Review: We test the new Dangbei Freedo - a truly portable projector

I've been lucky enough to review quite a few of Dangbei's projectors, and they've all been pretty impressive. But this one's a bit different.

It's the Dangbei Freedo, and it's the firm's first wireless, truly portable Google TV projector and Dangbei says it has a big enough battery built in to polish off a two-and-a-half-hour film. That's enough for most movies released in the UK.

Portable projectors are extremely useful for a wide variety of applications. For me, it means I have the freedom of taking it away camping with me, or I can use it in the garden to round off a relaxing evening.

Its claim of being able to last the length of an average movie is pretty critical then. And I loaded up Netflix and asked it to list movies that last over two hours.

Fast X was my choice, at two hours 21 seconds. With a full battery, full brightness, and the volume ramped up a bit, I settled in.

Towards the end of the movie, I did get a warning that the battery was getting low, and I had the option to dim the screen in an eco mode, but there was no need. It went the distance with just a few percent remaining. Impressive stuff.

The Freedo is an impressive thing to hold, with lovely build quality and I love the protective polystyrene case it comes in.

The unit itself looks like an upturned microphone, with concealed sockets for USB charging, and only one button - to turn it off and on with.

There's a remote control that manages all its features and functions, and it's nice and compact, with shortcuts to the key streaming services.

The native Google TV system is a great addition, because it means you can log in and find all your familiar apps to load up, and get straight on with the job of finding content.

The built-in speaker is adequate, rather than impressive, at only six watts, but the inclusion of 360-degree Dolby sound is a welcome touch.

It only has 1080p, one would hope a 4K version is in the works, and with just 450 lumens, it needs to be pretty dark before your image becomes clear enough. But it's better than most compact projectors.

Setting up the focus and keystoning is easy enough because they're automatic, but I did find some fine-tuning was occasionally necessary, especially the focus.

That's easier said than done, because the menu is a tad cumbersome, and the simplified remote doesn't help.

But it's hard not to like the Freedo. As Dangbei's first attempt at what is becoming a critical addition to the world of compact projectors, it's very good.

And then there's the price. As standard, the Freedo costs £599, but expect to find it quite widely for £499. And, if you're lucky, you might catch an Amazon voucher that brings the price down to £429.99. That's a fair price for a quality projector with cutting-edge tech built in.

In fact, I can't help but compare it to the Nebula Capsule 3, which I've also tested. That has a similar battery life, the same operating system, but fewer lumens, a less immersive sound, and it doesn't have a rotating stand, so it's less versatile. Although it is arguably more compact.

It's also a similar price to the Dangbei Freedo, but with its brighter lamp, and better sound quality, it's the nicer projector to use.

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