The ZTE Spro 2 Smart Projector ($499.99; $399.99 with a 2-year contract) is an unusual device, merging a small LED projector that runs Android KitKat with a Wi-Fi hotspot for up to 10 devices that connects via AT&T's 4G LTE cellular data network. In effect the Spro 2 is the successor to the ZTE-built Sprint LivePro, with a change in carriers. It does a decent job as a projector and is very capable as hotspot, most users, though, will be better off getting either a small projector such as the Celluon PicoPro along with a hotspot like the AT&T Unite Pro.

Design and Features
At a glance, the Spro 2 is most obviously a projector. As such, it has an LED-based light source, and uses DLP technology. It resembles the small LED models often called palmtop projectors, though like many palmtops, it is a little too large to comfortably fit in an outstretched palm. The device has a native 720p (1,280 by 720) resolution, and a rated brightness of 200 lumens, which is at the low end of what we'd expect from a palmtop projector. (When running off its internal battery, the projector automatically reduces its brightness to 100 lumens to conserve power.)

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Seen from above, the Spro 2 is square, with rounded corners; it measures 1.2 by 5.3 by 5.2 inches (HWD). Most of the top surface is taken up by a 5-inch touch screen, while the rest of the top and sides are a deep navy blue (with a honeycomb pattern on the sides). Beneath the touch screen is a large, physical On/Off button. In front, offset to the left, is the lens. Also on the left side are two volume buttons, marked with Plus and Minus icons. On the bottom panel are grilles for the speaker, and a kickstand that raises the front of the projector portion.

Connectors are located on the rear panel. The HDMI port supports wireless projection from a Miracast-capable mobile device. A USB Type A port is for a USB thumb drive, or data transfer over a USB cable, an external hard drive, or a USB key. There's also a slot for the SIM card, and a microSD card slot. Finally, there's a 3.5mm audio-out jack, for headphones or powered external speakers.

Home Screen
Once you turn on the Spro 2, a customized version of Android 4.4 will load, and it will connect to AT&T's data network. The Spro 2 lacks a remote, so you must control it directly from the 5-inch touch screen. Part of the Home screen is taken up by an orange widget box titled Projector, which contains on-screen buttons with basic projector controls. You can turn the projector on (or off) by pressing a button with a projector icon; it lights up orange when the projector is on. Once the projector is running, you can select the data source by touching any of three buttons (Screen, HDMI, or Miracast). A third button, labeled Brightness, lets you toggle between High, Medium, and Low settings. (We used the High setting for our projector testing.)

Also on the Home screen is a blue widget titled Hotspot, which lets you turn the Spro 2's Wi-Fi hotspot functionality on and off. It identifies the Wi-Fi network created by the hotspot, the password for that network, and the number of connections to the hotspot. 

The Home screen displays information on your AT&T data plan, the amount of data you're allowed, and what percentage has been used. There are also buttons that take you to Google Voice, the Google Play store, and to a list of the Google apps you have installed. Along the bottom of the screen are the standard Back, Home, and Menu icons that appear on every Android system page.

On the top of the screen are links for Settings, Media, Home, Office, and Apps. Media, Office, and Apps each call up thumbnails of the Android apps, folders, and functions related to these categories. For instance, under Office are thumbnails for Gmail, the WPS Office suite, the My Documents folder, and File Manager, which lets you organize your content by Picture, Music, Video, Applications, Archives, Documents, Favorites, and Recent, as well as share documents.