The Brightest Projector Under $100! Acrojoy Sunspark 518W REVIEW

I continue to test budget LCD projectors, and today I’ve got my hands on Acrojoy Sunspark 518W. The new projector has Full HD native resolution, 450ANSI brightness, dual band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.1 support.

You know, the projector looks very good for its price of only $100, but we need to test it in detail. Let’s start with unboxing.

Unboxing

So, we can see the image of the projector on the box, as well as its main features. I have already told you about 1080P native resolution and Wi-Fi connection, but it also comes with tripod included. Let’s check it out.

First, there is a nice bag in the box. The bag is very useful for carrying or even storing the projector.

When you open the bag, you will find a user manual, quick start guide, warranty card and cleaning tools.

Then, there is a projector itself in a bag, as well as power cable, HDMI cable, remote control and tripod.

I have noticed that many budget projectors have a bag and a tripod included. I really like this trend.

Design

You know, I think Acrojoy Sunspark 518W looks like an office projector. Do you agree?

It has a rectangular shape, straight corners, and lines on the front and back. Yes, it does remind me of a professional office projector.

On the front, it has a big lens and infrared receiver.

One side of the projector has a power input and the other side has an audio output, AV input, HDMI 1, HDMI 2 and USB ports.

At the top, we can see focus and keystone correction wheels, as well as control panel with power on/off button, settings, source, return, navigation buttons and OK.

As I said, the projector comes with a tripod, so it is not surprising that it has a one-quarter inch screw hole at the bottom.

By the way, there is also a speaker at the bottom of projector. I am not sure if this is a good location for the speaker, but we will check the sound quality later in this article.

The dimensions of Acrojoy Sunspark 518W are 200 x 155 x 75 mm, so it is a compact projector. The weight is 950 Grams.

You know, while other projectors chase stylish designs with rounded edges, Acrojoy projector looks conservative. You might even think it has an outdated design, but I disagree. It looks professional and solid, which is especially good for the office or college.

User Interface

When it comes to the user interface, Acrojoy Sunspark 518W has a simple multimedia system.

There is a built-in media player, so you can plug in a USB drive and watch a movie, listen to music, or view photos.

The main screen has iOS cast, Miracast, AV, Settings, HDMI 2, HDMI 1 and iOS cable. We will talk about wireless connection a little later, but now let’s go to the settings menu.

Acrojoy projector has network settings, system settings and projection settings.

In the network settings, we can connect to the Wi-Fi network.

The system settings have language, local update, online update, Bluetooth, software version and restore factory default.

In the projection settings, we can only change the projection mode and image scaling.

However, you can also press the menu button on the remote control, and change a picture mode, color temperature, and noise reduction.

Then, we can choose a sound mode from standard, movie, music, sports and user.

The other options are aspect ratio, software upgrade and version.

OK, that’s all about settings, and now let’s try to connect a smartphone to the projector via Wi-Fi.

Wi-Fi and Screen Mirroring

First, you need to go to the settings menu on projector, and connect to your home Wi-Fi network. The smartphone and projector must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network.

Then, return to the home page, and go to the iOS cast if you have iOS device, and Miracast if you want to connect Android device to projector.

Now, take your smartphone, and open a screen-mirroring menu.

Select a projector, and that’s it!

Acrojoy Sunspark 518W supports dual band Wi-Fi, so the latency is quite low.

Bluetooth

The new projector also has a Bluetooth support. You can connect the external speaker or the wireless headphones to it.

For that, go to the Settings menu, system settings, and select Bluetooth.

Now, turn on the Bluetooth, and search the device. In my case, this is a small Bluetooth speaker.

You know, this is a very useful feature because the projector’s built-in speaker is average. If you want a quality sound, you need to connect an external speaker.

You can use the wireless Bluetooth connection or 3.5mm audio jack on the back of projector.

Noise Level

I think the main problem of Acrojoy Sunspark 518W projector is the noise level.

It is about 50 db near projector, and 40 db at 1 meter.

This projector is really noisy. I think this is because of the high brightness.

The projector is also very hot after long use, especially on the left side where the warm air comes out. You shouldn’t cover the left side of the projector to avoid damaging it.

Projection Quality

OK, now, let’s talk about projection quality.

Acrojoy Sunspark 518W has a Full HD native resolution, and the image is very clear.

I just noticed the top left corner is a little blurry, and the rest of the screen is fine. It is really good for a budget projector.

Another feature of this projector is 450 ANSI brightness. You know, at first, I didn’t believe that a projector for $100 could have a brightness of 450 ANSI.

However, it seems to be true, because the projection screen is very bright. I think it is very close to DLP projectors.

By the way, 450 ANSI is about 15000 Lumens.

In cloudy weather, as I had, you can even use the projector during the day without closing the curtains or blinds on the windows.

If you have bright sunshine, you can close the curtains and keep watching the movie or run a presentation in the office.

Conclusion

I believe that the Acrojoy Sunspark 518W has the best projection quality among ultra-budget projectors of about $100 that I have ever tested.

It has a native Full HD resolution, vibrant colors and high brightness. I am very surprised by the brightness of 450ANSI of this projector.

If you are looking for a budget-friendly projector with a good image quality, Acrojoy is one of the best options.

However, it is not perfect, because of its high brightness, it has a dual fan cooling system, and it is quite noisy.

Overall, I think this is a good budget projector for home, office, or college.