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Home / Hot Stuff / Nebula’s two new portable projectors bring the cinema to you

Nebula’s two new portable projectors bring the cinema to you

Cosmos 4K SE for the home; Capsule Air for everywhere else

Nebula Cosmos 4K SE hot stuff lead

You don’t need a home cinema room to binge Netflix on the big screen; in fact with Nebula’s new duo, a room of any sort is completely optional. The Nebula Cosmos 4K SE and Capsule Air are two takes on the portable projector formula, in case you can’t decide between outright portability and a brighter, higher resolution picture.

The Cosmos 4K SE is a 4K projector barely any bigger than a cinema-grade bucket of popcorn, making it compact enough to lug anywhere around the house. It takes the pricier Cosmos 4K and dilutes it down just a bit to make it slightly more wallet-friendly – but keeps the all-important LED and laser hybrid light source good for UHD projection.

It’ll beam a significant 1800 ANSI lumens, which is more than enough for an engaging image at 120in. Pull the curtains closed and it’ll stretch to a whopping 200in, while Dolby Vision certification means you can expect plenty of depth from compatible shows and streams.

There’s autofocus, keystone correction, obstacle avoidance and wall colour adaptation built in, so setup should be a breeze no matter where you plonk the unit down. Two 15W full-range speakers promise punchy audio, too.

Expect the same convenient connectivity as the full-fat Nebula Cosmos 4K, with HDMI, USB, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth built in. It runs Google TV, so should be able to add all the major streaming services with a few trips to the Play Store.

The Nebula Cosmos 4K SE is going on sale on the Nebula website and via Amazon for $1300/£1300. Order directly before the 29th of September and Nebula will knock a generous £300 off the RRP.

Anker Capsule Air hot stuff

Anker’s projector sub-brand is arguably better known for its truly portable efforts, and the new Capsule Air is about as portable as it gets. Only narrowly taller than a can of soda, this cinematic cylinder has a 720p resolution and 150 lumen brightness good enough for a 60in image on virtually any surface.

The built-in battery is good for up to two hours of play time, while Google TV lets you stream anywhere with a Wi-Fi signal. Got a power bank that supports the USB-PD standard? It can keep the Capsule Air juiced for even longer.

For even more flexibility, Nebula has a trio of stands. The gimbal stand adds 360-degree adjustment for $50; the Power Bank Tripod doubles battery life, increases height and can tilt from 0-90 degrees for $130, and also plays nicely with other Capsule projectors. The Snap-on Base is exclusive to the Air, adding magnetic tilting that can be fixed to a wall for more permanent positioning in places with limited room. Think dorm rooms, kitchens and camper vans.

The Capsule Air is set to launch later this year, and will se you back $350/£400.

Profile image of Tom Morgan-Freelander Tom Morgan-Freelander Deputy Editor

About

A tech addict from about the age of three (seriously, he's got the VHS tapes to prove it), Tom's been writing about gadgets, games and everything in between for the past decade, with a slight diversion into the world of automotive in between. As Deputy Editor, Tom keeps the website ticking along, jam-packed with the hottest gadget news and reviews.  When he's not on the road attending launch events, you can usually find him scouring the web for the latest news, to feed Stuff readers' insatiable appetite for tech.

Areas of expertise

Smartphones/tablets/computing, cameras, home cinema, automotive, virtual reality, gaming