Does the Nebula Capsule Work Well Outside? Bright Days?

Most home projectors are big, clunky, and not exactly easy to move around if you want to watch the big game in your backyard or a movie at a friend’s house. However, portable projectors have come a long way and Anker’s Nebula Capsule Smart Mini Projector is a solid option. Having a projector you can drop in a bag and use anywhere appeals to a lot of people. An important aspect of any projector is if it is usable during the day, as it can be difficult to wait until it’s completely dark outside to watch a movie or TV.

Does the Nebula Capsule work well outside? Especially on bright days? As is common with most projectors, the Nebula Capsule is hard to use when there is a lot of ambient light, due to not having a stronger lumen output. It can function during bright days but at the cost of the picture size. A 40-inch screen is the largest size when using the projector under bright conditions.

Portable projectors are a lot of fun, promising big-screen entertainment wherever you can carry them. This portable projector has built-in apps for streaming. While having a slightly fiddly interface can get in the way at times and the shorter battery life means it’s better when plugged in. Still, it’s a good traveling companion when used in the right circumstances. Keep reading to find the benefits of this projector and what ambient conditions allow you to use the device to the fullest.

What is the Anker Projector?

The Anker projector is lightweight, works with Google Assistant, and has an auto-focus function that automatically adjusts the screen size to your projector screen. The Nebula Capsule is a smart projector that can easily be moved from room to room and displays a 720p (1,280-by-720-pixel) high-definition picture at 200 ANSI lumens. It measures 5.9 inches tall with a diameter of 3.14 inches, about the size of a 16-ounce can.

There’s a built-in battery that allows you to run the projector at full brightness, but using this setting will only allow the battery to last for 1.5 hours. Running it on reduced brightness and you’ll get 4 hours out of the battery, or enough for most films. As with all portable projectors, the Nebula Capsule suffers from a lack of brightness even at maximum brightness. Ambient light is not the friend of the Nebula Capsule.

It’s not ideal to watch if it’s bright out, though it’s worth noting that the video isn’t totally unwatchable. But, like most projectors, the Nebula Capsule works best in a dark room. The best picture quality can be found with all the lights off and the shades drawn.

Does Nebula Projector Work in Daylight?

You can watch a film during the day, but you either need to block out the light or be content with an image around the size of a large TV. The projector boasts a maximum screen size of 100 inches, but you can only really go for the 100-inch option when it’s dark. That also means that if you want to watch films when you’re outside, you’ll also need to wait for it to get dark.

Anker suggests that the Capsule can project up to a 40″ image in bright conditions or a 100″ image in dark ones. The 40-inch screen size seems optimistic and is too dim to see easily from more than a couple of feet away indoors on a sunny day. It also may be more beneficial to use a TV in conditions where a lot of light is present.

The image quality is fantastic, which is very surprising for such a low-resolution sensor. A 100-inch screen is possible, but only in a dark room. At smaller sizes, the output is bright enough to use even with ambient light in the room. This won’t work very well outdoors during the day, but providing you avoid direct light on the screen, it works reasonably well in a bright room.

Conclusion

The Nebula Capsule by Anker is easy to set up and use, has great sound quality, and if you use it in a mostly dark room, the picture is clear and crisp. This is a great option if you’re looking for a portable smart projector. The Nebula Capsule is ideal if you love to host people for backyard movie nights or other watch parties.

Just remember to keep the screen away from any string lights or other outdoor lights you have in your backyard or on the patio. The Capsule isn’t a replacement for your TV or home projector, but it does a lot and can go places most projectors can’t. If having a projector that works when it is bright outside is important, you may want to go with a different option.