After my last product review collaboration with LUMOS, they approached me again this time round to review their latest portable projector, the LUMOS ATOM. It’s not the smallest projector in their product line, but it’s small enough to be functional without sacrificing the essential features.
What are the important features for a projector? To me, it must have high resolution, bright, and long battery life for a battery operated model. The projector should also be easy to navigate the controls, and able to project a large screen from a short distance.
And it appears the LUMOS ATOM satisfies all my criteria.
Benefits of ATOM
The LUMOS ATOM projects at native 1080p (1920×1080) resolution so you get sharper images. It can deliver up to 6000 lumens brightness at the maximum setting. It runs on battery that lasts up to 2 hours. It auto-focuses the lens to get sharp projection without the hassle to manually focus. It can project on a 72-inch projector screen with just 60-inch distance, or as close as 12-inch, which projects a 10-inch display.
Speaking of the projector screen, it really makes a difference in improving the brightness and clarity compared to projecting on a normal wall. The LUMOS projector screen is easy to set up but I find that the screen tends to swing if your room has a fan circulating air in the room. The LUMOS ATOM has a standard tripod mount so it’s really easy to just screw it on any camera tripod. The projector weight is light enough that even the small tripod can support it.
There are other features that make the LUMOS ATOM really convenient to use. For instance, the top surface of the ATOM projector is a touchpad with touch buttons, where I can swipe around to control the on-screen mouse or tap the buttons to navigate the menu. If that isn’t convenient enough, the included remote control with USB transmitter has a motion control function where you can wave the remote in the air to move the mouse.
The built-in Android OS and dual-band Wi-Fi makes it really convenient to stream content from your favourite video apps like YouTube and Netflix preinstalled, as well as other apps which you can easily install, like Disney+, MeWatch. Or you can plug in a regular keyboard and mouse to use it like an Android device, although the OS version remains at 7.1, which means some newer apps might not be compatible.
Besides the wired HDMI connectivity, the LUMOS ATOM supports wireless phone mirroring or casting via AirPlay, EShare, WiFi Display protocols. EShare is surprisingly useful: once you open the app on the ATOM, it will provide on-screen instructions to download the app for your compatible device (Android, iPhone, iPad and Windows. I tested on Android and through the app, you can mirror from the phone (including audio) to the ATOM, or mirror ATOM to the phone, which lets you navigate the ATOM via your phone screen. You can also transfer files, and use the phone as a remote for touchpad and keyboard inputs.
The Dolby Audio speakers pump up decent loud sounds, strong in midrange and rounded treble without extending deep bass, resulting in a somewhat hollow sound. It can be rather immersive when watching movies but still the audio direction is not from the front of the projection screen, which is a common characteristic for all projectors, so the built-in speaker is just a convenient feature and can never replace a separate speaker setup.
I am also surprised to find that the ATOM does not get hot during operation, and the internal fan runs relatively quiet, with the lowest at around 40dB (my room fan operates at almost 70dB).
Constraints of ATOM
What do I not like about the ATOM? Firstly, the connectors are at the back of the projector, which means I could not place the ATOM against the wall to maximise projection size. Since one of the selling points is to project onto the ceiling, I could not do that with connectors protruding at the back of the projector.
The brightness is still not as powerful as specialised projector brands, but with the LUMOS ATOM, you are paying for the portability. Also, the keystone adjustment is only up to 15-degrees which is very little compared to other premium projectors.
And while you can use the LUMOS ATOM as a Bluetooth speaker, you still need to boot up the projector and select the option from the on-screen display, yet the fan continues to blow throughout the Bluetooth mode, which is not a good audio experience.
Conclusion
The S$999 price tag after promotional offer seems pricey, but it is arguably reasonable given the projector is battery-operated with 2 hours run time. It is definitely a more usable portable projector without fewer compromises than the other portable projectors I have reviewed. What you are paying for is the convenience and versatility of projecting anything anywhere. During my COVID isolation, I could simply project the ATOM on my ceiling and play a YouTube video of the astronomical night sky as I tuck in for the night. It’s really cool, something that I cannot casually do with a professional projector, nor achieve the immersive brightness from a pocket projector. And you know what, LUMOS also has a projector dedicated to creating the mood lighting at https://lumosprojector.com/collections/projectors/products/lumos-mood-lighting-projector
I will definitely reach for the LUMOS ATOM whenever I want to enjoy a large-screen viewing experience on-the-go without worry about the bulk and connectivity. Visit this link https://lumosprojector.com/musicphotolife to buy or check the other LUMOS projectors that will suit your budget and needs, for as low as S$199.
Thank you LUMOS for the opportunity to review the ATOM, they gave me the option of keeping it after the review, only if I like the product. And yes, I am delighted with the product, so yes I am going to keep it.
Bonus: check out my Instagram Highlights on how I use the LUMOS ATOM https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17980805794644872/