Anker launches portable projector built for life outdoors

Last month, Anker Innovations launched a pre-order campaign for what was billed as the first truly outdoor projector. Now the Nebula Mars 3 1080p entertainment hub, portable power bank and campsite light source has gone up for sale.

The Nebula Mars 3's single-chip DLP projection unit is protected by a slide-down cover between uses. When open for business, the projector provides Full HD visuals at up to 200 diagonal inches, and also features an AI image quality engine that adjusts contrast, sharpness and color while also cleaning up noise for best picture quality.

The LED light source is rated for 25,000 hours of use, and puts out 1,000 ANSI lumens when plugged into a wall outlet, though that drops to 300 lumens when relying on its 185-Wh battery for up to five hours of audiovisuals in eco mode, or two hours in standard. That battery can also serve as a power bank at camp, to top up mobile gadgetry when the unit isn't providing entertainment.

The projector can automatically adjust the thrown image to fit a detected screen size, while adjusting focus and keystone at the same time. It features quad-core processing brains supported by 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of storage, includes dual-band Wi-Fi, and runs Android TV 11 for access to thousands of entertainment apps – though Netflix doesn't appear to be officially sanctioned for this device.

Folks can also connect directly to a source device over HDMI, there are USB-C and USB Type-A ports as well plus a 3.5-mm aux output jack for cabling to headphones or an external speaker when not making use of the built-in 40-W Dolby sound system – which can serve as a Bluetooth 5.1 speaker too.

Anker reports that the unit benefits from IPX3 splash resistance, and can survive drops from 0.5 meters (1.6 ft). There's a pop-out kickstand for thrown angle adjustment, an integrated sturdy handle with integrated controls, and a three-level ambient light to illuminate the campsite.

The Nebula Mars 3 is available now for US$1,099.

Product page: Anker Nebula Mars 3