Samsung Galaxy Beam Review
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Projector:
As you can imagine, we took the projector for a spin from broad daylight to complete darkness, and are pleased to announce that the viewing experience is pretty decent with the 15 lumen output.
As you can imagine, we took the projector for a spin from broad daylight to complete darkness, and are pleased to announce that the viewing experience is pretty decent with the 15 lumen output.
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The projector on top | Projector on/off switch and the power key (right) |
The best results were achieved
in complete darkness projecting on a smooth white surface, of course,
but the image is watchable with a small amount of ambient light as well,
like having the door ajar or a small night light on. When dark around,
we found the sweet spot to be about 30” - then the picture is vivid,
bright and sharp enough to enjoy movies, games and slideshows. At the
quoted maximum 50” size, the low resolution becomes more visible, and
quality is not as nice, but still really pleasant to watch. Toggle the
main lights in the room, and you’ll be treated to a pale resemblance of
image in front of you, even at small screen size like 10”. Outside,
under broad daylight, the projector is absolutely useless of course.
 |  |  |
50” | 30” |
Samsung
says the projector in the Beam will run for about 3 hours off the
battery, and there was still some life left when we watched a two-hour
movie indeed. There is a spare battery in the box, so you can easily
extend this viewing pleasure.
As for handling, there is no integrated kickstand or a tripod accessory of sorts to keep the phone firm while projecting, so you have to hold it, or secure its location somehow with what’s around you for a steady picture. The area around the projector warms up significantly during projecting, but nothing scorching hot.
Samsung is no stranger to making LED pico projectors and currently has the SP-H03 for about $400 on Amazon, for example. While its 30 lumens and 854x480 resolution beat the Galaxy Beam's 15 lumen and 640x360 unit, it is certainly not fit to be housed inside a phone and juiced up by its battery.
Brookstone sells a similar unit as an accessory for the iPhone, which also can blow a 640x360 picture up to 50”, and shines with the same 15 lumen. The iPhone accessory case costs $200, though, is bulky and carries a separate battery, so having the thing integrated in the phone itself without adding much thickness or weight is a very good engineering achievement on Samsung's part.
As for handling, there is no integrated kickstand or a tripod accessory of sorts to keep the phone firm while projecting, so you have to hold it, or secure its location somehow with what’s around you for a steady picture. The area around the projector warms up significantly during projecting, but nothing scorching hot.
Samsung is no stranger to making LED pico projectors and currently has the SP-H03 for about $400 on Amazon, for example. While its 30 lumens and 854x480 resolution beat the Galaxy Beam's 15 lumen and 640x360 unit, it is certainly not fit to be housed inside a phone and juiced up by its battery.
Brookstone sells a similar unit as an accessory for the iPhone, which also can blow a 640x360 picture up to 50”, and shines with the same 15 lumen. The iPhone accessory case costs $200, though, is bulky and carries a separate battery, so having the thing integrated in the phone itself without adding much thickness or weight is a very good engineering achievement on Samsung's part.
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6 Comments
1. bobfreking55 posted on 20 Jul 2012, 08:30 3
Samsung's really been innovative lately. I'm hoping to see the resolution get better in a year, a projector to cover a whiteboard at least for school. but anyhow, it's a good one.
3. kanagadeepan posted on 20 Jul 2012, 13:31 3
Giving a spare 2000mAh battery is a good idea...
4. joaolx posted on 20 Jul 2012, 16:41 1
Isn't the projecter 30 lumens? In the pros in the conclusion is says 15. And the title is written Conclsusion.
6. Shino posted on 30 Jul 2012, 16:38 0
What a stupid review, PA! The only interesting thing about this phone is the projector. The review should have been filled up to 50% with performance data of it. Very unprofessional. The neighbour's kid would have done a better review if asked.
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