Review: We test the perfect projector for watching the England v Spain Euros final

The Nebula Capsule 3 is a portable projector with some very clever featuresThe Nebula Capsule 3 is a portable projector with some very clever features
The Nebula Capsule 3 is a portable projector with some very clever features | Nebula

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Consumer technology writer Gareth Butterfield has already packed the Nebula Capsule 3 so he can watch the European Cup Final on a campsite

Whether or not football really is coming home this time, watching Gareth Southgate's squad on a big screen is a real pleasure. And big-screen TVs are an expensive business.

Projectors, then, are a great option. For just a few hundred quid you can light up a white wall or a screen with the Euros and then sit back and chill.

I'm going to be watching England meeting Spain on a campsite this year, which is going to be fun. And I've already rolled up my projector screen to take with me.

If the weather behaves, I'll be sitting outside my motorhome beaming the match onto a huge sheet of fabric, and the projector I'll be taking on my camping trip will be the Nebula Capsule 3.

It's one of the latest launches by the Anker-owned brand, and it follows the endearing form factor of some of its other Capsule siblings, not much bigger than a can of beer.

This makes it incredibly portable, which is great when you're packing light, but it's also a brilliant standalone projector for home use.

Nebula

Let's get the price out of the way first, because it is rather hefty. The Capsule 3 costs £499. And while that's a lot cheaper than the £749.99 laser version, it is a lot of money.

However, it's currently possible to get a £70 discount off the price, which makes it much more palatable. And it's not as if you're not getting a lot for your money. Because the specs are very impressive. Amazon Prime members will not only get this discount, but they’ll also receive their projector next day. In plenty of time for the final.

Firstly, and most importantly, it has a 1080p display and the bulb gives off a reasonable 200 ANSI Lumens of brightness. This means you will struggle to see the output in broad daylight, but darken the scene a bit, and it's quite watchable.

Nebula says the battery is good for two hours. This, in practice, depends on a few settings, but you should have long enough for a football match. Even if, God forbid, it runs into penalties.

The internal speaker is quite punchy, too, at eight watts. Not necessarily enough to envelop a room, but great for a campsite. You can always plug in peripherals, thanks to the selection of inputs, including an aux socket.

Nebula

You can also plug in an HDMI device such as an Amazon Fire Stick, but there's really no need - because it has Google TV built in.

Yes, that's right, one of my favourite features is the native operating system. It'll be familiar to anyone with a modern Chromecast or the Google TV app, but using such a ubiquitous platform gives the Capsule 3 a big advantage, because it's a doddle to load up apps such as Netflix, YouTube, or Prime Video.

It also makes the projector nice and easy to use. Setting up is easy, just link or log in to your Google account, and it's all done for you.

There's a neat little remote included, and also an accompanying app. The remote is quick and easy, and gives you access to manual setup controls including keystoning.

That said, I've not found I've had to use the screen positioning controls, because the Nebula Capsule 3 has one of the best automatic setup systems I've seen in a portable projector.

Nebula

As soon as the device recognises it's still, it'll go through its setup process. And it's incredibly quick. The screen settles into sharp, straight focus in less than three seconds. Quite remarkable.

Nebula says the screen size can expand up to 120 inches and, I think that's a tad ambitious, because you'll lose quite a bit of definition at that size. But large displays are handled pretty well.

It does need low light to get the best out of the picture, but that's true of all projectors, especially the compact ones. For its size, and for the price you pay, the brightness is great.

If you're yet to dip your toe into the world of projectors, you've got a lot to look forward to. Watching a movie, playing a game, or just following the football on a big, beamed screen is a delight.

And after testing plenty of them, I'm really impressed by the small but mighty Nebula Capsule 3. It's another great device from the brand.

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