TCL’s PlayCube projector is extra enjoyable than a Rubik’s Cube

The finest all-in-one moveable projector is the one which makes all the fitting compromises. It must steadiness picture and sound high quality with battery life and responsiveness in a tool that’s not too costly and sufficiently small to take anyplace. TCL’s fun little PlayCube delivers the correct mix to justify paying $800 for a 1080p projector in 2026.

I examined the TCL PlayCube operating Google TV throughout a two-month highway journey, after which once more for just a few months at residence. It’s so small, adaptable, and pleasant that I’ve had no drawback setting it up at a second’s discover, day or evening, anyplace I’ve been.

TCL says the PlayCube’s 90-degree rotating design was impressed by the Rubik’s Cube. Just give it a twist each time you want to raise the picture over obstacles. Otherwise, you’ll be able to mount it on a tripod through the threaded connector on the backside, or flip it over onto its bottom for some bedtime ceiling viewing. The PlayCube additionally options all the automated adjustment modes you’d count on in a contemporary moveable projector, together with focus, keystone correction, impediment avoidance, display screen detection, and eye safety.

The different notable factor concerning the PlayCube is its brightness. 750 ISO lumens isn’t shiny for a house theater projector, but it surely’s very shiny for a conveyable that simply matches into the palm of your hand, measuring 149.8 x 96.6 x 96.6mm (5.90 x 3.80 x 3.80 inches) and 1.3kg (2.7 kilos).

It’s shiny sufficient to observe movies in the course of the day when all these lumens are centered into a decent 30-inch rectangle inside my van, or at 100-inches when projected in opposition to it at evening. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have that color-adaptation tech discovered on Samsung’s new (battery-less) Freestyle+ projector, so the blue-gray hull affected the palette. Regardless, it was nonetheless very watchable.

The audio produced by the PlayCube’s lone 5W speaker is okay. There’s no stereo separation, but it surely’s loud sufficient to fill a room. It simply lacks fullness, heat, and element. Music from Florence and The Machine and Kendrick Lamar sounds shrill and skinny. The screeching tires, gunshots, and explosions from a 007 chase scene produced a quite muddled soundscape, but it surely was nonetheless pleasant. The sound is uncomfortably harsh above 60 p.c quantity, which continues to be loads loud. During one outside film evening, I felt compelled to set the amount no greater than 20 p.c to keep away from bothering the closest neighbor some 50 meters away.

Alternatively, you’ll be able to join headphones or self-powered audio system by way of the audio jack or over Bluetooth. The projector may also be used as a Bluetooth speaker, which turns off the lamp however, annoyingly, not the fan. That fan produces 27dB when measured at a distance of 1 meter, which is pretty quiet for a projector however nonetheless noticeable throughout nonetheless moments.

The runtime from the PlayCube’s 66Wh battery was inconsistent, but it surely carried out very nicely in latest assessments. TCL claims as much as three hours – I measured precisely three hours and one minute after a full cost within the projector’s brightest mode, whereas streaming The Aviator over Netflix, a movie that runs for two hours and 50 minutes. It additionally works with USB-C energy banks for those who want much more time. The PlayCube recharged from zero to full in 104 minutes from a 65W USB-C charger.

I skilled wild shifts in battery life over my 4 months of testing, which I feel might be attributed to TCL’s energy administration in standby mode. A brief press on the facility button places the projector to sleep, permitting it to wake in lower than 30 seconds. In standby, the fan spins up periodically, sapping vitality — which could possibly be the rationale I noticed extreme battery drain when vanlifing in hotter climates. The problem disappeared after I returned to the delicate temperatures at residence. A firmware replace might need additionally helped.

Regardless, you’ll be able to long-press the facility button for a full shutdown to keep away from any phantom energy drain suffered in standby. The PlayCube then takes about 80 seconds as well up, however that may be accelerated by turning off a few of the computerized display screen adjustment options.

The consumer interface may also be sluggish at occasions, like most battery-powered projectors. Sometimes Google TV wants a irritating second or two earlier than it’ll reply to navigation instructions from the distant management. The computerized picture alter options are additionally quite gradual to kick in. But I’m grateful after they do, even when impediment avoidance might be hit and miss. Fortunately, all the things can nonetheless be fine-tuned manually.

TCL says the PlayCube is “designed specifically for camping projection.” That makes me — an avid vanlifer — its main goal, and I’ve come away very impressed. At $799.99, TCL’s PlayCube projector isn’t low-cost, however you received’t sometimes discover this mixture of brightness, battery life, and portability for much less. Xgimi’s Halo+ comes shut for a similar value, solely in a much bigger package deal that provides improved stereo sound however shorter battery life… but it surely’s presently on sale for just $449, which is an excellent deal.

Photography by Thomas Ricker / The Verge