TechTvsAcer C250i review: a portable projector with excellent autofocusThe Acer C250i will fit in your backpack and it has 5 hours of battery lifeWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.(Image credit: Future)T3 VerdictIf you want a small portable projector with superb image quality and decent battery life then you should consider the Acer C250i. It projects clear FHD images onto the wall as long as the room is dark enough. The best part is its autofocus which works remarkably well and there are loads of ways to connect to it.Reasons to buy+Speedy effective autofocus+Clear, sharp FHD image+5-hour battery lifeReasons to avoid-No Android software built-in-Only 300 lumens brightness-Speaker could be improvedWhy you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
TechTvsAcer C250i review: a portable projector with excellent autofocusThe Acer C250i will fit in your backpack and it has 5 hours of battery lifeWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.(Image credit: Future)T3 VerdictIf you want a small portable projector with superb image quality and decent battery life then you should consider the Acer C250i. It projects clear FHD images onto the wall as long as the room is dark enough. The best part is its autofocus which works remarkably well and there are loads of ways to connect to it.Reasons to buy+Speedy effective autofocus+Clear, sharp FHD image+5-hour battery lifeReasons to avoid-No Android software built-in-Only 300 lumens brightness-Speaker could be improvedWhy you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
The Acer C250i will fit in your backpack and it has 5 hours of battery life
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Future)T3 VerdictIf you want a small portable projector with superb image quality and decent battery life then you should consider the Acer C250i. It projects clear FHD images onto the wall as long as the room is dark enough. The best part is its autofocus which works remarkably well and there are loads of ways to connect to it.Reasons to buy+Speedy effective autofocus+Clear, sharp FHD image+5-hour battery lifeReasons to avoid-No Android software built-in-Only 300 lumens brightness-Speaker could be improved
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
T3 VerdictIf you want a small portable projector with superb image quality and decent battery life then you should consider the Acer C250i. It projects clear FHD images onto the wall as long as the room is dark enough. The best part is its autofocus which works remarkably well and there are loads of ways to connect to it.Reasons to buy+Speedy effective autofocus+Clear, sharp FHD image+5-hour battery lifeReasons to avoid-No Android software built-in-Only 300 lumens brightness-Speaker could be improved
T3 VerdictIf you want a small portable projector with superb image quality and decent battery life then you should consider the Acer C250i. It projects clear FHD images onto the wall as long as the room is dark enough. The best part is its autofocus which works remarkably well and there are loads of ways to connect to it.
T3 Verdict
If you want a small portable projector with superb image quality and decent battery life then you should consider the Acer C250i. It projects clear FHD images onto the wall as long as the room is dark enough. The best part is its autofocus which works remarkably well and there are loads of ways to connect to it.
Reasons to buy+Speedy effective autofocus+Clear, sharp FHD image+5-hour battery lifeReasons to avoid-No Android software built-in-Only 300 lumens brightness-Speaker could be improved
Reasons to buy+Speedy effective autofocus+Clear, sharp FHD image+5-hour battery life
Speedy effective autofocus
Clear, sharp FHD image
5-hour battery life
Reasons to avoid-No Android software built-in-Only 300 lumens brightness-Speaker could be improved
No Android software built-in
Only 300 lumens brightness
Speaker could be improved
Why you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
Why you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
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This Acer C250i review is a great starting point for anyone looking for a reasonably priced portable projector. This one is versatile with plenty of connectivity options and Full HD image quality, if you’re on a budget then it’s one of thebest projectorsyou can buy.
I’ve been using the Acer C250i portable projector for a few months and here you can find out how I got on with it, as well as what I thought about its design, setup and performance.
Acer C250i review: price and availability
You can buy the Acer C250i portable projector starting from $505 in the US, £400 in the UK, and AU$840 in Australia. The widgets on this page will show you where you can buy it in your region.
Acer C250i review: design and setup
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
Small and portable the Acer C250i is easy to use in different spots, whether that’s outside or inside, you will need to be wary of sudden bursts of bad weather if you do use it in your garden because it’s not waterproof.
About 775g in weight, it’s not a pain to carry around in a backpack but admittedly, at 9.8 x 9.8 x 16.8 cm, it is a little bit bigger than some other options on the market. Even so, it should fit just about anywhere.
The twisted tubular design is unique, although it does have more limitations than a regular stand when it comes to the projection’s height on the wall. But in saying that you can hook it up to a tripod which could help you to adjust the height, and you can also use it both vertically and horizontally, depending on where you need to place it and how you want to use it.
There are loads of different ports to hook up your devices including a MicroSD card slot, an HDMI port, a USB Type-A, a USB Type-C and an Audio port. There are a few other ways to display content as well, it has wireless projection using Wi-Fi on the EZCast app and Bluetooth 5.2 although there’s no built-inAndroidlike you can get elsewhere so it doesn’t come with any apps built-in.
You can also switch it on, navigate through the system and adjust the volume using the remote control. The remote is small, slim and simple but does everything you need it to. It’s an IR remote (as opposed to Bluetooth) so you do need to point it at the projector for it to work.
In the box, as well as the remote, the Acer C250i comes with the power adaptor, a Quick Start Guide and a protective pouch.
Setting up the projector is very easy when you use a wired connection, you just need to hook it up to power and to one of your devices before switching it on using the included remote control. You then pick your language and input - that’s it!
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
Wireless projection takes a little more effort to set up. You’ll first need to plug in the wireless dongle and then go to the settings page to connect the projector to your home Wi-Fi network. It took me a bit of time to do because typing is very slow. Then, on your Android phone, you need to download the EZCast app and follow the on-screen instructions.
Another way to display content from your phone or tablet is using screen mirroring which will project a copy of your smartphone. It does a good job, and automatically switches the orientation to best suit the type of content you’re showing.
Once up and running you can cast everything from your saved photos to YouTube videos. It did sometimes take a few minutes to display the content, but it’s responsive and works almost instantaneously as you navigate around your system.
Thanks to all the different connectivity on the device, you will be able to use this with your laptop, smartphone, tablet or even a streaming device like theAmazon Fire TV Stick 4K.
Whichever orientation you place it, the projector sits stably on the table and there’s plenty of space between the edges of the device and the lens so even when I placed it horizontally the projection wasn’t easily obstructed.
Day to day, I enjoyed using the projector. It was great to be able to carry it around the house and garden using it in different spots for different purposes, but sometimes I did find it was quite noisy especially when I’d be using it for a couple of hours.
Acer C250i review: performance
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
The image was clear, sharp and packed full of colours. But it was the effective and speedy autofocus that most impressed me, the Acer C250i did a great job at adjusting the image to suit its backdrop. It was also able to project across quite a large surface given its small size. I quite happily used this to display all sorts of content whether that was holiday snaps or aNetflixseries.
My only issue with the image quality was the brightness, at only 300 lumens, you do sometimes miss out on details in the frame especially when there is some light in the room. That’s particularly problematic playing darker video games and movies because it means you’ll miss out on a fair amount. If you’re a gamer I would suggest looking for a more dedicated gaming projector that can be used in more lighting conditions.
The sound quality from the projector could be improved as well, while it is louder than a lot of other small projectors, I still found it to be pretty quiet and even a little distorted on the highest levels. I was grateful for the Bluetooth and 3.5mm audio port though because it meant I could hook up an external speaker to it quickly and easily.
Acer C250i review: verdict
(Image credit: Acer)
(Image credit: Acer)
As far as portable projectors go, the Acer C250i is one of the better ones, and its price tag isn’t over-the-top either. It’s a good size, with plenty of ways to show your content and the battery life is good too.
Because the brightness is fairly limited, you will have to use it in the pitch black or as close to it as you can get and I would recommend hooking it up to a separate audio device as well if you plan to use it in a larger space. But those are the only significant downsides I can think of because actually, this portable FHD projector is a great buy.
Acer C250i review: also consider
If you’re not on a budget and you’re looking for the best in the business, you should take a look at theOptoma CinemaX P2. It’s a 4K short-throw projector that is intended for living rooms and it comes packed with a powerful sound system as well, it is very expensive though in comparison to the Acer C250i.
That is likely to be far too expensive for a lot of people though, and it’s not portable. The Viewsonic M2 Mobile Studio is a lot cheaper, it’s a portable FHD projector with style and you can connect to it through Wi-FI, HDMI v2.0, a MicroSD card, USB, 3.5mm audio output and it has Bluetooth to hook up your wireless headphones as well.
Acer C250i: Price Comparison
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