Anker’s 4K outdoor projector looks and sounds great… on paper

Anker’s new all-in-one Nebula X1 smart projector has everything you’d want from a “cinema-grade outdoor entertainment system.”

It produces a bright 4K image from a triple-laser light engine capable of 3,500 ANSI lumens, automatically finds the best place to project an image optimized for the environment, has Google TV built-in to unlock 4K Netflix streams, and features two battery-powered Wi-Fi satellite speakers to create a legitimate surround-sound experience. The only thing missing is a portable screen.

The X1 can project a 200-inch image from a distance of 13 to 22 feet thanks to its optical zoom. It’s also fitted with a gimbal that can tilt the output up to 25 degrees to automatically find the best placement on a screen or wall where the image is keystone corrected, focused, and adapted to the ambient light and surface color. A button on the remote control can initiate all that spatial adaptation whenever you want and the X1’s memory feature can preserve settings for repeat locations. And its 5,000:1 native contrast and Rec.2020 color support should help make the X1’s Dolby Vision certification more than just a marketing stunt.

It’s the X1’s sound system, however, that’s the real star of this show. The projector includes four built-in speakers (two 15W and two 5W). Those speakers can be combined with a pair of optional battery-powered Wi-Fi speakers good for up to eight hours of audio. Each satellite speaker contains a 40W pair of front drivers, a 20W upward-firing driver, and a 20W side-firing driver to add width and height to audio. The result is a 4.1.2 surround-sound experience when the audio drivers inside the X1 are switched into subwoofer mode. And while the satellite speakers feature IP54 resistance to dust and rain, the X1 projector itself offers no such assurances.

Lastly, the X1 is also liquid cooled — an industry first, according to Anker. That not only reduces the size of the unit by omitting the high-powered fans, it also drops the noise to a relatively quiet 26dB. There’s even the option for a two-pack of wireless microphones to get your karaoke on.

Anker’s Nebula X1 won’t come cheap. The projector alone will cost $2,999 starting on May 21st, or $3,298 for the X1 bundle, which includes the projector, two mics, a travel case, and a pair of those satellite speakers.