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AKASO WT50 Projector

$269.99 at Amazon.com

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SUMMARY: AKASO’s WT50 trades image punch for portability, packing an onboard battery, Android interface, and wireless connectivity into a palm-size shell. Reviews confirm it performs reliably for casual video, art tracing, and travel use when lights are off, yet it struggles in ambient light and cannot match full-HD clarity. Build quality and inputs impress for the price, but aging software and a non-replaceable battery limit longevity. Ideal as a novelty or backup projector rather than a living-room centerpiece or daily TV duty.

Best Used For: Dark-room movie nights/Camping or backyard cartoon sessions

Released: 2019

Brand: AKASO

Specification	Details
Brightness	50 ANSI Lumens
Resolution	854x480px (1080P input but downscaled)
Contrast Ratio	~700-1000:1
Throw Ratio	1.19:1
Min/Max Throw Distance	1-1.5m (40-60 inches)
Lamp Life	30000 hours LED
Connectivity	HDMI 1.4, 2 × USB-A 2.0, micro-SD (< 32 GB), 3.5 mm audio, dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.x
Keystone Correction	Auto ±40°
Zoom Lens	digital 75-100%
Input Lag	>80ms
Audio Output	1×1W mono speaker + 3.5 mm jack
Aspect Ratio	16:9
Weight (kg)	0.29 kg
Lens Shift	Not available
Controller Type	Capacitive touch-pad on top + IR remote
Noise Level (dB)	<30 dB
Size of Projection	30-120 inches diagonal

Highlights

Positioned as an ultra-portable DLP “pocket cinema,” the AKASO WT50 Projector trades raw image power for size, squeezing a battery, Android OS, and wireless radios into a chassis roughly the footprint of a plus-size smartphone and only 291 g. That pocketability makes it an appealing travel or camping companion, but the design remains bound by the immutable laws of optics—minute LED engines and tiny 0.3-inch DLP chips simply cannot rival full-size projectors for lumen output or pixel density.

The product listing shouts “3 500 lumens” and even flashes the term “Ultra-Bright”, yet every independent teardown, user manual, and lab meter pegs output at about 50 ANSI lumens. In practice the beam looks respectable on a 40-inch canvas in a pitch-black room, but any ambient light washes the image to pastel. Buyers expecting living-room daylight performance will be disappointed; those accepting a candle-level glow will consider the WT50 serviceable for backyard cartoons after dusk or cookie-decorating stencils on the kitchen counter.

Marketing copy also proclaims a “native 1080 P” picture; the reality is an 854 × 480 WVGA DLP panel that merely down-scales 1080-P input. Text remains readable for PowerPoint slides at modest screen sizes, but fine UI elements and 4 K streaming detail are irrevocably lost. The honest spec appears only in small print on the official PDF manual—proof that the industry’s tendency toward resolution inflation is alive and thriving in the pico segment.

Despite those optical compromises, portability is genuinely excellent. A 5 000 mAh lithium pack powers roughly 90–120 minutes of video at 50 % brightness, long enough for a feature film if the end credits are skipped. Long-term owners note capacity sag after a year of weekend use, and the battery is soldered rather than swappable, so serviceability is limited. Still, the freedom to ditch the wall wart for a picnic screening remains one of the WT50’s defining virtues.

The connectivity suite is surprisingly complete for the size class: dual-band Wi-Fi for casting, Bluetooth 4.x for external speakers, HDMI 1.4, twin USB-A ports, micro-SD, and a 3.5 mm audio jack. The on-board Android 7–9 build grants native YouTube, Plex, and Disney Plus, but Widevine L1 certificates are absent and Netflix must be side-loaded. Security patches last saw daylight several years ago, so sideloaders tread at their own risk. Wireless mirroring from an iPhone or Android handset, however, remains painless and lag-free.

Placement flexibility is a mixed bag. The lens offers a fixed 1.19:1 throw ratio with no optical zoom or lens shift, so image size is dictated by distance—about 38 inches per meter. A motorized system provides automatic vertical keystone (±40°), trimming trapezoids when the unit sits low on a coffee table, yet horizontal skew still demands a fiddly four-point digital adjustment that inevitably erodes edge sharpness. In other words, the WT50 works best when placed squarely in front of the screen rather than winging it from a bookshelf corner.

Audio performance mirrors the projector’s overall scale. A lone 1 W micro-speaker handles dialog in a bedroom at night, but bass is nonexistent and the driver distorts at 100 % volume. Bluetooth pairing to a portable sound-bar or using the 3.5 mm jack unlocks far fuller sound, while fan noise stays below 30 dB—a gentle hum largely drowned out by even modest external speakers.

Input-lag figures are conspicuously absent from official literature. Reviewers who dared to test report a perceptible delay estimated north of 80 ms. Casual couch co-op gaming is feasible; high-tempo shooters are not. Likewise, the quoted 1 000:1 contrast ratio is on par with other pico DLPs, meaning blacks land somewhere between charcoal and grey, satisfactory for cartoons but unimpressive for noir thrillers where shadow detail matters.

Real-world best-case use scenarios cluster around art tracing, cookie decoration, impromptu campsite movies, and kid bedroom cartoons—all situations where absolute picture perfection bows to convenience and novelty. Attempting a 100-inch football game in a lit man-cave will highlight every weakness. Keep the diagonal under 80 inches, kill the lights, feed it a clean 720-p source, and the WT50 rewards with a surprisingly coherent image that belies the meager spec sheet.

Longevity rests mostly on the solid-state LED engine rated for 30 000 hours, but the achilles heel remains software stagnation and battery wear. No firmware updates have surfaced in years, leaving the Android build frozen in time. Enthusiast communities have yet to crack a safe custom ROM. Still, as a “throw-and-go” projector for situations where traditional models are too bulky or fragile, the WT50 retains a niche. The crucial caveat: prospective owners must walk in with eyes wide open—50 ANSI lumens and 480 p define the ceiling, regardless of what the product box prints in bold font.

Amazon Price History

Date	Price (USD)
2025-07-06	269.99
2025-07-07	269.99

Since 2025-07-06

Auto Product Comparison

Product	AKASO WT50 Projector	TOPTRO TP1 Projector	NICPOW E1 Projector	NOMVDIC L500 Projector
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Badges			Best Deal
Price	$269.99 at Amazon.com	$319.99 at Amazon.com	$159.97 ~~$269.99~~ at Amazon.com	$449.00 at Amazon.com
Brand	AKASO	TOPTRO	NICPOW	NOMVDIC
Check Details		Check Details	Check Details	Check Details
Brightness	50 ANSI Lumens	600 ANSI lumens (advertised)	~200-300 ANSI Lumens	650 ANSI Lumens (advertised)
Resolution	854x480px (1080P input but downscaled)	Native 1080P, 4K Supported (downscale to 1080P)	Native 1080P; 4K support (downscales to 1080P)	1920x1080
Contrast Ratio	~700-1000:1	20000:1 (advertised, dynamic), 600:1 (native)	6000:1 (advertised as dynamic)	3000000:1 (dynamic, advertised), 800:1 (native)
Throw Ratio	1.19:1	1.1:1	~1.2-1.5	1.2
Min/Max Throw Distance	1-1.5m (40-60 inches)	~3.09m for a 100-inch screen	1.5m-7m	1.06m-4.78m
Lamp Life	30000 hours LED	30000 hours	65000 hours	20000 hours
Connectivity	HDMI 1.4, 2 × USB-A 2.0, micro-SD (< 32 GB), 3.5 mm audio, dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.x	1×HDMI-ARC, 1×HDMI-in, USB-A, 3.5 mm audio-out, Wi-Fi 6, BT 5.2 (bidirectional)	WiFi, Bluetooth, HDMI, USB, AV	HDMI, USB-C, USB-A, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Keystone Correction	Auto ±40°	Auto vertical ±30°, 4-point digital	Auto Keystone	Auto H/V Keystone, 4 corner adjustment
Zoom Lens	digital 75-100%	Digital zoom 100%-85%	digital zoom	Digital Zoom
Input Lag	>80ms	~60-70ms	not specified	~133ms-200ms
Audio Output	1×1W mono speaker + 3.5 mm jack	2*8W Hi-Fi speakers, 3.5mm audio port	Built-in 2x5W speakers	7W Harman Kardon speaker
Aspect Ratio	16:9	16:9/4:3	16:9	16:9
Weight (kg)	0.29 kg	1.1 kg	0.5 kg	1.2 kg
Lens Shift	Not available	Not available	not available	Not available
Controller Type	Capacitive touch-pad on top + IR remote	IR/Bluetooth remote; on-body capacitive buttons	remote control	Remote Control
Noise Level (dB)	<30 dB	~35 dB(A) at 1m in Eco	> 30 dB	Not specified
Size of Projection	30-120 inches diagonal	40-180 inches	32-240 inches	40-180 inches
Connectivity	HDMI 1.4, 2 × USB-A 2.0, micro-SD (< 32 GB), 3.5 mm audio, dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.x	1×HDMI-ARC, 1×HDMI-in, USB-A, 3.5 mm audio-out, Wi-Fi 6, BT 5.2 (bidirectional)	WiFi, Bluetooth, HDMI, USB, AV	HDMI, USB-C, USB-A, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth