Epson 880X 3LCD 1080p Smart Portable Projector Overview

When you are looking for a portable projector, there are a lot of options out there. Most of them are from companies that you haven’t heard of making dubious (if not outright fictitious) performance claims. Epson, on the other hand, is a company you can trust. So when they start throwing around numbers, you know they are the real deal. The new Epson 880X 3LCD 1080p projector has just about everything you’d need in a portable projector. Let’s take a closer look.

Buy Epson 880X on Amazon

Epson 880X Specifications

Projection System: Epson 3LCD, 3-chip technology
Projection Method: Front/rear/ceiling mount
Driving Method: Epson Poly-silicon TFT Active Matrix
Pixel Number: 2,073,600 dots (1920 x 1080) x 3
Color Brightness: 1 Color Light Output: 3,300 lumens
White Brightness: 1 White Light Output: 3,300 lumens
Aspect Ratio: 16:9 widescreen
Output Resolution: 1080p (1920 x 1080)
Resize Support: 16:10, 4:3
Lamp Type: 210 W UHE
Lamp Life: Normal Mode: Up to 6,000, ECO Mode: Up to 12,000 hours
Size (Projected); 25″ – 386″
Keystone Correction: Auto Vertical: ± 30 degrees, Manual Horizontal: ± 30 degrees
USB Plug ’n Play Projects audio and video, PC and Mac compatible
Contrast Ratio: Up to 16,000:1
Color Reproduction: Up to 1.07 billion colors
Speaker: 2 W mono
Digital zoom/manual focus
F-Number: 1.44
Focal Length: 16.7 mm
Zoom Ratio: Digital Zoom 1.0 – 1.35
Throw Ratio Range: 1.21 – 1.63
HDMI x 1
1x USB Type-A Connector: PC-free USB and other
1x USB Type-B Connector: USB Display
Audio Out: 3.5 mm (Stereo)
USB Type-A Connector Power 1.5A
Including Feet 11.9″ x 9.9″ x 3.6″
Excluding Feet 11.9″ x 9.8″ x 3.4″
Weight 6.6 lbs

Epson 880X Features

We trust that you can look through the above specifications and find the ones that are important to you. Here are the things that stand out to us. Like many projectors, the Epson 880X is rated up to 300″ diagonal image. That may be true in that it can provide an image, the brightness will be greatly reduced. Most projectors struggle with any image over 135″ diagonal and we’d expect the Epson 880X to be no different.

The size of the 880X is a little bigger than we’d expect. At nearly a foot wide, almost 10″ deep, and 3.6″ high, it isn’t the smallest portable projector in the world. We do like that it comes with a custom-fit carrying bag. We haven’t seen images of the bag but it should make it easier to shove in a backpack or overnight bag.

Epson is touting the “smart” features of the 880X. From what we can tell, it comes with an Epson-branded Chromecast stick.

We have no problems with this solution. Streaming to a Chromecast is exceedingly easy regardless of your device manufacturer. If you can see it on your screen, you can normally send it to your Chromecast.

There are limited connections on the back of the X880 but Epson included most everything you’d need. There is an HDMI input, a USB A, and a USB B port (the USB A will be normally used by the Chromecast for power). It also includes a 3.5mm output for connection to a portable speaker. This is a welcome addition for those that don’t think the included speakers will fill a large boardroom.

Image Quality

Obviously, the Epson 880X is a 1080p projector. For most people, this is more than enough for a portable projector. They don’t need it to be 4k and have HDR. They just need to be bright and fairly accurate. The Epson 880X promises 3300 lumens (measured to industry standards) and has a native 16:9 aspect ratio. This makes it pretty much compatible with everything. The 3LCD technology includes three different LCD panels (one for each primary color) for full RGB color.

Zoom is handled digitally while focus is manual. The Epson 880X has keystone correction but no lens shift. This is to be expected with a portable projector. Placement is usually going to be limited and the lens shift is rarely needed. People are looking for “close enough” and not a perfect fit that home theater enthusiasts demand.

Thinking Outside the Business

One thing that always confuses us is the insistence by manufacturers that portable projectors are primarily used by business people. You want to make some teenager’s Christmas (or birthday or whatever)? Give them one of these projectors! Suddenly, they’ve got the biggest “TV” of all their friends. Plus, they can take it to their friend’s house for gaming sessions.

Our Take

The price is the real selling point of the Epson 880X. At $630 retail (already listed at Amazon as $599), it is a pretty attractive portable solution. It may be bigger and more expensive than some of the no-name brands out there, but it surely is a better performer. Expect these to be available by the end of October. For more information, please visit Epson.com.