Projectors are a quickly-growing sub-market of the HD sector. Similar to classic projectors you may remember from elementary school, these machines cast an impressive high-resolution picture upon a separate screen.
HD projectors allow the user to achieve a huge viewing area without the bulk and outrageous cost of an 80” or 90” LCD TV. In fact, there are several high-performing HD projectors that are currently selling for less than $350 – the same statement cannot be made for any quality LCD TVs with similarly-proportioned viewing areas.
Judging from professional reviews and expert analyses gathered from across the web, Dealspotr found that the AAXA P4-X Pico Projector provides the best value compared to all other HD projectors under $350. The P4-X Pico is available for just $284 at Walmart and Amazon. It is also available from AAXA and Office Depot for $299, with the manufacturer offering a refurbished model for $249.
The AAXA P4-X Pico Projector receives glowing reviews from several well-respected electronics publications, including a 4-star review from PC Magazine and a 3.5-star review from Laptop Magazine.
PC Magazine is fond of the P4-X Pico from the get-go; the reviewer extols the projector’s simple set-up and high degree of portability, going on to call it a capable “palm-top” projector that offers a bright, crisp image. With such a positive response, it is no surprise that the publication declares it an “Editors’ Choice.”
One reason the magazine bestows the P4-X Pico with this prestigious honor is its ability to read media files from microSD cards and USB memory keys. It also includes a VGA port connector; additional adaptors to connect the projector to your iPad, Zune, or PSP are available and sold separately.
The P4-X can read AVI, MPG, MP4, MP3, JPG, TXT, GIF, and BMP files.
For its very-low price, the P4-X Pico provides strong illumination. The LED light source is rated at 80 lumens when using the AC power adapter; it is rated at 50 lumens operating on its battery alone. The picture size ranges from around 35” to 47” diagonally, and offers a resolution of 854 x 640.
The power block does add five more ounces of weight to the 10-ounce unit. It is best to keep the power adapter handy because the battery offers only around 75 minutes of operating time when fully charged.
At the end of his review, Projector Reviews’ Art Feierman states the he likes the rubberized quality of the projector’s case – “It’s just not going to slip out of your hand.”
Because it comes at such a low cost, there are a few elements of the AAXA P4-X Pico that are less-than-ideal.
Compared to portable projectors that cost twice as much and offer up to 300 lumens, the 80 lumens produced by the P4-X Pico can feel a bit underwhelming. With that in mind, it does provide enough brightness for rooms with theater dark lighting.
There is some slight posterization in the picture, and the loss of precise details in darker areas of the screen seems to be a medium-to-large issue. In the better-lit scenes that are essentially standard in commercial television and movie productions, neither of these problems is present.
PC World points out that with dimensions of 5.5” x 2.8”, the P4-X Pico does not quite fit into a shirt pocket – in the reviewer’s opinion, this makes “Pico” a bit of a misnomer.
With a surprisingly bright performance considering its size and low price-point, the AAXA P4-X Pico is a tremendous value.
It has solid image quality, an ultra-portable design, and an innovative built-in microSD drive, making the P4-X Pico an easy choice for the best HD projector under $350.
