The growth in popularity of projectors, which has been going on for about 10 years, is a good incentive for manufacturers. As a result, their range is constantly and rapidly expanding in all directions. Probably, Ultra Short Throw (UST) projectors can be positioned as the most promising. They form a huge image with a very short distance due to its re-reflection from an aspherical lens. Located near the wall with a screen, it does not create problems with wires on the floor. Today it’s the most popular alternative to TVs in the living room.
Moreover, some manufacturers even call them ‘laser TVs’, which can cause a slightly ironic grin from a physicist. However, formally any projector with a built-in TV receiver can be positioned as a TV with a screen outside the case. But most manufacturers prefer to traditionally call similar models UST projectors.
Compact, low-brightness UST projectors are still exotic. However, Philips offers portable Screeneo UL5.
Mid-focal projectors
Today they are the most common:
– mid-focal models with a brightness of 1,000 ANSI lumens usually use a laser light engine (ALPD 3.0-based Laser Phosphor or ALPD 4.0-based triple RGB laser);
– mid-focal with a brightness of 500 ANSI lumens are often equipped with an LED light engine.
Almost all modern UST models support 4K (3,840 x 2,160) resolution. Their price ranges from $ 2,000 to $ 5,000.
Cheaper mid-focal projectors are divided into 4K and Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) models. Their prices vary in a fairly wide range:
– bright (1,000 ANSI lm and more) mid-focal 4K – ($ 1,500 – $ 2,000);
– mid-bright (~ 500 – 1,000 ANSI lm) mid-focal Full HD – $ 250 – $ 1,000.
Mid-bright with 4K resolution are rare.
The new Wanbo Vali 1 Full HD LED projector with 900 ANSI Lumens brightness costs only $ 280. For comparison, the prices of competitors with brightness ~ 1,000 lumens:
– BenQ GP100A – $ 1,000, October 2023, LED, 1,000 ANSI Lumens;
– Epson Epiqvision Mini EF-22/21 (with / without stand) – $ 930 / $ 850, October 2024, 3LCD, Laser Phosphor, white / color brightness 1,000 ISO Lumens / CLO Lumens;
– XGIMI Halo Plus – $ 800, September 2021, LED, 900 ANSI Lumens;
– Anker Nebula Mars 3 – $ 800, July 2023, LED, 1,000 ANSI Lumens;
– ultracompact Dangbei Atom ~ $ 680, 2024, Laser Phosphor, 1,200 ISO Lumens, Google TV with built-in Netflix.
– JmGO N1S / N1 – $ 600 / $ 900, June 2023 / May 2024, RGB Laser, 1,200 ANSI Lumens / 850 ISO Lumens;
– Ultimea Poseidon E40 – $ 400, February 2024, LED, 1,000 ANSI Lumens.
Therefore, interest in this model is quite justified.
Wanbo Vali 1
Wanbo is a sub-brand of Xiaomi. It belongs to Shenzhen Wanbo Technology, which was founded in 2016. This high-tech company focuses on the R&D, manufacturing, and sales of IOT systems. In addition, the company develops, manufactures, and sells the single-chip DLP LCD projectors.
Of course, a promotional price of $ 239 and a list price of $ 338 for a fairly bright Full HD projector are impressive.
Its focusing range for the image reaches up to 130 inches diagonally. To be fair, the quality of such an image is unlikely to satisfy most people due to insufficient brightness and 1080p resolution. But, in a dark room it will easily handle 70-75 inches with an acceptably high image quality.
The 200-degree gimbal stand and auto setup features with ASA 3.0 smart calibration radically simplify its placement and installation. An Android 11.0 OS and 1080p HD streaming directly from Netflix eliminates the content problem for the projector.
The brightness specified in the specs reaches 900 ANSI lumens.
Unfortunately, the measured brightness is lower than the specs, but this is a common problem with most modern projectors. Given the marketing importance of brightness, companies use the optimal methodology to measure it for their models. As a result, today projectors brightness is measured in:
– ANSI Lumens (American National Standards Institute, ANSI IT7.228 standard) – measures the luminous flux at nine points on the screen;
– ISO Lumens (1 ANSI Lumen ~ 0.8 ISO Lumens, ISO 21118);
– Color Light Output (CLO) and white brightness (Epson 3LCD projectors);
– LED Lumens (1,000 LED Lumens ~ 417 ANSI Lumens);
– CVIA Lumen (China Electronics Video Industry Association).
Not wanting to risk their reputation due to accusations of incorrect specs, some well-known companies prefer not to specify brightness.
Key Features
The Wanbo Vali 1 is a compact model, the dimensions and weight of which are only (25 x 23 x 19 cm) / (10 x 8.96 x 7.43 inches)@2.8 kg / 6.17 lbs. Ceiling mount and 200-degree gimbal stand max make installation easy.
Optimized ASA 3.0 intelligent image adjustment supports auto focus, auto keystone correction, auto screen fit, and obstacle avoidance.
Of course, the budget Vali 1 does not have HDMI with eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel) support for digital audio output to an external soundbar. But the built-in audio system is quite sufficient for most. The model is equipped with two 6W speakers in a 500cc sound chamber with a DSP Digital Power Amplifier. Moreover, the projector offers six audio modes, including a customizable user mode. Its class clearly exceeds its counterparts in budget-friendly mid-focal LED Full HD projectors. Music mode is optimal for any content. It delivers spacious audio with clear dialogue, clean music, and superb sound effects.
Built-in Chromecast delivers content.
Big fan effectively cools the projector with a noise level of only 28 dB, which is equivalent to a whisper.
Finally, the model supports Google Assistant.
Color Modes
The Wanbo Vali 1 has four color modes, including Standard (default), Vivid, Soft, and User. Traditionally for this segment, the model does not have a color management system (CMS). However, User mode offers a choice of Color Temp, including Cool, Warm, Standard, and User.
The colors of Standard and User modes are almost identical. The image has a slight shift of red to burgundy, a slightly minty green and a slight shift of teal. They are ideal for TV, animated content, and video games.
Soft mode is a version with less saturated colors (25-30% difference) and darker shades. The good color / skin tone reproduction and deeper black make it optimal for films or TV shows.
The color accuracy of Vivid mode is significantly lower because this mode is too oversaturated.
Overall, the color accuracy in Standard, User and Soft modes is great for a compact projector costing several hundred.
Unfortunately, the measured brightness differs significantly from that indicated in the specs. In particular, the brightest Standard mode shows just under 450 lumens, which is half as much as 900 lumens. Lower brightness increases the requirements for dimming and limits the max projection size with acceptable quality. In fact, the projector can be positioned as a low-bright mid-focal Full HD model. In this segment, it competes with:
– XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro – $ 450, September 2024, LED, 450 ISO Lumens;
– Dangbei Freedo – $ 440, February 2025, LED, 450 ISO Lumens.
– JMGO Picoflix – $ 420, October 2024, LED 450 ANSI Lumens.
– Yaber T2 Plus Keith Haring Edition – $ 280, September 2024, LED, 450 ANSI Lumens.
Except for Yaber T2 Plus Keith Haring Edition, the price-quality ratio of Wanbo Vali 1 convincingly outperforms its competitors.
Conclusion
Pros
– superb price $ 280;
– Netflix support;
– Google Assistant;
– auto focus + smart screen fitting;
– 200-degree gimbal stand;
– 2x 6W speakers.
Cons
– brightness lower as advertised;
– no internal battery;
– not ideal compatibility with Mac.
Without taking into account the price, the model can be positioned as another Full HD mid-focal LED projector, which are available in abundance on the market. But its superb price-quality ratio due to the very low price clearly distinguishes Wanbo Vali 1 from its competitors. Despite the tough competition in this segment, even with the measured brightness of up to 500 lumens, it competes only with the new Yaber T2 Plus Keith Haring Edition costing $ 280 and with a brightness of 450 lumens. Moreover, the graet sound and cooling system, 200° gimbal, Google Assistant and fairly high color accuracy ‘out of the box’ are clearly above the level of budget-friendly segment. These factors promise the projector bright marketing prospects and, perhaps, a place among the bestsellers.
This video demonstrates new Wanbo Vali 1 Full HD mid-focal LED projector.