Don't buy a cheap projector just for the England match – invest in something like this that you'll use again and again
Turn an impulse buy into an entertainment investment
With the UK in the grip of another heatwave and England's next World Cup match scheduled for a balmy Saturday evening, I'm not going to be sweating it out in my front room. I'm going to decamp into my garden and watch it using a projector.
If you're thinking along the same lines then I have one piece of advice: don't waste your money on a cheap projector, get something you'll use again.
There have been a lot of changes to projectors over recent years, from falling prices to diverse designs. We have short throw projectors that don't invade your whole room, we have powerful 4K projectors for the ultimate detail.
From Samsung's Freestyle to Aurzen's affordable Roku projector, you have plenty of choices. And I've been testing the Soundcore Nebula P1 – a projector that's definitely worth consideration.
Portable practicality
I first saw the Nebula P1 at CES 2026 and the thing that attracted me to it was the versatility. Designed with portability in mind, the projector swivels into the body when you pack it away, while a pair of speakers clip onto the top. There's a carry handle so it's easy to port around.
Nebula has made this its forte, from the dinky P1i to the huge Nebula X1 Pro (which is over £4,000), these projectors are designed to be moved around. About the only criticism I have is that there's nowhere to store the remote unless I buy the separate carry case.
The detachable speakers mean you can easily create separation for stereo, or just place them close to where you're sitting so you can hear what's happening. They are only 20W, but I've found that to be loud enough and it's simpler than having to connect to a Bluetooth speaker.
Simple setup
The design of the Nebula P1 means you can rotate the projector body to adjust the height of the projection. There's no messing around winding tiny feet in and out on the bottom, you literally just set it at the angle you want. There's a screw thread on the bottom so you could put it on a tripod if you don't have a suitable surface for it – but it needs to be something sturdy as the P1 weighs 2.5kg in total.
There's auto keystone that will make sure the picture is correctly proportioned. This sits alongside autofocus, so you basically just have to point it at the screen and it will make all the adjustments. You can manually adjust the size, but it will project up to 180-inches diagonal. I tested it with a 120-inch screen.
It doesn't have the sort of smart correction that you'll find on the Samsung Freestyle that will adjust for wallpaper patterns, but it's easy to get it to fit your screen or projection area.
It's a full Google TV system
The Nebula P1 runs Google TV. This will invite you to sign in with your Google account, but you'll then have access to all the normal Google apps and streaming services. This is so much easier than connecting an external device or casting from your phone – as long as you have solid Wi-Fi, you'll get a great experience.
There's just one slight hiccup here: there's no support for BBC iPlayer at the moment. That often comes down to device certification, so if you need iPlayer, you might be better connecting a Fire TV Stick or similar. As this is an Android device, it's probably not too hard to sideload the APK. ITV X works perfectly, however.
If you are venturing into the garden you might choose to hotspot off your phone (which I did) if your home Wi-Fi doesn't reach reliably all the way to your projector – but I also found it had better connectivity than some cheaper projectors I tested alongside it.
There's also an HDMI connector alongside USB and a 3.5mm connector, so you have choices to connect other external devices if you choose. The included remote connects via Bluetooth and is backlit, so it's really handy and better than the cheap remotes that some projectors offer.
How good is the picture?
I've used the Nebula P1 to watch World Cup matches and it's ideal for those later evening games. This isn't a projector that's well suited to bright conditions – with 650 lumens it's mid-range, but on a summer evening, it's good enough. Importantly, it's far better than cheap projectors you might be tempted to buy on impulse.
If you are considering it, be sure to look at the brightness, because the more powerful it is, the better the picture can be.
The resolution sticks to 1080p which for most sports broadcasts will be fine, unless you're really craving the highest quality, in which case you're better watching your TV.
It's the portability that wins here. It's easy to move the Nebula P1 from garden to front room if you want. You just need somewhere to project the image and you're good to go.
