In The Micro Projector Blog, we aim to present you reviews
of great mini sized projectors which excel in performance. Continuing that
trend we will discuss about Optoma PK201 Micro Projector in our series of Micro
Projector reviews for the brand Optoma. The company has produced a number of
pico projectors over the years and PK201 is one of the most user-friendly
iPhone supporting projectors in terms of affordability and performance. It is
an iPhone projector also meaning its compatible with the iPhone and at the same
time it displays images 20 times bigger than an iPhone while fitting into a
pocket nicely and effortlessly.
The Positives of Optoma PK201 Micro Projector
Optoma PK201 Pico Pocket Projector connects itself to a
variety of sources through cables and chips. It goes well with your Smartphone
or your apple device as a projector and you can use the PK201 as a normal TV
without thinking twice about the lamp hours. This one does a good job in
addressing the shortcomings that its earlier version had. With this version,
you will have control over the contrast of the projector with a button. The
point is to have great detailing picture without compromising quality. Optoma
PK201 Micro Projector gives you 20 Lumens.
This projector has the lamp life of 20000 hours which is
great for any pico projector and will give you a native resolution of 854X480,
you will get a composite HDMI cable, Audio Jack of 3.5mm, microSD memory card
support which can extend the data storage capacity to 16GB and USB support. The
native resolution of Optoma PK201 Micro Projector is 33% better than the
earlier PK102. Not only that, the Optoma PK201 is a widescreen compatible
projector as its resolutions are 52% better than that of PK102 when it’s in 4:3
mode. This mini projector weighs only 0.4 lbs and is 16:9 ratio compatible.
The Lumen count of Optoma PK201 is very low and it measures
up to give 18.6 Lumens when we are in the era of 1000 lumens but this lumen
count serves very well to generate decent image. Optoma PK201 Micro Projector
would give you 14 inches by 16 inches of screen height and 40-inch image
amplification when it is in optimal conditions. Although up to 60 inches of
image is visible correctly when the Smartphone projector is in dark room but 40
inches is its optimum capacity with clarity. Let me be frank with you, this
Small sized projector won’t actually replace your flat panel projector but it
will certainly prove to be a good alternative when you are traveling.
The sound quality is a plus for Optoma PK201 is commendable.
You can use a headphone along with the portable projector which makes the quality
even better. PK201 has a speaker built-in with the power of 0.5 watts. You can
use your iPhone as a backup device to produce sound for this projector but it
has the capacity of pulling it off when used as a sole device for sound
producing. The speaker is quiet and the peak volume is very modest to the ears.
Next we shall be discussing some limitations of Optoma PK201 Micro Projector.
Limitations that Came Across When Using Optoma PK201 Micro Projector
When we are about to speak about the limitations that this
iPhone compatible projector has, we must speak about the battery. The Li-ion
battery gives you “Up to One Hour” of backup when people use an external
source. PK201’s display shuts down once it is connected to the PC using the USB
port as the micro projector receives charge. That is a downfall. People who
will use Optoma PK201 Micro Projector as a substitute computer monitor, would
find the screen size limiting to 10 inches as the throw ratio for this iPhone
Projector is 2.20:1. A zoom lens could have provided a wider angle but that
will also increase the complexity and disrupt the present design.
Another fact is the Light Spill near the edges of the
images. When the images reach the 40 inch mark, be sure to witness light spills
as the small size projector will have hard time maintaining the image size
despite the improvement in focus from PK102. Another problem is the Native
resolution itself. With the 854X480 native resolutions, one would do perfectly
fine with Optoma PK201 Micro Projector when used at 640X480 mode as there won’t
be scaling. But when used as a computer monitor and in 1280X800 resolution, aberrations
and flaws in video quality will kick in.
Concluding Remarks in Optoma PK201 Micro Projector Review
Like many other Pico projectors, you can use this 20 Lumen
projector in various ways. There are multiple benefits to be gained from this projector. It can be used as your presentation material, traveling
companion for movies and entertainment, as an iPhone projector and iPhone
display itself, a computer display and many more purposes. It fits into a
pocket nicely and if anyone desires for a power-packed and small sized
projector, Optoma PK201 is your way to go.
