Anker Nebula Cosmos Laser 4K projector evaluation: Ugly projector, beautiful image

Projectors are a novel different to televisions in some ways. Projectors are able to many various show sizes, for instance, whereas TVs are caught on the measurement you buy them. And also you would not haul a 72-inch flat display screen out to your yard bonfire, however many projectors are sufficiently small to be carried in a backpack.

Whereas they arrive with their share of setbacks, trendy projectors have persistently grown into smarter, extra succesful units. They help your favourite media apps by working Google TV or Android TV. You can too join a online game console or a nice streaming stick if the projector’s native platform is not providing you with what you want.

Anker’s Nebula Cosmos 4K projector is one among the many sea of choices, and it delivers fairly the sticker shock with its $2K price ticket. It is simple to balk — I did too — however there are some specs and options which will supply some redemption. Let’s have a look.

Worth, availability, and specs

With a advised retail value of $2,000, the Anker Nebula Cosmos’s value is not any small change. Nonetheless, it is at present on sale by way of Amazon, the place you possibly can snag it for $200 off. Anker’s Nebula storefront additionally sells the gadget, but it surely’s not on sale there.

What’s good concerning the Anker Nebula Cosmos 4K Projector?

The fan is a whisper and the show is unparalleled

​​​​​​I shortly observed that the Cosmos 4K is a really quiet projector. The fan on a comparable projector, the Dangbei DBOX02, is considerably louder. Anybody within the room the place the Dangbei is working would hear its fan whirring to disperse warmth, whereas I solely heard the Cosmos’s hum if I had been inside 2 to three ft.

The Anker Nebula Cosmos projector presents a local 4K decision and in addition helps 4K streaming by way of linked units like a streaming stick. The show efficiency between this 4K projector and the above-mentioned Dangbei 4K projector is, to the human eye, an identical. Each projectors make the most of a DLP fast-pixel-shifting show chip — that means that the sharpness and vividness of every projector’s show shall be by and huge the identical, assuming they’re throwing to the identical measurement, are on the similar brightness, and so forth.

That mentioned, the Cosmos’ image is beautiful. Within the footage under, I am watching the “America the Stunning” nature documentary, thrown to about 100 inches, on Film Mode. The colours are loads saturated, however the show was general heavier on the shadows than I preferred, so I switched to a Customized viewing mode and tweaked the distinction. I preferred the consequence, but it surely took a number of moments of adjusting to get there.

The Cosmos 4K makes use of a workforce of 4 Dolby Audio audio system (two 10-watt, two 5-watt) for its sound output. A household utilizing this projector’s onboard audio system to look at a film of their lounge can have no bother listening to the movie; sheer quantity is actually not a problem for the Cosmos 4K. With its Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, I attempted connecting the projector to a soundbar. I might advocate utilizing the projector’s 3.5mm connection as a substitute of Bluetooth the place potential if you happen to’re wanting so as to add exterior sound units — I needed to cease a film twice to reconnect the soundbar as a consequence of audio lag.

What’s unhealthy concerning the Anker Nebula Cosmos 4K Projector?

Google TV is best than Android TV, and questionable portability

Firstly, I am skeptical of Anker’s determination to name this gadget transportable. Okay, it has a deal with. That is fantastic — however wherever you carry it with that good little deal with should nonetheless have an influence outlet close by. And whereas I could not discover an IP score for the Cosmos 4K, its handbook prohibits any publicity to moisture or rain. This actually makes the Cosmos 4K appear much less ready for the weather than its personal sibling, the Anker Nebula Mars 3, an truly transportable projector (with battery energy and a modest IP score) that may’t meet the Cosmos 4K’s show high quality however is vastly extra inexpensive.

Additionally, Android TV isn’t as seamless of an expertise as Google TV, which the competing Dangbei DBOX02 makes use of. For instance, the Cosmos projector comes with a distant, however the distant’s settings button truly calls up the choices for Android TV itself, not the precise projector. For extra in-depth projector settings, like keystone, zoom, and film modes, the projector’s management panel have to be used. It is fantastic when you’re accustomed to what’s the place, however very agitating within the preliminary setup.

Lastly, the Cosmos 4K isn’t cute. It seems to be like the ability unit that your dad would plug his CPAP machine into on household tenting journeys. This rectangular, rugged look labored on the Anker Nebula Mars 3, however the Cosmos 4K, which is a supposedly-but-actually-not-at-all transportable projector, is extra more likely to completely sit in a single indoor spot than the Mars 3. So, I believe Anker missed a chance to tell apart this premium-priced projector with a premium visible design.

Must you purchase it?

Seems to be apart, it is among the finest projectors you should buy

Through the years, I’ve loved projectors, however by no means may fairly fall in love with them. They’re ripe with impracticalities, usually unusable within the daytime, and never as user-friendly as plain TVs.

Solely up to now couple of years has my opinion on projectors began to vary. Units just like the Cosmos 4K make us conscious of how far projectors have come. Contemplating that my greatest complaints with the Cosmos 4K are its aesthetic and a few software-related insufficiencies, this might very nicely be the right projector for any individual, even when that any individual is not me.

Hopefully, Anker combines the strengths of the Mars 3 and the Cosmos 4K, and sometime offers us a high-resolution, battery-powered projector that may truly go wherever and play something.