INTRODUCTION

   Projectors may not be for everyone out there but if you're willing to spend time and of course money to properly do your research (or if you're just looking for a way to play movies outdoors) they will certainly reward you with their performance. Now, for good or bad most of the latest top-end projector models to hit the market have been Ultra Short Throw which aside their high cost these models also require specific projection screens to work properly. On top of that they are significantly larger than compact models and although size may not be a serious problem when you're looking to setup a projector at home or at the office if you're looking for a portable model these types are obviously a no go. Nebula recently added a new compact model in their growing Capsule line of projectors and so today with me i have exactly that, the Capsule 3 Laser.

   Nebula represents an exciting new class of smart, portable entertainment products. This includes Nebula's popular line of high-definition projectors. These devices are breathing new life into the projector space in 5 key ways: beautiful and portable designs, incredible sound, amazing battery life, rich content and smart A.I. For more information, please visit SeeNebula.com.

   The Capsule 3 Laser Projector by Nebula runs Android TV 11 and is based on DLP technology which thanks to a 0.23" DMD chip (960x540p) paired with XPR technology (we see this mostly used in 4k projectors) can achieve Full HD (1080p) resolution. The Capsule 3 Laser sports a brightness of 300 ISO lumens (30.000 hours LED life) together with a contrast of 500:1 and also features autofocus (also manual) and keystone correction (auto/manual) and even support for HDR10 content. Inside the compact cylindrical body of the Capsule 3 Laser Nebula has placed a Quad-Core ARM Cortex-A55 CPU (G52MP2 GPU) together with 2GB DDR3 RAM, 16GB eMMC flash, 2.4/5GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v5.0, 52Wh (14500mAh) rechargeable battery and an 8W Dolby Digital Plus Speaker. Nebula has also equipped the Capsule 3 Laser with top touch buttons and as for connectivity at the rear we find a USB-C port (for charging and file access - movie/music playback), aux output port and HDMI v2.1 port (Chromecast for Android mirroring is also supported). Finally, since the Capsule 3 Laser by Nebula is a 1.2 throw model it requires no less than 3.16 meters distance in order to achieve its maximum screen size of 120" (2.6m for 100" and 2.15m for 80"). So, time to see just how good the latest laser projector by Nebula really is.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Nebula uses a small black box to ship the Capsule 3 Laser the front of which is taken by a large product picture, main product features and their logo.

Moving at the rear we find the specifications table just over the bundle contents.

The top opens up to reveal a cardboard box underneath which Nebula has placed the Capsule 3 Laser.

Along with the Capsule 3 Laser inside the box you'll also find a USB-C cable, wall power adapter with 2 tips (EU/UK in my case), remote control with 2 AAA batteries and the quick start guide in 2 languages.

THE CAPSULE 3 LASER

Nebula has released one of the smallest Full HD projectors out there (probably the smallest laser one) measuring just 170mm in height, 83mm in diameter and weighing just 0.95Kg.

I was slightly surprised to see that the lens of the Capsule 3 Laser is offset to the right of the enclosure.

The autofocus and auto keystone correction sensor is located near the base of the Capsule 3 Laser.

At the top of the Capsule 3 Laser, we find the volume up/down, up/down/left/right, back and ok touch buttons.

Moving at the rear we find the power on/off and mode buttons right under what seems to be an IR receiver.

Near the base Nebula has placed the aux, HDMI v2.1 and USB-C ports.

The base of the Capsule 3 Laser is rubberized to ensure both stability and that you don't accidentally scratch your furniture (tripod mount is present here too).

The small bundled bluetooth remote is not only very easy to use, it also allows the end user to use Google voice commands.

NEBULA APP

If you'd rather like to use your smartphone and/or tablet to control the Capsule 3 Laser you should download the Nebula App.

The app is very easy to use, just choose the Capsule 3 Laser from the available models (never knew Nebula had such a large selection) and you're good to go.

Once your smartphone detects the Capsule 3 Laser (via Bluetooth) it will show the part number along with a product picture.

From within the app, you can turn on/off the Capsule 3 Laser, control its volume level and of course navigate the various menus.

By clicking on the top right corner, you can also visit the forums and use Nebula’s referral program.

AUDIO / VIDEO QUALITY

Recently i swapped my 100" Vankyo screen for one by VividStorm (review soon) so this is what I’ll be using for long throw projectors (along with the Max Vision 4K media player by HD Dune).

The main screen of the Capsule 3 Laser includes YouTube, Disney+, TuneIn and Abema (at least in my location) and as for Netflix well this will require manual installation via APK (i don't use Netflix so i didn't test that).

By default, my sample arrived with YouTube, Google Play (Movies & TV), YouTube Music, Google Play (Store), AirScreen, File Browser, Nebula Play, Google Pay and Prime Video (VLC was installed by me).

In regards to image quality even though the Capsule 3 Laser is probably the best projector i have here right now (from the ones I’ve reviewed and of course my Epson HC2040) and easily scores an 8 it's very easy to see that just 300 ISO lumens are not quite enough, especially when it comes to dark scenes. Yes, image is smooth, crisp and with vibrant colors but limited brightness is once again the main issue (you do get used to it after a while however). Of course, the Capsule 3 Laser is meant to be used pretty much everywhere so i can't and shouldn't really judge it in the same way i would a regular projector but for people who care only about image quality the end result is just that (short video up on TikTok and YouTube). Positioning audio may not be a thing with the Capsule 3 Laser but overall audio quality is surprisingly good especially if you take into account that the Dolby Digital Plus speaker Nebula has used is almost the size of a golf ball.

CONCLUSION

   The Nebula Capsule 3 Laser was a nice surprise overall and even though it's far from perfect it ticks many of the boxes needed for consumers to get the best experience possible. Yes, there's no going around the brightness issue but image quality is very good overall and the same applies for audio since at times you'll question the size of the speaker Nebula used. Aside brightness the Capsule 3 Laser has the same problem other models have in regards to its automatic keystone correction which basically doesn't work well if the projector is way to the left or the right of the screen (using the manual keystone function is obviously the solution to that). In regards to the USB-C port even though Nebula claims it's only FAT32 compatible i had no problem loading my 4K blue-ray rips onto it via an external NTFS formatted HDD. Unfortunately, if you do connect an PHD or even an USB flash drive onto the Capsule 3 Laser its battery life drops dramatically (significantly less than an hour with the PHD attached) so wireless and HDMI connectivity are obviously preferred. As for overall battery life well Nebula reports 2.5 hours at default mode and 1.5 hours at full mode which sounds just about right since during my tests i recorded an average of 1 hour and 35 minutes.

   At the time of my review the Capsule 3 Laser projector by Nebula retails for USD799.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 781.50Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) a price tag which is relatively balanced for such a product. At the end of the day the Nebula Capsule 3 Laser may not be the perfect projector but it’s compact, produces very good overall image quality and can be used just about everywhere and for all of that it certainly deserves the Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Compact Size (Portable)
- Specifications (Compared To The Competition)
- WiFi 2.4/5GHz & Bluetooth v5 Connectivity
- Android TV 11 (Built In Media Player)
- Auto & Manual Focus & Keystone Correction
- Zoom Function
- Dolby Digital Plus Audio
- Built In Battery (Up To 2.5 Hours)
- Transformers Licenced Special Edition Available

CONS

- Brightness Levels
- Price (For Some)