Super Bowl LX is coming this Sunday. If you're planning a game-day party, a portable projector delivers a serious big-screen experience - and I'm not just saying that because my team and I reviewed the best portable projectors around.
Not all projectors are suitable for watching football. So, I've selected six models we've tested that deliver the right blend of specs to make sure you won't miss a thing.
Quick list
Best overall
The complete package - a bright 4K projector with motion smoothing
Best on a budget
Compact, motion smoothing, and cheaper than most.
Best brightness
A seriously premium pick that's impressively bright.
Best instant set-up
A point-and-play portable with a stand for simple setups.
Best for outdoors
A rugged projector with built-in battery for outdoor parties.
Best for wall projections
Calibrates itself to deliver natural-colored images.
The specs to check
There are three main specs you'll want to look for if you're planning to use a projector for your Super Bowl party. I recommend not buying any portable projector without checking these. Here's what I suggest looking for...
- MEMC (motion estimation/motion compensation) - smooths out movement, eliminating judder, so the football won't appear blurry during fast passes.
- Lumens - aim for 1500+ ANSI or ISO lumens. The picture will still pop if you're watching in a brightly lit room or you're on the west coast.
- Resolution - 4K delivers a detailed image especially when viewing on a 100-inch screen or above, so the score ticker, player stats, and clock are always readable.
Four of the models here feature MEMC (sometimes called motion smoothing), with all but my budget and outdoors choices boasting 4K resolution for best clarity of image.
I've also researched each model's brightness, so you'll have a good idea whether it's suitable your game-day party.
A word of warning. Don't be fooled by any projector listing brightness measurements as 'Lux' - it's usually a way to make a cheap, dim portable projector appear brighter in the specs sheet, but it doesn't tell the full story.
- Lumens are the unit of measurement for the total light power from the projector - it's a trusted scientific measurement.
- Lux measures how much light is given out on a single section of the wall or screen - often while the device is only a few inches away. Once you move the projector back far enough to fill a bigger screen, that brightness is going to fade into a washed-out image.
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