A Review of Aaxa’s Pico and Micro Projectors
One of ShopXtreme's most popular items these past few months has been Aaxa's pico and micro projectors. These little guys are perfect for mobile projecting - lightweight, easy to use, and set at a great price for the kind of performance they deliver. However, some people are not sure about what to expect when they order them. Therefore, we here at ShopXtreme thought it would be a good idea to write a review and comparison of the different Aaxa projectors we carry and give people an idea of what to expect. After all, it's good to know that a projector displays images at 33 lumens, but what does that really look like? Read on to learn more.
Product Specifications
First off, we thought it would be a good idea for people to be able to see a side-by-side comparison of the specifications of the projectors. The table below compares the specs of the P1, P2, and upcoming M1 Standard projectors by Aaxa:
| P1 | P2 | M1 | |
| Native Resolution | 640 x 480 (VGA) | 800 x 600 (SVGA) | 800 x 600 (SVGA) |
| Lumens | 12 Lumens | 33 Lumens | 66 Lumens |
| Noise (dB) | 25dB | 30dB | 22dB |
| Lamp | LED 30,000 hours | LED 30,000 hours | 20,000 hour LED |
| Contract Ratio | 1000:1 | 1000:1 | 1000:1 |
| Focus | Manual | Manual | Manual |
| Aspect Ratio | 4:3 | 4:3 | 4:3 |
| Size | 105x58x26mm | 110x59x27mm | 112x105x46mm |
| Power Consumption | .9-1.5 watts | 15 watts | 30 watts |
| Power Supply | AC 100-240V, 50/60hz | AC 100-240V, 50/60hz | AC 100-240V, 50Hz/60Hz |
| Battery | DC 1900mAh battery | DC 1700mAh battery | Not included |
| Video In | Composite A/V | Composite A/V (3.5mm jack), VGA | Composite A/V (3.5mm Jack)* |
| Audio Out | 3.5 mm stereo jack | 3.5 mm stereo jack | 3.5 mm stereo jack |
| Audio Output | N/A | 1w stereo speakers, Stereo speaker/ headphone mini jack | 1w stereo speakers, Stereo speaker/ headphone mini jack |
| USB | 5-Pin Mini USB | 5-Pin Mini USB | 5-Pin Mini USB |
| Onboard Memory | 1 Gigabyte | 1 Gigabyte | 1 Gigabyte |
| External Memory | Micro SD card | Micro SD card | Micro SD card |
| Price |
$219.99 |
$349 |
TBA |
*Althought the M1 Standard does not feature VGA input, the M1 Plus edition will
Testing Comparison
While it is useful to have all of this information side-by-side, we thought it would be more effective if we took some time to set up the different projectors and take pictures of how each display looks. The first comparison we made was between a P1 and P2, using a Nintendo Wii:
- A P1 and P2 projector displaying a 55-inch Nintendo Wii output in a dimly light room
As you can see, the P2 fares better in this setting, which would be expected considering it uses a bulb with nearly triple the lumens than that of the P1. Next, we tried displaying a Windows desktop using the VGA port of the P2 in the exact same setting to give a sense of what it would look like to display a wider range of colors:
- A 55-inch display of a Windows desktop using a P2 projector
We have to admit that it fared much better than we had expected, given the nature of the image we were projecting. The different shades and hues of the colors were all easily visible. But what the P2 really excels at and is widely used for is displaying high contrast displays (i.e. black and white images). So we set up an Excel spreadsheet at 150% magnification on a 62-inch screen and came up with the following:
- A 62-inch display of an Excel spreadsheet at 150% from a P2 projector
As you can see, the P2 puts out a very clear and focused display, especially given the amount of light coming into the room from the window a couple of feet away. Finally, to test the upper limits of the P2, we set up a 72-inch display in the exact same environment and came up with this:
- A 72-inch display of an Excel spreadsheet at 150% from a P2 projector
It's important to take into consideration the amount of light coming into the room from two windows like the one that is partially visible in the two photographs above, and that many locations will have darker environments.
Final Thoughts
Although the P1 projector is physically smaller than the P2 and has a quieter fan (a negligible 5 decibel difference), the P2 offers much better performance in non-ideal conditions (anything other than a pitch black room). In addition to the nearly tripled lumen output and VGA port, it also comes with a small stand, remote control, and better image resolution. However, the upcoming M1 projector looks to improve on almost all of the selling points of the P2, giving much to hope for in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for a review of the M1!
Source: Aaxa
