REVIEW – I’ve reviewed a handful of portable projectors now, but so far none of them have passed the “watching a Lord of the Rings Extended Edition on battery test”, of which movies the Return of the King runs a whopping four hours and one minute! I know most people aren’t watching 4 hours of movie in one sitting, but some of the portable projectors I’ve reviewed have struggled to even make it 90 minutes before dying, so having a longer running battery is crucial to me for a truly portable projector. JMGO’s new PicoFlix projector boasts a 4.5 hours runtime, so I had to give it a try!

What is it?

The JMGO PicoFlix projector is a portable projector with a built-in battery and speakers. It also sports an internal gimbal, allowing it to rotate and project onto screens higher than itself (or even ceilings). 

What’s included?

• JMGO PicoFlix projector
• Bluetooth Remote Control
• Power supply
• Manual
• Protective carrying case

Tech specs

Design and features

The JMGO PicoFlix projector ships in a great protective foam case with cutouts for the projector, power supply, and remote. I love that they include this and don’t simply offer it as an expensive add-on. 

Once out of the case, you can see that the projector is roughly the same shape and size as the very popular cylindrical bluetooth speakers that everyone seems to have. On the front is the projector lens and cameras (for automatic focus and framing). One end of the cylinder is designed to remain flat against a horizontal surface while the rest of the projector can rotate 127 degrees if your screen/surface is higher than the projector. 

On one side of the projector we have HDMI 2.1 in (with ARC supported), as well as a USB-A port for playing media off a storage drive. 

On the back is some ventilation slits and not much else. Notice on the left side of the above picture though, the rubber “foot” on one end of the projector wraps around quite a bit of it to allow for rotation while still having a rubber “foot” to grip the surface it’s sitting on. 

Around to the other side we have a USB-C port and the power button, as well as a pinhole reset switch. Both ends have openings to allow the speakers to play (as well as cooling fins visible on the upper portion. 

The DLP LED projector lens sports auto and manual focus options (though manual focus is done through a settings menu, not via dial or knob on the projector itself. 

The bottom of the projector has a tripod mounting point, which is handy for tripods or ceiling/wall mounts as well. 

The above GIF shows the projector being rotated. 

Assembly, Installation, Setup

Setup of the JMGO PicoFlix projector is as simple as plugging it in and turning it on, then going through the on-screen steps to setup the Google TV operating system. There’s an optional app that allows some controls from your phone, screenshots below:

I didn’t notice any bloatware outside the default Google TV setup, and Netflix is supported natively (with some projectors that aren’t Netflix-certified, you have to sideload the app). 

Performance

The picture and audio quality of the JMGO PicoFlix projector didn’t blow me away, but that could be due to me previously reviewing the phenomenal NEBULA Cosmos 4K SE projector, which is much larger (and more expensive, and lacking a battery), so it’s probably not a fair comparison. The JMGO PicoFlix projector has a good picture for a truly portable projector, especially if you keep it to ~60 inches or smaller. Just like 1080P/FHD flatscreen TVs, you’ll see the pixels if the projected display is over around 60 inches (depending on how far you are from the screen, of course). Here’s some testing footage shot in a dark room on a projector screen:

Next, battery life. I started watching the Fellowship of the Rings theatrical edition, which runs 3 hours and 48 minutes. Not one of the portable projectors I’ve tested so far have been able to get past 3 hours (with some under 2), so I figured this was the perfect test. I streamed it from my Plex server, which would use a bit of extra battery versus playing from a local flash drive. I set the projector to Eco mode, lowest brightness, and volume around 33%. I was impressed by the picture quality and brightness on this mode, it’s definitely darker than the max brightness in my footage above, but I had it on a closet door around 40 inches diagonal and it looked really good! I kept checking the battery every hour or so, and like clockwork it dropped just under 25% per hour, finishing the entire movie with 10% remaining. I was beyond impressed with this battery life, this projector would be the perfect camping companion: you can choose to either watch a longer drama/thriller movie or a pair of ~90 minute comedy movies without worrying about battery life. 

The interface is a bit laggy at times, just like our 2023 TCL TV in our living room with Google TV built in. It’s not unusable, but there are times where you definitely wish it was a bit more responsive. I’ve used far worse, but I do prefer a smoother interface. 

The autofocus and auto keyframe functions worked well, putting a decent picture onto a variety of surfaces, even if the projector is lower than you’d normally have one (like if you were placing it on a floor to project up onto a wall). The internal gimbal seems to do a good job, especially compared to other projectors I’ve tested where the picture would have been quite distorted at more extreme angles. I like how you can simply rotate the body of the projector up and down, and each time you do that or move it to a new location it automatically adjusts focus and keystone. I did find a couple times where it was slightly out of focus, and I simply picked it up and set it back down once or twice and got a better result. You can manually adjust through the settings menu as well. 

What I like about the JMGO PicoFlix projector

• Great battery life, can actually get over 4 hours on minimum brightness
• Decent brightness and picture quality
• Good enough speakers for everyday use or camping trips
• Love that it ships in a foam carry case with handle and latch

What needs to be improved?

• Sometimes the image was blurry after autofocus, I had to reset it by jostling it a bit to trigger a re-focus. 
• Autofocus and keystone usually worked well, but if it didn’t the manual controls aren’t quick and easy to access
• Slightly faster hardware (maybe more RAM?) to get a more responsive interface would be appreciated

Final thoughts

The JMGO PicoFlix portable projector is the best portable projector I’ve used or reviewed so far, at least based on battery life (which I would argue is the most important aspect of a portable projector).  The Wemax Dice portable projector has a better picture, but barely made it over 2 hours on battery which limits your movie choices. Going forward, if we’re watching backyard or indoor movies where I have access to AC power, I’ll go with a brighter 4K projector like the NEBULA Cosmos 4K SE projector. But if I’m going camping or I’m unsure about reliable AC power options, I would grab the JMGO PicoFlix projector in a heartbeat, it has a good picture and sound combined with that fantastic battery life that make it a no-brainer for me. 

Price: $599 ($449 sale at time of review)
Where to buy: JMGO and Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by JMGO. JMGO did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.