The $488 AAXA M7 Pico Projector is actually more of a mini projector than a pico model. But regardless of the category, it's fully portable, thanks to a built-in battery that can hold up long enough on a charge for a full-length movie or two or three business presentations. Like the AAXA P6X ($359), it's best described as an oversize palmtop in shape. However, it's a little larger and heavier than the P6X and offers higher resolution for sharper, more detailed images. Unlike the P6X, it's designed primarily for watching movies and videos, and is only incidentally useful for business presentations as well.

High Resolution for a Small Projector

The M7 combines a TI diamond-layout DLP imaging chip with an RGBB LED light source rated for 30,000 hours in Eco mode. (There's no published rating for Boost or Standard mode.) The chip is generally referred to as having a native 1080p resolution, but that's a bit of an oversimplification. It actually puts slightly more pixels on screen than are in a 1,920-by-1,080-pixel matrix, which can lead to scaling artifacts in images with small repeating patterns. However, for most images, the result is visually indistinguishable from a true 1,920-by-1,080 matrix, and it translates to a sharper, more detailed image than the 720p (1,280-by-720) native resolution that's more common at this price and size.

The M7 also accepts input at up to 4K (3,840 by 2,160 pixels) at up to 30Hz, but it doesn't support HDR or HDCP 2.1, the copy protection scheme on 4K UHD discs. If you try watching a 4K UHD HDR movie using your Blu-ray player, it will connect at 1080p and SDR.

AAXA rates the projector at 1,200 LED lumens in its brightest mode with AC power, and 650 LED lumens using battery power. Keep in mind that there is no widely accepted standard for gauging LED lumens, so neither number is useful for comparing to other projectors or for understanding the actual brightness. In addition, the brightest power mode for the M7, which is called Boost mode, adds an objectionable green tint to the image, so you won't want to use it unless you absolutely have to compensate for a large screen and ambient light.

Boost mode is available only when using AC power. The other two modes are Standard, which drops in brightness a bit when using the battery, and Eco, which maintains the same brightness for both AC and battery power. Eco also extends battery life from a rated 2.1 hours to 3 hours. For my viewing tests, I used AC power and Standard power mode, which is rated at 950 LED lumens, and delivered close to what I expect from about 500 ANSI lumens. (More on brightness later.)

The M7 weighs 3 pounds, not including the external AC adapter. At 1.85 by 7.3 by 6.4 inches (HWD), it's small enough to fit in a briefcase or backpack, but it doesn't come with a protective case to avoid scratches. It's arguably a better fit for room-to-room portability, permanent installation, or primary use in a family room with occasional trips to the backyard for an outdoor movie night.

Setup is straightforward. Connect an image source, turn the power on, and adjust the focus using buttons on the remote. The powered focus is a nice touch, and is easy to control for the sharpest image. As is typical for small projectors, there's no optical zoom. Digital inputs include an HDMI port, a USB Type-C port for mirroring mobile devices, a card slot that can read files from TF and microSD cards, and a USB Type-A port.

The dual 4-watt speakers deliver high enough volume for a mid-size family room, and though audio quality is slightly tinny, it's pretty good for a projector this size. If you want to connect better speakers, there's a 3.5mm stereo audio out port.

Color Accuracy and Shadow Detail

The M7 has three predefined picture modes that don't allow adjustment, plus one user mode that lets you change only brightness, color saturation, contrast, and sharpness. Although there's some minor variation in color accuracy among the four modes, they are similar enough that it's hard to see any difference, especially since the obvious way to switch modes hides the image while switching.

Note, however, that there's also a hidden approach that adds the Picture menu as an overlay to the image instead of hiding it. To see the overlay, you need to hit a button on the remote that is labeled with an icon that looks like a camera iris, choose the Back button, and then navigate through the menus, choosing Picture, then the desired picture mode.

All of the picture modes had a significant green bias using Boost power mode, and all were far more watchable with Standard power mode. They also all delivered essentially identical shadow detail and black level. I settled on using the Standard picture mode in my tests, which seemed tied with Mild mode for having the closest to neutral color.

I found movies and video quite watchable. There was still a bit of a green color shift, but it's so minor that many won't notice it. I did also see a significant loss of shadow detail, even in darker areas of otherwise brightly lit scenes. It was most obvious in scenes I'm familiar with in our test clips, but enough to be noticeable with other movies as well. However, it was a problem only for unusually dark scenes, one of which lost almost all detail.

Very much on the plus side, the M7 does an excellent job of avoiding rainbow artifacts. I see these red-green-blue flashes easily when they are present, and didn't see any with the M7. That said, if you find them bothersome, you should still buy from a dealer who allows returns without a restocking fee, so you can test it out for yourself.

There's no 3D support, and the input lag is a little high even for casual gamers. I measured the lag with a Leo Bodnar meter at 56ms at 1080p/60Hz and at 65ms at 4K/30Hz.

As already mentioned, the M7's image in Standard power mode and Standard picture mode was roughly as bright as I expect for a 500-ANSI-lumen lamp-based projector. In a dark room, it threw a 16:9 image that was bright enough on my 90-inch diagonal, 1.0-gain screen for extended viewing, though you might want to stay with a slightly smaller screen size if you prefer a somewhat brighter image. Using an 80-inch screen in a family room, it was bright enough to stand up to having lights on at night and provide a watchable, if somewhat washed out, picture on an overcast day.

Highly Watchable Images, Especially for the Price

The AAXA M7 packs enough projector into its small case that it can serve as a permanent TV substitute in a family room or as a business projector in a conference room. If that's all you want it for, with no need for portability, consider the lamp-based InFocus IN118BB instead; it's more expensive but brighter. If you need portability but don't feel the need for the level of detail and image sharpness that the 1080p resolution offers, consider the AAXA P6X for its better shadow detail, the BenQ GS2 for built-in streaming, or the Editors' Choice–winning Miroir Synq M189 if you want streaming with the dongle hidden and would rather pick your own streaming stick.

If the AAXA M7 is bright enough for your screen size and ambient light level, it offers good value for the price, including a light source that will last the life of the projector, movie-length battery life, mobile-device mirroring, and perfectly acceptable image quality.