Epson Epiqvision Mini EF-21 Review – Awesomely Portable Entertainment Powerhouse

Portable projectors remain a popular form factor especially for those who may not necessarily have space for a full-sized TV in their home or who move around a lot. The brand’s most recent offering, the Epson Epiqvision Mini EF-21 portable projector integrates a host of their best imaging technologies in a compact form factor.

We managed to get our hands on a sample for field testing and after getting through a marathon Star Wars binge watching session, here’s our Epson Epiqvision Mini EF-21 review where we share if their latest portable projector is worth  a space in your home.

Epson Epiqvision Mini EF-21 review – Build and Design

Out of the box, our Epson Epiqvision Mini EF-21 review sample consists of the projector itself, a side-angled power cable terminating in a UK-style power plug, a remote control as well as a sheaf of quick start and warranty literature. 

The body itself comes in a slightly off white matte grey finish that they’ve referred to as Beige Rose (model EF-21R) with gently rounded corners and edges that combine to create a relatively pleasant looking facade that would fit into any office or home decor. It is also available in a pale teal finish that Epson refers to as Ice Green under the code name EF-21G. 

From up top, the top panel of our Epson Epiqvision Mini EF-21 review sample is otherwise unremarkable while the left side hosts a DC-IN to keep it powered. 

The left side of the EF-21 projector is otherwise bare save for a set of ventilator grilles with the rear portion of the projector featuring another ventilation panel, a power button, a mini-USB port for maintenance duties, a 3.5mm audio jack, a single USB-A port and a HDMI port with ARC support in the off chance you want to pair the projector up with a soundbar.

When flipped upside down, the underside has a plethora of ventilation grilles evenly spaced around the panel as well as a pair of rubber feet. Of note is a tiny kickstand that allows the projector to prop itself up at a slight angle for more challenging projection scenarios.

Belying its size, the kickstand proves to be surprisingly robust and able to bear the weight of the projector . The front of the portable projector is otherwise a flat slab of black with transparent glass-protected cutouts housing the Epson 3LCD laser projector

In terms of overall build quality, our Epson Epiqvision Mini EF-21 review sample proved to be well built without any obvious creakiness or give when handled. It’s also rather heavy at 2.4kg and somewhat chunky which precludes tossing it in a backpack.

Unfortunately, the projector also lacks a carrying handle though it is still light enough at 2.4kg to tote about the house for short periods of time and is able to be tossed into a car without too much issue. 

In the case of the bundled remote control, Epson have opted for a clean, conservative design that’s intended for efficient one-handed use.

The array of buttons and the direction pad offers users the ability to swap inputs, change brightness, modify volume and access popular streaming services with direct shortcuts to Youtube, Netflix and Prime Video with the usual clean and familiar Google TV OS interface. 

Unfortunately, the remote itself lacks backlighting, which means that using it at night in dim light conditions may be tricky until you become familiar with the button layout by touch. It isn’t something to write home about but Epson thoughtfully issued a set of batteries with the remote control itself to get you started right out of the box.

Epson Epiqvision Mini EF-21 review – Specifications, setup and performance

In its intended role, the Epson Epiqvision Mini EF-21 is a compact man-portable 3LCD laser projector and which packs everything needed for home entertainment duties in one compact body. 

In terms of hardware, the Epson Epiqvision Mini EF-21 projector leverages Epson’s proven and sophisticated 3LCD technology seen in many of their higher end projectors to project a rectangular panel anywhere from a modest 30-inch all the way to a mammoth 150-inches in 1080p resolution while featuring a quoted 1,000 lumens of brightness. The projector also has a respectable 5,000,000:1 contrast ratio along with support for HDR content such as that on Netflix. 

The projector itself has a pair of integrated, Dolby-tuned 5W speakers which makes it a pleasantly self contained entertainment device. It also has built-in WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity to pair up and connect with other devices like phones, tablets or laptops.

The Epson Epiqvision Mini EF-21 also uses a modest processor of unknown vintage running the aforementioned Google TV OS paired with 2GB RAM and 16GB of storage for applications.

In keeping with its role as a comprehensive entertainment device, our Epson Epiqvision Mini EF-21 review sample offers multiple options to stream content. Beyond WiFi and Bluetooth and the usual streaming services, users can slap a USB drive or hard disk into the USB A port and you can also use the HDMI to hook it up to a source like a console. Here’s how it stacks up on paper:

Price	RM3,989
Projection technology	Epson 3LCD Laser
Screen projected size	60-inch screen@1.33m (standard size), 30-inch – 150-inch
Throw distance	25-inches – 133-inches
LCD	0.62-inch Poly-silicon TFT active matrix, 1,920 x 1080 x 3, 2,073,600 pixels, 16:9 aspect ratio
Contrast ratio	5,000,000:1
Colour light output	1,000lm
White light output	1,000lm
Light source	Laser diode 48W, 20,000 hours life time (normal) / 20,000 hours (quiet)
Projection lens	F/2.0, 13.9mm focal length, 1.0-1.82 digital zoom, 1.0-1.81-throw ratio
Speakers	5W x 2 Bass Reflex speakers
Memory	2GB RAM/16GB storage
Supported video formats	MP4, MKV, MOV, AIV, WMV, M2TS, MPG, MPEG, DAT, VOB, FLV at up to 1080p@60fps
Supported audio formats	MP3, AAC, WMA, RM, FLAC,  AC-3, E-AC-3
Connectivity	Bluetooth V5.1, WiFi 6 802.11ac, 1 x USB Type A (for storage, camera, mic, HID), 1 x HDMI w/ ARC and HDCP 2.3, 1x stereo for headphones, 1x mini USB for servicing
Fan noise	23db (normal) / 19dB (eco)
Size/Weight	197 x 110.5 x 191mm / 2.4kg

Getting our Epson Epiqvision Mini EF-21 review sample up and running was a relatively simple task with the biggest challenge  being finding a sufficiently clutter free white-coloured wall to project on. Google TV makes getting about the menus an easy affair.Setting up and relocating the projector was an easy task and its auto keystone correction made getting a squared away image an easy task. Belying its relatively modest size, our Epson Epiqvision Mini EF-21 review sample managed to serve up a pleasing image with lifelike colour rendition and detail without looking washed out in a variety of movies. 

The peak 1,000 lumens of brightness means that it works best indoors. For best results, it’s best to use it with the curtains drawn and most of the lights turned out in the daytime or ideally, after sundown.

Of note with our Epson Epiqvision Mini EF-21 review sample was its integrated cooling fans that remained relatively quiet and which were inaudible especially when playing content. Hooking it up to our PC using the HDMI port also allowed for us to play Black Ops 6 on a far larger, massive display on the wall. 

The two integrated 5W speakers offer decent clarity and vocals for casual use though sound staging and bass are underwhelming which is understandable seeing their modest size. If you’re watching in private or late at night, the 3.5mm audio jack with a pair of headphones is a better bet.

It would have been nice if there was a way to safely orient the projector towards the ceiling which would make it amazing to watch movies in bed but the EF-21 as is, isn’t designed for that.

As mentioned earlier, the Epson Epiqvision Mini EF-21 portable projector is primarily intended for casual users seeking something easy to haul around and versatile enough to handle a variety of tasks – it’ll ably handle movie watching duties, gaming and even acting as a larger display for a PC if you’re of the more productive sort.

While better performing designs exist in Epson’s stable of projectors especially for cinephiles and other more demanding users, this aims to hit the sweet spot in price, portability, ease of use and performance. In that regard, the EF-21 shines.

Should you buy the Epson Epiqvision Mini EF-21 portable projector?

The Epson Epiqvision Mini EF-21 portable projector may not come cheap but it has everything you need to throw up to a 150-inch sized display on any whitewashed wall in your home for movie streaming, gaming and other entertainment duties.

It’s easy to use too thanks to its Google TV OS and it’s also rather versatile in accepting source inputs including a HDMI port with ARC and a USB-A port on top of the customary WiFi and Bluetooth.

The lack of a built-in battery and a non-backlit remote control limit its versatility somewhat for outdoors scenarios away from a power plug but within the confines of your average home, this is an otherwise excellent choice.

Alternatively, you can also take a look at its sibling the EF-22 which is otherwise identical but which costs slightly more while integrating a stand that allows it to pivot and swivel which may suit some users who aren’t in the mood to fiddle around with the EF-21’s built-in kickstand to get a proper picture.

Epson EF-21 review sample courtesy of Epson Malaysia. For more details visit https://www.epson.com.my/For-Home/Projectors/Home-Theatre/Epson-EpiqVision-Mini-EF-21R-Full-HD-Smart-Lifestyle-Home-Projector/p/V11HB35252
Also available for purchase on the official Epson Shopee store at https://shopee.com.my/epson.os