Vankyo X3 Projector: 2024 Design on a Budget

Vankyo X3 Budget Projector Review

Today’s review is on the latest Vankyo X3 projector, a budget-friendly model with a trendy design and modern features that promise a great viewing experience with Dolby Audio. Let’s see if it lives up to the hype for the price.

Unboxing the Vankyo X3

The box includes the X3 projector itself, an infrared remote control, an HDMI cable, an AC power cable, a quick start guide, and a user manual.

Vankyo X3 Features

The X3 boasts a native 1080p resolution with 300 ANSI lumens brightness and a 1000:1 contrast ratio. It supports both 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios and uses an LED light source with an LCD display. The maximum viewing distance is 5.9 meters for a 200-inch display. It features electronic focus adjustment, dual-band 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi connectivity, Dolby audio playback, and the ability to connect your mobile device via Bluetooth to use the projector as a speaker.

Design and Build

The Vankyo X3 has a trendy vertical layout with an IR sensor at the bottom and an autofocus camera (which is actually non-functional) at the top. The projector lens is glass-coated, and the lower half is covered in fabric for a stylish contrast. The rear has an HDMI input, a USB 2.0 port, a headphone jack, a rear IR sensor, the AC power socket, a carrying strap, speaker grills, and a cooling fan grill. There’s a single LED power button on top and four anti-skid rubber feet with screw holes for ceiling mounting.

Menu and Settings

The bootup process displays a Vankyo splash screen before taking you to the main menu. Here you can access media on a USB drive, including movies, music, photos, and text documents. You can also switch to the HDMI source, access screen casting options, and enter the settings menu.

The settings menu lets you adjust the projection direction, display zoom (up to 75%), color range, aspect ratio, and color presets. You can also change the language, update software via USB, reset to factory settings, and set a sleep timer. Other settings include adjusting the on-screen display timer, connecting to Wi-Fi, enabling Bluetooth, and choosing between using the projector’s speaker or connecting an external Bluetooth speaker.

Playback and Compatibility

The Vankyo X3 can play 1080p videos at up to 60 Hz with Dolby Atmos. However, it cannot process 4K videos or other surround sound formats like DTS audio. For looping images, you browse to your folder and select an image to start a loop. Unfortunately, there’s only one transition style available. The projector has electronic focus adjustment, but it lacks autofocus.

Mirroring your mobile devices, tablets, PCs, and Macs is easy using a compatible casting app. For devices connected via HDMI, the X3 is compatible with media players like Google Chromecast and Amazon Fire TV devices. It supports Chromecast’s HDCP 2.3 encryption for Netflix in HD 1080p with Dolby Atmos. While the projector has Dolby audio support, it only has one internal speaker and cannot output Dolby Atmos over Bluetooth. This feature is only applicable for self-hosted videos with Dolby Atmos.

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Performance

The X3’s lumens are surprisingly bright for a budget model, producing vivid colors. However, the electronic focus, even when manually adjusted, isn’t the sharpest compared to projectors with autofocus. The internal speaker is powerful enough for small rooms but might struggle in larger spaces. You can connect an external speaker via Bluetooth or a 3.5 mm headphone jack. The fan noise is minimal, generating around 49 dB from a meter away.

Gaming on the X3 is decent. Here’s a sample with it connected to a gaming PC at 1080p resolution and 60 Hz.

Final Thoughts

For a budget model, the Vankyo X3 impresses with its bright lumens, surprisingly good internal speaker with deep bass, electronic focus adjustment, Dolby Atmos support, Chromecast and Fire TV compatibility, and trendy design. However, it lacks autofocus, audio options beyond the basic speaker, and keystone correction.

Overall, the Vankyo X3 is a solid choice for budget-minded users who prioritize a trendy design, good brightness, and basic features. If you can live with the limitations, especially the lack of autofocus, the X3 offers a good value for the price.