TCL PlayCube review: I used this portable projector for business
presentations and watching movies, and its brilliantly simple

Date:
Sat, 04 Jul 2026 14:35:00 +0000

Description:
A compact 1080p projector with Google TV, battery power, and a clever
rotating body, enabling big-screen viewing in a backpack-friendly cube.

FULL STORY ======================================================================TCL PlayCube Portable Projector: 30-second review If youre looking for a small, portable projector for business presentations or just to sit back and relax and watch a movie, this Google TV-enabled 1080p projector is a superb option. What I really liked about this projector was that as I fed a presentation
from my 4K output through the projector, it was downscaled without any issue, no black screen or flickering it just worked.

Essentially, with Google TV installed, linking it to my selection of mobile phones, be that Android or iOS, was straightforward, all done through the Google Home app. Once youve run through that initial setup process, along
with all the updates, youll be up and running within a few minutes. Since
it's based on Google Home, you can install any native apps you want. If you are primarily using this for entertainment, you can download Amazon Prime, Netflox, 4oD, and any other apps you want, although iPlayer and the BBC apps do need to be cast. There's also a slight compatibility issue with iPhones when trying to cast from Apps like iPlayer, but for the most part it's simple enough. Its all very simple, as ever with anything that runs on Google Home, and the connection speeds provide fast downloads in most situations.

When the unit arrived, it came in a semi-hard case, which is great for portability, especially if youre going to business meetings or are running a workshop, as I was. In which case, it makes it a very neat and easy way to carry. The other point that I like about the design is that it has a
90-degree rotating body, which means you can very easily tilt the projection at will, no need for book to prop it up, and with the auto keystone correction, it automatically corrects the verticals. If, however, you want to mount it onto a tripod, then there is a quarter-inch thread on the base, making things especially easy.

Considering the size, the 750-lumen projection brightness is pretty decent
for a portable model, although you do still need to present in slightly subdued lighting. In midday daylight, its worth just pulling down the blinds so you can see the projected image clearly. But if youre viewing this later
in the evening or at night, then that projection clarity is superb, and the uplift to Full HD, not just HD as many portable projectors are, really does make a difference to the quality.

The one thing I would say is that it has an integrated 5W speaker, and whilst that is actually pretty decent and was fine for my presentation, its a little low on the volume stakes. However, as youve got a 3.5mm audio output jack, if you do want to plug in a louder soundbar, then thankfully, thats very easy to do.

The point here is that, alongside the Home integration, which is great for entertainment, when it comes to business use, you also have the HDMI input. So, you can connect it straight into a laptop, in my case, the MacBook Pro M1 Max, or theres a USB Type-A port as well, so USB keys can be plugged directly in. Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Theres also the built-in 66Wh battery, which is rated for up to three hours, which is enough to watch most films and get through most presentations
without too many issues, but you can be cutting it a little bit fine. I found that just plugging it in via USB-C into the mains was the best way to keep
the projection topped up and running, and, when out in the field, I used the Jackery 1000 V2 power station, which proved a great option. TCL PlayCube at Amazon for 699 TCL PlayCube Portable Projector: Price and availability How much does it cost? 799 TBC When is it out? Now Where can you get it? Most large high street retailers and online The TCL PlayCube is widely available
in the US, UK, and beyond, from retailers including Amazon, Best Buy, Argos, and Richer Sounds. I generally found it selling for around the $799 / 799 mark. Value: 4/5 (Image credit: Alastair Jennings) TCL PlayCube Portable Projector: Specs CPU : MT9630 processor Graphics : DLP projector, 0.33-inch DMD chip, RGB LED light source Rear / main ports : 1 x HDMI, 1 x USB 2.0 Type-A, 1 x 3.5mm audio output, USB-C power connection, IR input Connectivity : Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.1, Google Cast Audio : Integrated 5W speaker, Dolby Digital Plus, four EQ sound modes Size : 5.9 x 3.8 x 3.8 inches / 150 x 97 x 97mm; 2.87lb / 1.3kg OS Installed : Google TV Accessories : Power cord and user manual TCL PlayCube Portable Projector: Design I absolutely love the design of the PlayCube portable projector. It just looks great once you
remove the semi-hard case it arrives in, unzip it, and the cube-like
projector inside is revealed, along with the remote, plug, and USB cable that supplies AC power when not utilising the battery.

The design is somewhat unique, earning it the PlayCube name: part of the body rotates 90 to let you tilt the projector up onto a wall when its on a
desktop, making it extremely portable and easy to use in different locations.

I used a workshop I was running to fully test this projector and even the set up process that was as simple as popping it onto a desk, tilting the body to project onto a wall was extremely quick and straightforward.

With the auto keystone and focus correction, I could literally get on with setting up without worrying too much about the projector. Its just a very nice, neat design. (Image credit: Alastair Jennings) At just 5.91 x 3.82 x 3.82 (150 x 97 x 97mm) and weighing 2.87lb (1.3kg), its also relatively
light, so you can easily position it on a desk if giving a presentation. Equally, if youre at home or out camping and want to watch a movie, its very easy to position and place. Great if youre just taking it with you to watch a sporting or music event this summer, or to kick back and watch a movie at the end of the day.

In my case, its brilliant for workshops because you never know how much room youll have or what you can project onto. Just having something small and versatile like this is especially useful, even more so when it has a quarter-inch thread on the base, letting you mount it on any standard tripod.

Design-wise, it looks ultra-modern, extremely stylish, and well-made, and
with that semi-hard case, it feels good and durable. So, if you are using it as a professional piece of kit rather than just for entertainment, then, stashed away in a Peli case for transport, it should survive more than a
knock or two. it feels well made and robust, and durability has certainly
been a consideration. Design: 4.5 / 5 (Image credit: Alastair Jennings) TCL PlayCube Portable Projector: Features Considering this is a portable projector, the feature set is quite impressive, with a step up to 1920 x 1080 Full HD resolution, which is far better than the standard 720p resolution we often see with this style of portable projector. Whats more, it also supports 4K input, so if youre outputting from your laptop at 4K directly to the projector, or from a media player, it will downscale it to the correct resolution without issue.

The other point here is that 750lm is exceptionally high for a small portable projector, which means you can use it in slightly brighter conditions than
you would usually consider. For myself, running a workshop, that brightness was just enough to produce a clear image in daylight conditions that was easy for everyone attending to see.

The brightness was matched by decent clarity and sharpness, and the autofocus really does lock on. Again, with that auto keystone correction, youve got a nice rectangular visual, even when youre projecting up at an angle towards
the wall.

The size of the projection is dependent on how far you move the projector
back from the wall, you can go from a relatively small 30-inch projection to
a 150-inch one. Obviously, the closer you are to the wall, the brighter the projection, so during the day youre probably going to want that close-range projection of just 30 inches, which is still relatively large in small workshop situations, all the way up to about 150 inches if youre kicking back of an evening and watching a movie.

Checking the quality of the projection, the image is produced via an Aura RGB LED light source, which the company claims has a 124% Rec.709 colour gamut.
Im also pleased to see that its got autofocus, auto keystone correction, auto screen alignment, and obstacle avoidance, meaning the screen will actually resize to avoid certain obstacles like light sockets and doors, all helping
to make the setup nice and straightforward.

As we see with quite a few of these projectors now, safety guards, including the TOF active guard eye safety feature, help reduce the risk of direct eye exposure. As a multi-use projector, you get Google TV, Netflix certification, Google Assistant voice control and Google Cast, meaning you can cast directly from an Android phone to the projector, making things ultra-simple.

When it comes to connectivity options, if you dont want to use Google Home
and just want to use it as a straight projector, there are HDMI and USB
ports, and I was pleased to see a 3.5mm audio jack for connecting external speakers. You also have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.1 for wireless connectivity to stream to online services and connect to external devices such as speakers. (Image credit: Alastair Jennings) Features: 4.5 / 5 TCL PlayCube Portable Projector: Performance Getting started with the PlayCube is extremely easy. After all, it has Google TV, and the setup and installation process is exceptionally quick. The only thing I would say is that during use, my home internet connection completely failed, so I had to rely on a mobile network. Still, the connection speeds were exceptionally good using the D-Link G572 5G router, which I highly recommend as a backup for your home internet if its slightly temperamental.

Once Id run through the setup process, installed all the apps that I wanted, connected my Google account and run all of the updates, which did actually take some time, I was then able to use Google TV to project from all of my favourite streaming apps, and this all worked as expected, with a few notable exceptions.

While the projector works with most main stream apps, there's no option to download iPlayer and trying to cast to the projector from my iPhone through the iPlayer app also proved a non event. All other apps worked incredibly well.

What I liked here was that the remote control is really well thought out and very responsive in use. The quality of the projected image was also exceptionally good, and compared with some of the portable projectors that I normally use for workshops, the higher-resolution 1920 x 1080 display, alongside the 750lm brightness, really did make a difference to the clarity and internal gradation, even in relatively bright daylight conditions.

As the afternoon and evening drew in, the quality of the projection really stood out, and for presentations and workshops, this projector is an ideal solution. Coming in that small semi-hard case, this is easy to transport and even easier to set up.

There are several things that really appeal to me. First, the semi-hard case keeps everything neat and tidy, and the second is just how easy and quick it is to set up. Essentially, place it onto a desktop, rotate the cube around so you get the tilt onto the wall that you want, power on, and then you can connect whichever device you want, be that through the Wi-Fi connection for streaming services or, in my case, connecting my MacBook Pro through HDMI directly into the back of the projector so that I could project my presentation as well as examples.

The speakers are only 5W, and while theyre relatively decent quality, I did plug into an old pair of Fostex monitors just because they gave me better, louder audio.

I also found that, as I was setting up, the autofocus, keystone and object avoidance all happened automatically and extremely quickly. Once you get enough distance from whichever surface youre projecting onto, it is very easy to get it to sit within a projection screen or wall, from the relatively
close quarters of the workshop to pulling the projector right back for watching a movie later on that evening.

The fact that its got that quarter-inch thread on the base, enabling me to mount it onto a tripod, just made it far easier to manoeuvre around, and whilst the battery does last a good two and a half to three hours, for
safety, especially while Im watching the movie, I plug it into a Jackery 1000 V2 power station just to ensure it doesnt power down right at the end of the movie.

Through the tests, the projector just worked exceptionally well, and whilst there is quite a bit of fan noise, especially in these weather conditions,
its just about bearable, and in workshops where theres plenty of chatter, so that fan noise really wasnt an issue. However, when I was watching a few movies, the fan's background noise was a bit distracting at first, but you soon get used to it and kind of block it out.

When it comes to the visuals, they are clear and bright, and for such a small projector, it certainly packs in a great deal of power. For entertainment on the move, on holiday, or at home, the small projector is a great option because it packs away easily, unlike larger home projectors that take up a
lot of space.

You can use it at home when you want to watch a film big on the screen or a sporting event, and then just simply pack it away in a cupboard when thats over. Likewise, if youre off on holiday, you can easily pack it, take it with you, and it doesnt add too much weight to your luggage.

More importantly, if youre away on business or youre running a workshop, then having a small projector like this is an ideal solution. It enables the
entire group to easily see what youre talking about without needing to
connect up to a TV screen, monitor or large projector. Because its small, lightweight and extremely versatile when it comes to connectivity options, it gives you plenty of flexibility.

The ease of connection really won me over during the test, as did the image's brightness and clarity. What I also really liked was that it would last for a good two and a half hours without issue, and with most of my workshops
lasting around three hours, it meant that I wasnt having to be too precious about switching the projector on and off, of which the boot-up process can take up to a minute.

When the projector does indicate that the power is running low, it can always be powered via USB-C. For the most part, because I have other kit that also needs to be plugged in, I take the Jackery 1000 V2 along with me just to have some extra power when needed.

For both home and business use, the small projector, with its premium build quality and matching pricing, makes a great option. It might not be as bright as the larger desktop projectors, but if youre looking for one of the best portable options on the market at present, then this certainly fits the bill. Performance: 4 / 5 (Image credit: Alastair Jennings) TCL PlayCube Portable Projector: Final verdict (Image credit: Alastair Jennings) From the outset, the TCL PlayCube impressed, firstly with a semi-hard case that instantly
gives it an ultra-portable, premium feel. As it was opened, the projector inside had a decent weight and build quality, and it looked pretty stylish too.

As I ran through the test, checking out how Google TV and all the apps
worked, it all seemed very fluid, exactly what I expect from anything based
on the Google TV system. But then, branching out from just pure entertainment and streaming, I checked it out for the more serious business of work.

Connected out to my MacBook Pro M1 Max and a couple of the mini PCs that Ive had on test recently, I was impressed to see that it was able to scale the video output instantly, ready for projection. There was no fiddling around with options or settings. It adjusted automatically, ready to project on the wall as and when needed.

Setup was exceptionally easy, with battery power, which provided plenty of projection time. This is one of the easiest projectors Ive used: just set it on a desktop, project it onto the wall, plug in the HDMI, and off you go. If
I wanted a little more audio volume than those 5W speakers provide, I could simply plug in a set of monitors and aim to vastly improve the output volume.

As ever there are a few issues with app compatibility for the likes of BBC iPlayer which isn't available, and trying to cast from iPlayer to the device from my iPhone just wasn't possible.

However, that aside as a compact and highly versatile portable projector, the PlayCube is a superb design and ideal for entertainment, both at home and away, as well as for business use, presentations and workshops. Should I buy the TCL PlayCube Portable Projector? Swipe to scroll horizontally

Value

Expensive for a portable projector, but equipped with good brightness that makes it suitable for home and business.

4/5

Design

clever design with its twistable casing that enables you to easily position
it or mount it on a tripod.

4.5/5

Features

Using Google TV, everything is very straightforward, and if you just want to use it as a straight projector, then just plug in the HDMI. Its all well thought out and easy to use.

4.5/5

Performance

750lm portable brightness does make a real difference, and the clarity and colour of the image are also superb.

4/5

Overall

This is a well-rounded package thats equally suited to home as well as business use, and you do pay extra for the quality it provides.

4/5 Buy it if...

You need a projector for business The compact, semi-hard case that keeps everything neatly together, and the easy setup and use without a power supply make it a good portable business solution.

You stream content After work, it is great to know that you can easily
stream content from Google TV, Netflix and other streaming services without too many issues. Don't buy it if...

You need daylight Even with a powerful projection, 750lm can still be
drowned out by daylight, so if you do need to display content through the
day, a TV screen might still be a better option.

You demand cinema Whilst for business and light entertainment use, 1080p and a 5W speaker might be adequate, if you want true cinema, then you might need something with a higher resolution and louder audio. For more top performers, we've tested the best portable projectors you can get. TCL PlayCube: Price Comparison 699 View 778 View 799 View 799 View bundle 799.99 View Show more
We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices powered by



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/tcl-playcube-portable-projector-review


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)