The Kodak Luma 150 Pocket Projector is the ultimate portable companion to your smartphone or laptop, letting you create a DIY cinema screen in the middle of nowhere, without making you lug an enormous hunk of electronics around with you.
Many of the best mini projectors are small (it’s in the name), but few approach smallness with the same gusto that the Kodak Luma 150 does. Measuring in at just 3.1 x 3.1 x 0.87 inches and weighing just 1 pound, this truly is a pocket-sized projector. But how does it stack up against its larger cousins, and what sacrifices have been made to squeeze it down to a palm-portable form?
Well, there are a couple of little issues that we’ll cover, but by and large, we have to say that the Kodak Luma 150 is an excellent little projector that lets you bring the big screen with you, wherever you go, and for a very reasonable price to boot.
Kodak Luma 150 review: Video and audio quality
While some projectors are aimed at a specific audience, the Kodak Luma 150 Pocket projector is positioned as an all-rounder that is equally comfortable projecting movies and showcasing professional presentations. It has an 854 x 480 native resolution, with upscaling support for 1080p HD and even 4K video.
The Kodak Luma 150 boasts a brightness capability of 60 ANSI lumen, which is roughly equivalent to around 420 lumens. That’s nowhere near as powerful as some of the projectors that we’ve looked at, but you have to take the Kodak Lume 150’s tiny size when comparing them - you simply couldn’t fit the 4500-lumen lamp of the ManyBox Mini projector in something this small.
Modern movies should look great coming out of the Kodak Luma 150 though, with its native 16:9 ratio display giving you the widescreen look you’re used to. Colors are replicated well, the contrast is decent and the screen size goes up to 120-inches, which is impressive from such a small device.
Audio output is where the Kodak Lume 150 falls down though. It has a single 1.5W speaker, which is respectable for its size, but it really struggles to put out the volume and clarity that you want when watching a blockbuster movie. We’d highly recommend connecting it up to an external speaker system to get the most out of it.
Kodak Luma 150 review: Connectivity
Being a truly portable, pocket-friendly projector, there isn’t a whole lot of room on the Kodak Luma 150 for ports. As a result, you get an HDMI port, a single USB port, and an audio jack, along with the DC power connection port to plug in your projector. There is also a Micro SD card slot so you can watch movies or presentations directly from your SD card.
Fortunately, the Kodak Luma 150 is also WiFi and Bluetooth enabled, so you can connect to smartphones, tablets, and external speaker systems if you need to. This allows for mobile-to-projector mirroring via Airplay & Miracast.
Kodak Luma 150 review: Battery Life
Unlike many of the projectors that we looked at, the Kodak Luma 150 Pocket projector is truly portable and comes with a built-in rechargeable battery which is good for up to 2.5 hours of runtime - that’s enough to watch most movies in one sitting. You can also plug the device into mains power via a DC power charger if you’re using it in the home.
Kodak Luma 150 review: User reviews
People are big fans of the Kodak Luma 150 Pocket projector, with the diminutive projector scoring an impressive 4.2 stars out of five on Amazon, with 547 total reviews. 61% of reviewers gave the Kodak Luma 150 Pocket projector a five-star rating, with glowing reviews talking about how versatile it is.
People have been using it to trace out designs for watercolors by projecting images onto a canvas, while others still have had great success using it to template cookie decorations. There are also loads of reviews from people using the Kodak Luma 150 Pocket projector for more conventional uses, with fans stating that it’s perfect for watching movies and even playing games.
There were some negative reviews though, with some users noting that it has a poor battery life when not plugged in, and that the speakers can be too quiet to hear, especially when the projector is used outside where there is more ambient noise and no walls to bounce the sounds off.
Kodak Luma 150 review: Price and warranty
The Kodak Luma 150 Pocket projector currently costs around $179.99 and is available through major retailers including Amazon and Walmart, This is cheaper than most of the mini projectors that we reviewed, which typically cost around $500.
Like most home projectors, the Kodak Luma 150 comes with a standard one-year limited warranty and there is a comprehensive support section on the Kodak website to help you with any issues you encounter.
Should you buy the Kodak Luma 150 Pocket Projector?
If you’re looking for a mini projector that really emphasizes that mini part of its title, then the Kodak Luma 150 is the way to go. It’s truly portable, fitting in your pocket, and running on a built-in battery so you can watch movies just about anywhere you can find a surface to project onto.
The battery life isn’t amazing though, so you should consider an external power bank if you want to keep it running for more than one movie at a time. You should also think about getting some external speakers while you’re at it too.
