A portable projector trades outright brightness for the ability to set up in ninety seconds anywhere, which is a trade most people make happily once they have used one. A blank wall in a bedroom, a sheet in a garden or a hotel room ceiling all become a screen.

Size and power are the two things that make them portable. Many run from an internal battery or a USB-C power bank, which matters in South Africa where a movie night should not depend on the grid staying up.

Read brightness claims carefully. Portable projectors are the category where inflated figures are most common, so compare ANSI lumens where it is stated and treat much larger numbers quoted without a standard as marketing rather than measurement.