This 4K portable laser projector goes twice as bright, twice as big as LG's equivalent, for the same price

(Image credit: JMGO)

JMGO N1S 4K is a new portable 4K laser projector
1,100 lumens, and up to 200 inches at a 1.2:1 throw ratio
$1,299 / about £1,005 / AU$2,155

If you're in the market for one of the best portable projectors, one of the most tempting models is the LG Cinebeam Q with its 120-inch, 4K projection and $1,299 / £1,299 / AU$2,499 price tag at launch (now largely available under £1,000/$1,000). But it's just got some serious competition in the form of the similarly priced JMGO N1S 4K.

Like the LG, it produces big images from a small footprint. But it's capable of projecting 4K at up to 200 inches compared to the LG's 120 inches. Okay, that's not quite the double we mentioned in the headline, but it's close enough – it's a lot of inches for a compact beamer.

JMGO N1S 4K: key features and price

This is a portable player measuring just 7.3 x 6.5 x 7.5 inches (18.5 x 16.5 x 19.1 cm), but there's no battery so you'll need to find somewhere to plug it in. Because it doesn't need to worry about battery life, it's impressively bright, putting out a claimed 1,100 ISO lumens – the LG Cinebeam Q, for comparison, is 500 ANSI lumens.

You might notice there's a difference there – ISO lumens versus ANSI lumens. But a rating in ISO lumens is generally brighter than ANSI lumens, so actually the difference appears (on paper) to be even wider than it first looks.

The sound system is decent given the small size of the devices, cramming in 10W speakers and a small bass unit, and the N1S is compatible with both Dolby Audio and DTS-HD.

You can adjust the projection angle up to 127 degrees using the stand that doubles as a handle, and there's promised 110% coverage of BT.2020 color, a 1,600:1 full on/full off contrast ratio, and HDR10.

There's MEMC motion smoothing, an HDMI 2.1 port with eARC, and it runs Google TV with support for both Google Assistant and Google Cast. For gamers there's 1080p 60Hz support with a reasonable 17ms input lag.

Officially the N1S 4K will retail at $1,299 in the US and €1,399 in the EU (roughly £1,006 / AU$2,155). But at the moment it's being discounted heavily for US users with a price of just $999. It's unclear whether that's a permanent price adjustment or just a limited-time offer.

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Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than a dozen books. Her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, is on sale now and her next book, about pop music, is out in 2025. She is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind.