Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

Palm-sized projector with enough juice to screen movies

SINGAPORE — Through our years in school, we’ve learnt this: Projectors whir louder than ceiling fans, are temperamental and out of reach (they often require a chair, the tallest student in class and the added help of a ruler to get to). The new Canon Rayo R4 mini-projector has thrown these perceptions out the window.

SINGAPORE — Through our years in school, we’ve learnt this: Projectors whir louder than ceiling fans, are temperamental and out of reach (they often require a chair, the tallest student in class and the added help of a ruler to get to). The new Canon Rayo R4 mini-projector has thrown these perceptions out the window.

Its required set-up is as complicated as attaching one cable — from projector to device. Held snug in the palm, we turned on the 169g projector, which is no bigger than an external hard drive, and the machine started to cast a rectangular stream of white light at a conservative 50 lumens (a normal projector lets out light with at least a thousand lumens).

In less than three seconds, the image on our phone duplicated itself on the wall.

As foolproof as described, the portable projector’s set-up can be done in under a minute. The whole time, I could barely hear a whir. Canon Singapore said the internal fan lets out only a 59-decibel-milliwatt drone.

After setting it up, a toggle key on its side allows for manual image focusing, based on the projector’s throw distance. Propping it up 2m away from a wall surface allows for a 1.6m projection. At its largest, the projected image can go up to 2.3m before it loses clarity.

Holding the smartphone upright, we opened YouTube to test a video and found that the skinny vertical projection had morphed itself into a broader horizontal display, automatically optimising for the video output. It throws out the feed in its maximum resolution of 640 by 480 pixels. Synchronously, the built-in speaker started playing the video’s audio track.

Although its volume can be controlled by keys near its rear, its maximum level of one watt (an iPhone’s internal speaker can go up to three watts) seems to be enough for only a one-man audience. For a bigger audience, you have to use the audio jack on its rear so external speakers can be attached for an amplified sound.

With a 7.4-volt internal rechargeable battery with a capacity of 1,700mAh, the projector has enough juice to last a movie screening — it can produce a stable and continuous beam for about two-and-a-half-hours without a power source. The projector can also be charged while in use.

The Rayo R4 supports HDMI and Android phones’ MHL connections, comes with a countertop mini-tripod and is available at authorised dealers at S$499.

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.