If you’re looking for something to spice up your movie watching experience, then the Epson EX3260 is the perfect addition to your home… if you have the space to use it.
The Epson EX3260 is easily the largest device in our best mini projectors guide, measuring in at 11.9 x 9.9 x 3.6 inches and weighing a hefty 5.5 pounds, but it still just about sneaks into the category - full size projectors still dwarf this unit. It’s portable enough to be easily moved from room to room and can be packed up and taken around to a friends house too. There is no battery in this projector though, so you can’t use it without an external power source, so keep that in mind if you’re looking to set it up in the garden.
We found the Epson EX3260 to be easy to use and convenient. It comes with a sturdy carrying case, a remote, and all the necessary cables to plug it in get it set up quickly - you’ll be watching movies on the best TV streaming services or presenting your PowerPoint slides in no time.
Epson EX3260 review: Video and audio quality
We were pretty blown away by the performance of the Epson EX3260, especially when compared to some of the other devices that we looked at in this price range. It offers excellent picture quality with a native resolution of 800 x 600. It’s bright too, with a 3,300 lumen light output that means you can comfortably use it during daylight hours.
During our testing, we found little to dislike about the Epson’s picture quality. We evaluated its brightness and color rendering abilities in a variety of lighting environments. Whether we were watching animated content, sports highlights or detailed dramas, the Epson didn’t miss a step. In dark and bright viewing environments, images were always clear and detailed and there was never any motion blur or image distortion.
As we’ve already mentioned though, this is a big “mini” projector, and it has one of the largest throw ratios of any projector that we reviewed at 1.5:1. This means that it’s not really suitable for use in small spaces, and you may struggle to set it up in a standard sized living room. It’s designed for projecting to sizes between 30-350 inches, depending on the distance between the device and the screen. The recommended distance range is between 0.88 – 10.44 m, so at a couple of meters away, you’re going to have quite a dinky projection.
Speaker quality was not an afterthought with the Epson EX3260 either, as it is on most mini projectors. We found the EX3260’s 2-watt speaker to be robust and well-engineered, and it should be able to fill larger rooms without sounding thin or distorted. However, despite being much larger than the other projectors, it only offered the same speaker wattage as the smallest devices. Given its expansive throw ratio, you’d expect even more speaker power to back it up.
Epson EX3260 review: Connectivity
On its rear, the Epson EX3260 has a fairly standard set of connections. Along with a HDMI input, you’ll find a USB 2.0 port and a VGA port, and it can mirror connected devices. Oddly, however, there is no microSD slot.
While the Epson EX3260 has built-in Wi-Fi, the EX3260 doesn’t support Bluetooth audio output, unlike other home-oriented mini projectors. With that said, we didn’t have any issues connecting it to our devices.
Epson EX3260 review: Price and warranty
The Epson EX3260 projector has an MSRP of $499, though we’ve often seen it cheaper than that. At time of writing, it is available from multiple retailers and Epson itself for $449. The Epson EX3260 comes with a one year limited warranty and a 90-day lamp limited warranty.
Should you buy the Epson EX3260?
If you’ve got the space to get the most out of the Epson EX3260, then we’d absolutely recommend it to anyone looking for a small, compact projector for their home or business. It’s not exactly pocket-sized like some models, but it’s still easy enough to transport and pack away when not in use.
The image and audio quality are excellent, making it ideal for movie watching and professional presentations, but it does need a larger space to work at its best.
