LG Minibeam Nano: a tiny, affordable projector for your smartphone

A new wave of projectors has been hitting the market, targeting mobile users who want to take their large-scale media entertainment wherever they go. The most popular around here is probably the ZTE Spro 2 (read our review for all the details), but competing manufacturers like Lenovo and Asus are not staying behind. And today we have LG joining the fight for your wall with a very enticing offer.

Enter the LG Minibeam Nano, which the manufacturer claims is the “smallest, lightest and most affordable projector to date”.  We won’t know about the latter claim until we test this little guy, but we can attest to the fact that it is pretty small and light. The Minibeam Nano weighs only 270 grams, and it measures 108 x 103 x 44 mm. It looks rather cute, but we shouldn’t underestimate it based on its looks.

LG Minibeam Nano details

It seems like a pretty good portable projector, packing an LED lamp that can project 100 ANSI lumens of brightness and a 100,000:1 contrast ratio in an image that can be expanded as much as 100 inches. You may want to upgrade on the 1W mono sound by plugging some speakers through the headset jack, but that is a given for any projector. These machines never come with great sound.

The LG Minibeam Nano sports an HDMI input and a USB port (which can be used for displaying HD DivX and Office documents from a thumb drive. The real kicker here is that it features wireless streaming and mirroring from smartphones, tablets and other devices. It does support WiFi Direct and Miracast, which we know a plethora of devices offer.

Yes, you can also take this little guy on-the-go. What good would its size be without real portability? The device has an integrated 3800 mAh battery that is said to last about 2 hours on a full charge. Enough for a good movie or a long presentation.

Pricing and availability

All four projectors will be available in the United States from this month ranging from $349 to $999. The projectors will be available in Asia, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America starting sometime this month, as well. Exact pricing and availability information will depend on the market.

Who is buying? Also, how much cash would you be willing to fork out for one of these?