INTRODUCTION

   Even though nowadays my free time is very limited and so even watching a movie is not something i do a lot that wasn't always the case and so i used to spend lots of money on TV sets. For good or bad however even though i had many TV sets over the years i only used but a single Full HD projector back in 2016 (mid-end model) the results of which left me somewhat disappointed. That being said i was clearly not oblivious to the fact that if one was willing to spend quite a bit on both a good projector and a good screen results could be overwhelming (and i didn't spend that much on a screen). Well, it's been 6+ years since then so i decided to see what the current state of technology is and whether or not people on a budget can enjoy watching their favourite movies, series and shows on 100"+ screens and to do that with me i have two of the latest Native Full HD projectors by Vankyo, the Leisure 470 Pro and Leisure 495W.

   Since its creation in 2017, Vankyo’s story has always been about innovation. As one of the most trustworthy projector brands, Vankyo is focused on delivering immersive, fantastic, and exciting visual feasts to people worldwide. While that innovation lies at the core of our business, it has transformed into our mission to empower people to explore and enjoy a better life. Today, we have developed various visual display products such as projectors and tablets, built multiple online and offline channels, are trusted by tens of millions of consumer customers worldwide - but we're just getting started. As our work continues to evolve, we stay focused on delivering prime products and services to customers across the globe.

   Even though both the Leisure 470 Pro and Leisure 495W are LED projectors sporting a Native resolution of 1920x1080p (Full HD - 576i/720P/1080i/1080P are also supported) the former features a contrast ratio of 600:1 with a maximum brightness of 170 lumens whereas the latter features a contrast ratio of 1000:1 with a maximum brightness of 220 lumens. Both projectors can also be installed in various locations (Front/Rear/Ceiling), support the same screen formats (4:3/16:9/Auto), come with the same 3W/4Ohm speaker (495W model also supports Dolby Audio), feature media playback capabilities (support AVI/MP4/MKV/FLV/MOV/RMVB/3GP/MPEG/H.264/XVID video formats, MP3/WMA/MP2/AAC/FLAC/PCM audio formats and BMP/JPG/PNG/JPEG photo formats), can be connected wirelessly to your smartphone for screen mirroring (WiFi for the 470 Pro and Wi-Fi 2.4/5GHz and Bluetooth v5.1 for the 495W) and have the same keystone adjustment of up to ±15° but the Leisure 470 Pro can output a screen of up to 250 inches whereas the 495W can output a screen of up to 220 inches. Both models are of course considered to be entry-level ones so the only question that really needs answering is whether or not they are ideal for introducing consumers to the world of video projection.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Both models arrived in relatively small boxes both of which have a large product picture at the front right beneath the company logo.

Available connections and bundle contents are printed on the left side of the box of the 470 Pro.

The specifications table is printed on the right side of the box of the 470 Pro.

Both projectors and their bundles are placed inside carrying bags (made out of fabric).

Vankyo has placed almost the same bundle for both projectors so with them and their carrying bags you're also getting a remote control, power cable, HDMI cable, AV RCA cable (Leisure 495W) cleaning cloth, 5 q tips, cleaning instructions paper, quick start guide and the user manual.

THE LEISURE 470 PRO & 495W

Measuring just 198mm in length, 145mm in width and 75mm in height the 470 Pro is quite more compact compared to the 228x203x91mm of the Leisure 495W.

As expected Vankyo has placed lens covers on both projectors (the one used with the 495W however is slightly easier to mount and remove).

Zoom and keystone adjustment controls for the 470 Pro are placed just over the lens whereas for the 495W they are placed on the right side (zoom) and at the rear (keystone).

The 470 Pro has its inputs on the right side and so here we find two HDMI ports, USB port, microSD port, and 3.5mm headphones and AV ports (both models have their exhaust grilles here).

Vankyo has placed the media navigation buttons, keystone knob and inputs of the 495W at the rear (these include two USB ports, HDMI port and the typical 3.5mm headphones and AV ports).

The media navigation buttons of the 470 Pro on the other hand are located at the rear top of the enclosure.

SYSTEM MENUS

The Leisure 470 Pro system menu allows you to adjust picture mode (vivid/standard/custom), color temperature, aspect ratio, direction, HD mode (TV/PC), display size, sound mode, color range (16-235/0-255), blending and OSD duration (you can also perform firmware updates via USB).

The menus on the Leisure 495W are far more detailed however and so from here you can access files on the attached devices, choose the preferred input, adjust projection mode, image scaling, aspect ratio, picture mode and set the OSD language, perform firmware update, restore settings to their factory default, adjust auto-sleep and enable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.

AUDIO / VIDEO QUALITY

I decided to test both projectors with the 100" screen Vankyo sells on their website and although this is a very cost-effective model i believe that most first time projector owners will probably choose to do the same (if they also choose a Vankyo model - or a similar one - that is). As for the inches well i simply don't have enough wall room for an 120" one (wish i could use a 200"+ screen). Also, to get the best possible visible results for this review i chose to test both projectors using the Max Vision 4K media player by HD Dune (with Full HD and 4K content) which I’ve also been testing for the past 2 months (review soon).

The Leisure 470 Pro may be a compact model but at least to my eyes it actually seemed to perform slightly better compared to the 495W. Yes, with a brightness of just 170 lumens and 600:1 contrast picture is not exactly bright and vivid but details are good and dark scenes felt just a tad brighter compared to the 495W. Audio quality on the other hand was just ok from a single 4W speaker (at times i also noticed some audio distortion when almost maxed out).

Of course, the Leisure 495W also did well, again not great since dark scenes were an issue (very bright scenes also felt darker) but colors did seem more vivid than those of the 470 Pro. Sound was also slightly better, don't know if this due to the Dolby Audio certification but it was crisper than that of the 470 Pro. Last but not least I was able to use 100% of the screen with the 495W whereas with the 470 Pro I used slightly less (zoom function is obviously not the same).

CONCLUSION

   Both the Leisure 470 Pro and Leisure 495W are affordable native Full HD projectors and the was enough for me to not have huge expectations from them. One always needs to keep in mind that there are native Full HD projectors out there that cost 5+ times as much so it’s obviously not possible to get excellent picture quality at this price point. Still in the end i was happy to see that compared to the EPSON projector i used back in 2016 (an 750Euros model) both the 470 Pro and 495W came quite close to its performance. Yes, the somewhat limited brightness levels do make even day scenes look a bit dark but overall movement is good and colors are quite vibrant, especially on the 495W model. I was also surprised to see that you don’t actually need a screen with either model, just a white wall. Needless to say, wall material (mine’s a brick wall) and even the type of paint matters but at least in my case image quality at some points was even better/brighter without the provided screen. As for available features smartphone mirroring is always a good thing to have (so I was glad both models had it) and as for smart capabilities they are there for just the basics (worth pointing out is that the built-in media players of both models did a relatively good job with media up to Full HD resolution).

   At the time of my review Vankyo sells their Leisure 470 Pro and Leisure 495W native 1080p projectors for USD169.99/179.99 so they are both quite affordable. Yes, their performance is far from stellar but they do seem to sport better characteristics compared to their immediate competition so if you’re looking to take your very first steps in the world of video projection, I do suggest giving them a chance, they might just surprise you.

PROS

- Compact Size
- Specifications (Compared To The Competition)
- Wi-Fi (470 Pro) & Bluetooth v5.1 (495W)
- Built In Media Player (495W)
- Compact Size (470 Pro)
- Connectivity
- Bundle
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Picture Quality (Contrast & Brightness)