The Acer X113PH is one of the lowest priced projectors on the market, although Acer did speak prior to release about it having some great features one might expect on a higher priced item. Those claims, along with the price, certainly aroused the interests of experts like myself, so I wrote this Acer X113PH Review to inform buyers, about whether or not the features are up to par, and about whether it performs well enough to be considered a viable alternative, to other projectors on the market. (Official Site)
PROS
- 3000 lumens
- Long lamp-life
- 800×600 native resolution
- Good sound
- Easy set-up
- Excellent portability
CONS
- HDMI cable sold separately
- Limited zoom function
Overall Impression
Size and Design
The measurements of the Acer X113PH are 31.5cm in length, by 22cm in width, and it comes at a depth of 9.3cm. The weight is only 2.5kg, so the X113PH is one of the lightest, most portable projectors on the market. This would definitely be a good option for people who travel a lot and want to take a projector with them. Because of its size, it also wouldn’t take up much space around the house, so overall I’m happy with Acers, design on the X113PH. The downside is that it’s not exactly aesthetically pleasing, and for some people this is important.
Performance
It’s an easy set-up with clear instructions, though this has become the standard in the industry, as manufacturers have recognized that consumers with increasingly hectic lifestyles want their technology to be equally fast-paced. So, no surprises here; one would expect this at the very least from a projector.
The native resolution is 800 by 600 pixels, and for those buyers not familiar with resolution tech jargon, that means when it arrives, it’ll be SVGA resolution, not HDMI. SVGA is an older resolution, although the difference between 800×600 SVGA and 720p HDMI is really not that much; but if you’re used to 1080p HDMI on your TV, you will see a drop in quality here. That said, the Acer X113PH comes much cheaper than any 720P or 1080p TV, and one wouldn’t expect a resolution this good on an item at this price point. There is an HDMI port included on the Acer X113PH, so buyers could connect an HD device if they purchase the cable, and the quality would rise to somewhere, a little below 1080p quality.
The Acer X113PH has built-in speakers, and they perform incredibly well, considering SVGA transports audio through a separate cable, from that which carries the vision, whereas HDMI has one cable for both. This matters in terms of efficiency and quality, though I must give credit for the Acer design which makes for excellent sound performance. And again, if one purchases the HDMI cable sound quality will increase substantially.
The big surprise with this was the lumens; at 3000 lumens buyers will be able to view without drawing the curtains, except on very bright days, when a certain amount of dimness will be necessary. The lamp-life was also impressive, and at 5000 hours in normal mode and 6000 hours in ECO mode, that’s about as efficient as high-end projectors. I was also impressed by the contrast ratio, which stands at 13000-1, and the fact that it has keystone correction, although the zoom function is limited.
Final Verdict
I can highly recommend the Acer X113PH, because at $200-$250, with a native resolution of 800×600, and the option of an HDMI connection; it’s worth the money. It has a good amount of lumens, a great contrast ratio, and the sound is surprisingly good. It’s very portable, weighing only 2.5kg, so if your looking for an entry point into the projector experience, but don’t want to spend $500 finding out if you like it, then you might consider buying this. Actually, for anybody, looking in the market for a projector, this isn’t a bad alternative to others available out there.
