With the Neo Smart Projector, Dangbei offers a compact “all in one” home projector. This is meant to be unpacked and used when needed, such as at major sporting events or a movie night.
But the Neo is not just a run-of-the-mill cheap projector, like the hundreds you can get from Amazon. This offers a real Full HD resolution and a real brightness of 540 lumens. In theory, we have decent picture quality here!
In addition, the projector is “smart”. You can also feed it with a picture in the classic way via HDMI, but a WLAN/network module is installed in the projector, which allows the projector to access various streaming services directly.
The Dangbei Neo is even officially certified by Netflix!
Sounds exciting! But how does it look in practice? Is the Dangbei Neo Smart Projector as good as promised by the manufacturer? Let’s find out in the test!
At this point, many thanks to Dangbei for providing the Neo Smart Projector for this test.
The Dangbei Neo Smart Projector in the test
At 19.9 x 15.7 x 10 cm, the Dangbei Neo is a compact beamer/projector, but it’s not absolutely tiny either.
However, this is not a model that is meant to be installed permanently. You can still do this, of course, but the projector is intended more as an “event” model that you can unpack and just as quickly disappear when it is no longer needed.
I like the design very much! The projector is built chic and valuable. This is not a run-of-the-mill cheap projector, that is clear at first glance.
A bit of a shame, we don’t have any special features to align the Neo, like fold-out feet etc.
On the side of the connections we find the following:
1x HDMI 2x USB A 1x LAN 1x optical audio output
In addition, we have of course integrated Bluetooth and WLAN. In general, the connections for a projector of this class look good!
However, I might have wished for an analog audio output.
In addition to the power supply unit, the Dangbei Neo also comes with a remote control.
Software and “Smart” interface
The Dangbei Neo is a “Smart Projector”, which means it has a somewhat more extensive user interface. This is not classic Android, but probably something based on Android.
Fortunately, there is no obligation to have an account or anything like that, you can also use the projector completely “offline”.
However, the user interface is already somewhat tailored to “smart” use. You will find the Netflix app prominently on the start page, as well as YouTube and Prime Video.
In the settings you will find advanced options such as keystone adjustment, focus settings, etc.
Interestingly, it is NOT possible to adjust the brightness of the projector. There is a brightness setting, but this only changes the brightness of the image via software and does not dim the lamp.
In general, I like the user interface, it is easy to understand, easy to navigate and runs smoothly. But there are some “adventurous” German translations, such as the focus setting was translated from the English “manual” to “handbook”.
Apps and App Store
The Dangbei Neo comes pre-installed with some apps specially adapted for the projector, such as Netflix, Youtube and Prime Video.
However, you can also download many other apps from an app store. This partly has many niche apps or apps from foreign broadcasters etc., but also partly some interesting extensions.
In addition to Netflix, Youtube and Prime Video, I was able to discover the following “exciting things” here:
Plex Joyn ARD Mediathek Deezer VEVO
But there are hundreds more. The Dangbei Neo seems to use the same user interface as the Emotn N1.
Image quality of the Dangbei Neo
The Dangbei Neo relies on DLP technology and creates an image with real Full HD resolution. The maximum brightness is 540 ISO lumens.
If the room in which you use the projector is sufficiently darkened, then the Dangbei Neo offers a great picture!
Subjectively, it delivers really good sharpness and generally image quality with strong colors. Yes, Full HD is still sufficient for a projector due to the large distance between the seats.
This can be an image size between 37.5 inches and 120 inches to reach.
If the room is sufficiently dark, the picture is really good! In rooms that are not darkened, the Neo finds it increasingly difficult. Of course, this applies to all beamers/projectors. 540 ISO lumens aren’t bad either and subjectively the Neo is bright enough, but this isn’t a projector you could use in a non-darkened room either.
A little darkness has to be, then it delivers a nice, sharp and coherent picture. The autofocus feature, which allows the projector to focus independently, also works very well!
With integrated speakers
Normally, the loudspeakers that are integrated into projectors are always quite terrible. Again, these cannot replace a speaker system.
However, the speakers of the Dangbei Neo are OK. This or this one is sufficiently loud and sounds useful!
In an emergency, the integrated speaker can be used.
volume
A fan is integrated in the Dangbei Neo. This fan is neither particularly loud nor particularly quiet. Normally, it shouldn’t be a nuisance and should be drowned out by speakers even in quiet situations. This isn’t the quietest beamer/projector I’ve had my hands on either.
power consumption
Finally, let’s take a look at the power consumption of the Dangbei Neo. This requires approx. 64W in normal operation.
Conclusion
Are you looking for a projector/project for occasional film or game nights? Then the Dangbei Neo is a strong choice! The projector is very compact, but offers a very good picture!
The sharpness and the colors are excellent! The brightness is also good, although not enormous for such a small device. You have to darken a room a bit to really get that cinema feeling.
The software of the projector is neat. A lot of emphasis is placed on the “smart” feature. So we have a Netflix app (officially certified), just like Youtube and Prime Video. There is also an app store where you can find one or the other useful app, such as various media libraries.
Apart from the adventurous German translation, I am completely satisfied with the software. You don’t have to use all these smart features if you don’t want to. You also have an HDMI input for external devices.
There are further plus points for the acceptable loudspeakers.
Does something also speak against the Dangbei Neo? Not per se. The price is of course a bit higher at around 700€ and if you don’t care about the compact form factor and smart features, then you can get models with more brightness for the same money.
But if you like the smart features and the compact form factor, then the Dangbei Neo is a highlight!