Dangbei Atom review: A top compact projector for casual gaming

The projector market is beaming shiny proper now, with manufacturers continuously making an attempt to lure media connoisseurs and players away from flat-screen TVs and screens – which require plenty of house in your house. The Dangbei Atom laser projector marks simply how far shopper know-how has are available just a few years, packing Google TV and that huge world of sensible apps right into a small field measuring simply over 7 inches extensive.

The compact Atom was launched at first of 2024, and it cements Chinese language model Dangbei as a critical maker of sensible projectors for house leisure. However how does it stack up towards the most effective gaming projectors? On this evaluation, I’ve put it to good use over a number of months to search out out.

One of many Atom’s most promising perks is the 40-180-inch show dimension, that means you may set up it in just about any room with sufficient clean wall house (ideally of sunshine or impartial shade). Its brightness can also be excessive, whereas on paper, options like autofocus and auto-keystone are designed that can assist you create a wonderfully sharp and formed image as and while you transfer the Atom about from room to room. On paper is one factor, however listed below are my experiences with the Dangbei Atom in actual life.

Dangbei Atom Specs:

Design

Projectors of all kinds was once hulking nice lumps, that required a trolly to maneuver round and preserve steady. After all, we’ve moved on from these days, and the Dangbei Atom is proof of that. At underneath 2 inches thick and weighing lower than my laptop computer, the Atom is designed to be compact and carryable – extra so for transferring to completely different rooms in the home than essentially taking out with you. Though I did take it to a pal’s home for a film evening throughout my testing interval.

In brief, the Atom is little sufficient to suit comfortably in most gaming rooms or bedrooms, and because of its low weight you may pop it on a facet desk with out inflicting pressure. A rubber ring on the underside additionally prevents scratching shiny surfaces like glass.

The Atom is made out of darkish grey plastic with a delicate sheen, and its sq. casing is neat. The outside is clean to the contact and feels surprisingly premium regardless of its light-weight chops, and though it’s barely vulnerable to fingerprints, they are often wiped off simply. Aside from a cooling vent on the rear, you don’t get any protruding elements to by accident knock, which might trigger injury over time.

On the again is an HDMI, USB, energy port, and a 3.5mm audio jack for headphones or laptop audio system. Nonetheless, this projector can simply be used as an all-in-one, with two 5W Dolby audio system on both facet of the unit. The unit has a tripod thread on its base, and mounting it on one among my digital camera tripods was the simplest manner for me to place it excessive sufficient. After all, this thread additionally works with ceiling or wall mounts – excellent for those who plan to maintain it as a everlasting fixture.

There aren’t any controls on the Dangbei Atom, as you navigate the Good TV projector solely with the included distant. It’s lengthy, skinny, and surprisingly weighty, wanting like a much bigger Hearth TV distant. As you’d anticipate there are buttons for the ability and quantity, in addition to Google Assistant, YouTube, Netflix, and Prime Video. Two facet keys present fast entry to focus and audio settings, however you may’t swap to your HDMI enter with out operating via the Google TV interface.

Efficiency

Opinions are all about expectations, and weighing up the producer’s claims towards what the product does in actual life. Is Dangbei pitching the Atom as a gaming projector? Completely not, however that doesn’t imply you may’t plug in a PC or laptop computer and revel in an evening of informal gaming on a much bigger display.

I discovered the image was finest considered in a darkened room and struggled to see it clearly on a shiny, sunny day, however that is normal for many projectors, even these on the premium finish. The projector is able to a display dimension starting from 40-180 inches, though Dangbei recommends 60-100 inches. At each extremes, I discovered the image crisp and clear, and the smaller dimension was excellent for a compact spare room – an space the place different projectors had struggled.

What’s most spectacular in regards to the Dangbei is its picture correction, which is totally computerized for essentially the most half until you wish to delve into the picture correction menu. Auto Keystone Correction created a straight, well-angled picture in about 5 seconds or much less each time I moved the unit round to check this.

Not having a projector display, however a home stuffed with primarily white or mild grey partitions, the colours from the projector all the time felt wealthy and correct. Though when watching darker TV reveals like the brand new Batman: Caped Crusader on Amazon Prime, the distinction of the shadowed areas might have been stronger. It was the identical feeling when taking part in gloomy video games, with opponents fairly exhausting to see when lurking in the dead of night. After all, Google TV comes with a raft of primary, free video games (playable with the distant solely) and these have been shiny and vibrant.

With solely a USB2.0 and  HDMI-in port, the Atom is nowhere close to as well-connected as most devoted gaming projectors, however its plug-in-play operation was nonetheless flawless, with a laptop computer, mini gaming PC, and gaming console all plugged in and displaying inside just a few seconds. For me, the convenience of use of this unit trumps connectivity, even when the Google TV app itself typically lagged and took about 10 seconds to achieve the following display.

Ought to You Purchase?

• Sure: If you would like a compact projector primarily for streaming
• Sure: In the event you’ve acquired restricted house at house
• No: In the event you’re a critical gamer

Alternate options

In the event you’re a aggressive gamer in want of particular taking part in firepower, BenQ is a model with loads of fashions to serve your wants.

BenQ X500i. Whereas its extra conventional kind issue definitely is not as transportable, you get a breadth of ports and extra responsive picture high quality for a clean image. The 4K decision takes issues up a notch additional.” data-logo=”https://www./wp-content/websites/pcgamesn/2024/05/benq-x500i-lens.jpg” data-gamename=”” data-affmerchant=”” data-affprevprice=”” data-affprice=”” data-affctatext=”Learn our evaluation” data-afflink=”https://www./benq-x500i-review” data-affmessage=”Community N Media earns affiliate fee from qualifying gross sales.” data-widget-type=”star”>

Verdict

The Dangbei Atom is a generalist projector for informal gaming, able to displaying TV reveals, motion pictures, and video games as much as a large 180 inches. It shines (actually) in smaller rooms, too, because of its minimal 40-inch display dimension. The Google TV ecosystem brings you a myriad of sensible apps together with Netflix, Prime, and Disney+, alongside some primary, free video games on Google Play.

The Atom shines for portability, though batteries aren’t included.  It’s fast to arrange and straightforward to maneuver round, however the slower response fee and non-4K decision will probably be a problem for aggressive gamers. In brief, it’s plenty of enjoyable. Get it for those who’re available in the market for an inexpensive all-in-one streaming answer, somewhat than a class-leading gaming projector or monitor substitute.