No lamp to replace, and no warm-up
A laser light source removes the consumable: makers state 20 000 to 30 000 hours where a lamp is replaced at 3 000 to 6 000, and the machine reaches full brightness in seconds instead of minutes. What varies enormously, and what a listing rarely makes clear, is how the colour is made: a single blue laser through a phosphor wheel, a blue laser plus a red one, or a full RGB triple. The three do not cover the same gamut, and the makers who publish a percentage of DCI-P3 or Rec. 709 are the ones worth reading. The rest of the comparison is ordinary projector business — stated brightness with its unit, contrast and whether it is native, throw ratio. We compare light source type and stated life, brightness with its unit, published colour gamut coverage, contrast type, and throw ratio.
Laser light source · battery powered · portable · home cinema and outdoor use stated
A laser projector small enough to carry and run on its own battery — the light source decides how it looks, the battery decides where it goes, and both are stated.
Best for: A garden in summer, a second room, or anywhere a mains socket and a dark room cannot both be arranged.
≈ 529 €
5 500 ANSI lumens · Full HD 1080p · 4K input accepted · 3 000 000:1 stated contrast · 30 000 h stated life · 2 × HDMI 2.0 · 1.3× zoom · 15 W speaker
A laser projector with the most completely stated specification on this shelf — brightness in ANSI, light source life in hours, zoom range, HDMI version and speaker power all published.
Best for: A room with ambient light where a lamp replacement every few thousand hours would be a nuisance — a classroom, a lounge, a bright living room.
≈ $1000 / £933 / 997 €
