The Best Portable Mini Projector for Movies in 2022

Our pick

Xgimi MoGo Pro

The MoGo Pro offers a portable 1080p projector and an Android TV streaming media player in one small, battery-powered package.

The Xgimi MoGo Pro offers almost everything we could ask for in a portable movie projector. This 1920×1080-resolution projector delivers a good-looking image with better contrast and detail (and more picture adjustments) than you can get from most of its competitors. Also, it’s easy to set up and use, it’s compact, and it has an internal battery that lasted about two hours in our tests (it also comes with an 8-foot power cord). Best of all, the MoGo Pro has Android TV with Chromecast and Google Assistant built in, so it’s basically a projector and a full-fledged streaming media player in one. That means you don’t have to connect an external video player to enjoy lots of movies and other streamed content, though the unit has HDMI and USB Type-A inputs if you need them. The internal speaker sounds respectably loud and full. In addition, the MoGo Pro supports both Bluetooth output (to send audio to an external speaker or to headphones) and input (to serve as a Bluetooth speaker). The only downsides to this projector are that it’s not as bright as others we tested and that it currently does not support the Netflix app (but there are workarounds).

Also great

BenQ GS2

The GS2 is one of the brightest and most accurate portable projectors we’ve tested, and the more durable, weatherproof design makes it a good outdoor projector.

If you’re looking for something more rugged to use outside, the BenQ GS2 is both splash and drop resistant, so it’s a good choice for camping or enjoying a backyard movie night when mated with a modest-size screen. This is one of the brightest projectors we’ve measured for this guide, and it also has the highest contrast ratio, the best color accuracy, and the longest battery life (we got about 3 hours 10 minutes in our tests). The sound quality is decent, and like the MoGo Pro, the GS2 can double as a Bluetooth speaker. Because of its lower, 720p resolution and higher black level, movies don’t look as rich and detailed in a dark room as they do through the MoGo Pro, but the picture is certainly good enough for casual TV watching or the occasional outdoor viewing session. The drawbacks: The on-screen menu system is clunky, and the built-in Aptoide TV streaming platform is more limited and less intuitive than Android TV. But if you’re using the projector outdoors where Wi-Fi streaming isn’t an option, you’re more likely to load a bunch of content onto a USB drive or connect your mobile device directly, and for that the GS2 has HDMI, USB-A, and USB-C inputs. It also comes with a nice carrying case.