Dangbei Atom overview: A high compact projector for informal gaming

The projector market is beaming vibrant proper now, with manufacturers continually making an attempt to lure media connoisseurs and players away from flat-screen TVs and displays – which require loads of house in your house. The Dangbei Atom laser projector marks simply how far shopper expertise has are available a couple of years, packing Google TV and that huge world of good apps right into a small field measuring simply over 7 inches large.

The compact Atom was launched at the start of 2024, and it cements Chinese language model Dangbei as a critical maker of good projectors for dwelling leisure. However how does it stack up in opposition to the very best gaming projectors? On this overview, I’ve put it to good use over a number of months to seek out out.

One of many Atom’s most promising perks is the 40-180-inch show measurement, that means you may set up it in just about any room with sufficient clean wall house (ideally of sunshine or impartial coloration). Its brightness can also be excessive, whereas on paper, options like autofocus and auto-keystone are designed that can assist you create a wonderfully sharp and formed image as and while you transfer the Atom about from room to room. On paper is one factor, however listed here are my experiences with the Dangbei Atom in actual life.

Dangbei Atom Specs:

Design

Projectors of all kinds was once hulking nice lumps, that required a trolly to maneuver round and maintain secure. In fact, we’ve moved on from these days, and the Dangbei Atom is proof of that. At underneath 2 inches thick and weighing lower than my laptop computer, the Atom is designed to be compact and carryable – extra so for shifting to completely different rooms in the home than essentially taking out with you. Though I did take it to a pal’s home for a film evening throughout my testing interval.

In brief, the Atom is little sufficient to suit comfortably in most gaming rooms or bedrooms, and due to its low weight you may pop it on a aspect desk with out inflicting pressure. A rubber ring on the underside additionally prevents scratching shiny surfaces like glass.

The Atom is constructed from darkish grey plastic with a delicate sheen, and its sq. casing is neat. The outside is easy to the contact and feels surprisingly premium regardless of its light-weight chops, and though it’s barely prone to fingerprints, they are often wiped off simply. Other than a cooling vent on the rear, you don’t get any protruding elements to by chance knock, which might trigger injury over time.

On the again is an HDMI, USB, energy port, and a 3.5mm audio jack for headphones or laptop audio system. Nonetheless, this projector can simply be used as an all-in-one, with two 5W Dolby audio system on both aspect of the unit. The unit has a tripod thread on its base, and mounting it on considered one of my digital camera tripods was the best approach for me to place it excessive sufficient. In fact, this thread additionally works with ceiling or wall mounts – excellent in case you plan to maintain it as a everlasting fixture.

There are not any controls on the Dangbei Atom, as you navigate the Good TV projector fully with the included distant. It’s lengthy, skinny, and surprisingly weighty, trying like an even bigger Fireplace TV distant. As you’d count on there are buttons for the ability and quantity, in addition to Google Assistant, YouTube, Netflix, and Prime Video. Two aspect keys present fast entry to focus and audio settings, however you may’t swap to your HDMI enter with out operating by means of the Google TV interface.

Efficiency

Opinions are all about expectations, and weighing up the producer’s claims in opposition to what the product does in actual life. Is Dangbei pitching the Atom as a gaming projector? Completely not, however that doesn’t imply you may’t plug in a PC or laptop computer and revel in an evening of informal gaming on an even bigger display screen.

I discovered the image was finest seen in a darkened room and struggled to see it clearly on a vibrant, sunny day, however that is commonplace for many projectors, even these on the premium finish. The projector is able to a display screen measurement starting from 40-180 inches, though Dangbei recommends 60-100 inches. At each extremes, I discovered the image crisp and clear, and the smaller measurement was excellent for a compact spare room – an space the place different projectors had struggled.

What’s most spectacular concerning the Dangbei is its picture correction, which is totally automated for probably the most half except you need to delve into the picture correction menu. Auto Keystone Correction created a straight, well-angled picture in about 5 seconds or much less each time I moved the unit round to check this.

Not having a projector display screen, however a home stuffed with primarily white or mild grey partitions, the colours from the projector at all times felt wealthy and correct. Though when watching darker TV reveals like the brand new Batman: Caped Crusader on Amazon Prime, the distinction of the shadowed areas might have been stronger. It was the identical feeling when taking part in gloomy video games, with opponents fairly onerous to see when lurking in the dead of night. In fact, Google TV comes with a raft of primary, free video games (playable with the distant solely) and these have been vibrant and vibrant.

With solely a USB2.0 and  HDMI-in port, the Atom is nowhere close to as well-connected as most devoted gaming projectors, however its plug-in-play operation was nonetheless flawless, with a laptop computer, mini gaming PC, and gaming console all plugged in and displaying inside a couple of seconds. For me, the benefit of use of this unit trumps connectivity, even when the Google TV app itself typically lagged and took about 10 seconds to succeed in the subsequent display screen.

Ought to You Purchase?

• Sure: If you need a compact projector primarily for streaming
• Sure: When you’ve received restricted house at dwelling
• No: When you’re a critical gamer

Alternate options

When you’re a aggressive gamer in want of particular taking part in firepower, BenQ is a model with loads of fashions to serve your wants.

BenQ X500i. Whereas its extra conventional kind issue definitely is not as moveable, you get a breadth of ports and extra responsive picture high quality for a easy image. The 4K decision takes issues up a notch additional.” data-logo=”https://www./wp-content/websites/pcgamesn/2024/05/benq-x500i-lens.jpg” data-gamename=”” data-affmerchant=”” data-affprevprice=”” data-affprice=”” data-affctatext=”Learn our overview” data-afflink=”https://www./benq-x500i-review” data-affmessage=”Community N Media earns affiliate fee from qualifying gross sales.” data-widget-type=”star”>

Verdict

The Dangbei Atom is a generalist projector for informal gaming, able to displaying TV reveals, films, and video games as much as a big 180 inches. It shines (actually) in smaller rooms, too, due to its minimal 40-inch display screen measurement. The Google TV ecosystem brings you a myriad of good apps together with Netflix, Prime, and Disney+, alongside some primary, free video games on Google Play.

The Atom shines for portability, though batteries aren’t included.  It’s fast to arrange and simple to maneuver round, however the slower response fee and non-4K decision will probably be a problem for aggressive gamers. In brief, it’s loads of enjoyable. Get it in case you’re out there for an reasonably priced all-in-one streaming resolution, reasonably than a class-leading gaming projector or monitor alternative.