Anker Soundcore Nebula P1i Projector Review: Big Ears, Bright Image, Affordable Price

The Soundcore Nebula P1i features folding and rotating speakers. They look like little elephant ears. They are also gray. So if you add a trunk and a second eyeball — then you’re hooked more — then it’s a kind of robot mini elephant. Actually a a gaming machineof course, and one budget at that.

Most impressive beyond the cute and functional “ears” is the fact that the P1i performs much better than you’d expect from a gaming device that includes Google TV and costs less than $400. It has a simple lens that requires it to be positioned roughly in the center of the exposure image (no overcast), but as long as you don’t mind that, trapezoidal image or keystone correction, this is a great budget project.

Details and more

• Resolution: 1080p
• Lumens spec: 380 (ANSI)
• Zoom in: No
• Lens replacement: No
• Light source type: LED

To avoid confusion, a quick explanation about naming. The parent company Anker seems to hate the name Anker and has a lot of sub-brands, but then again, it’s downsizing and merging sub-brands all the time. So the Nebula subbrand has been incorporated into Soundcore, a subbrand that is fairly well known Bluetooth headphones again speakers. Odd pairing in my mind, but what do I know? So you can call this as Anker Soundcore Nebula P1i or Soundcore Nebula P1i by Anker. That is the mouth. Also, apparently the “S” is in lowercase in its branding, but no, sorry, that’s a bridge too far.

The P1i has a resolution of 1080p, a big step up from the 720p that was common in budget projectors not too long ago. Unless you’re sitting very close to a standard-sized image or trying to create an unusually large image, this resolution is more than adequate — you won’t see the pixels.

Soundcore claims a light output of 380 ANSI lumens. I measured 382 in its most accurate mode. Which is, I think, the closest the company’s claims have ever been to my real-world measurements. They are usually more… let’s say “optimistic.” Even more impressive is that the P1i can actually do more. In less accurate Conference mode, it can flash 603. That’s pretty good for a cheap projector, brighter than most portables and not as far away as the Epson Flex Pluswhich I rated as the 655 in its most accurate mode, although the 817 is much brighter in its contrast.

The main problem with the P1i is the lens, because it is a simple design like other budget projects like TCL A1 again Vimgo P10. Although there are advantages, not least the reduced costs, the postponement is not throwing up. Most projectors create an image that is slightly larger than their lens. This allows for coffee table placement or ceiling mounting, and the displayed image appears somewhere along the wall.

The P1i, instead, projects its image directly from the front. The center of the lens is basically the center of the image. It’s not uncommon for anyone to mount a projector around four feet in the air to project through the wall, so if you put it on a low-slung table this gives you two options: The easiest to deal with is a trapezoidal image, but it’s probably easier to use the built-in P1i. keystone preparation. This is not ideal because only part of the image chip is used, so you lose resolution and brightness and the possibility of adding some artifacts. For a $370 console, this isn’t a big deal, but it’s worth keeping in mind.

Communication

• HDMI input: 1
• USB port: 1 USB-A
• Audio output: 3.5mm headphone, Bluetooth
• Internet: Wi-Fi
• Streaming interface: Google TV
• Remote: Back light

The main attraction of the P1i is the adjustable speakers. For a projector intended for use in unexpected places, this seems like a good idea. People may gather in front, side, back or all of these. Most small projectors only have speakers facing one side, maybe two, and if they are not facing you, the sound is often muffled or muffled. The P1i speakers can be rotated out 90 degrees to face the rear, and can be rotated to face the front or up. They are independent, so one can deal with one area and another look at a different one. It’s a smart idea that I think a lot of people will use.

Each speaker has a power of 10 watts, so it can play loud. However, the sound is very thin, without much bass included even in the small driver curve in a small box. While audiences are more likely to hear what’s going on with the P1i compared to portable speakers, they won’t be disappointed with the sound quality. Well, maybe, given the price, but as you will learn in the next section, price is not a completely valid excuse.

The broadcast interface is Google TV, like all modern projectors. It’s smooth enough for everyday use and gives you access to all the countless big and small streaming services, too. If you want to connect a game console or your streaming stick, like Roku or Amazon, there is an HDMI input on the back. Surprisingly, the 3.5mm audio output is labeled AUX, which means line-level input, but it’s actually a headphone output.

Image quality comparison

TCL A1

The most logical competitor to the P1i I recently reviewed is TCL’s A1. This is also a budget projector with built-in streaming. It also has a simple lens, so there is no throwing up. Pricing at launch was steep, $500 to the P1i’s $370, but now the A1 is cheaper almost everywhere. I compared them both together on a 1.0-gain screen.

Physically, the P1i is huge, almost double the overall volume of the A1. Its gray exterior uses cheap-looking plastic that lacks the A1’s premium design. While the A1s have a handle, which can double as a stand, it’s the P1i’s swiveling ears that steal the show. Being able to direct sound directly to the audience is the ultimate boon for a low power sound system. That’s not to say the P1i sounds better, of course. The A1 has a fuller sound with better bass. The P1i has a slightly clearer treble. So I would say that the A1 has a slight edge in sound quality, but the P1i is more versatile and will sound better to most people sitting around the projector.

In their normal modes, Anker and TCL have the same brightness. I measured 382 and 433 lumens respectively. That’s not enough of a difference to notice. However, you can get more light from Anker using the slightly more accurate Normal mode, which is slightly cooler/bluer than Movie mode. This results in a 45% increase in brightness, which is noticeable, and is likely to be the mode most people use. However, there is more fan noise compared to the dimmer mode or the TCL A1. The low noise mode reduces the fans but also the brightness, and this is back down to almost the same brightness as the A1.

In terms of contrast ratio, the A1 is definitely better, with a 2,522:1 ratio to the top-end P1i’s 826:1. So the darkest parts of the A1’s image look a little grey, but given the P1i’s high brightness, this is less of a factor than if they had the same brightness. Contrast ratio is good, and often the most important aspect of a display’s performance, but more brightness is useful as you can create a larger image that still looks great.

Color is probably the biggest difference between the two. The P1i’s color is richer and more accurate than the more washed out colors of the A1. The grass is green; the red is rich and deep. After full illumination, the color difference is the most noticeable. The A1 is fine for the price, but in terms of color, the P1i looks like a more expensive projector.

The TCL A1 wins in aesthetics and, to a lesser extent, sound quality. The P1i, however, creates a better image than its price and the surround speakers are likely to be more useful in a variety of situations. There are two other options that are not direct competitors but are worth considering. Both are Anker Mars 3 Air again PlayCube for TCL they’re almost twice the price of the P1, but both are smaller and have built-in batteries. If portability is your main goal, that’s worth checking out.

Everything is in the ears

Soundcore (nee Nebula, nee Anker) designed the original oddball projectors recently, and to be honest, I’m here for that. I’ve been reviewing projectors for a while now, and it’s refreshing to see companies try different things.

The P1i is one of the best budget options I’ve seen for the occasional movie night or wall-to-wall gaming session. I think the price is good, especially if you get Google TV streaming, which is rare at that price lately. Performance, overall, is better than you’d expect from one of the more affordable projectors I’ve ever reviewed.

My only issue is the lack of high throw, which basically requires you to use keystone adjustment if you don’t place it too high off the ground. This isn’t a huge problem, especially since I doubt anyone buying a sub-$400 projector expects a good picture. Overall, the picture is better than the price suggests, so if it’s a little trapezoidal, so be it.