AAXA M7 Pico Projector – Review 2021

The $488 AAXA M7 Pico Projector is definitely extra of a mini projector than a pico mannequin. However whatever the class, it is totally moveable, because of a built-in battery that may maintain up lengthy sufficient on a cost for a full-length film or two or three enterprise shows. Just like the AAXA P6X ($359), it is best described as an oversize palmtop in form. Nonetheless, it is a little bit bigger and heavier than the P6X and gives larger decision for sharper, extra detailed photos. Not like the P6X, it is designed primarily for watching motion pictures and movies, and is just by the way helpful for enterprise shows as properly.

Excessive Decision for a Small Projector

The M7 combines a TI diamond-layout DLP imaging chip with an RGBB LED gentle supply rated for 30,000 hours in Eco mode. (There is not any printed score for Increase or Commonplace mode.) The chip is usually known as having a local 1080p decision, however that is a little bit of an oversimplification. It really places barely extra pixels on display screen than are in a 1,920-by-1,080-pixel matrix, which may result in scaling artifacts in photos with small repeating patterns. Nonetheless, for many photos, the result’s visually indistinguishable from a real 1,920-by-1,080 matrix, and it interprets to a sharper, extra detailed picture than the 720p (1,280-by-720) native decision that is extra widespread at this worth and dimension.

The M7 additionally accepts enter at as much as 4K (3,840 by 2,160 pixels) at as much as 30Hz, however it would not help HDR or HDCP 2.1, the copy safety scheme on 4K UHD discs. For those who attempt watching a 4K UHD HDR film utilizing your Blu-ray participant, it’s going to join at 1080p and SDR.

AAXA charges the projector at 1,200 LED lumens in its brightest mode with AC energy, and 650 LED lumens utilizing battery energy. Remember the fact that there isn’t a broadly accepted customary for gauging LED lumens, so neither quantity is helpful for evaluating to different projectors or for understanding the precise brightness. As well as, the brightest energy mode for the M7, which is known as Increase mode, provides an objectionable inexperienced tint to the picture, so you will not need to use it except you completely must compensate for a big display screen and ambient gentle.

Increase mode is offered solely when utilizing AC energy. The opposite two modes are Commonplace, which drops in brightness a bit when utilizing the battery, and Eco, which maintains the identical brightness for each AC and battery energy. Eco additionally extends battery life from a rated 2.1 hours to three hours. For my viewing checks, I used AC energy and Commonplace energy mode, which is rated at 950 LED lumens, and delivered near what I count on from about 500 ANSI lumens. (Extra on brightness later.)

The M7 weighs 3 kilos, not together with the exterior AC adapter. At 1.85 by 7.3 by 6.4 inches (HWD), it is sufficiently small to slot in a briefcase or backpack, however it would not include a protecting case to keep away from scratches. It is arguably a greater match for room-to-room portability, everlasting set up, or major use in a household room with occasional journeys to the yard for an outdoor movie night.

Setup is simple. Join a picture supply, flip the facility on, and alter the main target utilizing buttons on the distant. The powered focus is a pleasant contact, and is simple to manage for the sharpest picture. As is typical for small projectors, there is no optical zoom. Digital inputs embrace an HDMI port, a USB Kind-C port for mirroring cellular units, a card slot that may learn recordsdata from TF and microSD playing cards, and a USB Kind-A port.

The twin 4-watt audio system ship excessive sufficient quantity for a mid-size household room, and although audio high quality is barely tinny, it is fairly good for a projector this dimension. If you wish to join higher audio system, there is a 3.5mm stereo audio out port.

Shade Accuracy and Shadow Element

The M7 has three predefined image modes that do not permit adjustment, plus one consumer mode that allows you to change solely brightness, coloration saturation, distinction, and sharpness. Though there’s some minor variation in coloration accuracy among the many 4 modes, they’re related sufficient that it is onerous to see any distinction, particularly because the apparent method to swap modes hides the picture whereas switching.

Be aware, nevertheless, that there is additionally a hidden method that provides the Image menu as an overlay to the picture as a substitute of hiding it. To see the overlay, you should hit a button on the distant that’s labeled with an icon that appears like a digital camera iris, select the Again button, after which navigate by the menus, selecting Image, then the specified image mode.

The entire image modes had a major inexperienced bias utilizing Increase energy mode, and all have been way more watchable with Commonplace energy mode. In addition they all delivered primarily equivalent shadow element and black stage. I settled on utilizing the Commonplace image mode in my checks, which appeared tied with Delicate mode for having the closest to impartial coloration.

I discovered motion pictures and video fairly watchable. There was nonetheless a little bit of a inexperienced coloration shift, however it’s so minor that many will not discover it. I did additionally see a major lack of shadow element, even in darker areas of in any other case brightly lit scenes. It was most blatant in scenes I am acquainted with in our take a look at clips, however sufficient to be noticeable with different motion pictures as properly. Nonetheless, it was an issue just for unusually darkish scenes, certainly one of which misplaced virtually all element.

Very a lot on the plus facet, the M7 does a superb job of avoiding rainbow artifacts. I see these red-green-blue flashes simply when they’re current, and did not see any with the M7. That mentioned, for those who discover them bothersome, you need to nonetheless purchase from a seller who permits returns and not using a restocking charge, so you possibly can try it out for your self.

There is not any 3D help, and the enter lag is a little bit excessive even for informal players. I measured the lag with a Leo Bodnar meter at 56ms at 1080p/60Hz and at 65ms at 4K/30Hz.

As already talked about, the M7’s picture in Commonplace energy mode and Commonplace image mode was roughly as brilliant as I count on for a 500-ANSI-lumen lamp-based projector. In a darkish room, it threw a 16:9 picture that was brilliant sufficient on my 90-inch diagonal, 1.0-gain display screen for prolonged viewing, although you would possibly need to stick with a barely smaller display screen dimension for those who favor a considerably brighter picture. Utilizing an 80-inch display screen in a household room, it was brilliant sufficient to face as much as having lights on at night time and supply a watchable, if considerably washed out, image on an overcast day.

Extremely Watchable Pictures, Particularly for the Value

The AAXA M7 packs sufficient projector into its small case that it will possibly function a everlasting TV substitute in a household room or as a enterprise projector in a convention room. If that is all you need it for, without having for portability, take into account the lamp-based InFocus IN118BB as a substitute; it is dearer however brighter. For those who want portability however do not feel the necessity for the extent of element and picture sharpness that the 1080p decision gives, take into account the AAXA P6X for its higher shadow element, the BenQ GS2 for built-in streaming, or the Editors’ Selection–successful Miroir Synq M189 in order for you streaming with the dongle hidden and would relatively decide your individual streaming stick.

If the AAXA M7 is brilliant sufficient on your display screen dimension and ambient gentle stage, it gives good worth for the value, together with a lightweight supply that may final the lifetime of the projector, movie-length battery life, mobile-device mirroring, and completely acceptable picture high quality.