If this cheap portable projector is as impressively bright as promised, it could be a serious rival to Xgimi, Samsung and Anker

Wanbo has revealed its Vali 1 portable projector, which promises 900 ANSI lumens and costs just $319 / £269 / AU$499.

The Vali 1 is a 1080p smart portable projector that has Android TV 11 built-in for streaming and can display pictures up to 130 inches. It has two 6W speakers for audio and has a flexible stand that rotates up to 200°. It also supports auto keystone correction, auto focus and auto screen fit for setup.

On paper, the Vali 1 carries a lot of the features found in some of the other best portable projectors, so why does this one stand out in particular?

Well, other than its low price, it's the claimed 900 ANSI lumens. That is double the amount claimed by some of its most high-profile rivals.

The Samsung Freestyle Gen 2, currently number one on our best portable projectors list, only has 230 specified lumens and the Xgimi MoGo 3 Pro only has 450 ISO lumens. Even the LG CineBeam Q, one of the best 4K projectors, claims 500 ANSI lumens.

If the Vali 1 could hit this number, it would be a truly remarkable feat, especially given its ultra-low price. The above projectors cost significantly more, so is there a catch?

Bold brightness claims

The 900 ANSI lumens claimed by Wanbo is certainly eye-catching and sounds almost too good to be true. Well, it turns out, it actually could be.

Projector Central tested and reviewed the Wanbo Vali 1 and discovered that it hit 422 lumens, with an absolute peak of 529 lumens in the bottom sector. That 422 lumens is 52% under Wanbo's claimed brightness of 900 lumens, a significant discrepancy and one that could undermine the Vali 1's value.

It's worth noting that 422 lumens is a typical if not respectable number for a projector of this size and price, and is in line with its rivals mentioned above.

We haven't seen or tested the Vali 1 ourselves yet, so we can't give a verdict on it. Still, this brightness gap uncovered by Projector Central is something to bear in mind.

The Wanbo Vali 1 is available at Amazon in the UK for £269 and at Amazon in the US for $319.

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