Anker’s Nebula P1 projector is the moveable sound king

The Soundcore Nebula P1 from Anker isn’t essentially the most moveable Google TV projector I’ve ever reviewed, neither is it the brightest. It doesn’t actually have a built-in battery. Instead it’s an honest video system that focuses on sound.

The Nebula P1’s standout characteristic is a pair of audio system that detach to create true left- and right-channel separation. It sounds a lot better than typical all-in-ones just like the supremely moveable TCL PlayCube, Xgimi MoGo, or Anker’s well-liked Capsule projectors.

I’ve been testing the $799 (at present on sale for $639) Nebula P1 as I journey across the European countryside in my van. It’s not my favourite moveable projector, however I’ve grown fairly keen on the P1 – similar to cameras, generally one of the best projector is the one you’ve gotten with you.

Anker’s been on a tear with progressive moveable projectors that concentrate on superior sound, first with the $3,000 Nebula X1 after which with the absurdly large X1 Pro. The Nebula P1 trims all that extra down from 72 kilos to five.3 kilos to create a really moveable (and far inexpensive and fewer succesful) projector suited to vanlife or impromptu film nights anyplace there’s a wall, sheet, or display… and an influence outlet or large USB-C battery.

In darkish rooms, the P1 produces an pleasurable 1080p picture which continues to be the usual for moveable projectors on this class. Its LED gentle supply, rated at a 650 ANSI Lumens, isn’t sufficient to defeat rooms full of an excessive amount of ambient gentle, however it nonetheless seems good inside my van in the course of the day when tightly targeted onto a close-by floor. But it’s the sound that makes the P1 actually shine.

The removable 10W audio system mix to provide a large and nice soundscape. I’ve grown fairly keen on the little speaker pair in my few weeks of testing. As a bonus, they magnetically connect to my van on both facet of my projection display for a clear out of doors film setup. Putting the audio system up by the show actually does assist create a extra immersive expertise. Usually, you’re seated proper subsequent to the audio system built-in into moveable projectors, which suggests the audio sounds prefer it’s coming from the facet or your knees as an alternative of the place the motion is going down.

Overall the sound is first rate, and about what you’d anticipate from audio system the dimensions of soda cans. I additionally like that I can shut off the projector’s LED lamp and use the P1 as a Bluetooth speaker. The quantity is loud sufficient to simply fill an RV or front room.

Madeleine Peyroux’s rendition of La Vie En Rose sounded unbelievable, with particular person string plucks of the violin popping out the left speaker, a strumming guitar from the appropriate, and her dulcet vocals wrapped in a squeezebox oozing out the middle. Bass-heavy tracks like Kendrick Lamar’s Not like Us sounded skinny, nevertheless. Unlike Anker’s a lot bigger Nebula X1 and X1 Pro projectors, there’s no subwoofer constructed into the bottom of the Nebula P1.

As a projector, the Nebula P1 could be very quiet, measuring simply 26dB from one meter away — barely noticeable above the din of my loud night breathing canine. But I did all of the testing on cool days so the followers by no means had a purpose to essentially spin up. The audio system characteristic an IP54 resistance to mud and rain splashing onto them from all instructions, whereas the projector’s extra restricted IP33 score ought to defend it from gentle rain.

Anker says the P1’s audio system will final 20 hours earlier than needing a recharge, which appears correct primarily based upon my testing up to now. They snap along with magnets then mechanically dock to the highest of the projector the place they’ll cost when the Nebula P1 is plugged right into a wall jack or a battery able to 100W over USB-C. The audio system will also be charged immediately over USB-C whereas in use, which is handy once they flash a low-battery warning mid movie.

The Nebula P1 boots into Google TV in about 50 seconds from a chilly begin, or about 5 seconds from sleep, the place it consumes a near-constant 6W. The projector ate by means of 51Wh of battery capability in a single hour of Netflix streaming at most brightness. That means a typical 99Wh energy financial institution gained’t final lengthy sufficient to view a two-and-a-half hour movie like Pulp Fiction with out taking a charging break.

Anker says that the Nebula P1 options Intelligent Environment Adaptation (IEA) 4.0, which suggests computerized focus, keystone correction, impediment avoidance, and display becoming. In my testing, nevertheless, it did a horrible job at detecting obstacles and my projector display, although my display lacks black borders which probably complicates issues. If I wished to “automate” detection I needed to resort to Anker’s clunky “VisionFit” tech. You launch the Nebula Connect app and take a photograph of the floor the place you’d prefer to mission the picture, and the P1 will use that enter to keep away from obstacles and discover the display. It’s dumb and cumbersome and I hate it.

Fortunately, the autofocus and clever keystone correction labored high quality, with handbook overrides so you’ll be able to brute drive the picture into place when wanted. Having the projector on a swivel additionally provides you extra placement choices with out having to resort to a stack of books. You can even save settings into presets in the event you repeatedly use the projector from the identical location.

In basic, I don’t like moveable projectors that lack a built-in battery as a result of you must plug a snaggy cable right into a wall jack or carry an additional battery round. That’s very a lot the case with the Nebula P1.

While I loved my time with it, I’d select TCL’s $799.99 (on sale for $649.99) PlayCube when true portability is the precedence. The PlayCube prices the identical, is somewhat brighter, additionally tilts, and runs the identical Google TV OS, however manages to suit a three-hour battery right into a a lot smaller projector. It simply can’t compete with the Nebula P1 on sound.

Photography by Thomas Ricker / The Verge