Philips PicoPix Max Projector Review
As I was travelling over the past year I was looking to pick up a small projector that would be easy enough to carry for a great movie viewing experience on the go. When I saw the Philips PicoPix Max on Indiegogo it looked like the perfect fit, with full 1080p projection in a small size and in-built Android.
I’ve now been using it for 5 months on a semi-regular basis. Philips have shipped several software updates in this time, most recently the first major update (version 1.1) which greatly reduces fan noise. This felt like a good time to post some initial thoughts.
I’m viewing on a white 100" projector screen.
Positive Thoughts
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Build quality feels premium and although far from ‘pocket-friendly’ as adversised, it’s small enough to fit in a bag. At 850g it’s not much heavier than a large tablet.
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Picture quality is good even at 100" - the image looks crisp without any visible artifacts. Many ‘1080p’ projectors on the market are actually upscaling from 720p - the PicoPix Max uses native 1080p and the difference is significant at this size.
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Brightness is fine at normal mode, and great for night-time viewing. However as my flat is bright in daylight it’s difficult to view before sunset - an increasing problem as the days have gotten longer.
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When I first got the projector the fan noise was too loud unless I dropped down to the dim eco-friendly mode, but this was addressed in the recent v1.1 patch. Now normal mode is suitably quiet for viewing and eco mode is silent.
Issues
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It’s advertised as an Android projector, but this is unlike any Android device I’ve owned. Primarily this is due to there being no Google Play services, so you won’t find a Play Store or any Google apps like Chrome or Play Movies. YouTube requires use of a 3rd party app for authentication, which I didn’t feel confident to put my Google creditendials into.
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App support is very limited, the in-built ‘Aptoide Store’ lists many apps that simply don’t work, giving errors such as ‘Play Services Required’. When I bought the projector I’d hoped to watch The Mandalorian on it, but Disney+ wasn’t there (edit - it’s now been added). More recently I tried to watch Westworld season 3, but I couldn’t get the Crave app working to access HBO through the OS. After trying many apps in Aptoide I’ve given up unless they are pre-installed, which is limited to Netflix and only a small handful of others.
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The cast support on the device is basic screen share and the device lacks full ChromeCast support. This is a real shame as it would have been one way of circumventing some of the issues mentioned above, but most apps can’t be casted from my Android phone. Other non-Android devices have “ChromeCast Built-In”, so I really hope this get’s added in a software update.
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I ended up purchasing a ChromeCast dongle to stick in the back HDMI port, but sadly this surfaced another batch of problems. Bluetooth Audio is only supported though the on-board software, so it’s impossible to use with dongles like the ChromeCast - I’ve had to start using an old-school 3.5mm headphone cable to connect to my bluetooth speaker.
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As most display features are handled at the software layer, over HDMI many of the advertised features like 4-Corner Keystone correction are unavailable. As a result I have to awkwardly position my screen at an angle to get a correctly aligned picture. Even basic functionality like seeing the current battery level requires switching the Input mode back to Android.
Verdict
The PicoPix Max feels is a nice piece of hardware but it fails to meet some of my basic expectations from a projector. Without Play Services, Android feels like a bad fit for this sort of device and I think Philips would have been better off focusing on the fundamentals like full feature support over HDMI.
As most of the issues are software-based, it’s not impossible to imagine them being addressed with updates before this device hits retail. Receiving Google Play Services might be a pipe dream, but ChromeCast Built-In would be a great start and give users a way of accessing apps that aren’t supported.
The PicoPix Max is an intriguing device that offers a glimpse to the future of portable projectors, but I couldn’t recommend it to most people in it’s current form. I hope that with a few more strong software updates like the v1.1 patch, it’ll be easier to recommend by the time it hits retail.