Philips UL5 Screeneo Smart Projector Review

The Philips Screeneo UL5 Smart is a small, lightweight Ultra Short Throw (UST) projector for showing images, videos, and presentations. It can also be used as a creative tool in video and photography alongside the more mainstream uses of watching TV and film.

The small projector is ultra-portable, which means that you can use it at home to watch TV and Films, take it with you to aid with presentations and workshops or use it as a creative tool for photography.

Aside from its compact size, the projector has plenty of connection options, including wireless communication to devices. This makes it easy to transfer photographs or movies across to the projector, ready to view. This makes it ideal for workshops where everyone can see their images quickly on the big screen.

For professionals conducting workshops or presentations in smaller venues, when space constraints are an issue, the projector can be placed on a table next to a wall, and the image projected; no need to find stands or screens; just fast and easy.

A nice addition to the projection is the small speakers, which are perfectly suited for video and soundtrack playback. Philips has selected their own LuminOS for the system, which makes it nice and easy to navigate without the dominance of the latest smart features, TV, or newly released films although you can download most streaming Apps to the OS – it also means that there are plenty of options to connect to other devices if needed including streaming TV sticks if you want. More importantly, with a full-sized HDMI as well as USB input options, it’s an easy enough process to get your content onto the projector to view.

The Philips UL5 Screeneo has been designed to be as small and lightweight as possible, at 220 x 150 x 85 mm in dimensions and 1 kg in weight. This makes the small projector ultra-portable, meaning that it’s as comfortable for use in workshops and presentations as it is at home.

The overall design is very sleek, and the build quality is good enough to reassure you that it will stand up to a little transport without any issue. However, the projector doesn’t come with any type of carry case or protective bag, so if you are considering this as a portable solution, some type of protection would be beneficial.

Looks the shape is distinctive, with the angular cuts into the box design and matte finishes giving it a distinctive look. Being a UST projector it’s designed to be positioned close up to a wall or screen and still be able to provide a relatively big picture projection. While this is a great idea in a small living room where this projector has primarily been designed for use, it also makes it a great option for a portable presentation where you can’t always be sure of the location and space that you’ll have.

The projector-to-wall distance is what makes this projector so interesting for photographers. With a 35-inch projection size, the minimum distance is just 18 mm, and with a 120-inch diameter projection size, it can reach a maximum of 61 cm. This makes it ideal for projecting presentations and workshop information as well as for use as a creative tool in the studio.

You have several options when it comes to handling. For home use, wireless networking enables you to connect to update services as well as other apps and connections.

Then, you can use one of the inputs, such as USB or HDMI, and the remote to navigate to the correct source. Once connected to HDMI, you can project easily directly from your laptop. In this test, I used the MacBook Pro M1 Max, which connected and projected without issue.

The real fun comes when you start using this creatively. While you can’t project onto people due to the power of the triple RGB laser technology, you can project onto other inanimate objects or use the projector as an effective projection background for portrait shoots.

Overall, the size, power, and portability, along with the high build quality, make the Philips UL5 Screeneo a great choice for workshop presentations and creative use in the studio.

With so many capabilities, from workshops to creative light use in the studio the Philips UL5 Screeneo Smart Projector is a great choice for photographers and videographers. Taking a closer look at the features and its 0.23:1 throw ratio and Ultra Short Throw technology, essentially mean that you can project images up to 120 inches in size, even when positioned in close proximity to the wall. This makes it ideal if you don’t know exactly how much space you’re going to have or want to get some lighting effects into a small space to create a big effect.

One of the more mainstream features well worth mentioning is that this small projector offers direct streaming from devices such as Google TV and Amazon Firestick, and then there’s the integrated LuminOS system comes with media playback apps. This means you can watch Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc either through the LuminOS Apps, or one of the more main stream options.

The USB-C and HDMI 2.1 inputs are of more interest to creatives. These just enable an extra level of flexibility when it comes to attaching external devices. The projector is ideal for presentations and picture screenings, with support for HDR10, which helps to boost image quality and enables a 1080p Full HD resolution. It’s not quite 4K, but it still enables a good, crisp, clear image.

When it comes to the light source, the UL5 utilises Texas Instruments DLP technology, which has a proven track record for image brightness and clarity. There are also a few clever built-in features, such as AI-driven focus, which delivers precision without the need for manual correction. While this might seem small, anything that takes away setup time has to be good.

The projector also utilises a triple RGB laser light source that produces true colours and 800 lumens of brightness, which is relatively bright considering the size, especially when you consider just how close to the wall this projector gets at the minimum distance.

Finally, the audio is supported in a range of formats, and the small integrated 3W speakers can produce decent-quality sound.

With a pretty decent 800-lumen of brightness, the Philips UL5 Screeneo performs well in most indoor environments, delivering a sharp HD image with rich, vivid colours. Because of this, it is great for projecting images and videos in areas with shaded illumination, which helps with clarity even in less-than-ideal lighting. Setting up the projector is quick with the power supplied through a standard AC wall socket, or a Bluetti AC2A is an ideal option and will keep the projector running for several hours.

What I really liked about the set-up was that the Ultra Short Throw technology design means you don’t need much space, making it easy to set up for seminars, studio settings, and presentations. Space isn’t really an issue, which it can be with normal long-throw projectors.

Using the HDMI port, the UL5’s ability to project photographs from a MacBook Pro onto objects or walls is easy. This not only helps with presentations, highlighting images and slides, but also works well at the end of a workshop for projecting attendee work for review.

This ease of use and input options also give you more creative freedom to play around with lighting and textures if you want to use them as part of your creative photography setup. Your laptop or a USB can be loaded with images and then projected onto subjects to create a dynamic, artistic impact.

Switching from images to video, the projector offers wide support and performs well while playing videos in 1080p. However, it’s crucial to upscale content to Full HD resolution. For seamless performance when using Apple TV, the projection should be set to Full HD instead of 4K.

While there are plenty of UST projectors, the fact that this one is so small enables an extra level of flexibility and helps to provide more creative photography setup options. While the projector on its own enables a good degree of creative control, greater effects can be obtained by manipulating the projected light with little flags, manipulating and directing it as you see fit.

Ultimately, the projector’s small size makes it a great choice as it can be easily stored or transported. The build quality is pretty decent, and everything feels well-made and robust. This size lends it to greater use than larger projectors. Being able to project onto backgrounds as well as objects should enable far greater creative options than just standard lighting or slide projection options.

The Philips UL5 Screeneo Smart Projector is a great option for a variety of uses. It’s far more flexible than many larger projectors, enabling you to use it for its core use of watching TV and film, but then, due to the UST and connection options, you can use it creatively.

When it comes to watching TV and Film, it’s pretty decent. However, in today’s world, 1080p is slightly limited, and if you do attempt to watch something back in 4K, you’ll quickly hit its limitations. However, with most streaming services offering an HD option for viewing, there is usually a way around the 4K issue, unless it’s Apple.

For more presentations and workshops, the small size means that there’s plenty of versatility when it comes to positioning, so even if you’re in a small classroom or village hall, there’s usually enough space to get a pretty decent projection.

The connection options also offer plenty of versatility, and getting a device connected is generally straightforward. Where, however, this project really comes into its own is when you start to use it creatively. Projecting onto backgrounds or objects, its small size makes it extremely flexible in use and great fun.

If you’re looking for a versatile projector for home movies, presentations and creative fun, then the Philips UL5 Screeneo Smart is a great option.