Chinese portable projector specialist JMGO is updating its popular N1 triple-laser series models again, with the launch of the JMGO N1S.
Like the recently announced JMGO N1S Ultra, the new offering comes with a handy, gimbal-style stand to ease set up and positioning, and features the Google TV platform with native Netflix, as opposed to the Android TV platform and non-native Netflix app found in last year’s edition.
It’s a nice update because Google TV is the future of Android TV, offering a more streamlined user experience than the latter. Its user interface is widely acknowledged as being more intuitive, it has a tighter integration with the Google Play Store, and most people just consider it to be superior overall.
In addition to the official Netflix app, there’s a button on the provided remote control that launches the streaming service instantly, without having to navigate through any menus. In addition, there are buttons for Amazon Prime Video, YouTube and also Google Assistant to enable voice search.
Okay, so what about the actual projector? The company explains that it’s a more affordable alternative to the JMGO N1S Ultra announced last month, and features the same RGB Triple Laser light system found in last year’s JMGO N1. In terms of the differences, the main ones appear to be the lack of 4K resolution, with the N1S being a less capable FullHD or 1080p resolution model. The projector itself is much more compact, designed with portability in mind, and as one would expect, it doesn’t hit the same heights in terms of brightness, maxing out at 900 lumens, versus the 3,000 lumens rating of the N1S Ultra.
Although its not as bright as its more professional use-case oriented big brother, the JMGO N1S is still far brighter than rival projectors that are focused on portability, such as the LG CineBeam Q and Samsung’s The Freestyle 2nd Gen, which max out at just 500 and 230 lumens, respectively.
Other details include a native 1600: contrast ratio, coverage of 110% of the BT.2020 wide colour gamut, which match those found on the N1S Ultra, and a 127° vertical and 360° horizontal angle gimbal, which falls a tad short of the 135° vertical and 360° horizontal coverage of the more expensive model’s gimbal. Still, it should still be flexible enough to give user’s plenty of room for maneuver in terms of positioning the projector. Adding to the ease of setup, there are automated keystone correction and auto-focus features built-in.
JMGO said the N1S can throw up an image of between 60-inches and 180-inches, though it recommends 80-images for the most optimal picture. In terms of connectivity, there’s a single HDMI 2.0 port, a USB port, WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0, while the exact dimensions are measured as 7.36"x6.50"x7.52". It weighs approximately two kilograms, which means it should be easy enough to carry around in a backpack or something. It also features a carry handle if users want to lug it around without a bag.
In terms of audio, the device outputs a reasonable enough 20-watt sound via its built-in speakers, which is the same as the N1S Ultra model. Whereas the company employed the help of Dynaudio to tune its integrated speakers on last year’s models, this time around it has based the sound system on its own, proprietary “Master Sound” technology. For surround sound, the, Dolby Audio and DTS audio formats are both supported.
JMGO said the N1S projector is on sale now, priced at around £999, which is quite a bit cheaper than the £1,895 price tag of the JMGO N1S Ultra.
