NEBULA Cosmos Laser 4K Projector

I was looking for an upgrade for my 10-year-old LCD TV. After doing some research on the home theater setup, I was convinced that an HDR projector is still cheaper for getting a large screen (>100 inches) with 4K resolution. I came across this product in a youtube video comparing different projectors where the Nebula Cosmos Laser 4K came out on top among other brands. I was also intrigued by its portable design and functionality and decided to buy one.
After a few days of use, I’m very satisfied with the purchase and can say that the project is legit:

-The device is solid and sturdy with a sleek design. The matt metallic finish gives it a premium feel.
-The autofocus and auto screen fit functions are quite smart and easy to use.
-The image quality is superb. It is sharp, and bright with excellent contrast, even on a rough wall surface under daylight conditions.
-The built-in sound system is surprisingly good, and it can be further enhanced by simply connecting to an external Bluetooth soundbar. It works with my LG soundbar after enabling the surround-sound option in the projector’s audio setting.
-The HDMI port is responsible (after the firmware update) with no audio delay.

Having said that, make sure you update the firmware before using it. It takes me about 40mins with two updates to get the HDMI input and remote controller working correctly. So if you want to impress someone with this device, definitely update the firmware first, lol.

Special shout out to the customer service, they are very responsive and thoughtful. After I ordered the device, I found out there was a free traveling case or free wireless microphones gift that comes with the purchase. I didn’t add to my cart during purchase. I mentioned my mistake to the customer service and they were kind enough to send me one based on my choice.

Overall, I’m pleased with this device and would recommend it to whom are considering buying it. Can’t wait to use it during an outdoor camping.

Hi, if you want to read the short version, please skip to the Pros/Cons section.

I was looking for a great projector on a budget but quickly realized that being picky and on a budget don’t mix at all.

First I bought the cheaper Nebula Cosmos DLP 1080p ($600). It was ok until I noticed that the dark scenes were way too dark. For example, I saw a night scene while watching a TV show where I could barely see the body silhouettes of the characters. Turned on my old Sharp 50” LCD TV which is right next to the projector screen and played the same scene just to compare and the difference was brutal and disappointing. I know a projector must be very exceptional and expensive to be compared to even the cheapest TVs out there, but this was just too much. Also, I had to turn all the lights off and close all the windows and doors if I wanted to get a decent image.

I bit the bullet and returned it in exchange of the step-up Cosmos DLP 4K ($1,000). That one was almost perfect. Image was phenomenal even with the lights turned on and audio from the embedded speakers was amazing BUT it started to overheat after a week. Even with the air conditioner blasting and me changing the projector’s location away from all walls. It kept randomly overheating sometimes just 2 minutes after turning it on, sometimes it would go a whole movie with no issues, but it became annoying for a $1000 device. So….I returned it.

This time I got the Cosmos Laser 1080p ($1,200), Image was “ok” but still disappointing. RETURNED again.

That’s when I jumped to the Nebula Cosmos Laser 4K ($1,800) and I literally saw the light. The image looks amazing even with all the lights turned on. Too pricey for what I initially wanted to spend but it is worth it, I have been using it heavily for 3 months and no overheat yet, knock on wood….

Pros:
Image is impressive.

Audio is surprisingly good, loud, and clear. I have to admit that the Cosmos DLP 4K has slightly better audio, but with this one you don’t need to buy a home theater audio system unless you really want to spend that extra money.

Android OS means you have a truckload of apps at your disposal, including the usual streaming apps like Netflix, YouTube, Prime, etc.

Relatively compact size for such a self-contained marvel.

Quiet enough to not be a distraction. I usually sit around 1 foot away from it and the fans’ noise is only noticeable on the longest quiet scenes, if any.

Auto-sizing and Auto-Keystone make setting it up so much easier, in my case it not necessarily gets it 100% right but it gets it close enough for me to manually provide the final adjustments in a matter of a minute or two.

Maximum screen size is advertised at 150”, unfortunately I don’t have such a big wall available to give it a try. I have been using an 80” screen and it looks phenomenal, I just received a 100” screen to replace the 80” one. Let’s see how it goes.

Cons:
Connecting my Bluetooth headphones sometimes is a pain, after having it paired and turning off the equipment it takes a long time and several tries to get it going.

Bluetooth headphones/speakers get disconnected when I switch the input to a BluRay player connected to the HDMI port. Making it impossible to use any Bluetooth audio device. If there is a workaround to make both work at the same time, I haven’t found it.

Only 1 HDMI port. It would be awesome to be able to connect a BluRay player and an audio system at the same time. The Cosmos DLP version has 2 HDMI ports, Why is this one so much more expensive and doesn’t have 2 HDMI?

The version of the cellphone app for this Nebula model is kind of limited in comparison to the one I used for the previous models. For example, with the previous projectors I was able to type from my phone directly to the projector’s search box, now I can’t.

Last but not least, the most annoying of all, for the image adjustments (picture mode changes, custom picture mode changes, gamma, etc), the menu takes around 30% of the screen’s right side and the content being played in the background gets dimmed to a point that you don’t really notice the changes you are doing, so you have to exit the menu all the way back to see the results and repeat all over if you don’t like what you see. Nebula team: please minimize the menu to a little corner or to the bottom of the screen while we try to adjust the image and do not dim the content so we can see the changes as they are without so much back and forth.

Thankfully, most of the Cons mentioned above can be easily fixed by a software update and I really love this projector despite them.

If you are not too picky and really want to save some serious dough, get the Nebula Cosmos DLP 1080p. The 4K version was great and I would have kept it if it didn’t become an overheating annoyance. But if image quality is non-negotiable even under some ambient light, the Nebula Laser 4K is your guy.

Set up was pretty easy but took a few tries to get the remote to update and sync. The autofocus is awesome, finds the screens and makes the picture level even if the projector is not. Easy to log in and stream. I added an HDMI cable from my phone so I can send ANYTHING from my phone and that works great. Easy to connect external blue tooth speaker and is a must have if you are using outside because the projector sits in front of you and isn’t nearly loud enough. Still, worth every penny and highly recommend.

See my initial review below. Everything was great until the 4k dongle on my 1080p version stopped working. I was able to work with customer service who first tried sending out a new dongle, but when that didn’t work they offered a full refund. I inquired about a possible upgrade to the 4k version as it seems they discontinued the 1080p version. I was able to get a 4k replacement instead of a refund and so far am very happy with it!

This is the first projector that I have owned, but I have always wanted one. Went with the laser 1080P version with the intention of using it camping or at home in the hottub. Went with the laser version for the extra lumens and then bought an Eco Flow battery pack for using while camping. It should have 3 times the battery life of what was included in some of the lower lumen Ankers that I was looking at, this is yet to be tested though.

Plugged it in just to try it out in the living room, we have high A-frame ceilings and this thing auto adjusted right away to the slant and looked great even at a fairly long distance! The sound is also pretty good on this unit but may set up the outside for fancier speaker while the hottub is running.

Overall very impressed so far!