Aurzen Zip Review: a Big Idea, but a Tiny Disappointment

I archetypal saw the Aurzen Zip and I instantly said, “I privation one.” It’s a projector and it is tiny capable to acceptable into your backmost pocket, letting you crook immoderate adjacent partition into a 2nd screen. No wires oregon WiFi needed. The institution hails it arsenic the “world’s archetypal tri-fold projector”. Unfortunately arsenic chill arsenic it looks and overmuch arsenic I applaud what Aurzen was going for with this minuscule projector, I deliberation I enjoyed the thought of it much than really utilizing it.

The Zip’s astir striking diagnostic is its tri-fold design, which is the lone crushed you’d see buying it. When folded into a teeny square, it measures 3.3 x 3 x 1 inches (half the size of an iPhone) and weighs conscionable implicit .6 lbs. When opened, it astir resembles a relative of the Pixar lamp, acceptable to beam each your favourite YouTube videos to a aboveground adjacent you. You tin ever support it successful a container oregon overgarment pouch if you ever request an impromptu surface to ticker YouTube, possibly astatine a campsite oregon wrong a plane. Not that I camp, nor would I ever privation to annoy different passengers by projecting crippled trailers onto the formation cabin, but I privation to beryllium capable to.

It’s casual to acceptable up. Once you link the instrumentality to your machine oregon phone’s surface mirroring list, you simply request to travel the onscreen directions. Mirroring contented from your telephone has small to nary latency. I could ticker Mets outpouring grooming games connected the partition adjacent my desk, to the dismay of each the Yankee fans successful our office. A much relatable usage was having my toddler ticker a fewer Ms. Rachel videos projected onto the ceiling earlier bedtime, which was a deed until it ran retired of battery.

There was a spot of latency erstwhile I attempted to usage it arsenic a 2nd surface for the iMac and PC. It’s much noticeable erstwhile you spot idiosyncratic talk successful a video that you tin spot that it’s somewhat retired of sync by a fewer milliseconds.

The Zip, erstwhile folded, is astir fractional the size of a smartphone. © Adriano Contreras / Gizmodo

Aside from YouTube and Twitch, galore streaming apps similar Max and Netflix bash not enactment surface mirroring connected phones and computers. It’s not the Zip’s fault; galore streaming platforms person draconian DRM restrictions regarding circumstantial outer displays. You’d person the aforesaid occupation if you tried utilizing Apple AirPlay from your iPhone onto a astute TV. So, if that is simply a woody breaker, see a mini-projector with built-in Google TV, similar the Nebula Capsule Air. It won’t acceptable successful your backpack, but it’s inactive tiny capable to question with.

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The Zip is 100 lumens, which is incredibly dim for a projector, nary substance the size. So you’ll request much oregon little implicit acheronian to ticker thing comfortably. You tin spot the quality successful representation prime beneath erstwhile the lights are connected and disconnected successful our studio. If determination is excessively overmuch light, the representation is washed out, and you tin hardly spot anything.

As acold arsenic maximum region is concerned, 2 to 4 feet is the saccharine spot, which gives astir 30-40 inches of surface size. At astir 5 oregon six feet, you tin task astir 70 inches. The lone occupation is the further you get, the much you’re sacrificing surface clarity and brightness.

After utilizing it for implicit a mates of weeks, I inactive can’t judge however large this happening is for thing truthful small. Almost instantly aft you crook it on, the tiny fans wrong the Zip commencement moving overtime, tending to overpower the brace of underpowered 1W built-in speakers. Even astatine its highest measurement setting, you tin ever perceive the fans.

That’s not the lone compromise that needs to beryllium made regarding a projector of this size. The artillery beingness isn’t great; adjacent astatine 100 lumens, you’re getting conscionable astir 45 minutes of artillery beingness nether Turbo mode and conscionable implicit an hr connected Eco mode. The lone quality I’ve seen betwixt the 2 modes is that the Evo mode dims the surface adjacent much to conserve battery.

The Zip is not a atrocious mode to ticker Spring Training games. © Jorge Jimenez / Gizmodo

Yeah, you could support the Zip plugged into a portable artillery oregon different powerfulness root via USB Type-C, but that means we are present adding devices to the premix that decision the intent of its portability, which is simply a shame.

What the Aurzen Zip lacks successful powerfulness makes for portability, and this is, by far, the astir portable projector I’ve used. I admit the caller plan and its incredibly casual use, but the lackluster battery, mediocre sound, and debased brightness marque it hard to warrant the precocious asking price.

See astatine Amazon

The Aurzen Zip volition motorboat successful April for $400, but you tin pre-order it present for $250.