Aurzen Zip Cyber ​​Foldable Portable Projector: Not bright, poor connectivity, but a lot of fun

I’m trying to think of the twisted shape of the Aurzen Zip Cyber. Maybe a new ultra-foldable phone. Or a small robotic snake. maybe Zat gun from Stargate. What it doesn’t seem is Projector. Well, except for the light blasting in front of him. With its cyberpunk-inspired decor, Aurzen looks quite futuristic.

With a 720p resolution and 100 lumen brightness, its performance matches its small size. Then again, it’s one of the only projectors I’ve seen that can literally fit in your pocket. And with a 5000mAh battery, it can provide you with a TV-sized screen almost anywhere. Anywhere that’s fairly dark.

The main problem with the Zip is its lack of an HDMI input. Some devices can connect to Zip wirelessly, but it’s limited to non-copyrighted content (so no Netflix, etc.). For that, you’ll also need to get the CastPlay Pro or CastPlay HDMI wireless dongles. For a pocket-sized PJ, the Aurzen Zip Cyber ​​is still pretty stylish.

Specifications and so on

• Resolution: 720 pixels
• Lumen Specifications: 100 (claimed)
• Zoom: No
• Lens shift: No (although you can tilt sections)
• Battery: 5000mAh, up to 1.5 hours playback time
• Light source type and age: Not included, likely LED

Cyberpunk is one of my favorite sci-fi genres, and I recently re-read Gibson’s book The Expansion Trilogy For the fourth or fifth time, having played about 250 hours of Cyberpunk 2077, as well as enjoying a myriad of other media, I’m definitely, let’s say “prepared” to love the aesthetic. The appearance of Zip Cyber ​​is Prem, chumthough it’s mainly cosmetic with a really good sticker and a different colored power button compared to Aurzen’s regular Zip. Suggested retail price is an additional $30 for Cyber, or 7.5%. Personally, I’d pay the extra for the looks, but as mentioned, I’m all about it.

Aside from the stickers, the shape of the zipper is unique. This is a small, squat box that expands via two hinges that can each rotate by about 90 degrees. In a completely upright position, the projector forms a “Z” or “S” shape at a right angle depending on your perspective. Adjusting the two non-essential parts is how to adjust the angle of the projector, and Automatic keystone correction Trying to maintain a rectangular image. This feature can be disabled in the menu.

There are control buttons at the top, which can be replicated in the Aurzen app (which annoyingly requires you to create an account). Next to the power button on one side are the volume controls, and on the other side is a toggle switch for high brightness mode. The latter increases the speed of the fans, making them quite noticeable, but it results in an increase in brightness of about 40%. That sounds like a lot, but subjectively it’s much brighter.

As you might expect, given the size and price, this brightness won’t set any records. I measured approximately 88 lumens, which is given the differences measurement techniques, Very close to their claims. Also, I wasn’t able to do my usual set of measurements due to the Zip’s main flaw, which is…

communication

• HDMI input: 0
• USB port: 1 USB-C
• Audio output: 2 speakers, total 1W
• Internet: none
• Broadcast interface: none
• Remote: Not available

There’s no HDMI input, just a single USB-C connection, which is also how you charge the battery. You can send wirelessly to a Zip file, or at least some devices can do that. Some devices cannot do this. For these devices, Aurzen also sells CastPlay Pro, a USB-C dongle that connects to a source like your phone or tablet and streams its screen to the Zip. This is also the only way to send DRM-enabled (copy-protected) content like Netflix, Disney+, HBO, etc. Most iPhones and iPads with a USB-C port should work; Some tablets do Switch, as do many laptops. If you know that your device supports video output from a USB-C connection, then it does He should a job. For example, my Pixel 9 Pro won’t send to Zip directly, but it works fine with the dongle. My TCL tablet won’t work with the dongle, it was sent live, but not with DRM content.

Aurzen also has a CastPlay Wireless HDMI Dongle, which connects to an HDMI source for streaming to the Zip, but this was not available during my review, and as of this writing is sold out in most regions.

So reviewing the Zip is a bit strange because, depending on your hardware and the accessories you add, you’ll have a radically different experience. I made a chart:

Aurzen Zip compatibility

system	Compatibility	a result
zoom	Most devices can stream/mirror their display, but not Google Cast enabled devices	No DRM-enabled content (Netflix, Disney Plus, etc.)
Zip+CastPlay Pro USB-C	Most USB-C devices with video output (DisplayPort Alt mode)	Any content
Zip+CastPlay Wireless HDMI	Any device with HDMI	Any content

Basically, most modern iOS and non-Google devices should work with Zip on their own, though you can’t watch DRM-enabled, copyrighted content (like what you get from the major streaming services). However, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and the like will work just fine. To connect phones and other devices, as long as it can output video via USB-C, the CastPlay Pro dongle will let you watch Netflix and other DRM-enabled streaming services (basically anything not user-created). If you want to connect to a gaming console like PlayStation or a streaming device like Roku, you’ll need CastPlay HDMI. I think a lot of this confusion could have been resolved by adding a Micro HDMI input somewhere, but I’m sure that would have added cost.

Image quality

Due to the compatibility challenges mentioned above, I was unable to make my full measurements using the Zip. I’m confident these results are close, especially since they are very similar to those of other inexpensive portable DLP projectors I’ve measured, such as Nebula Anker Air Capsule.

While the light output, in high brightness mode, was about 88 lumens, it was about 63 in the quieter, lower brightness mode. This is within a few lumens of capsule And the air capsule, is close enough that you’re unlikely to notice any difference in light output. These are all the smallest dimmable projectors I’ve tested. This is good, because it is an understandable consequence of the size and price. As long as you keep the projected image about the size of a TV, it will be bright enough to enjoy in a dark room.

Variation is also fairly low, but within the same range as the competition. I measured an average contrast of about 401:1, which is about the same as the capsules as well as some of the larger, more expensive portables like Mars 3 air (405:1). This is slightly less than the notable features such as TCL Playcube (492:1) and even full-size projectors such as Epson Flex Plus (468:1). So, even though the image doesn’t pop as well as larger/more expensive projectors, it’s still contrasting enough that it doesn’t look overly washed out. Again, size and price are the main features of the Zip, so it’s great to see that it also looks decent, and is on the curve with other small portable devices.

However, the color is a bit of a mixed bag. The overall color temperature is a little on the cool/blue side, but not enough to be distracting. Some colors, such as blue and cyan, look good. The greens are very subtle too, which is a surprise. Most projector companies sacrifice realistic green color to get more light. Anything that includes red is a bit off, with red itself being quite desaturated, purple quite blue, and yellow quite green. The most obvious result is that many skin tones look a bit pasty, and anything that should have a solid red color looks more pastel.

Perhaps the most useful feature of Zip speaks to how Aurzen expects people to use it. If you place the zipper on its side, it will rotate the image by 90 degrees. This means that if you mainly watch 9×16 content like TikTok, it will fill the DLP chip, and you can take advantage of the full 720p resolution. This makes viewing vertical content more satisfying compared to an image with large letters that only occupy the middle portion of the displayed image. Flipping it sideways makes it difficult to position it properly, since there’s no rotation of the hinges in that direction, but oh well. It’s easy enough to prop the front up with whatever is useful.

The unit’s two small speakers don’t play particularly loudly, nor do they have any bass, which isn’t surprising, but as long as you sit close, they get the job done.

Run the code

For the most part, I really like the Aurzen Zip Cyber. It’s a smart design that looks futuristic even without the cyberpunk clothing. It’s one of the smallest projectors I’ve ever tested, and it performs similarly to its slightly larger portable rivals. The colors it produces are not great, but they are better than many Small, inexpensive projectors I have tested, like different AAXA models.

My hesitation is with communication. I think my view on this is worse than most people’s since I have a Pixel phone and a tablet without DisplayPort Alt mode, so neither fully works with the Zip. Depending on your equipment, you will have different luck. The lack of an HDMI input also means that to watch content from major non-YouTube streaming providers, you have to get one of the dongles, which adds $100 to the overall price.

However, if you expect to watch an endless scroll of TikTok or YouTube videos, and you have a device that can cast without the dongle, the Zip is a great-looking gadget that fits in a pocket and gives you a TV-sized picture in rooms, trucks, or anywhere fairly dark.