move it around, even after hours of use, if necessary.

• Keystone correction: You may have to use the projector’s keystone correction, to make the entire image be in one plane. This will avoid a situation where one half of the image is wider than the other.

• Resolution: Mini projectors will boast a certain resolution. If they are for full high-definition (FHD) video, they should have a resolution of 1920 pixels horizontally x 1080 pixels vertically. This will also be called “1080p” (= 1080 pixels progressive--where all of the lines on the screen are drawn in sequence, as opposed to alternating odd and even number lines).

• Aspect ratio:  Aspect ratio is the ratio of the width of the image to its height. You’ll see projectors with an aspect ratio of 16:9--this is standard for HDTV. Thus, the image will be 16” wide and 9” in height--or some multiple of that. There are projectors that allow you to change the aspect ratio from 16:9 to 4:3, such as the Excelvan LED Mini Portable Projector.

• Audio functions: Many mini-projectors will have an internal speaker. But generally, the sound quality from them will not be very good. You probably will want separate speakers, using the 3.5 mm Audio Out jack, if you want to use your projector for home theater.

• Lumens: We mentioned the different lamp strengths when we discussed the types of mini projectors. A projector with 1000 lumens will only be suitable in a perfectly dark room. For home theater, 2000-3000 lumens will be adequate even with ambient light.

• Types of inputs and outputs: You would prefer a projector that gives you the versatility to many types of output. You can find mini projectors with VGA and HDMI ports so that you can hook them up to a Smart TV or computer monitor. WiFi connectivity is also a big plus so that your projector can even take content from a Smartphone or tablet.  

• LED, LCD, and DLP display: Mini projectors will differ in the type of display technology that they employ. DLP (Digital Light Processing) projectors use a rotating color wheel to produce color images. DLP technology produces a sharp image, but critics say that there are rainbow artifacts that accompany the pictures. The color reproduction is also not so faithful to the original. LCD projectors are better for movies and tend to last longer since it eliminates the moving parts of the rotating wheel. An LED projector will be the most expensive, but will also last the longest--as much as 20,000 hours or more!

• The lifetime of the projector light bulb: One important item in your projector that has a limited life span is the projector bulb. The T Topvision projector (Model TYY0010) is one of the most durable: it has a lamp life of 50,000 hours! That is enough to watch content from your projector for 4 ½ hours a day for the next 30 years, without having to change the lamp even once! Other models, such as the Excelvan LED Mini Portable Projector, has a lifetime of 20,000 hours, which is still quite impressive.

• Projection size: A projector will have a certain throw ratio, which is the width of the image (W) divided by the distance from the screen (D).

Illustration of throw ratio (W/D)

Projectors will suggest a range of projection sizes. For example, The T Topvision projector allows for a range of 1.5 to 5.2 meters away from the screen, giving a range of image sizes from 1.27 meters to 4.47 meters on the diagonal! (So its throw ratio is 1.27/1.5 = 4.47/5.2 = 0.85 There are also projectors with an ultra-short throw. This allows you to place the projector extremely close to the screen, yet will still achieve a very big image. This prevents someone accidentally walking in-between the projector and getting their shadow projected on the screen instead!

• Vankyo is an electronics appliance company that was established in 2017. They make projectors, PC and TV boxes, and home security cameras. They also make projector accessories such as screens, stands, cables, remote controls, and more.

• Excelvan, founded in 2010 and based in El Monte, California, is a maker of a large range of smart electronics and gadgets, as well as tablets, PCs, video games and accessories, drones, cameras, and projectors. They make LED, LCD, DLP (=digital light processing), and mini-projectors.

• T Topvision manufactures a variety of electronic devices, such as mini-projectors, nail-drying lamps, drones with cameras, TENS units, and much more.