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Review cover Dangbei Neo Projector (Hardware)
Official GBAtemp Review

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Dangbei introduces their latest projector, promising Netflix, Linux, and impressive picture quality.

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Dangbei is an upstart of a company, trying to shake up the projector world with its offerings. The Dangbei Neo is the company's attempt at making a mid-tier budget projector, which has the unique feature of running a Linux OS rather than Android. Already setting itself apart right out of the gate, is the Neo worth considering against other similarly-priced projectors?

The shape of the Dangbei Neo is a fairly traditional-looking device--a boxy little thing--with a huge outtake vent on the back. It's also a lot lighter than it looks, weighing only 5 pounds. Overall, it's a subtle design, and one that looks quite nice, with the silver design fitting in nicely alongside other media theater accessories. On the front and sides are long metal speaker grilles, while the back sports all the ports: DC power, S-PDIF, LAN, HDMI, and two USB 2.0 connections. It's a shame it doesn't take USB-C for power, nor does it have a battery for portable usage, almost clashing with its fairly portable design. You can certainly carry it around easily, but you'll need to be tied to an outlet in order to power the Neo. 

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Surprisingly, the Neo runs quietly, even when under load, and the big fan on the back does a great job at cooling the projector effectively. It impressively manages to walk the difficult tightrope of running well, while not allowing itself to get too hot, and also not blasting its fans at a distracting level. 

Most projectors run a form of Android OS, giving you easy access to most apps, and the ability to sideload APKs. Dangbei, however, went with the decision to have the Neo run off a form of Linux, which explains why it runs so efficiently. On the whole, I think Linux is a smart choice for an operating system, because it's a lot snappier than every other Android projector I've come across, but there are a few drawbacks--at least for less tech-minded users. Out of the box, the Neo has a lot of familiar apps, including YouTube, Prime Video, and Netflix. You also can use the projector's included app store to grab other media programs like Plex and Jellyfin, both of which are awesome inclusions.

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However, if you want to use the Neo for sports, you're a little out of luck, because MLB.TV and NFL RedZone are completely missing. You can Mirrorcast and use a browser, at the very least, and because it's Linux, I'm sure there's a way to rig up a way to have those apps available, but it's beyond my ability. You could very well be limited to the NetRange App Store's apps only, which does give you a lot to choose from, at the very least, but is completely barren of sports content. 

As the Neo is a DLP (digital light processing) projector, it's going to work better than an LED or LCD projector would in situations where you might have any amount of light in the room. It'll also provide a sharper, clearer image, with eye-popping colors. The picture the Neo outputs is impressive, to say the least, and you're going to blow viewers away when you pull the projector out for movie night. While it "only" supports 1080p, the picture quality you get is amazing, and everything pops, with dark scenes working just as well, even when displaying at its full size of 120 inches. You're losing out on color accuracy in exchange for some of that vibrancy, but I think it's fair given most use cases for a projector. 

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Dangbei claims that the Neo will last for about 30,000 hours of use, which means you could use the projector for a couple of hours each day, and it'll still work a decade from now--an impressive feat for a projector. 

As mentioned before are the speaker grills on the sides of the Neo, which output some pretty solid sound. It's no surround sound, but it's bass-y for rumbling sound effects,  vocals that come in clear for dialogue in movies. You can set it pretty loud, too, or if you've got a nice portable speaker, the projector can connect to it with its Bluetooth. 

Since it's a DLP projector, you'll be able to game on it fairly decently. It won't beat a dedicated gaming monitor, of course, but it's most certainly playable, even for platformers. There's just a pure joy in feeling like you're playing a game on a movie theater screen, and the Neo really delivers on that aspect. 

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The Dangbei Neo is an impressive projector, working wonderfully as an entertainment hub for outdoor movie events, or just for playing movies and games on a gigantic 120-inch display. I think the choice to go with a Linux-based OS is smart, but it does limit the projector in a few ways--namely sports apps and streaming platforms that aren't Netflix. Luckily, you could just plug in a Fire Stick or something, but it does add a little extra effort to the experience. I really do wish the Neo could operate without having to be plugged in, too, since it's so clearly designed to be portable, but you still need a plug or power station to get it working. On the whole, though, the Neo is a super fun device that has some seriously stunning picture quality. 

Verdict

What We Liked ...
  • Moderately low lag for gaming
  • Great picture quality
  • Usable even in moderately lit rooms
  • Runs Linux instead of Android
What We Didn't Like ...
  • Color accuracy is a little off
  • It's portable, but has no battery
  • Lacks a lot of media apps out of the box
8.8
out of 10

Overall

A DLP projector that uses Linux and has low lag for projector standards, it's a great option, although it's held back by the fact that it markets itself as portable, despite needing to be tied to a power source.
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Guacaholey
I'm sure the color accuracy would be a little better if you also used it on a screen intended for projectors instead of the side of a house. I don't know if it would make a huge difference, but I'm sure there's a small one.
 
Charli
Nice review and neat device :)

Is the underlying Linux OS accessible out of the box? If SSH access could be enabled in the options, that would be awesome 👀

It's really too bad, that power delivery via USB-C is not possible :( I wonder how much power this draws during operation? oh, and a picture of the back showing the ports would be nice :)
 
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