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00:00Hey guys, I'm Tom of TechJab and this is the LG Cinebeam Q.
00:08Now, it was formerly known as the Cube, and actually they only changed the name a few
00:12weeks before this is coming out, so their box says Cube, but it is actually now just
00:17the Q.
00:18And is this not the cutest thing you've ever seen?
00:20This is a 4K laser projector that can go up to 120 inches on your wall.
00:26So the question is, can the LG Cinebeam Q HU710P-B, which is a bit of a mouthful, can
00:33something this small actually be a good projector, and why would you buy this over some much
00:38more affordable alternatives?
00:40Okay, so unlike a regular projector where you just set it up and leave it, the idea
00:45with the Cinebeam Q is that the minuscule size and this 360 degree handle makes it easier
00:50to grab, find a spot, plug it in, and have a big screen experience basically anywhere.
00:55Well, anywhere you can plug it in, it's not running on a battery.
00:58And while there are plenty of compact projectors out there, it's what this packs into its
01:03tiny size that makes the difference.
01:044K, a laser light source for better colors, contrast, and deeper blacks.
01:08We get HDR10, HDMI 2.1 with eARC, USB-C, Bluetooth, and speakers, along with LG's
01:15WebOS6 software for all your usual streaming apps.
01:19Brightness is rated at 500 ANSI Lumens, which isn't a lot, and means you really do need
01:24to find a dark room to get the most out of it, but I'll come back to that in a second.
01:28What I absolutely love about this though, aside from its Pixar-esque, extremely cute
01:32design, is the auto screen adjustment.
01:34Plonk it down, point it at a surface, and almost instantly, it'll adjust the image
01:38shape or the keystone and the focus to match the surface, and it'll keep doing it even
01:42as you move around.
01:43And I was genuinely impressed how dead on the image was even off angle and propped up
01:47on a book.
01:48Although to be fair, most new projectors do have some form of this auto image alignment
01:53but I've used this in the gym, for watching TV in my dining room, and I could just see
01:57it being fun at a party, or maybe for watching a movie outdoors in the evening.
02:01Just be aware that the power cable is pretty short, so you might want to bring an extension
02:05lead with you as well.
02:06Oh, and by the way, if throughout this video you see weird sort of rainbow-y strobing across
02:11the image, you don't see that in real life, it's just how my camera sees laser RGB projectors,
02:16although apparently some people's eyes are actually sensitive to this.
02:20So as with any projector, the further you move it away, the bigger the image gets, and
02:24you can go from 50 inches up to 120 inches.
02:28If you do have the room, and you can get 120 inches from this, that's 3 meters corner to
02:32corner.
02:33While other compact options can hit 200 inches, they're not usually 4K, and never in a design
02:38this small.
02:40Placing it 1.5 meters, or just under 5 feet from the surface, will give you that 50 inch
02:44image.
02:45It did work closer, but at around 1 meter or so it starts to lose focus.
02:49So for that full 120 inches, you'll need to place it 3.6 meters, or 12 feet away.
02:54That's a surprisingly lot of space, more than a lot of people have, but it is similar to
02:58other compact options.
03:00Plus you'll need a surface actually big enough to project the image, although what I found
03:04with this is that I don't necessarily need that full 120 inches, the beauty of this is
03:08just the portability of it, and actually because of the auto-adjusting keystone, I can just
03:12shine it at any random spot on the wall, and it's kind of fun having a big screen in places
03:17you normally wouldn't.
03:18You can go in where the smaller image has some advantages.
03:21Since you're spreading the available light and resolution over a smaller area, the image
03:24looks brighter and sharper.
03:26However, the autofocus did seem to get a bit confused at over 100 inches or so, where it
03:31would slowly defocus after a few seconds until I forced a refocus, but then it did it again.
03:36Luckily though, all the manual projection options are here as well, which did fix the
03:40issue for me, and hopefully a future update will sort this out, because I have been testing
03:44this a few weeks before launch.
03:46But let's talk about this design, and actually if I shut up just for a second, you might
03:50be able to hear the fan.
03:51Hopefully my mic's picking that up.
03:55I can hear the fan, although I am stood right next to it and I don't have anything playing.
03:59There is an audible fan noise, although you'll drown out straight away with any kind of volume
04:02from your movie or your TV show.
04:04It doesn't get particularly hot, it's a little bit warm on the top here, but not too bad
04:07at all.
04:08And while moving it around while it's plugged on like this, I wouldn't think would be particularly
04:11good for a projector.
04:12I've been doing it for a couple of weeks now, I've been putting it in my backpack, carrying
04:15it around, using it every which way, pointing it every surface I possibly could, and I've
04:20not had any problems so far.
04:22And I just love the way this thing looks.
04:23I guess you'd call this modernist industrial design, but it reminds me of something between
04:28a vintage box camera and WALL-E from the Pixar movie.
04:32It's classy in a way that projectors usually aren't, and the size really does make a difference
04:36to how much you want to move this around.
04:38It'd be easy to pack up for a trip.
04:40Build quality is great, the metal finish feels premium, and the handle is stiff enough to
04:45stay where you leave it.
04:46We also get three watt stereo speakers, and they're okay, although if you could bluetooth
04:50or eARC out to a soundbar or some other speakers, I would recommend it, but for kids movies
04:54or YouTube videos, it's fine.
04:58There are also IR sensors at the front and the back for the remote control, and you've
05:02also got a Kensington lock on the side so you can tether it to your desk so no one nicks
05:06it.
05:07It's a good range of ports, although I wouldn't have said no to another HDMI, because it would
05:10have been good to plug in my PS5 and my soundbar with this.
05:14First time setup was nice and simple, just add your wifi and location and then you're
05:17straight into the webOS interface, which is basically the same as LG's TV version.
05:22We get the usual picture and gaming modes, including game optimizer, which does a good
05:26job of minimising input lag, meaning games all felt pretty quick and responsive.
05:30And unlike a lot of off-brand, cheaper alternatives, the interface here is really easy to use.
05:35We get Apple Airplay, you get a media player, app store and a browser, and you could also
05:38plug in an Apple TV or Chromecast with Google TV, but for portability, you'll want to keep
05:43things simple.
05:44One thing I will say, compared to this lovely piece of industrial design, the remote feels,
05:48well, very much like an afterthought.
05:50It's a cheap plastic white thing that looks like it would go along with a $300 projector,
05:56but it's functional, it does the job.
05:58But the big question for any TV or projector is how good does it look, what's the image
06:02quality actually like?
06:04And I'll tell you, in a darker room, this thing can look great.
06:06I'm projecting this on a darker grey painted wall, which is kind of the next best thing
06:10if you don't use a projection screen.
06:12That said, it's okay on a white painted wall, but far from the best it can be.
06:17Even in standard, and especially the brightest mode, I am impressed by the contrast.
06:21The blacks look nice and inky, the colours are super saturated, perhaps a bit too much,
06:26but skin tones looked accurate, and even motion looked great without too much blur.
06:29All in, it's pretty impressive actually, especially if you're watching punchy 4K HDR content.
06:35Problem is, if you let a little bit of ambient light into the room, or you decide to use
06:39this in the daytime, that contrast and those colours just kind of evaporate.
06:44So for daytime use, unless you have some really decent blinds or blackout curtains, you're
06:48going to lose a lot of detail and image quality.
06:51So yes, you can take this thing anywhere, as long as you can plug it in, and it will
06:54only take about 30 seconds to get up and running, but part of your setup routine is going to
06:58be minimising any light.
07:00And while 500 ANSI Lumens is quite good for a super compact model like this, if you are
07:05looking to use this as your main screen for movies and TVs, you are much better off with
07:10a bigger and brighter laser based model that will do 15-2500 ANSI Lumens, and it will probably
07:15be cheaper as well.
07:16To be fair, a proper projector screen would make a world of difference to the image quality
07:20here, especially a fancy ambient light reflecting one or ALR screen, but those guys at 120 inches
07:26cost a lot, and I mean a lot.
07:29So you really have to set expectations that this probably isn't going to replace your
07:33main TV or main projector system, whatever your setup is.
07:36It's a fun little secondary screen for your bedroom, your kid's room, taking to a party,
07:40using outdoors for a cinema night.
07:42And to be fair, even when I'm not actually using this, it's kind of nice just to have
07:45around.
07:46It looks good.
07:47Also bear in mind that while projected 4K doesn't look anything like as sharp as an
07:51actual 4K TV, it can be noticeably sharper than 1080p, especially if you're projecting
07:55it over 100 inches.
07:57Although, if the focus is even out slightly, it can be hard to notice that this is 4K.
08:02And for gaming, there's actually a 1080p mode at 120Hz, meaning you can play at a silky
08:07smooth 120fps if your game supports it.
08:10And that will also help everything feel way more responsive.
08:13So really this has three USPs.
08:15You've got the portable, very nice design, you've got the 4K resolution, and you've got
08:19the fact that it's using a laser light source.
08:22Versus a traditional lamp-based projector, the single laser light on the Q gives a much
08:26wider range of colours, LG reckon this covers 154% of the P3 colour gamut and also better
08:32contrast.
08:33But, we have to talk about the price.
08:36How much would you pay for one of these?
08:38How much do you think something like this would be worth?
08:41Bear in mind LG tech is usually a little bit on the higher end, and you're also going to
08:44pay a premium for a 4K laser projector in a box this small and nice, but it's not cheap.
08:49We're looking at $1,299 for the Cinebeam Q, and you can get away with paying half that
08:55with some rivals, although they will be 1080p and they don't look as nice.
08:59And while it's maybe unfair to compare it with 1080p alternatives like Samsung's Freestyle
09:03Gen 2 or XGimi's Mogo 2 Pro, which are also really compact and literally half the price,
09:09and if I wanted true portable, like I don't even have to plug it in, then I would look
09:12at XGimi's Halo Plus or the Anker Nebula Mars 3 Air.
09:16Again, they are 1080p, but you're getting a battery for 2-2.5 hours of use, so they
09:20are genuinely portable, you could take them camping.
09:23And also if you're wondering about those super cheap models on Amazon that say 4K, well usually
09:28that means they're capable of playing back 4K content, but actually display at 720p,
09:34so watch out for that.
09:36So it's not an old-timey camera or a gas lamp, it is a mini 4K laser projector, and it's
09:41a lovely bit of kit.
09:43Quite pricey, not for everyone, not going to replace your main TV, but if you do want
09:47something that is reasonably portable, looks great, and projects a decent image, particularly
09:52if you've got a very low-light environment, then you can't go wrong with the LG Cinebeam
09:56Q.
09:57I know this has just come out, but if I had a wishlist for the next version in 2025, then
10:01I would love to see maybe 1000 lumens if that was possible, just a little bit brighter.
10:06Also another HDMI would be good to see, and also perhaps some sort of optional battery
10:10accessory that could have it going for a couple of hours, maybe you'd pay extra for that,
10:14but just some option to not have to plug it in.
10:16Because obviously one of the biggest selling points is the portability, but you're still
10:19tethered to the wall, or to the extension lead.
10:22But what do you think?
10:23Would you be tempted by something like this?
10:24Do you have a projector in your setup, and what's it been like?
10:27Let me know in the comments.
10:28And if you do fancy picking one of these up for yourself, I will leave links in the description
10:31below.
10:32Thank you so much for watching guys, and I'll see you next time, right here, on the Tech
10:35Channel.