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Anker is best known for its affordable-yet-dependable wireless chargers, power banks and cables, but the gadget accessory titan has broadened its product portfolio of late to Bluetooth speakers, portable generators and other electronics. The Nebula Capsule is another fairly new entry for Anker. It’s a smaller, cheaper version and more refined model of the $600 Nebula Mars that Anker released last year. The Nebula Capsule is a $350 portable projector that started as an Indigogo campaign last summer — it was advertised as “the world’s most advanced pocket cinema” — and reached 2,446-percent of its funding goal.
It’s the size of a soda can and can produce up to a 100-inch screen. It’s also a 360-degree Bluetooth speaker. It has an HDMI port so you can connect a laptop or video game console, but it can also work as a standalone device. It has built-in wifi and runs on an Android 7.1 operating system. It can play apps like Netflix, YouTube, Hulu and Amazon Prime too.
The Good: The Nebula Capsule is easy to use, with no elaborate setup process. It’s surprisingly fantastic for enlarging presentations from your laptop and playing retro video game consoles, like the Analog Super Nt or Nintendo NES. It works well for streaming sporting events and TV shows, too. For apps like Netflix, you can download shows directly to the Nebula Capsule and watch them later.
Who It’s For: Good question. It could actually make a great travel gadget for business professionals. I see this as fun party gadget for anybody who wants to have a temporary big screen on which to watch games or shows or play video games. They shouldn’t care too much about picture quality, though, and should be prepared to use the Nebula Capsule in a fairly dark room if they’re looking to make a really big screen.
Watch Out For: Don’t expect it the picture resolution to be amazing. Its resolution (854×480) is actually slightly worse than HD TV; you can plug your Xbox One, PS4 or Nintendo Switch console into it and it’ll work — but the picture won’t be nearly as good as it would be on your TV. In order for you to get a 100-inch screen, the projector needs to be roughly 10 feet away from the wall or screen. Battery life is a little bit of an issue. It lasts a little over four hours when streaming content, but it can last much longer (approx. 30 hours) when used just as a Bluetooth speaker. The audio quality is fine, but nothing special. At the $350, it’s not cheap.
