Review: Aurzen BOOM air

The market for portable projectors has exploded in recent years. Today, there is everything from cheap projectors from Temu for a few hundred SEK to more advanced alternatives like Samsungs The Freestyle. Now we are going to test a model that sits somewhere in between, with a price tag of around 3,000 SEK. We have had our eyes on the brand Aurzen for a while, and now it is time to test perhaps their most interesting model: Aurzen BOOM Air.

This is a compact projector with built-in Google TV, 1080p resolution, a smart stand, and the ability to be powered by a power bank via USB-C.

But how well does it actually work to start a movie night in the garden, in a bright living room, or in the bedroom? We’re going to find out!

Design and Build Quality

Aurzen BOOM Air looks much like a thermos or a large water bottle, and that is actually intentional. The entire concept is built around it being easy to grip, toss into a bag, and take with you. With a weight of 1.23 kilograms, it is also relatively light. The chassis feels surprisingly robust and well-made for the price range. There are no loose parts or any cheap plastic feel here.

What is really smart is the integrated stand that can be angled up to 110 degrees. You can point the projector straight up at the ceiling (perfect for the bedroom), at an angle against the wall, or exactly where you want it.

Something that is quite poor, however, is that no bag or case is included. This is a product marketed as portable and intended to be taken everywhere. At the same time, the lens and chassis are quite fragile. The fact that the manufacturer doesn’t even include a simple protective pouch in the box feels stingy and poorly thought out.

Image Quality

We start by testing the projector in a completely darkened room, and here the BOOM Air delivers really well. The resolution is 1080p (1920 x 1080 pixels) and the image is sharp and detailed on screen sizes up to approximately 100 inches. The image above is around 90 inches. The image processor can also receive and downscale 4K signals via HDMI.

The contrast ratio is 500:1. Just like with all LCD projectors in this class, black areas become dark gray instead. That is simply how the technology works.

The projector is marketed with support for HDR10. Here, however, we must be honest. With 300 ANSI lumens and a panel without local dimming, it lacks the physical capability to display real HDR. While the hardware can decode the format, in practice, you don’t see any real HDR effect.

What happens if we turn on some lights? 300 ANSI lumens is a clear limitation. The BOOM Air is made for dark rooms, which becomes very evident. Movie night in the bedroom with the lights off? Perfect. Outdoor cinema in the garden after sunset? Absolutely. But if you open the curtains in the middle of the day, the image becomes washed out. This is not a replacement for a regular TV in bright living rooms.

The autofocus is based on a Time of Flight laser sensor. It shoots out infrared light pulses at the wall and measures the distance. In combination with a gyro sensor, sharpness is handled in real-time, and it takes about a second to adjust. You simply place the projector where you want it, point it at the surface, and presto—you have a sharp image.

The automatic keystone correction—meaning the image is geometrically adjusted to be rectangular even if you project at an angle—also works well. It supports up to 20 degrees vertically and 15 degrees horizontally. There is also manual 4-point correction for those who want to fine-tune further.

The combination of the stand and the fast autofocus makes installation incredibly smooth. It is worth mentioning, however, that all digital keystone correction involves some loss of resolution, as the image is digitally rescaled. For the absolute best image quality, you should place the projector as straight and centered as possible.

Sound and Fan Noise

The BOOM Air has a built-in 10-watt speaker with Dolby Audio. It delivers surprisingly high volume considering it is such a small unit. The sound easily fills a small room, but the quality is unfortunately somewhat limited. At lower volumes, it is perceived as slightly boxy, and when you turn it up, the midrange loses its clarity. Additionally, the bass is relatively weak.

To be able to drive the light source hard enough to reach 300 ANSI lumens in the compact chassis, the cooling fans must work at high speeds. This is clearly noticeable. If you are watching a quiet film in a small room, it is hard not to think about the fan noise.

However, the projector has support for Bluetooth 5.1 as well as a 3.5 mm analog audio jack. If you want a better sound experience, it is easily solved by connecting external equipment.

Software

The BOOM Air has a built-in and fully licensed Google TV (built on version 11 of Android TV). This makes the experience very smooth. You get access to the full range in Google Play. Thanks to Widevine L1 certification (which is the highest level of DRM), you can stream content in full 1080p quality directly via the built-in apps.

There is built-in support for Chromecast, which means you can quickly cast from a phone or a computer. The remote control is equipped with a microphone for Google Assistant. There is even a kids’ mode with customized profiles and screen time limits. The interface is quite fast and responsive; it can lag slightly at times, but nothing disruptive. The feeling is like using a regular Chromecast / Google TV, just integrated into the projector.

Power Supply

The BOOM Air completely lacks an internal battery. You can either power the projector with the included, and relatively bulky, power adapter or connect power via USB-C. If you choose the latter, however, your power bank or wall charger must deliver at least 65 watts.

This is one of the biggest problems with the product, at least if you intend to use it as a portable projector. Sure, the absence of an internal battery makes the unit itself more compact and easier to pack. But power is still needed. This means that in the end, you still have to lug around a substantial power bank.

Even if you bring a powerful model, e.g., an Anker Laptop Powerbank, there is a clear limitation. Such a power bank can only power the projector for about an hour and a half. If you’re going to watch a longer movie, an additional power source is required.

Conclusion

The Aurzen BOOM Air does many things very well. The built-in Google TV system works excellently, the image is sharp and nice in dark rooms, the autofocus and the stand make installation very smooth, and the design is compact enough that you actually want to take the projector with you.

But not everything is purely positive. The fan noise is noticeable and can disrupt the movie experience indoors. The lack of a built-in battery means that portability requires a large and expensive power bank. Additionally, a protective case is missing. The brightness of 300 ANSI lumens also means this is a product for dark rooms, not an alternative to a regular TV in the living room.

At the time of testing, Aurzen is selling the unit for 195 euros (the recommended price is 299 euros).

Who is it for then? It is for those who want a flexible and affordable solution for movie nights in the bedroom, outdoor cinema in the garden, or who want to take a projector to the summer cottage. If you are aware of the limitations and supplement it with a decent power bank, and perhaps a Bluetooth speaker, you get a lot of entertainment for your money.

Aurzen sent a review unit for this test. Senders of material have no editorial influence on our tests; we always write independently with you, the readers and consumers, in focus.