In this day and age, projectors have evolved to a point where a lot of them are capable of serving as standalone home entertainment machines, often packed with features that take them beyond the olden days of boring summer vacation slideshows. That being said though, a lot of them tend to be expensive, with some even going for more than a thousand bucks.

Thankfully however, there are more affordable choices on the market such as the Dangbei N2 Mini, a smart projector that packs all the essentials, priced at just around 200 bucks. We had the chance to use it and test out its capabilities, and if you’re curious about the N2 Mini then you might want to check out this one. Given its low price though, are there some compromises involved?

N2 Mini Projector

• 14.2L x 14.9W x 24.1H cm
• 200 ISO lumens brightness
• 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution
• Up to 120″ display projection
• WiFi and Bluetooth wireless connectivity
• USB-A, HDMI and 3.5mm ports

Design and Connectivity

While it’s not a super-compact projector, the Dangbei N2 Mini (which we’ll call the N2 Mini moving forward) manages to remain relatively space-friendly, measuring just 14.2L x 14.9W x 24.1H cm. It easily fit onto our bedside table, and should have no problems blending into most living room setups. It’s not too heavy either making it easy to move around when needed, with a hinge that can position within a 190-degree angle.

As you probably expected, the N2 Mini also comes with WiFi connectivity, allowing users to directly stream content from major platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and YouTube, for example, and there’s also support for Bluetooth so you can even listen with wireless headphones or earbuds when watching your favourite shows and movies. For physical connectivity, the projector comes with three ports for 3.5mm audio, HDMI, and USB Type-A.

You’ll also find an additional power jack on the bottom, which you’ll need to plug into a wall outlet—there’s no battery on here unfortunately, so you’ll need to be tethered to a power supply at all times when using it.

Usage and Software

Setting up the projector is pretty easy, and I was instantly able to log into my streaming platform accounts to use it right away. The projector comes with a custom software interface (based on Linux) with pre-loaded apps from major content providers (as mentioned earlier), and you can also download additional apps as well. There’s a handy little remote which is bundled, with shortcuts to Netflix, Prime Video and Youtube. Images are reasonably sharp, with colours that don’t go overboard with saturation, and the projector’s built-in speakers sound decent overall, especially considering the price.

Images are reasonably sharp, with colours that don’t go overboard with saturation

While you can adjust the projected display’s settings, the N2 Mini does come with built-in Intelligent alignment, intelligent obstacle avoidance, autofocus, automatic keystone correction features that allow it to easily resize and readjust the display when needed. There were a few times where I had to manually adjust the display size, although the projector’s auto-sizing features worked decently for the most part.

A Few Considerations

That being said, there are some quirks which we feel need to be pointed out. There are times when I would have trouble with the WiFi connectivity on the projector, despite the router positioned just outside our room (with relatively decent connection speeds, I might add). This resulted in some less-than-ideal constant buffering, which kinda hindered the experience.

In a dark room, the N2 Mini has no trouble with visibility when projecting content even at the lowest brightness levels; however, it did struggle when we tried streaming content within an unlit room on a sunny afternoon. The built-in fan can also get a bit loud at times, and while this didn’t bother me too much, other users might find it a bit distracting when watching content.

Final Thoughts

Despite these minor complaints, the N2 Mini is overall a pretty solid investment, and folks after an affordable (and portable) streaming solution will definitely want to check this out. It packs all the essential features with built-in streaming apps, wireless connectivity, as well as support for major content providers all in a delightfully-portable package.