LUMOS NANO Review : 8 reasons to have a cinema in the palm of your hand

Cinema experience in the palm of your hand?

You heard us right. 

You can now get a 100-inch screen on your hands with the new LUMOS NANO. Having reviewed the LUMOS AURO and the LUMOS RAY, we were eagerly anticipating the flagship of the LUMOS range - The LUMOS NANO. 

Nowadays, with many opting to stay at home for onscreen entertainment, most would be looking for projectors to fill in the gap for the big screen experience.  

The LUMOS NANO is the latest, smallest and priciest projector from LUMOS. As they say, good things come in small packages and we will see if this holds true for the NANO. At a price tag of $599 per unit, we have big expectations for this projector.

8 Reasons to get the LUMOS NANO

1 Small Size, Giant Screen

With home cinemas becoming the norm due to the popularity of streaming services as well as the ever-presence of Covid-19, projectors in Singapore are becoming the norm as it offers a cinematic experience in the comfort of home.  Having a pocket-size projector is a game-changer as it means you can easily bring it to any part of your house. 

If the size is all it matters, the LUMOS NANO easily trumps its predecessors. At a compact size of 12 x8 x 12cm and weighing in at a featherlight 400g, this nifty machine is as big as a can of coke.  In comparison with the LUMOS RAY, it takes up 1/3 of the footprint while packing in similar features. In fact if you compare the projection lens, the lens of the  NANO is about 1/50 of the RAY!

At a distance of a mere 3 meters, it can project a screen size of up to 100 inches, which is great for a cosy time for movies with the family. If you have a bigger room and looking for a larger screen, the LUMOS Ray or Auro would be a better alternative.

2 Watch anywhere, even on the ceiling

For those who have a habit of watching TV in bed, enjoying the show while laying flat down may not be ideal due to the viewing angle With the LUMOS NANO, it is now possible to enjoy a movie while lying comfortably on the bed. Since it is small in size, you can lay it down horizontally and project it on the ceiling without much distortion.

LUMOS NANO on the ceiling!

Now ditch the phones or the tablet, the LUMOS NANO will be your perfect sleeping companion. The bonus - no more sprain neck in the morning!

3 Bring it anywhere for a movie or a presentation 

The LUMOS NANO makes a great outdoor companion or even a camping accessory. With a built-in battery that lasts 2 hours on a charge, you will be able to bring this little cinema anywhere you want. Great for entertainment for the rooftop terraces, outdoor patios or even the beach on a late evening. Just connect to wifi or hotspot to the phone and you are good to go.

For those in the financial or property industry, having the LUMOS NANO would be great as you can bring to your presentation and enhance the experience with your clients. For example, during an open house, you can use it to project property factsheets on the wall while potential buyers view the house. This would definitely set you apart from the rest during presentations at places where TV or screen may not be readily available.

4 Dual Function as a portable speaker

Even when you are not using the NANO to watch movies, you can still use it as a portable speaker. Simply stream your music to the NANO via Bluetooth and the Dolby Audio speakers would do the rest. The speaker is pretty loud but not as bassy as a dedicated Bluetooth speaker. We reckoned it will do well for presentation or auxiliary speakers when needed.

5 In build Apps to make it Smart

Built-in apps include Youtube and Netflix which probably covers 80% of your viewing needs. 

(Do note that our wall is textured wallpaper, actual projected images by LUMOS NANO on a black wall are without the texture of lines)

Google Play Store 

Google Play Store is available on the Android 9 system that allows you to download additional apps such as Disney+ and MeWatch to customise your own entertainment.

Aptoide TV

If you do not wish to use Google Play Store, the device also comes preloaded with Aptoide TV. Aptoide TV is essentially an App Store that offers a richer experience for a larger screen. You can download apps such as Prime Video, Tik Tok, TV Brower and use them straight from the app. It is a more user-friendly version of the Google Play Store and one that is found on high-end projectors. Aptoide TV is not on Google Play Store and could be challenging to install for novices.

6 Share your phone screen

Regardless of whether you have an Android or an iPhone, you are capable of sharing your screen via screen mirroring. The LUMOS NANO uses the Airplay app for iPhones, the EShare app for Samsung Phones and Wifi Display for Android Phones. This is great for sharing a moment with others and even a work presentation.

We tried it out with the iPhone and am impressed with the speed due to the Airplay app instead of a third-party app. You could use this as a projector for presentation using your phone. A nifty office combination that you can take it with you anywhere.

7 Place any corner of the room and get a proportional screen with keystone correction

When you get a projector, it is important to get one with Keystone adjustment. Keystone will adjust the video output so you would not have a distorted image if you put it in the corner of the room. With the NANO, if you tilt it upwards, it will auto adjust the image to give you the best rectangular image. 

You can also manually correct the screen up to +- 40 degrees vertically and horizontally, giving you the perfect image every time you use it. We do prefer the manual to auto-correction as it allows you to tweak the image to perfection. You could also adjust the brightness and hue. These were not possible in previous LUMOS models.

8 Feature packed

Other notable features include the Premium DLP for display technology. DLP projectors will deliver sharp images that do not need any filters and they have a better response time as well as 3D capabilities. It comes with 1500 lumens that would provide crisp and bright scenes in a dim room. 

For projectors, the best time to use it would be in the evening or in a dark room. A bright room would cause the image to be whitewashed.

The NANO supports 1080p with a native 480p. It comes with 2GB Ram and 16GB ROM which is double the predecessor. This ensures a smooth and fast operation of the device. The picture quality is on par with the predecessors.

For connectivity, it has an HDMI and USB input for you to plug in your computer or set up boxes. There is also an audio out to connect to the headset or additional speakers. You can also plug in your PS5, Xbox, Nintendo Switch and have a party with multiplayer games on a big screen!

The LUMOS NANO has also a very low power consumption at 12W. In comparison, the Auro has a consumption rate of 150 w. This makes watching movies on the LUMOS NANO is less taxing on the electricity bill. The package comes with a charger, HDBI cable, remote control, tripod stand and the unit itself.

User Experience

Setting up the NAONO was a breeze. Simply connect to your wireless network, sign on to Netflix and Youtube and you are ready to go. If you have Disney +, Amazon or other subscriptions, you can also find it on the LUMOS NANO. 

There were minor hiccups during the setup. You might need to turn on and off the NANO for Netflix to sign on and the wireless connection may be glitchy depending on how far your router is. All these are minor issues and are resolved easily.  For any reason, if you encounter an issue during setup, you can always revert to factory settings and restart. Set up should take less than 30 mins to an hour depending on the number of apps you are installing. 

The unit cools itself via the inbuilt fan. For longer use, you may face some heat. Unless you are going for a movie marathon, this would probably not affect the usage.

Operations wise, it is pretty intuitive. It is a plug and plays projector. Once everything is set up, it is similar to operating a smart TV. We like the versatility of the size and the portability due to the built-in battery. You could put this unit anywhere that has a wall or even a ceiling and you can have a cinematic experience on the go!

As for image quality, despite the size, it does pack impressive images even on an 85-inch screen. We had projected it on a textured wall and on the ceiling. The ceiling provided a crisper image due to its smooth surface. Nonetheless, it is still pretty watchable on the textured wall especially when it is dark. As long as your projection surface is smooth, you would get a decent image from the NANO.

Who is the LUMOS NANO built for

If you are someone who desires versatility and would prefer things to be minimalistic, the LUMOS NANO is the one to get. It is great for families with young kids who needs the occasional entertainment. Since it is portable, it is also useful for those travelling or going on a staycation. We reckon that the LUMOS NANO will be a good addition to LUMOS for those who want to have occasional entertainment on the big screen without breaking the bank.

With the Lunar New Year just around the corner, this is probably the best time to invest in the LUMOS NANO. Bring it out during home visits and share the joy with everyone!

Get your LUMOS NANO here.