The Best Outdoor Projectors for Backyard Movies, Tested by Us

Best Overall

Epson Mini EF12 Projector

$1,000
$850 at Amazon


$1,000 at Walmart


$1,000 at Best Buy

Of all the outdoor movie projectors we tested, we were most impressed by this compact yet powerful option from Epson. While this sleek and lightweight projector may be pint sized, it offers fantastic image and sound quality from every viewing angle.

This projector runs on AndroidTV, giving you access to many streaming services and a convenient connection to Google Assistant. You can use your phone, remote, or Chromecast to navigate the screen and select your favorite series or movie. The processing capabilities held up beautifully in our testing, with no technical issues whatsoever. We were especially impressed by how well the visuals and audio synced up.

The included projection screen can expand up to 150 inches and provides an impressively clear, bright, and vibrant image, thanks to its automatic color correction technology. We found that this projector was most effective during sunset or dusk. While it was bright enough to counter nighttime street lights, it had some difficulty in the sunlight. That said, we think this projector is best to use in darker settings. The audio had a reasonable range outdoors—it's crisp up to 30 feet away—and excelled indoors.

After nine months of use, this projector is still exceeding our expectations. In fact, it's even replaced the TV in our basement. We especially love that you can set it up anywhere, even mounting it from the ceiling if you want. Unfortunately, it doesn’t support Netflix or have parental controls enabled, and it doesn't include a storage case to protect the lens from damage. And while the included cord is long, you might need an extension cord to reach the nearest outlet. 

Size: 30–150 inches | Resolution: 1920 by 1080 | Warranty: 2 years

Best Budget

Purshe Bluetooth Projector

$119 at Amazon

If you’re on a tight budget, opt for this affordable outdoor projector from Purshe. It boasts a larger-than-average display size of up to 250 inches and works seamlessly with iOS and Android devices.

When testing the projector, setup was easy, although finding the perfect angle was difficult. Once assembled, we had no issues connecting to Wi-Fi, USB, or HDMI cables, and we appreciated the available headphone jack you can use instead of the built-in speakers. As for this projector’s picture quality, it’s clear and bright no matter where you sit around the screen, but the best viewing experience is directly in front. After nine months, we still have no complaints—it's been ideal for outdoor use in nice weather and cozy movie nights in the basement.

We also love that this projector has a 120-inch screen included, so you don’t need to buy one separately, though it is a bit flimsy. It's also worth noting that the cord included in the package is only 6 feet long, so we recommend purchasing an extension cord for greater distances. Still, for a budget-friendly outdoor projector, this one performed impressively.

Size: Up to 300 inches | Resolution: 1920 by 1080 | Warranty: 1 year