You know about Anker’s soda-can sized Nebula Capsule projector, and you’ve probably seen the sharper and brighter Nebula Mars II as well. But now, there’s an in-between option that you can buy today for less than the usual cost of the Capsule: The Mars Lite.
In terms of picture quality, the Mars Lite is a match for the Mars II, featuring 720p resolution (vs. 480p on the Capsule) and 300 lumens (vs. 100 on the Capsule). Its battery life is a bit shorter than both at three hours, but the biggest difference is that it doesn’t have a built in OS. That means no streaming apps, and crucially, no wireless casting of content from your phone. That’s a big drawback!
That said, you can plug in the streaming dongle of your choice into the Mars Lite’s HDMI port, and achieve the same ends with just a little bit of extra fussing. It’s certainly a worthwhile trade-off when you can get the added brightness and picture quality for just $220.