INTRODUCTION

   Just like everything else in the electronics industry projection technology has also improved over the years and is currently the easiest (and best probably) way for people to watch their favourite content (even play games) at well over 100-inches. Now even though picture/video quality has always been the priority of manufacturers (followed by audio quality and device size) for many potential buyers required space for projectors (now known as regular/standard throw ones) has always been the issue thus all but forcing projection technology manufacturers to come up with a workaround. Well, the very first short-throw (between 90-120cm required for 100-inch projection) and ultra-short-throw (between 8-50cm required for 100-inch projection) models made their debut just over a decade ago but it wasn't really until a few years back when the laser variants appeared and changed everything for the consumer market. The Nova SE released by WEMAX roughly 2 years ago is one such model and also what today's review is all about.

   WEMAX®, INC. is a NY-based technology company since 2019 with the mission to provide shared rich, visual experiences wherever you go. We provide one-stop solutions to deliver visual applications like ALPD® laser projectors, portable projectors, LED projectors and more, that are intelligently connected with your home and business. WEMAX®, INC. is the sub-company of Appotronics®, who is an international tech group, the listed company in China and famous for ALPD® laser technology with over 2000+ Intelligent Patents and Properties since 2006. ALPD®, namely the fluorescent laser technology, is used for image display based on the laser-excited fluorescent materials and mixed multi-color laser lines.

   The WEMAX Nova SE is a 0.233:1 throw ratio TI DLP UST projector that delivers 4K (3860x2160p) resolution on up to 150-inches thanks to Texas Instrument's 0.47-inch 1080p Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) with fast XPR pixel-shifting. It's based on the Android TV 9.0 OS and also features full on/full Off (FOFO) contrast ratio of 3000:1, 1300 ANSI lumens brightness and support for HDR10 content. The Advanced Laser Phosphor Display (ALPD) 3.0 light engine used by the WEMAX Nova SE is rated to last up to 25000 hours, unlike RGB laser models it costs less but has a simple downside, it produces a more limited color gamut (100% of Rec.709 in this case which is ideal for SDR content). Inside the Chassis WEMAX has also placed 2 full range (10W each) and 2 tweeter (5W each) drivers resulting to a total of 30W with full support for Dolby Audio and DTS, intelligent infrared motion detector, ARM quad-core cortex-A53 CPU with Mali 450 GPU (Amlogic T962X-H), 2GB DDR4 RAM, 32GB EEMC flash, WiFi 2.4/5GHz and Bluetooth V4.1. As for available connections the WEMAX Nova SE comes ready with three HDMI ports (HDMI port 3 supports ARC), 3.5mm AUX jack, 3.5mm composite AV port, optical S/PDIF port, RJ45 LAN port, and two USB 2.0 Type-A ports (left/rear).

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

WEMAX uses a plain cardboard box to ship the Nova SE the front of which has a product drawing, the company logo and the main product features.

Some of the product features are listed on both sides of the box.

The entire bundle is placed inside two formed pieces of foam.

Along with the WEMAX Nova SE and its power cord inside the box you'll also find a cleaning cloth and the user manual.

THE NOVA SE

In terms of size the 7Kg heavy Nova SE measures 46cm in length, 30cm in width and 9cm in height.

UST projectors are not that small and you can see that when the Nova SE is placed right next to the Nebula MARS 3 model.

Behind the front grille WEMAX has placed 4 drivers with a total output of 30W.

WEMAX hasn't placed their logo at the front but the 4K ULTRA HD logo is more than enough.

Even though you can use the remote control to increase/decrease volume there are two volume control knobs on the lower end of both sides (plus a USB-A port on the left).

Moving on top here we find the on/off power button and the projector lens.

Turning the Nova SE around we find three HDMI ports, USB 2.0 port, 3.5mm AUX jack, 3.5mm composite AV port, optical S/PDIF port and an RJ45 LAN port.

The bundled remote control is nothing fancy but gets the job done.

NOVA SE OS

When you turn on the device for the first time it will ask you to pair the remote control and calibrate your screen.

The Nova SE features an 8-point keystone correction (also a 4-point one) which is quite easy to use.

A focus feature is also available which again is very easy to use (unfortunately the zoom function I've learned to like from standard throw models is not available here).

The main OS menu is almost the same as with all other Android TV based projectors.

You can also choose the input from the top right corner and of course enter the settings tab.

Aside the keystone and zoom features what stands out in the settings menu is the image mode (5 presets plus custom).

From within the device preferences menu, you can check for system updates, adjust the keyboard, language and audio settings and of course add accessories and enable the bluetooth speaker feature.

As mentioned earlier the Nova SE features an intelligent infrared motion detector which basically cuts off the laser whenever a person is detected right in front of it (eye protection).

AUDIO / VIDEO QUALITY

To test UST projector models, I’ll be using a brand new 120" VividStorm S PRO motorized screen (review soon) along with the Max Vision 4K media player by HD Dune.

Thanks to a contrast ratio of 3000:1 the Nova SE produces very good blacks and as for picture quality although certainly not the best out there it's still a step over the Horizon Pro model by XGIMI. Colors are vibrant, detail is very good, motion is smooth and even with HDR (and DV content since the Max Vision 4K does support it – I did spot some color inaccuracies with DV content such as slightly purple instead of blue) i couldn't find any issues which could be a game breaker for some (once again a short clip is available on both YouTube and TikTok).

SCORE / POWER CONSUMPTION

Since many of you asked i decided to make a quick chart based on my objective opinion for each projector i test. This of course is my opinion based on what i see and my personal experience so just like other similar charts you should take this with a grain of salt (i do stand by my charts but in all likelihood, some will not agree). Also, since August 2023 I'll also be including a chart showcasing average power consumption while playing 4K content.

CONCLUSION

   The Nova SE by WEMAX is the 2^nd UST projector I’ve used/tested to date so my experience with such models is obviously limited. This means that I may eventually have to adjust my charts if another model comes and produces a lot better image quality than these 2. That being said even though I currently have two motorized screens at home by VividStorm (100-inch for standard throw models and 120-inch for UST models) thanks to its image quality the Nova SE is my go to projector right now. Yes, it’s far from perfect since it does have some issues with HDR and DV content but it’s still better than any other model to arrive here, at least to date. Audio quality is also very good and actually even though I wanted to use a soundbar with the Nova SE I skipped that part entirely (most of the time testing the Nova SE volume levels didn’t surpass 80%). Also, worth pointing out is that even though by default Netflix is not available (same goes for a media player, you will need to download one) you can always get its installation package from a site like tv.aptoide.com and install it on the Nova SE (preferably by using a USB flash drive). Power consumption is pretty much the only issue worth mentioning about the Nova SE (zoom function too but as far as I know this isn’t available in consumer UST models) but again it’s acceptable for getting an up to 150-inch picture.

   WEMAX currently has a very tempting offer which combines the Nova SE 4K UHD UST ALPD Laser Projector with a 100-inch ALR fixed screen for just USD2229 (WEMAX) and so if you’re looking for a new UST setup this could be the one for you. Price aside however what I can say about the Nova SE is that it delivers in almost every area that really matters. Again, it’s certainly not the best UST projector out there (considering there are models currently in the market that cost tens of thousands of dollars/euros this is normal) but it’s very good at what it should do and for that it deserves the Platinum Award.

PROS

- Very Good Build Quality
- Impressive Image Quality (4K UHD)
- Ultra Short Throw Technology (Up To 150 Inches From Just 50cm Away)
- WiFi 2.4/5GHz & Bluetooth v4.1/BLE Connectivity
- Auto & Manual Focus & 4/8 Point Keystone Correction
- DTS HD & Dolby Audio Speakers (30W)
- Blacks & Brightness Levels
- Intelligent Infrared Motion Sensor (Eye Protection)
- Available Packages

CONS

- Not Quite Ideal For Gaming (60ms+)
- Slight HDR & DV Color Inaccuracies