Heyup Boxe, the not so despicable portable projector
Heyup Boxe mini projector. Pic: Heyup.
There was a time when projectors had to be big and with loud fans that generated lots of heat. Thanks to the improvements in technology, it is now possible to have small projectors that are portable, versatile, and lots of fun.
The Heyup Boxe is a portable project that looks like a minion from Despicable Me. It has the same yellow colour and the massive lens and lens housing look like the one-eyed Minion Kevin. I love everything about it including the colour, curvy edges and overall cuteness.
The Boxe measures 134 x 115 x 175mm and has a base with four rubber feet and a standard 1/4 fitting for a tripod.
Around the back are the ports for HDMI, 3.5mm audio out, USB-A and USB-C for charging.
The Heyup Boxing can only push out 150 ANSI lumens, which limits it to dark room viewing. Like any projector, the image will be dimmer the larger you go. So, while Heyup claims you can project up to 120-inches, I wouldn’t go much more than 80-inches. I used it on a 50-inch screen and it was excellent.
The Boxe has a native resolution of Full HD which is excellent for a projector in this price category. Image quality is decent with good clarity and contrast, although the darker the room the better the contrast and colour will be.
One area where the Boxe excels is their speakers. I was really impressed at how loud they get but the sound quality is only average — not too surprising considering how small the unit is. I found it more than adequate most of the time but you can pair Bluetooth speakers or hook up wired speakers via the 3.5mm jack for a bigger, better and louder sound if that’s what you want.
The supplied remote is nice and big with tactile buttons that feel really positive when you press them. It works as advertised but it’s a pity it doesn’t match the cute aesthetic of the yellow projector. It uses Bluetooth rather than IR to communicate with the projector and batteries are included. The remote is responsive and has a bigger working range than a typical remote.
The Heyup Boxe runs on FengOS, an operating system based on an open-source version of Android. It’s heavily customised but this only makes it snappy to run all the necessary features of the projector.
The projector has a lot of custom options including screen zoom, brightness modes, image parameters and full keystone correction. The latter has to be done manually, unlike more expensive projectors that can do it automatically. The focus is also controlled manually via a roller wheel on the top of the unit.
You can cast to the projector from Apple and Android devices but the lack of Google PlayStore services does limit the capabilities of the Boxe as a smart TV. You can download apps via the Aptoide TV platform but apps like Netflix are not fully functional unless you put the remote into mouse mode. This is far from a slick implementation. To be fair to Heyup, this is a common issue and one I’ve experienced on other portable projectors.
The best way to circumvent this is to add a Google TV, Apple TV or a Firestick via the HDMI port on the back of the Boxe. I don’t see this as a big deal since I use an Apple TV on my high-end OLED TV but of course, your mileage may vary.
The Boxe has a 7,800 mAh battery that can provide up to 90 minutes without being plugged in. The system knows when it’s on battery power and automatically, reduces the brightness. The same is true when it’s plugged in – the screen gets brighter automatically, although you can manually override either brightness mode.
While on battery, the screen is fairly dim, so you’ll need to use it in the dark or a least, in a darkened room.
While 90 minutes is good for a lot of movies, it won’t see you to the end of many. As a result, I used a powerbank that was capable of delivering over 65W when I was using it away from a power outlet. The Boxe comes with a 65W USB-C charger that takes around two hours to fully charge it.
The Heyup Boxing is gorgeously cute and has a lot of impressive features including a decent picture quality. It costs €270 ($299) direct from Heyup which isn’t super cheap, but it is a big step up from the low end of the portable projector on the market while managing to compete well against more expensive options.
For more, see Heyup
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