The TCL A1 is a Samsung Freestyle-rivalling portable projector with RGB lighting

The projector emits a beam of blue light into the top corner. It is on a wooden table outdoors, with a background of green trees and fairy lights. It is night time.
TCL's new projector features 360 ISO Lumen brightness and a Full HD (1080p) resolution, and it automatically adjusts focus, level and keystone. (Image credit: TCL)

Good news for on-the-go film lovers – TCL has launched its first mobile projector.

It’s called the TCL A1 and it’s designed for both indoor and outdoor use. The idea is that you can carry the projector wherever you want, and then turn almost any wall into a cinema screen of between 45 and 120 inches.

The new projector features 360 ISO Lumen brightness and a Full HD (1080p) resolution, and it automatically adjusts focus, level and keystone. So, in theory, you simply point the projector at the wall and it does the hard work for you.

The A1 also has Google TV built in and, unlike many projectors, it’s properly Netflix certified, so playing movies doesn’t require an external source. It supports voice control, too, via the Google Assistant.

Audio is delivered via two 8W speakers, and TCL says the projector can be used as a Bluetooth speaker.

TCL suggests you can use the projector for a variety of purposes, from a cosy movie night to projecting online meetings onto a large canvas. We’re not sure how many people want a Teams meeting enlarged to cinema size, but each to their own.

The design seems simple and portable, featuring a VersaGrip handle. That basically means you pull it up to carry or push it down to adjust the projector’s angle.

The projector is available in the US for $499 on Amazon (around £400 or AU$775). UK availability and pricing has yet to be announced.

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And we explain how to get the best picture from a projector outdoors

Robyn Quick is a Staff Writer for What Hi Fi?. After graduating from Cardiff University with a postgraduate degree in magazine journalism, they have worked for a variety of film and culture publications. In their spare time, Robyn can be found playing board games too competitively, going on cinema trips and learning muay thai.