Soundcore Nebula X1 Pro Dolby Atmos projector review: Big and great

First person perspective used in F1: The moviemaking home cinema thrilling, especially up close on a 100-inch screen, surrounded by precise spatial sound. Sinners It was also catchy, although I liked the sound effects more than the soundtrack, as the music was quite heavy in places. It’s a very minor grumble, considering that most portable projectors lack bass.

Photography: Chris Haslam

This is all impressive, and because I can open the speakers back up and put the X1 Pro in the corner, which is surprisingly practical. With no technical expertise, installation costs, or disruption to the interior design of a custom cinema room to consider. A smart negotiator could argue that this makes the X1 Pro great value, if you’re lucky enough to have space to hide it and a screen when it’s not needed.

Coolant liquid

Despite its beer fridge dimensions, the Nebula X1 Pro is remarkably quiet. This is thanks to the liquid cooling system, which was used for the first time in the X1, and which replaces the traditional fan. It’s wonderfully effective and means you don’t have to bulk up to hide the machine.

The brand claims that it reduces noise to just 26dB — most portable projectors are rated for 30-35dB — which isn’t a huge difference, but trust me, the noise it makes isn’t as distracting as a fan. There’s a small hum when the lens settles into itself, but even at moderate volume—not movie night—it’s barely audible.

Why would I want one?

Creating a serious home cinema usually means precisely positioning your projector, power cables, and speaker wires, measuring seating distances, setting channel levels, correcting lip-sync delays, adjusting keystone and focus, and fiddling with remote controls and multiple inputs. Portable projectors offer a slimmed-down version of this, just without the effort.

With wireless speakers and a roaring subwoofer, the Nebula X1 Pro brings you tantalizingly close to the complete home cinema package people work so hard to achieve. In just a few minutes, and without any technical knowledge, you can enjoy high-quality Dolby Atmos sound and 4K picture quality, all delivered through the simplicity of Google TV and your favorite streaming platform.