Pico projectors are the next hot item in the world of data projection and smartphone accessories. Pico projectors allow you the best of both worlds—portability, with designs that are small enough to slip into a briefcase and flexibility and power to present a PowerPoint, slideshow or any other document to a small, medium or large group. Leading the pack in the relatively new pico projectors field is Optoma, and at the top of the line is the Optoma Pico PK-101 DLP. This review will take a look at some of the most fetching features of this outstanding pico projector.

Price - $229 MSRP

The Optoma Pico PK-101 DLP has a MSRP of $229, though you can get it at discount retailers for as little as $179. That’s much less when compared to full-sized data projectors.

Key Features

The Optoma Pico PK-101 DLP projector has a native resolution of 640 x 480 (VBA) and uses an LED light source with an estimated life of 20,000 hours. It connects to any device with a composite video output and includes an iPhone AV adapter that lets you output audio and video from the projector. The fully charged battery lasts about 70 minutes.

Color

For a tiny projector with a tiny price tag, the Optoma Pico PK-101 DLP really shines when it comes to color. The color saturation is high and the colors are vibrant and well-produced. It’s perfect for photos and videos, and of course, spreadsheets and graphs.

Brightness

At 11 lumens, you shouldn’t expect to pack any auditoriums with this projector. But in a well-lit room, you can get about a 20-inch diagonal image before you start having difficulty viewing the screen. Dim the lights and you can get a visible image of about 60-inches diagonal.

Portability

At about 4 ounces and the size of a wallet , the PK-101 DLP is ultraportable. Meant to be paired with a cell phone, you can keep the projector and your media device in the same pocket.

Audio
Don’t expect anything great from the Optoma Pico PK-101 in terms of audio. It has a built-in mono speaker as a convenience, but your best bet is to bring external speakers to hook up to your source (your iPhone or laptop).

Accessories

The Optoma Pico PK-101 comes with a spare battery, a tripod adapter and all the cables you’ll need. You should definitely invest in your own mini-tripod, however, otherwise you’re going to have trouble getting the projector aimed just right.

Conclusion

This is a great portable projector for displaying photos, videos and PowerPoints. Great for small conference rooms and might do in a pinch in a larger room with dimmed lighting and a good projection surface. Considering the price and the portability, this is an excellent buy. But just make sure you have reasonable expectations. You aren’t going to get the same richness and brightness as you would from a full-size data projector that costs $1,000. But if you want to make a quick presentation without lugging around a briefcase sized projector, go for this pico projector.