The Anker Nebula Capsule 3 is a compact, battery-powered 1080p LED projector built around Google TV, with built-in Chromecast support for casting and access to streaming apps (including Netflix). It uses Anker’s automatic setup tools like autofocus and auto keystone correction, projects a 16:9 image with a fixed 1.2:1 throw ratio, and is designed for easy, quick placement in small rooms or on the go. For audio, it includes an integrated 8W speaker and can also run in Bluetooth speaker mode; it supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.1. Connectivity is straightforward: one HDMI input, one USB-A port for media, USB-C for charging, and a 3.5 mm AUX jack for external audio. Anker rates the internal battery for up to about 2.5 hours of video playback (or longer when used just as a Bluetooth speaker).
Our Verdict
The Anker Capsule 3 is a small, battery-powered projector that’s best suited to casual movie watching in a dark room. Its contrast is alright, especially for a soda-can portable, so darker scenes don’t look completely flat, but the black floor is still elevated compared to larger home-theater models. Where it struggles most is sheer light output for big-screen movie nights, and its out-of-the-box accuracy can make skin tones and neutral colors look off unless you take the time to calibrate the unit. On the plus side, it covers a wide color gamut for a portable, so once it’s tuned, colorful content can still look punchy, but don’t expect it to hold up with lights on or on very large screens.
Wide color gamut for a portable.
Super portable.
Has a full smart platform so you can stream anywhere without bringing a dongle or laptop.
Too dim for big-screen movies.
Inaccurate out of the box.
The Anker Capsule 3 is a bad choice for gaming. It feels noticeably sluggish to use due to its high input lag, to the point where we wouldn’t recommend it for basically any gamer. Even most casual action/adventure games will feel unresponsive, and the only titles that really make sense here are turn-based games where timing doesn’t matter. On top of that, its image quality doesn’t help the case: it’s dim and inaccurate out of the box, so you’re not getting the kind of clarity or punch that makes games look their best, especially if you aren’t in a fully dark room.
Wide color gamut for a portable.
Super portable.
Input lag is too high for almost any game.
Too dim and inaccurate for games to look good.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We bought and tested the Anker Nebula Capsule 3 projector. The Capsule lineup includes a few similarly named models, but the main difference is the light source: the Anker Nebula Capsule 3 Laser uses a laser light engine, while the regular Capsule 3 uses an LED light source. Older models like the Capsule Max and Capsule II also use LED light sources and have a lower 720p resolution, whereas both Capsule 3 models are 1080p.
| Model | Light Source | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Capsule 3 Laser | Laser | 1080p |
| Capsule 3 | LED | 1080p |
| Capsule Max | LED | 720p |
| Capsule II | LED | 720p |
Look at our unit's label.
Popular Projector Comparisons
The Anker Capsule 3 is an ultra-portable 1080p LED projector built around a small "soda-can" design with a built-in battery, autofocus/auto-keystone, and a smart interface for easy, anywhere viewing. Its main strength is convenience, not picture quality: it's very dim for a projector, its out-of-the-box accuracy is poor, and its gaming performance is extremely limited due to high input lag. If you're comparing it to alternatives, the XGIMI MoGo 4 has a brighter image, better accuracy, and a more responsive feel, while the Capsule 3 tends to have noticeably better contrast if you’re watching in a pitch-black room. The Samsung The Freestyle 2nd Gen is also brighter and much more accurate out of the box, but the Anker's built-in battery makes it easier to use truly anywhere without extra accessories. And if you're considering the Anker Nebula Capsule 3 Laser, the Laser model is the clear upgrade overall since it's brighter, more accurate, and more gaming-friendly, whereas the regular Capsule 3 is mainly for saving money if portability is the priority.
Check out our recommendations for the best portable projectors and the best outdoor projectors. If you'd prefer to shop for another product in the same price range, look up the best projectors under $1,000 instead.
The Samsung The Freestyle 2nd Gen is a bit better than the Anker Nebula Capsule 3, mainly due to being slightly brighter, and also much more accurate out of the box. Still, the Anker has some advantages, mainly in its inclusion of a battery, which makes it a bit more portable than the equally small Samsung.
The Anker Nebula Capsule 3 and XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro are closely matched. The XGIMI is more accurate out of the box, even if it's still generally inaccurate, and it's also brighter than the Anker. In turn, the Anker has better contrast and has an integrated battery, making it easier to carry around. The biggest difference between the two is for gamers: the XGIMI is the far better option for gaming due to its lower input lag.
The Anker Nebula Capsule 3 and XGIMI MoGo 4 are very closely matched. The XGIMI is brighter, is more accurate out of the box, and has lower input lag for gamers. In turn, the Anker has noticeably better contrast. If you know you'll be using the product just in pitch-black rooms, the Anker is a bit better, but the XGIMI has the edge in slightly brighter rooms.
The XGIMI MoGo 2 Pro is a bit better than the Anker Nebula Capsule 3 due to being brighter. Still, the Anker has an integrated battery, so it's a bit easier to carry around than the XGIMI.
We've independently bought and tested over 60 projectors, and we've published all the detailed results for each so you can decide which one to buy. These have all been tested under the same standardized methodology, allowing you to compare them side by side. We still have all these projects in our lab so we can continually go back and compare them to ensure our reviews are still accurate. All our test methodology is also public on our website, so you can validate the results yourself.
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Test Results
The Anker Capsule 3 is a very dim projector in its calibrated 'Custom' picture mode. It only puts out enough light for a small image in a completely dark room, and even then, it looks quite subdued compared with most projectors. On the plus side, brightness is very uniform across the screen, so you don't see obvious dark corners or hotspots, but overall light output is far too low for a big screen or any kind of ambient light.
The Anker Capsule 3 has okay native contrast. Like any projector, its measured contrast ratio drops as scenes get brighter, but compared to most projectors, its relative contrast performance stays fairly even across darker and brighter content, so shadows, mid-tones, and highlights keep a similar sense of separation as the image brightens.
Blacks still look more dark gray than truly black in a dark room, and it never has the depth of a larger home-theater projector, but its contrast also doesn't suddenly fall apart in specific types of scenes, which helps the image look stable and predictable.
Out of the box, the Anker Capsule 3 is quite inaccurate. The image has a strong, cool, bluish tint, and many colors deviate noticeably from their targets, especially whites, purples, cyans, and blues, so skin tones and natural scenes don't look very lifelike. Gamma tracking is acceptable, but shadows and midtones are too dark, and brighter scenes are too bright.
After calibration in the 'Custom' picture mode, the Anker Capsule 3's image accuracy improves a lot. The white balance is much more neutral, and the color temperature is brought close to the 6500K target, so the image no longer looks overly cool. Sadly, colors are still off, especially whites and more saturated yellows, purples, and blues, but overall, it looks reasonably natural for movies and TV, even if it doesn't reach reference-level accuracy.
The Anker Capsule 3 has an excellent color gamut, covering almost all of the Rec. 709 space, so standard-dynamic-range content can look quite colorful when the brightness allows. Its coverage of the wider Rec. 2020 space is more modest, but it's still decent for a compact portable projector and helps bright, colorful scenes look engaging despite the low overall brightness.
The Anker Capsule 3 is a single-chip DLP projector with an LED light source, so there’s no lamp to replace and very little maintenance beyond keeping the lens clean and the vents dust-free. Anker rates the LEDs for many thousands of hours of use, which is enough for years of occasional movie nights before you see a noticeable drop in brightness. As with most compact DLP projectors, some viewers may notice rainbow artifacts.
The Anker Capsule 3 has a fixed lens with no optical zoom and no lens shift, so placement flexibility is limited. It does have autofocus and auto keystone, which makes quick setups easy. Use our throw calculator if you want to calculate your throw distance.
The Anker Capsule 3 is very portable thanks to its compact, lightweight design, making it easy to toss in a bag for travel or moving between rooms. It has a built-in battery, which is rated for 2.5 hours of video and eight hours of music playback. It also has an integrated 8W speaker, so you can use it without being tethered to a sound system right away, and its autofocus and auto keystone make quick setups painless. The main limitation is that it doesn't have an adjustable stand, so you'll often need to prop it up or rely on keystone more often than ideal to get the image aligned.
The Anker Capsule 3 is very quiet overall. You can hear the fan in a silent room, but it disappears once you have normal volume playing.
The projector has a simple but practical port selection for a portable unit. You get one HDMI 2.0 port for an external source, one USB-A port for data/media playback, and a 3.5 mm analog audio out for headphones or speakers. There's also USB-C, but it's for charging, not a display input. Wireless connectivity through Wi-Fi and Bluetooth is supported.
The Anker Capsule 3 tops out at 1080p @ 60Hz, and it isn't a great "PC monitor" type of display. When sending a 4:4:4 signal, the projector does output an image, but there's noticeable waviness, and the colors look less vibrant than they should; fine text stays mostly sharp and readable, but certain colored lines (like blue on black and red on blue) don't render cleanly. It'll work well enough for movies and casual console use at 1080p60, but it's not ideal if you care about crisp chroma/text clarity.
The Anker Capsule 3's input lag is very high, even in its fastest Game 'Extreme' setting, so controls feel noticeably delayed and unresponsive in real-time games. It's not a good choice for gaming, especially for shooters, sports, rhythm games, or anything timing-sensitive; at best, it's only tolerable for slower, turn-based titles.
The Anker Capsule 3 accepts an HDR10 signal (and HLG), but it doesn't deliver a true HDR experience the way a high-brightness home-theater projector or TV can. In practice, it tone maps HDR content to fit within its limited light output, so highlights won't look very punchy, and the image can appear a bit flat or dim depending on the scene. If your source device lets you force SDR output, that often looks more consistent on this projector for casual viewing.
Even though the Anker Capsule 3 has ARC on its single HDMI port, it can't really passthrough audio from an external HDMI source because there's no second HDMI input to feed through the projector. In practice, ARC is mainly useful for sending audio from the projector's internal apps back to a soundbar/AVR. If you're relying on an external source device, plan on connecting that device directly to your AVR/soundbar instead of using the projector as an audio hub.
The Anker Capsule 3 uses the Google TV smart platform and supports casting, so you can stream content directly on the projector or send video from a phone/tablet without needing a separate streaming stick. It also has built-in 8W speakers, which are handy for quick, casual viewing (like a bedroom or hotel setup), but you'll still get a much fuller sound if you pair it with an external speaker or sound system.