Soundcore Nebula X1 Pro Dolby Atmos Projector Review: Big, Brilliant | WIRED

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Rating:8/10

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WIRED

Superb image that’s even decent with the curtains open. Immense 400-watt Dolby Atmos sound with convincing spatial effects. Google TV onboard. Automatic calibration makes setup simple. Karaoke!

TIRED

Impractically big. Hugely expensive compared to most other portable projectors.

The once tiny portable projector market is expected to nearly double from $1.69 billion (2022) to $3.2 billion by 2030. It has rapidly moved from specialist AV equipment into mainstream home entertainment, with an explosion of portable, affordable and, crucially, foolproof designs bringing the big screen to the masses.

Anker's Nebula line has fueled this growth, with a host of brilliantly compact, highly impressive projectors packed with the latest streaming tech you can take just about anywhere. They’re not the only ones, and WIRED has tested dozens of projectors over the past few years, watching as the screen brightness and resolution has improved to the point where some are good enough to compete with your TV.

And then there’s the Anker Nebula X1 Pro, sold under the brand name Soundcore. Weighing in at a hefty 72.3 pounds, it boasts a loud 400-watt Dolby Atmos 7.1.4 sound system for the latest spatial cinematic audio, and a triple-laser pixel-shifted 4K display (no more bulbs!) that boasts a bright 3,500 ANSI lumens.

It’s a preposterously powerful all-in-one projector that blurs the lines between serious home cinema and a bit of backyard streaming fun. It’s mad, impractical, and wildly expensive. It's absolutely brilliant.

Movie Theater in a Box

Photograph: Chris Haslam

The X1 Pro is a super-sized version of the excellent Nebula X1. It shares the same triple-laser DLP system, the same resolution, and same overall brightness rating. It supports Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG for high dynamic range content with modern colors. Reading these stats, I knew it would look good, be easy to install, and meet all my streaming needs. What I wasn’t prepared for was the impact the surround sound system would have.

When I tested the Nebula X1, Anker supplied me with a pair of $700 wireless stereo speakers that elevated the experience exponentially. These same speakers are now onboard the X1 Pro, and extend out on motorized arms at the touch of a button like little antennas.

At the back of the main body you’ll also find two pop-out multidirectional-firing wireless stereo speakers, that, when combined with the large subwoofer built into the chassis, completes a proper 400-watt Dolby Atmos 7.1.4 system. It's like something out of a sci-fi movie. Each speaker has sturdy little pop-out legs, and once positioned correctly they transformed my living room into a mini, but mighty multiplex.

Anker has dipped its toe here before, with last year’s $800 Nebula P1 Portable, the “world’s first projector with detachable speakers.” With just 650 ANSI lumens, it’s not bright enough, and visually incomparable to the X1 Pro (although at 5.2 pounds, it’s a whole lot more portable).

Audio transmission uses a proprietary 5.8-GHz wireless link instead of Bluetooth to minimize latency and compression, and each satellite runs a respectable eight hours on battery. Crucially, the speakers automatically calibrate using onboard microphones. Place them around a room and the projector maps the listening position and balances channels without me lifting a finger.

The X1 Pro runs a full Google TV platform with access to all the major services, including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV+, YouTube, HBO Max, and Hulu, but if you want to connect an external source, there’s also HDMI, USB-C, and wireless casting.

As well as the four hidden surround sound speakers, the top of the unit lifts to reveal two wireless karaoke microphones and a full remote control. I’ve tested these mics before with the X1 and at least two people in my house were delighted to see them back.

Setup

Photograph: Chris Haslam

The X1 Pro is enormous, and despite having built-in wheels and a retractable luggage-style handle, it is an unwieldy lump of technology. Once manhandled into position, all the exertion feels worthwhile, because it is truly a futuristic dream to setup and use.

As with other Nebula projectors, the process is heavily automated. Focus, keystone correction (where it adjusts the shape of the screen to be perfectly rectangular), alignment, and obstacle avoidance run automatically, and a motorized optical system remembers placement between sessions. I did have to tweak the position of the screen on one occasion, but it’s a simple enough task, using the remote or the Nebula Connect app.

During three weeks of testing—encompassing two karaoke nights, multiple movie marathons, Winter Olympics screenings, and a full-on tween Galen