With the summer finally here in the region, many are either getting ready to fly off to cooler destinations for holidays or getting their camping gear ready to hit the desert. I love camping outdoors and even though the entire experience is excellent, something I miss is on the go entertainment. While you can certainly watch content on a smartphone, nothing beats watching a movie on a bigger screen with your family snuggled up beside you.

Viewsonic has a trick up its sleeve that solves this issue – it is called M1. The M1 is an ultra-portable LED projector that comes packed with dual Harman Kardon speakers built-in. This is a lightweight LED projector that is designed to deliver multimedia content for users on-the-go. The Viewsonic M1 is a compact and lightweight and weighs just 680 grams.

The Viewsonic M1 also features 250 ANSI lumens of brightness and offers a contrast ratio of 120,000:1. What’s more, it is also packed with a short-throw lens that can display large images in small spaces. The ViewSonic M1 comes with a built-in battery that provides up to six hours of power.

You also get 16GB of built-in storage, and LED technology that provides you with up to 30,000 hours of usage. Connectivity options on the Viewsonic M1 include HDMI, USB 2.0, and USB Type-C, audio out, and a microSD card reader.

The overall design and build quality of the M1 is good. The design includes a swivel stand, which can be used as a stand to prop the projector up, while also making it easy for you to carry it around. Once the projector is turned off, the swivel stand can be used to cover up its lens.

The Viewsonic M1’s buttons are located at the back of the projector, while the ports are under a flap on the side. There are two 3W Harman Kardon speakers on the top, while the bottom features a tripod mount. Inside the box that the projector comes in, you also get a USB Type-C cable, an HDMI cable, a power brick and a cable for charging, and a cloth pouch to store the projector and carry it around in.

The Viewsonic M1 is not a full HD projector and hence it offers a maximum viewing resolution of 854×480 pixels. The projector can project a screen size of up to 100-inches in either the 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratios, with a minimum throw distance of 1m. You also get auto keystone correction with the M1.

Even though the Viewsonic M1 is a portable LED projector, the quality of the projection was very good. It was bright enough even in a room with a little bit of sunlight peeping in. On a single charge, we were able to clock around 3.5 hours of battery life, which is lower than the advertised 6 hours of battery life. While there is an audio out to connect to external speakers, the M1 does not come with Bluetooth connectivity option.

The Viewsonic M1 is a good portable projector that offers a range of ports allowing you to get content for a wide range of sources. It also features a neat design and its simple UI is easy to get used to without any learning curve involved. For a price of AED 1300, the Viewsonic M1 can be a very good portable projector for home and office use.

Price: AED 1300