CONCLUSION

   When Nebula asked if I wanted to test their new Mars 3 outdoor projector, I was a bit sceptical, mainly because of the outdoor part since I thought that meant picture quality just wouldn’t be that good. Well, I am glad to admit that I was wrong and so the Mars 3 is clearly the 2^nd best projector I’ve reviewed, at least to date. Picture quality is very good overall (again, in pitch black conditions), volume levels are great and well the Mars 3 doesn’t lack anything in regards to software and hardware features like auto/manual keystone, focus and zoom. Battery life is certainly one of the strongest selling points of the Mars 3 and well, it's well justified. Yes, you will need to use ECO mode (300 ANSI lumens) to go up to and even possibly surpass 5 hours of playback (at around 20-30% speaker volume) but even the 2-3 hours you can squeeze with everything maxed out is certainly not a bad number (more than plenty for like 90% of the movies out there). Both the handle and the top navigation buttons are great additions and as for build quality the Mars 3 will probably outlast every projector to have arrived in the lab, again to date. For good or bad I didn’t use the Mars 3 while outside but I did sprinkle water on it while watching movies and well, it just kept going. The lack of a file manager and/or a player right from the factory may disappoint some casual users (not having to log into Play Store in order to download apps is not a bad thing) so I don’t know why Nebula didn’t choose to have both available from the start but this is not really a game breaker in my book.

   Currently the Mars 3 Extreme Outdoor Projector by Nebula retails for USD999.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 1026.21Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) a price tag which would honestly be too much if this wasn’t an outdoor oriented model. However, it is and taking into account all the features it offers it’s actually priced well and since it does deliver on everything Nebula advertises it for (from picture and audio performance to build quality, features and battery life) it certainly deserves the Golden Award.

PROS

- Near Excellent Build Quality (IPX3 Certified Enclosure)
- Video & Audio Quality
- Outdoor Model (Lens Cap/Ambient Light/Adjustable Stand/Handle)
- Media Navigation Buttons
- USB A/C, WiFi 2.4/5GHz & Bluetooth v5.1 Connectivity
- Auto & Manual Focus, Zoom & Keystone Correction
- Dolby Digital Plus Audio
- Built In Battery (Up To 5+ Hours)

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- No Pre Installed File Manager & Player