Optoma is upping the stakes in the portable projector market with the arrival of the Photon Go, which is an ultra-short throw model that packs a powerful RBG triple laser for imagery.
Until now, the vast majority of sub-£1,000 projectors have always employed a single laser combined with filters or a colour wheel, but the Photon Go instead packs a punchy DuraCore RGB triple laser light source that promises “vibrant colours and exceptional contrast” well beyond anything else in its category.
According to Optoma, the Photon Go can transform any wall into a screen, throwing up a 100-inch 1080p image from just 25 centimetres away. It features auto image correction, auto keystone and focus technology to ease the setup process and correct any distortion that might arise if the projector is angled wrong.
In terms of portability, it has everything you need with integrated Google TV for streaming apps like Netflix et al, and a built-in battery that’s good for around one and a half hours, the company said. It supports WiFi 5, 6 and 7, ensuring an easy streaming experience.
The sound quality should be A-okay too, with a couple of 10-watt Bluetooth speakers built in, plus Dolby Audio support.
As for that triple RGB laser, Optoma reckons it can hit 650 lumens of brightness. That might sound fairly middling, but the company points out that RGB models typically appear “significantly brighter” than regular single laser and lamp-based projectors, even when rated at the same brightness level. As such, it promises that the imagery will be vibrant, even in ambient lighting conditions, while in the dark, it will appear “stunningly bright and vivid”.
The company noted that the Photon Go is the first in a new series of “Photon” projector models, so we can expect to see additional projectors to come, but we don’t have much inkling as to what those other models might look like.
What’s really intriguing about the Optoma Photon Go is the price, with the company asking for £899 when it goes on sale in April. Attendees at the Bristol Hi-Fi Show in the U.K. this weekend will be able to see the projector in action before its launch, but there’s no word on if the company plans to sell it in Europe or the U.S.
In any case, that price tag makes the Photon Go one of the most affordable RGB-based UST projectors you can find, but it remains to be seen how it compares to other models in that category, which are often much more expensive.
According to Optoma’s product manager for home and mainstream, Oliver Blundell, the entire concept is based on the belief that “entertainment should be accessible to anyone, anytime.”
