A startup called Pixorien is taking to Kickstarter to try and iron out one of the biggest problems with portable projectors today. It’s launching the Pixorien Z01, which features a novel, cylindrical-style body that can be stretched out to increase the height of the projection beam and help solve the placement issues that confound many other projectors.
While portable projectors promise the utmost flexibility with big-screen viewing, the reality is that many aren’t quite as portable as they claim to be. The reality is that you still need to find a tripod, a sufficiently high table, a nearby power socket and maybe even external speakers to get the best possible experience.
The Pixorien Z01’s unique design means that height adjustment is built into the device, eliminating the need for a tripod or a stack of hefty books. It also comes with a punchy speaker and a beefy battery to enhance its portability and make big-screen viewing possible almost anywhere you might end up.
The device’s pop-up design should be useful for anyone who wants to set things up quickly, whether it’s in the living room, outside in the garden or projecting overhead onto the ceiling at bedtime. The latter scenario is aided by the fact that the Pixorien Z01 comes with a 90-degree adjustable projection head.
On paper, its projection specifications are fairly solid. It uses a DLP projection system that puts out 2K images at 60Hz with 500 ANSI lumens brightness at a 16:9 aspect ratio. With its 1.2:1 throw ratio, it can project an image of between 30-inches and 150-inches from a distance of between one to three metres, though the sweet spot is likely to be around 120-inches.
The device comes with automatic vertical and horizontal keystone correction, though focus needs to be done manually. The audio is provided by an integrated twin Bluetooth speaker system, with two 5-watt stereo drivers.
The integrated battery gives the Pixorien Z01 further credibility as a truly portable device. It’s fairly beefy, rated at 16,000-mAh. The company didn’t specify how many hours of viewing this will give you, but it should be enough for between two and three hours – and it can be extended further if you bring along an external battery pack.
The Pixorien Z01 ships with the Android TV 12 operating system and comes with a quad-core 64-bit processor that features two gigabytes of RAM and 32 GB of storage. Both Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7 are supported too, for high-speed wireless connectivity for streaming, and there are USB-A and USB-C ports, with the latter featuring DisplayPort (DP) Alt Mode. Sadly, there’s no real DisplayPort nor any mention of HDMI connectivity, which could be a deal-breaker for some. Also in the box is a voice-enabled remote control.
Prices start at just $299 for the Super Early Bird pledge, and there’s also a Kickstarter Special at $329 and a Duo Pack that allows you to purchase two of the devices at a discounted price of $569.
Be mindful though, that all crowdfunded campaigns come with an element of risk, and this appears to be Pixorien’s first-ever Kickestarter campaign, so that’s something to keep in mind. However, the team behind it seems happy to engage with those asking questions on the comments page, and it has already surpassed its funding goal by a long way. Assuming everything goes to plan, Pixorien expects to start shipping the Z01 in October.
