Wirelessly cast your favourite content directly from your smart phone, tablet, or computer – including from popular Android and Apple devices (3). Delivers an immersive viewing experience for TV shows, sporting events, gaming and movies by accepting content up to 4K – for an amazing Full-HD HDR picture. Get details in Epson EpiqVision mini EF12 smart streaming laser projector review.
Pros & Cons – Epson EpiqVision mini EF12 smart streaming laser projector
Pros
– It’s 3LCD so no rainbow effect, there is minor screendoor effect.
– It has accurate autofocus and cornerstone adjustments.
– It’s laser, so it will last 20000 hours, which is around 10 years with normal usage.
– It doesn’t heat up as much as bulb projectors and its fan is less noisy.
– It’s very small and lightweight, and it is portable.
– Very good internal speakers.
Cons
– Limited contrast
– No optical zoom
– No optical lens-shift
– Limited lumens
– Not 4K
Specification – Epson EpiqVision mini EF12 smart streaming laser projector
- Native Resolution: 1,920 x 1,080
- Compatible with 4:3: Yes
- Projection System: Epson 3LCD Laser
- Color Brightness: Color Light Output: 1,000 lumens
- White Brightness: White Light Output: 1,000 lumens
- Chip Design: (Architecture) 3-Chip
- Projection Method: Front/Upside Down
- Color Reproduction: Full-color (up to 16.77 million colors)
- Image Size: 30″ – 150″ (Zoom: Wide)
- Product Color: Black and Copper
- Driving Method: Poly-silicon TFT active matrix, 0.62″
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Contrast Ratio: 200,000:1
- HDR Support: HDR10/ HLG
- Keystone Correction Auto/Manual
- Vertical: +/- 34 degrees
- Horizontal: +/- 40 degrees
- Real Time Auto Keystone Correction
- Throw Distance: 26″ – 88″
- Screen Size: 30″ – 100″
- Color Processing Full 10-bit
- Light Source: Type Laser Diode
- Light Source: Life 20,000 hours (normal/quiet mode)
- Built-in Speakers: 5 W Stereo, Sound by Yamaha
Price
The Mini EF12 (MSRP $999), Mini EF11 (MSRP $799), and LS300 will be at select retailers starting in November 2020. The LS300 will be available in white or black as a standalone ultra-short-throw projector (MSRP $1,999) and will also be available as a bundled package with either a 100-inch screen (MSRP $2,999) or a 120-inch screen (MSRP $3,999). All three new EpiqVision models are backed by a 2-year warranty.
Compare Epson EpiqVision mini EF12 smart streaming laser projector
Key feature
– The brightness is only 1000 lumens, which I was a little worried about at first, but the actual effect is very good. Especially at night when the lights are off indoors, this brightness is enough to use without being harsh. The brightness of all colors is also adequate and the image quality is high. (During daytime it performs not good depends on how bright your room is.)
– First of all, in terms of colors, the colors are very vivid, you can refer to the photos I uploaded, you can clearly see the color layering of the sky, ocean, and beach. Especially for the game, the color saturation and contrast are very good and visually comfortable. And, no rainbow effect at all!
– The resolution itself is 1080p, so it is also very clear when zoomed in to the entire wall, with full detail retention.
– The overall fan noise is very low, and although you can hear it, it doesn’t affect the watching experience of movies or games. The fan noise is similar to that of a PC when the CPU is running full speed. There is no other harsh current noise at all.
– The Yamaha speaker works well, and the stereo sound is excellent. And the screen can be turned off and used alone as a stereo to play music.
– The autofocus is accurate, and the horizontal trapezoid correction angle is adequate.
– The Android TV that comes with it is handy! Watch YouTube channels and various videos directly without having to connect to another device to use them independently! This means that a single power cord is enough to watch the movie! (Of course, you still need an HDMI cable to play games).
Epson EpiqVision mini EF12 smart streaming laser projector review
Design
it’s tiny: way less than a foot cubed. So it can fit just about anywhere. There are multiple HDMI inputs, Wi-Fi and Android TV. It can even double as a Bluetooth speaker. And it also uses a laser light source, so you never need to replace a projector bulb.
Ports
- HDMI inputs: 2
- PC input: No
- USB port: 1
- Audio input and output: 3.5mm stereo output
- Digital audio output: No
- Wi-Fi: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
- 12-volt trigger: No
- RS-232 remote port: No
- MHL: No
- Remote: Not backlit
Portable
This one weighs about 2700 g, just about 6 pounds, which makes it reasonably portable. It is also only 10cm (4 inches) tall by 21 cm (8.3 in) wide . It does NOT come with a case
Brightness & Lumens
The EF12 can handle 4K resolution and HDR video sources, but don’t expect much of a boost in picture quality from them. This is a 1080p resolution projector and no projector can really do HDR.
The lumens spec, which determines brightness, is the most disappointing aspect of the EF12. The EF-100, which is similar in design and purpose, is rated for twice that. A thousand lumens isn’t dim, but it’s not a lot in an era of projectors with 3,000 and higher lumens ratings, especially for the price.
Color
Smaller and the color is better quality than any other projector I own for daylight use. I do not recommend as a home theater projector unless it is to be used in a partially lit room, there are better options for dark rooms. The included TV stick makes it easy to use without a computer. Sound is ok for the size. Can connect to a bluetooth speaker, sometimes there is a delay between the picture and sound via bluetooth. Color is really amazing. Does not come with a case.
By laser they mean that the light source is a laser rather than a lamp. The display is 3LCD. This will last much longer and is sturdier. Lamp life is listed at 120,000 hours which is far more than a regular lamp.
Audio
The EF12 has two HDMI inputs, and one even has Audio Return Channel to get audio from its internal apps back to a soundbar or receiver. There’s also a 3.5mm analog audio output.
You might not need either, however. The 5-watt built-in stereo speakers, co-designed with Yamaha, sound surprisingly good. They can fill a room and have decent bass for such a small cabinet.
Setup
Setup was easy. You need to pair the remote the first time. There is second remote for the streaming dongle, but you only need that if you are using the streaming dongle on some other device.
Epson EpiqVision mini EF12 smart streaming laser projector customer review
Exceptional all-in-one streaming projector
This projector is just about everything we ever wanted in a projector. Image quality and brightness are exceptional, sound is fantastic, and streaming is very convenient. Overall, this projector is a great option for home, travel, and business. We already use it at home almost daily, and we plan to travel with it to watch family movies. First impressions. It’s a space efficient single cube unit that incorporates what appears to be a pretty large speaker (almost half the unit). It is fairly light weight. It has sufficient connection options with 2 HDMI, USB, and earphone jack. It also includes a nicely-designed remote control. Image. With 1000 lumens, the projector is plenty bright.
The image is visible in full daylight, but obviously not ideal. With a little bit of shade, the image is watchable during the day, even on a 100” display. In the dark, the brightness and 1080p resolution provides a fantastic viewing experience, even on very large screen (up to 150”). Of note, the projector is capable of 4k resolution, so it is future proof. Contrast ratio is also excellent, so image quality is exceptional all around. Sound. I was not expecting such a high-end integrated speaker to be included… Wow! The Yamaha speaker and discreet amplifier provide impressive quality and plenty of volume to enjoy without any additional hardware.
This is one of the particularly compelling features of this projector because you don’t need to bring anything except the projector, the remote, and the power cable to use it. Just plug, project against a wall if you have to, and enjoy quality video and sound. Features. The projector includes Android TV, which means that you can connect to your WiFi network and start streaming content right away! No need to connect to a computer!! That was a strange thing to get used to. Projectors used to be useless without a connection to content… well not anymore! Integrated apps include YouTube, CNN, Vudu, and Disney Plus. A few more specific streaming apps would have been nice, but we found an easy work-around.
Another feature I love is the auto focus and auto keystone. This is really nice because with a portable projector, it is particularly annoying to have to readjust the focus and keystone manually every time you move it. Manual adjustments take at least a few minutes, and more if you have a complicated setup. The auto focus and auto keystone can also be activated when needed from the remote control; this is really nice feature. I really like the inclusion of an audio jack (3.5 mm); I’ve used it a few times already to watch content on the projector while my wife was sleeping. Screen mirroring (from a smart phone or tablet) has been working very well for me, and opens up a lot of possibilities for usage, such as using workout apps to exercise. Lastly, the projector also has a small treaded hole on the underside for mounting.
Usage. To enjoy this projector, we purchased a 135” indoor/outdoor portable screen (see picture), and the experience has been amazing. We can setup the screen and projector in just a few minutes, use the auto focus and auto keystone to get a great image in just a few seconds, and then we can start streaming content right away. We also plan to use it for outdoor movie nights. This will be a great device for family events. Things I love. – 1000 lumens provide ample brightness – 1080p native resolution, and capable of 4k resolution (future proof!) – High quality integrated sound from Yamaha speakers – Built-in Android TV! – Auto focus and auto keystone; such a nice feature to have!
I hope it keeps working this well – Pretty quiet so far; there is a big built-in fan, but we haven’t noticed it kicking-on – The retractable kickstand is nice to make minor height adjustments – Screen mirroring actual works well Things I don’t love. – I wish it included a few other specific streaming apps that we like. To get around this, we just plugged a streaming stick in one of the HDMI ports to have access to the rest of our content (see picture). Also, as another work-around, for some missing streaming apps you can screen-mirror from your personal device directly onto the projector –
A travel bag would have been nice. I would pay a little more for the projector if it included one. We plan to order a travel bag for this projector Overall, this is a winner! Beside two apps that we think should be included with Android TV, this projector is everything we could wish for. It is small and portable enough, includes a high-quality speaker, provides exceptional video quality, and enables direct WiFi streaming. We LOVE it!
AllAboutTech, Reviewer in Best Buy
Is BenQ CineHome HT2050A better alternative of Epson EpiqVision mini EF12 smart streaming laser projector?
The EF-100 is noticeably brighter than the EF12, however, roughly on par with the HT2050A.
As you might have guessed, the BenQ HT2050A easily looks better than both. The contrast ratio is significantly higher, nearly 2,100:1 compared to about 400:1
Contrast ratio is also quite poor on both the Epsons. The EF12 improves upon the EF-100 a little, but the difference between 315:1 and 394:1 is like the difference between one car that gets 12 mpg and another that gets 13. It’s also barely outside the range of measurement error. In practice everything looks fairly washed out on both. The lower brightness on the EF12 does nothing to make the image pop either.
