Optoma’s tiny, portable ultra short throw laser projector can throw a 100-inch image from just 25cm away, wherever you take it

• Optoma unveils a new portable projector with RGB triple laser technology
• The Photon Go is an ultra short throw model with HD resolution
• Available from April, retailing at £899 / €999

Optoma’s latest ultra short throw projector, the Photon Go, crams a whole lot of technology into a very small (and portable) package. Could it be one of the best portable projectors this year?

The Photon Go is a new model that looks to combine the image quality of RGB triple laser projectors with the convenience of an on-the-go, portable beamer.

Thanks to its triple-laser system, it’s able to reproduce “pure red, green, and blue light sources”, rather than filtering a light source, ensuring strong, accurate colors and a dynamic contrast ratio of 2,500,000:1.

As a UST (ultra short throw) model, it can sit pretty flush with the wall or screen it’s projecting onto, with the ability to project a 100-inch image when under 25cm away from the wall.

There’s no 4K capability here – unlike Optoma's other new projector, the 5,000-lumen UHZ68LV. The Photon Go marries its RGB color output with HD / 1080p resolution, helping to keep its price under the four-figure mark, though the color performance and sheer convenience of its size should make up for it.

Optoma tells us the Photon Go is capable of 650 lumens of brightness, which is pretty good for a portable projector, if well below the thousands of lumens expected from more static home theater models.

Hot to go

However, a built-in battery and a compact design makes this a projector you can also slip into a rucksack or suitcase with relative ease – much like the Anker Capsule II mini projector or the Samsung Freestyle 2nd Gen. That’s handy whether you’re moving the projector between rooms, homes, or camping sites on regular occasions, and allows for a huge range of flexibility in where and how you entertain yourself and your friends.

Meanwhile, the Google TV operating system allows access to 10,000+ apps and streaming services, making sure your projector can interact with smart home controls and funnel a near-unlimited range of content to your living room wall.

In terms of ports, you’ll get one HDMI 2.0 input, one USB-C power connection, and outputs for USB-A and S/PDIF. You can get your hands on a model from April 2025, retailing for £899 / €999 (about $1,140 / AU$1,800). There's no word on a US launch yet, but hopefully it'll follow, because this looks great for a minimalist entertainment room.

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