Optoma PK301 Pico Projector

The basics

The Optoma PK301 is a pocket DLP projector weighing just 250g and measuring up at a dinky 120 x 70 x 30mm. It features micro SD and USB connectivity alongside mini HDMI, composite and (with adapter) iPod inputs.

The good

The PK301 boasts one of the better resolutions in the pocket projector business. While it doesn’t stretch quite into the eye-popping world of HD, the 854 x 480 pixel count is native 16:9 widescreen, making this model more suitable for watching movies than most of its rivals, which are firmly mired in 4:3-sville.

At 50 lumens the image is also brighter than most, and while you won’t be able to enjoy a movie in a well-lit room, you can get a punchy picture if you dim the lights.

There’s a mini HDMI input for quickly hooking up all manner of sources, alongside mini USB and a micro SD slot (32GB compatible), and the built-in battery delivers 1.5 hours of on-the-go use.

The bad

Optoma hasn’t been able to iron out all the issues with pico projector performance, however, and the PK301 tends to get pretty noisy on the fan front once you crank up the brightness. It also struggles to provide a really sharp picture – very noticeable if you’re viewing a 50-inch or larger picture. Oh, and the built-in speakers can only muster 0.5W of power, leaving them tinnier than a tuna cannery.

The bottom line

One of the better pico projectors around, undoubtedly – but you still have to trade off a lot in performance terms for that pocket-friendly size.