Digital Workspace

Review: The ViewSonic M1 Mini Plus Projector Is a Smart Business Choice

This pocket-sized device is the ultimate tool for delivering presentations on the road.

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John Breeden II is an award-winning reviewer and public speaker with 20 years of experience covering technology.

Small, portable projectors that can easily be transported and set up anywhere are extremely popular right now. They are used for everything from entertainment to business, or any activity where having a big viewing area can enhance the experience. They are especially good for today’s hybrid work environments, where business is conducted outside of offices in places not specifically designed for meetings or presentations.

Almost all of the currently available portable projectors are tiny compared with their 10-pound predecessors, although most also still require being tethered to something — a laptop, smartphone, wireless network or even a power outlet — to operate. The new M1 Mini Plus Projector from ViewSonic is the first to completely cut all of those ties, providing a fully functional and portable device with no support or secondary equipment needed.

DISCOVER: Find out how the ViewSonic M1 Mini Plus Projector helps business presentations.

Self-Powered: Includes an internal battery to drive presentations with no power outlet needed
Supreme Sound: A JBL Bluetooth speaker provides big audio with a small footprint
Theater Anywhere: Projects large images from 25 inches to 7 feet away from a screen or surface

The device is a tiny, 4-inch block that is 1 inch tall and weighs less than a pound. All that makes it even more surprising to discover that the M1 has an internal battery that can drive presentations for almost two hours per charge. A user simply opens up the lens cover, which doubles as the stand that the M1 rests on, to automatically switch it on and start presenting. From that point forward, everything is controlled using a small remote that’s about the size of a few stacked credit cards.

The ViewSonic M1 Plus Mini Projector Is Easy to Set Up

ViewSonic has made setting up the M1 extremely easy. The projector automatically adjusts vertical keystone measurements to make images look good regardless of whether they’re being projected on a wall, ceiling or other irregular surface. Presentations themselves can be streamed from 4 gigabytes of internal storage or through an HDMI cable, USB 2.0 port, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connection. Sound comes from an internal 2-watt JBL cube speaker that sounds amazing, especially considering its size, and is loud enough for anyone within about 10 feet of the unit to easily hear everything.

The M1 projects at 120 lumens. At a short throw distance, with the projector just 40 inches away from a surface, images are clear across the 40-inch viewing area even in daylight conditions. However, if you want to create a larger screen by moving the projector farther back, you should dim the lights.

SPECIFICATIONS

Device Type: Portable LED Projector
Native Resolution: 854x480
Lumens: 120
Audio Output: 2-watt internal JBL speaker
Dimensions: 4.3x4.1x1.1 inches
Weight: 10.58 ounces

As a portable presentation tool, the ViewSonic M1 Mini Plus Projector is both amazingly effective and an impressive feat of engineering. Offering such an effective business tool, which can double as a personal entertainment device, at a consumer-friendly price would not have been possible even just a few years ago.

Going the (Short) Distance with the ViewSonic M1 Mini Plus Projector

Unlike with wall or ceiling-mounted projectors designed for fixed environments such as conference rooms or theaters, those who use portable projectors don’t have the luxury of knowing where their next presentation will take place. If they’re lucky, it might be in an official conference room, but it might also take place in someone’s office or a smaller meeting room, or even a coffee shop or hotel lobby.

So-called short throw projectors such as the ViewSonic M1 Plus were created with suboptimal environments in mind. Their lenses and internal components are made to be placed very close to a surface and still produce a large, bright image. That way, even if you are in a small room, you can easily put the device on a table and create a large image on a nearby wall just a few feet away.

The ViewSonic M1 Mini Plus has an adjustable stand for even more versatility. For example, it’s extremely easy to throw an image from the projector onto a ceiling, letting the automatic keystone correction configure the makeshift screen into a perfect rectangle.

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But what about size? In my tests, the ratio of viewing size to projector distance was impressive. At just 25 inches, which is the minimum supported setup distance, you still get about a 30-inch screen. Sitting the projector 43 inches away creates a 40-inch viewable area in a widescreen configuration.

With a 40-inch viewable area, the 120-lumens-power of the M1 is more than sufficient to project a clear and readable image in bright rooms. At that distance, even the corners of the image are clear and not washed out at all, even in daylight conditions.

With enough space, you can enlarge the image; however, doing so will require at least dimming the lights to prevent image washout, especially at the edges. With the projector five feet from a surface, you can get a 60-inch screen that’s clear in a dim environment.

The maximum distance that you can set the M1 from a viewing surface is about 83 inches away, producing an incredible 80-inch viewing area. However, this requires a fully darkened room. But if you are able to fully block out all other light, you can enjoy quite the theaterlike experience from this tiny projector.