Soundcore Nebula P1i
Pros
- Clever rotating "ears"
- Decently bright
- Google TV streaming
Cons
- Budget lens limits placement options
- A bit noisy at full brightness
The Soundcore Nebula P1i has speakers that fold out and rotate. They look a lot like little elephant ears. They're also gray. So if you add a trunk and a second eyeball -- and you squint a lot -- then it's sort of a mini robot elephant. It's actually a projector, of course, and a budget one at that.
What's most impressive beyond the adorable and functional "ears" is the fact that the P1i performs far better than you'd expect for a projector that includes Google TV and costs less than $400. It has a simplistic lens that requires it to be positioned at roughly midpoint of the image it is projecting (no upward throw), but as long as you don't mind that, a trapezoidal image or a bit of keystone correction, this is a great budget projector.
Specs and such
- Resolution: 1080p
- Lumens spec: 380 (ANSI)
- Zoom: No
- Lens shift: No
- Light source type: LED
To avoid confusion, a quick explanation about naming. Parent company Anker seems to hate the name Anker and has numerous subbrands, but also, they drop and combine subbrands regularly. So the Nebula subbrand has been absorbed into Soundcore, the subbrand famous for quite decent Bluetooth headphones and speakers. It's an odd pairing in my mind, but what do I know? So you can alternately call this the Anker Soundcore Nebula P1i or the Soundcore Nebula P1i by Anker. That's a mouthful. Also, apparently the "S" is lowercase in their branding, but no, sorry, that's a bridge too far.
The P1i has 1080p resolution, quite a step up from the 720p that was common in budget projectors not too long ago. Unless you're sitting exceptionally close to a normal-sized image or trying to project an abnormally huge image, this resolution is more than enough -- you're not going to see pixels.
Soundcore claims a light output of 380 ANSI lumens. I measured 382 in its most accurate mode. That is, I think, the closest a company's claims have ever been to my real-world measurements. Usually they're more… let's say "optimistic." Even more impressive is the P1i is actually capable of even more. In the least accurate Conference mode, it's capable of 603 lumens. That's quite good for an inexpensive projector, brighter than many portables and not far off something like the Epson Flex Plus, which I measured as 655 in its most accurate mode, though a far brighter 817 in its brightest.
The biggest issue with the P1i is the lens, in that it's a simple design similar to other budget projectors like the TCL A1 and Vimgo P10. While there are benefits, not least reduced cost, the drawback is no upward throw. The vast majority of projectors create an image that's slightly above its lens. This allows for coffee-table placement or mounting on a ceiling, and the projected image appears somewhere near the middle of the wall.
The P1i, instead, projects its image straight out the front. The middle of the lens is basically the middle of the image. It's rare that anyone would mount a projector around four feet in the air to project on the middle of a wall, so if you place it on a low-slung table this gives you two choices: The easiest is just dealing with a trapezoidal image, but almost as easy is using the P1i's built-in keystone correction. This isn't ideal because it's only using a portion of the imaging chip, so you're losing resolution and brightness as well as potentially adding some artifacts. For a $370 projector, this isn't a huge deal, but it's worth keeping in mind.
Connections
- HDMI inputs: 1
- USB port: 1 USB-A
- Audio output: 3.5mm headphone, Bluetooth
- Internet: Wi-Fi
- Streaming interface: Google TV
- Remote: Backlit
The main attraction of the P1i is the adjustable speakers. For a projector that's clearly intended for use in impromptu spaces, this seems like a great idea. People might be gathered around in front, beside, behind or all of these. Many small projectors only have speakers facing one direction, maybe two, and if they're not facing you, the sound is often quieter or more muffled. The P1i's speakers can rotate out 90 degrees so they're facing backward, and then they can rotate so they face forward or up. They're independent, so one can face one direction and the other in a different direction. It's a clever idea that I imagine a lot of people will use.
Each speaker has 10 watts of power at its disposal, so they can play fairly loud. However, the sound is rather thin, without much bass even graded on the curve of small drivers in a small box. While the audience is more likely to hear what's going on with the P1i compared to some portable speakers, they're not going to be overwhelmed with the sound quality. Fair, perhaps, given the price, but as you'll read in the next section, the price isn't a totally valid excuse.
The streaming interface is Google TV, like nearly all modern projectors. It's slick enough in daily use and gives you access to all the major streaming services and countless minor ones, too. If you want to connect a gaming console or your own streaming stick, like Roku or Amazon, there's an HDMI input on the back. Curiously, the 3.5mm audio output is labeled AUX, implying a line-level input, but it's a headphone output.
Picture quality comparisons
The most logical competitor to the P1i I've reviewed recently is TCL's A1. This is also a budget projector with built-in streaming. It also has a simple lens, so no upward throw. Pricing at launch was a lot more expensive, $500 to the P1i's $370, but currently the A1 is cheaper just about everywhere. I compared them both side by side on a 1.0-gain screen.
Physically, the P1i is larger, roughly twice the overall volume of the A1. Its gray-on-gray exterior uses cheaper-looking plastic with none of the A1's classy design. While the A1's has a handle, which can double as a stand, it's the P1i's rotating ears which steals the show. Being able to direct sound directly at the audience is an absolute boon for a low-power sound system. That's not to say the P1i sounds better, exactly. The A1 has a fuller sound with better bass. The P1i has a little clearer treble. So I'd say the A1 has a slight edge in sound quality, but the P1i is far more versatile and will be better heard by more people sitting around the projector.
In their regular modes, both the Anker and the TCL have similar brightness. I measured 382 and 433 lumens respectively. That's not enough of a difference to notice. However, you can get more light from the Anker using the less accurate Standard mode, which is only slightly cooler/bluer than the Movie mode. This results in a roughly 45% increase in brightness, which is noticeable, and likely the mode most people will use. However, there's also a lot more fan noise compared to the dimmer mode or the TCL A1. A low noise mode reduces the fans but also the brightness, and this is back down to roughly the same brightness as the A1.
In terms of contrast ratio, the A1 is definitely better, with an as-measured 2,522:1 to the P1i's still-decent 826:1. So the darkest parts of the A1's image look less gray, but given the greater light output of the P1i, this is less of a factor than if they had the same brightness. Contrast ratio is great, and generally the most important aspect of a display's performance, but the additional light output is more practical since you can create a bigger image that's still watchable.
Color is probably the biggest difference between the two. The P1i's color is more saturated and more accurate than the more washed-out colors of the A1. Grass is greener; reds are richer and deeper. After the overall brightness, the color difference is what's 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 on aesthetics and, slightly, sound quality. The P1i, however, creates a better image than its price implies and the rotating speakers are likely far more useful in a wider variety of situations. There are two other options that aren't direct competitors but are worth considering. Both Anker's own Mars 3 Air and TCL's PlayCube are roughly twice the price of the P1, but both are smaller and have built-in batteries. If portability is your main goal, those are worth checking out.
It's all in the ears
Soundcore (nee Nebula, nee Anker) has designed some real oddball projectors recently, and to be honest, I'm here for it. I've been reviewing projectors for a very long time, 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-sized gaming session. I think the price is great, especially considering you get Google TV streaming, a rarity at that price not long ago. Performance, overall, is better than you'd expect for one of the least expensive projectors I've ever reviewed.
My only issue is the lack of upward throw, which basically requires you to use keystone correction if you don't place it pretty high off the floor. This isn't a huge issue, especially since I doubt anyone buying a sub-$400 projector is expecting a perfect image. Overall, the image is better than the price implies, so if it's a bit trapezoidal, so be it.