3M MP220 LED Mobile Projector Review
Positive:
Portable, great for business presentations, battery life is extraordinary for it's Lumen specifications.Negative:
No carrier case included and can be noisy when hot. Netflix did not work from iPad.The 3M MP220 is a Mobile Projector with a unique design and purpose in mind, it is capable of displaying images, videos, documents at 65 Lumen brightness; the result on any flat surface is sharp and very clear.
Whether you are a professional individual, a sales man, entrepreneur or even a regular individual who would like to extend what they can see on their laptop, smart phone or tablet to a bigger display then you in luck, because you know longer need to have a big projector that weighs tons that will drain your electricity in order to achieve that goal.
The 3M MP220 is a Mobile Projector with a unique design and purpose in mind, it is capable of displaying images, videos, documents at 65 Lumen brightness; the result on any flat surface is sharp and very clear. You may wonder if it is just another mobile projector, but it has unique features that makes life much more easier and help improve productivity.
What’s in the box
In the packaging, you are very much equipped with what you need to get going; if anything you need is missing then you can also check out the array of accessories available. For connection to the iPad you would need the VGA connector available for the iPad from Apple store.
Key Features:
- 65 lumens brightness
- Android operating System
- Up to 2 hour battery life
- LED lightsource, 20,000 hour lifespan (typical)
- MicroSD card slot
- Global power/charger
- USB cable
- Owner’s manualCD
- Quick-start guide
- Product safety guide
Design
The MP220 is nicely designed with buttons discreetly placed; on the side you have your audio port for headphones when watching personal clips, on the other side is the power button and a microSD card slot where you can expand your projector memory with up to 16GB of additional storage, you can simply load up all your presentations and files for displaying.
On top of the projector is really where the works are, there you will find the focus wheel for focusing your display at different angles and distance between you and the display surface; you also have the optical mouse in the middle of the menu, return button, home and search button which works very well considering the interaction with the built in Android OS. One great addition is the LED lit buttons which is important when you have dimmed the light in the room.
Turning it over you have the tripod port so you can either get the tripod available from the personal projector website or you can purchase your own to use with it. For achieving the best results, it is best to get a tripod which will also lift it off a flat surface for better ventilation during use. At the back you have the VGA port, USB and power port for charging it up all to the right of the cooling fan. The enclosure feels very solid with covers screwed tightly in place; the body is a mix of a matte black finish hard plastic and shiny, glossy plastic.
Using the 3M MP220
The MP220 is very straight forward to use and left me wondering why the bible (Manual) that came with it was needed; all you need to do to get set up is power it on, set the date and time, time zones and you are ready to start presenting. Connecting it to my laptop via the VGA cable was very straightforward with no extra buttons to press or extra settings to configure although pressing the mesnu button gives you wide range of resolution options.
The MP220 will last up to 2 hours using 50 lumens brightness and 1.5 hours at 65 lumens brightness and better yet that is all on battery power alone. If you do not wish to use your laptop as a source, you can simply load up your files on the Android powered system which allows you to easily browse your files and select which file you would like to display. You can simply carry this simple piece of kit with you to a presentation.
The default resolution is above average with WSVGA resolution , a bright LED light source which allows projection in most meeting room environments for 20-30,000 hours, as well as instant on/off technology. There is no doubt it makes the perfect combination or companion for any business personel. Better results were achieved on a white flat surface, especially when watching videos.
Verdict
The 3M MP220 is the best in it’s class; the brightness, resolution combined is match made in heaven to portray a very professional persona when presenting at meetings. The light weight slim line profile makes it very easy to pack in your brief case although it would have been great to include a carry case for it in the box. The price is also quite steep for what it is but it is also worth what is is capable of. The battery life is a bonus as most presentations or even movies would only last just under 2 hours maximum.
You can get the 3M MP220 Mobile Projector from Personal Projector for £389.99 when this review was written.
