Anker Nebula Capsule II Review

The Capsule II is a compact device that works well under the right conditions. In a dark room, its brightness is plentiful but its performance suffers in the presence of ambient light. Those things aside, this device is easy and intuitive for most and holds a charge of roughly 3.5 hours, making it a great option for those who are always on the go. If you're looking for something powerful and portable, then you've come to the right place.

Performance Comparison

The Nebula is a great portable option for most.

Credit: Laura Casner

Image Quality

While the Capsule II did not blow us away when compared to some of the larger models, it holds its own with an average score in image quality.

We performed a variety of tests to measure image quality, the first of which was simply viewing a highly detailed space video. Unfortunately, the 1280 x 720 resolution rendered a somewhat hazy scene and it only got worse when we zoomed in. The contrast ratio of 600:1 also plays a role here, as the difference between the blackest black and the whitest white is rather small, making things like stars on a night sky blend together.

While the Nebula's image quality is far from our top performer, it's not bad for such a small device.

Credit: Laura Casner

The Capsule II does alright with medium to large text, but smaller text, like six-point, appears very fuzzy, rendering it very difficult to read. If you are on the hunt for a projector for the office or prefer to watch movies with subtitles, you will want to be able to read text without hassle, so consider that before committing to this little guy.

For this metric, we also took into account color accuracy. With the Capsule II we found that reds look slightly magenta and most skin tones are somewhat washed out. Generally speaking, it did okay in the color accuracy portion of our image quality testing, but the hazy space scene, fuzzy letters, and pink reds kept us from awarding a higher score.

Ease of Use

If there is one thing that the Capsule II does right, it's making things easy. This highly portable device is 3.15 x 3.15 x 5.9 inches and weighs a slim 1.5 pounds. For reference, that is only slightly larger than a soda can. Its general compactness renders it the perfect option for those who travel often. It claims a 2.5-hour battery life but, in our experience lasted closer to 3.5 hours. This means you can watch most movies without it being plugged into a power source, making it a viable option for outdoor movie nights, where power sources may be more scarce. Heck, you could even take this little device camping.

While general compactness makes taking the Capsule II anywhere easy and its long battery life renders it useful when there are no power sources present, we do have a tiny bone to pick with the remote because the buttons are not backlit. This can be extremely frustrating when you're trying to navigate your movie night in the pitch black of night.

Unfortunately the remote control buttons are not backlit, which means they can be difficult to see in the dark.

Credit: Laura Casner

Other than the lack of backlit buttons, both the device and remote are pretty easy to navigate. The Capsule II is WiFi-enabled, so if you have access to the internet, you can connect and easily use streaming services like Netflix without having to connect it to a computer, phone, or tablet. The menu options are projected, just like on an Android TV, and you can navigate them with or without the remote if you'd prefer to use the device itself. On the flip side, if you'd like to connect the Capsule to a device like your computer, you can easily do so via the USB, HDMI, or USB-C ports.

The Nebula offers many different ways to attach your devices.

Credit: Laura Casner

After looking at portability and remote controls we took a moment to check out automatic features like focus and keystoning. The auto-focus works okay, but leaves the image slightly fuzzy. This is most noticeable in HD, still images, and smaller text. The auto-keystoning however, works great and keeps distortion to a minimum.

You can use the Nebula with or without the remote.

Credit: Laura Casner

Brightness

It can take a lot of power to create light and these small devices simply don't measure up to their bulkier, albeit less portable, counterparts. When stacked up against some of the larger models, the Capsule II scored well below average. That being said, when compared to its compact competition, its performance is a little more impressive.

The Capsule II claims to provide a brightness equivalent to 200 lumens. Unfortunately, in our experience, the measured brightness came up short at just 168 lumens. This renders the device best used in complete darkness, as any ambient light will wash out the image.

Unfortunately the Nebula doesn't offer much in the way of brightness, but it works okay in the absence of ambient light.

Credit: Laura Casner

Fan Noise

The Capsule II may not provide much in the way of brightness, but it surely shines in this metric.

We were pleasantly surprised when we noticed the low, quiet hum of this small device. From our experience, compact projectors often let out a louder, high-pitched whine when the fans are working to keep them cool and we'd be lying if we said we weren't expecting the worst. Happily, the Capsule II was among the quietest of all our tested models.

Value

Compared to some of the other compact devices in our test suite, the Capsule falls on the more expensive side of things. That being said, it does perform better than its portable competition across the board. So while it's not a drop in the bucket, this model is definitely worth it if you're looking for something portable and compact and can afford the sticker price.

The Nebula is not what we could consider a budget-friendly option, but it is worth it if portability takes precedence.

Credit: Laura Casner

Conclusion