The $1,299 portable LG CineBeam Q HU710PB, currently on special promotion at LG.com and elsewhere for $999, is a 500 ANSI lumen, 4K UHD resolution projector that can project a clear, vivid image of up to 120-inches. It has a unique form factor with a retro, rotating-handled design, and is great for instances where space is limited or travel is involved. As for picture quality, its discrete triple laser RGB light engine is spec'd to produce up to 154% of the DCI-P3 color gamut used in HDR content, providing for highly saturated colors.

The Cinebeam Q, as the HU710PB is marketed, also provides a number of useful smart features, such as LG's webOS that gives access to favorite streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, and more. The projector has automatic keystone correction and focus for quick setups, and it provides for dual Bluetooth connectivity, allowing two devices—such as Bluetooth headphones—to be connected to the projector simultaneously so two people can watch movies outside and enjoy the sound without disturbing the neighbors. This works for connecting two Bluetooth speakers or soundbars to the projector as well.

As for the competition, the Optoma ML1080— though not a 4K projector— is otherwise fairly comparable to the Q. Like the LG, it is a highly compact projector with a discrete RGB laser light engine with wide color gamut. It is priced typically at $999 for the ML1080ST short-throw version we reviewed or $899 for the standard throw ML1080. The ML1080 models offer only 1080p resolution and are intended primarily for business and education applications, but the projector's good color and decent Movie sound mode make it suitable for home use. Optoma claims 1,200 lumens on this one, but that's HK (Helmholtz-Kohlrausch Effect) lumens, not ANSI lumens. When measured, it came out to 550 ANSI lumens, making it comparable to the LG Q's brightness. It doesn't have smart capabilities beyond auto keystone and focus (no streaming capabilities), but it does come with a nice carrying case.

Another competitor worth mentioning is the Anker Nebula Mars 3, currently promoted online for $900. It, too, is only 1080p resolution, but is a brighter, more robust alternative to these projectors and specifically designed to withstand rugged, outdoor environments. It lacks the impressive wide gamut of its RGB laser competition, but its solid-state LED light engine is considerably brighter at a rated 1,000 ANSI lumens (verified in our review). It features IPX3 water resistance, 0.5 meter drop resistance, and 0.7mm dust resistance, making it durable, and it can run on battery power at reduced brightness. It has a built-in light at the bottom of the projector to help see in the dark or set the mood, and smart features that include the Android TV 11.0 streaming platform (though with no Netflix app), Chromecast, and Google Assistant. It's also much heavier than these compact RGB portables—at 9.9 pounds it's three times the weight of the LG—though with some of the best built-in speakers I've heard in my years of reviewing. Those speakers are 40-watts total, so you can imagine that it is much louder and robust than the LG's 3-watt speaker.

Features

The LG CineBeam Q HU710PB is a smart, portable projector with 4K UHD resolution. It has a small, unique form factor at 3.1 x 5.3 x 5.3 inches (WHD) and weighs 3.3 lbs. The projector is truly tiny, but built like a brick and features a mostly metal cabinet, so it is quite durable despite its appearance to the contrary.

These things combine to produce a projector that is stylish and sturdy with a beautiful picture, making it well suited to a backyard movie night or camping trip, as well as in-home viewing. Though it does not have a built-in battery and requires 65-watts of DC power to work, the projector is not relegated to viewing environments where power is readily available. To take it on the road, simply purchase a portable laptop charger, which can be had for around $100 from a third-party manufacturer or retailer.

Small, but mighty, the HU710PB taps the popular 0.47-inch DLP chip that utilizes pixel-shifting to deliver full 3840x2160 UHD resolution to the screen. It has a full spectrum RGB laser light engine that LG claims can reproduce up to 154% of the DCI-P3 color gamut used for most HDR movie content. Measurements in the ProjectorCentral lab actually bested this spec with the projector in its Standard or Vivid HDR viewing mode, with 125.4% BT.2020, 185.6% DCI-P3, and 276.5% Rec.709. However, with just 500 ANSI lumens of rated brightness (we measured just short of this at 483 lumens in its brightest picture mode), this projector will produce its best results at night in a fully darkened room, or with little to no ambient light.

The industrial design of this LG projector has a unique retro look, making it an excellent—and functional—statement piece when placed on a shelf or table. The Q is fitting for small spaces, such as studio apartments or dorm rooms, which may be a selling point for those who desire to have a projector but have not yet purchased one because they feel they lack the space. The lens has a 1.2:1 throw ratio with a fixed zoom, longer than a typical short-throw projector. The projector will do a 50-inch 16:9 image from 4.3 feet away from the screen or wall, and its maximum 120-inch image from 10.5 feet.

Auto keystone correction (both horizontal and vertical) are provided along with auto-focus thanks to a sensor on the front of the projector. Although auto focus worked well with the projector's Auto Screen Adjustment feature active, our first sample of the Q repeatedly failed to properly apply its three-way keystone adjustment (vertical, horizontal, and screen rotation), resulting in a rectangular image that was rotationally skewed up in the top right corner and down in the lower left corner. Fortunately, a second sample behaved normally and delivered an essentially level and perfectly rectangular image, readjusting any time the projector was moved. It performed best when it was placed on axis with the center of the image. If the angle of projection was from well off center, there was more potential for subtle rotational skewing of the image to be visible, but nothing that would be distracting for a temporary movie night. Should you ever need to, you can also turn off Auto Screen Adjustment and manually tune the three-way keystone to get things perfect. LG also provides a 4-point geometric edge adjustment for manually pulling in the corners of the image to match a screen if needed.

This little CineBeam has a rotating handle that can be used to transport the projector by swinging it up over the top of the LG, or as a tilt stand to create the best viewing angle for your current space. It can be projected on a screen, living room wall, or even the ceiling—an increasingly popular use-case. I tried it and found it is both relaxing and enjoyable to view content or play video games on the ceiling.

The integrated webOS smart TV platform lets you enjoy streaming content from your favorite services, including Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV, and YouTube. You'll need Wi-Fi for this, and can connect to your home network, or use a personal hotspot from your phone if you're in the wild.

There are other apps worth mentioning from LG's webOS. Light Drawing is an application that allows you to create content to project from a library of GIFs and images. Those GIFs/images can be placed into shapes—a square, an octagon, or a hexagon. The shapes can also be filled in with colors. When you're finished and press Play, the image you created will project continuously. This would potentially be cool for parties. It also has a media player, where you can load .mp3 and .jpg files.

Spotify can be downloaded via the Apps button in the smart OS, as well as many other entertainment apps, games, news apps like CBS and Fox, lifestyle apps like Peloton and 3D aquariums, and education apps. There are educational apps for children like The Reading Corner, Magic Fingers Art, and Feed Math. Every category features apps that cater to those who speak languages other than English.

The Q has screen casting for iOS and macOS using Apple AirPlay 2, and Screen Share for Android devices. Once the projector and an iPhone were connected to the same network via AirPlay, I was able to successfully stream video from compatible apps and to directly screen mirror from iPhone using the iOS Screen Mirror function in the phone's Control Center.

You can connect two Bluetooth devices simultaneously, so two people can use their own Bluetooth headphones. It can also connect to soundbars, other Bluetooth-enabled speakers, or you can use the built-in 3-watt speaker. I will say more about the audio performance below.

The inputs and connectors are comprised of a single HDMI port, one USB Type-C port that supports DisplayPort and power delivery to compatible devices, and the DC-in for the power brick. The HDMI port is compatible with ARC to provide a digital audio output to compatible sound systems and is the only alternative to Bluetooth out; there is no optical or standard 3.5mm analog audio output to make a simple connection to a pair of computer speakers or a non-Bluetooth or HDMI ARC soundbar. You can connect most game consoles, Blu-ray players, and computers via HDMI and phones using the USB Type-C input.

There are no controls on the projector except a power button to turn it on or off, so the included remote control is a necessary accessory. It is slim and lightweight. Its buttons are basic, with its top two buttons being a red power button on the left and a settings button on the right. Underneath that are the volume controls +/- on the left, Mute in the center, and a dual button for color (which does not appear to have any effect on the projector) on top, and a button to quickly access the Installation Wizard on the bottom. Arcing above the navigational controls are three direct-access buttons for Netflix, Disney+, and Prime Video. The navigation controls consist of an Enter button and a smooth circle surrounding it, used for the navigational arrows. Three buttons arc below that, for Back, Home, and Input.

Unfortunately, the CineBeam Q's one IR sensor for the remote is located on the backside. While this works fine as long as the user is behind the projector, the projector fails to respond to commands when the remote is initiated from anywhere in front of it, even when it is pointed straight at the projector. This can be inconvenient if viewers are watching from seating between the projector and the screen, and is unlike many projectors that have sensors front and back.

The CineBeam Q comes with the projector, the remote control, a power adapter, and protective rubber covers for the projector's sharp corners. Its literature contains a Simple Owner's Manual, a Quick Start Guide, a Regulatory booklet, information on the Limited Warranty, and steps to register the projector and activate its warranty. The Q has a one-year parts-and-labor warranty and you can purchase an extended warranty for two or three years through LG and Asurion, currently for $117 and $139 respectively.

Performance

Color Modes. The Q has nine color modes for standard dynamic range (SDR 1080p) content: Vivid, Standard, Cinema, Sport, Game Optimizer, Filmmaker Mode, Brightest, Expert (Bright space, daytime), and Expert (Dark space, nighttime). For high dynamic range HDR, there are seven color modes including Vivid, Standard, Cinema Home, Cinema, Game Optimizer, Filmmaker Mode, and Brightest. I saw little difference between Cinema Home and Cinema with HDR content. All modes measured above 350-lumen range, with several around 400 lumens, and Brightest mode measured close to the projector's claimed max brightness.

Surprisingly for a small portable projector intended for temporary setups, the LG CineBeam Q HU710PB has menu adjustments carried over from LG's TVs used by professional calibrators to optimize the image, including those for color temperature/white balance and a CMS (color management system). Most people won't have need for these, but the Advanced Settings in the Picture menu has adjustments separated into Brightness, Color, and Clarity, with each having its own corresponding sub-menu. Brightness allows you to adjust the Contrast, Screen Brightness, Auto Dynamic Contrast, HDR Tone Mapping, Gamma, and Black Level settings. The Color sub-menu allows you to change the Color Depth, Tint, Color Gamut, Fine Tune, White Balance, and Color Temperature settings. Clarity allows you to adjust Sharpness, and toggle Super Resolution, Noise Reduction, MPEG Noise Reduction, Smooth Gradation, Cinema Screen, and TruMotion (frame interpolation).

If you're watching anything but sports, you'll want to have that TruMotion turned off. Some modes automatically have it turned on, like Vivid and Sports, while others, like Filmmaker Mode, have it turned off.

All measurements in this section were taken with each mode's default settings, at Minimum (energy-saving) power mode, which is to say, the brightest power mode that takes the most energy to run.

As bright modes go, Brightest mode on this LG is not as green as it could be, making it more suitable for use than what we see on some other projectors. Its color leans toward green, like all brightest modes, but also has a cool tone to it. The turquoise, greens, and yellows on the color wheel are extremely vibrant. This doesn't seem to have much of an effect on the other colors in the color wheel, which look acceptably within the realm of what they should look like. This mode measured 483 lumens, just 17 lumens shy of the projector's 500 lumen claim.

Standard measured 402 lumens. Standard will be most people's choice for regular TV and video viewing, as it reproduces each color on the color wheel quite accurately, though on the cooler side. Expert (Bright space, daytime) mode reproduces color almost as accurately, except for the oranges and reds, where it leans a bit heavy. That mode measured 464 lumens.

Both Sports mode and Vivid mode are vibrant and could be interchangeable between sports content and animated films and TV shows. Vivid makes every color on the color wheel look like a highlighter, making it satisfying while watching cartoons with vibrant colors, though it can blow out whites a bit in some instances. Sports mode measured 448 lumens and Vivid measured 433.

Game Optimizer mode came in at 402 lumens. This mode mutes the colors on the color wheel, but still reproduces brilliant color on gaming content. It has a cooler color temperature—something that looks fantastic with video games.

Filmmaker Mode was made in collaboration with filmmakers, Hollywood studios, consumer electronics companies, and the UHD Alliance to reproduce the film being viewed on projectors and TVs as it was intended to be seen by the filmmakers who brought it to life. It does so in several ways, such as disabling post-processing like frame interpolation. Frame interpolation is enabled on many other modes and looks great while watching sports but gives the soap-opera-effect with too many frames per second when watching a film. In addition to preserving the original frame rate of the film, Filmmaker Mode does the same to colors and aspect ratios. This mode measured 356 lumens, and has a nice, slightly desaturated look, with a warm color temperature.

Cinema mode, the next best thing to Filmmaker Mode for watching movies, measured 371 lumens. Many projectors only have a cinema mode and lack that next-level Filmmaker Mode, but cinema modes tend to have more muted colors than a standard mode. This projector's Cinema mode is no different. It looks good on skin tones and foliage. With the two best modes for films being so close in brightness, which you use will be based on preference. Some may want to use Filmmaker Mode for films and Cinema for TV shows.

Expert (Dark space, nighttime) also measured at 371 lumens. One might expect this to be interchangeable with Cinema mode, but I didn't find it satisfying. Like the two best modes for film, its colors are muted, though with Expert Dark, it is to the point where all colors on the color wheel could be considered muddy. With so many other modes to choose from on this LG, it is doubtful that this one would be preferred over the others.

Video Viewing. Although the CineBeam Q's highly saturated colors from its RGB light source may make it appear somewhat brighter than its measured lumens, it is still somewhat underpowered and I would not recommend it for daytime viewing. You might be able to get away with it watching cartoons or animated films, which have bright colors and appear more vivid than any other film or TV content, but you'll need to have all the shades drawn and no ambient light hitting the projected image directly. It's simply not a bright enough projector. LG does not pretend otherwise, stating that the best time to view this projector is at night. I concur.

In appropriate conditions, however, 4K content is gorgeous when projected by the LG CineBeam Q. It has great black levels and dark shadow detail for a home entertainment projector. I saw a general difference in the performance between most 4K and 1080p content, in that HDR tended to have deeper blacks, but 1080p SDR content provided better dark shadow detail and overall better performance on really dark scenes.

Big Hero 6 was breathtaking on the LG. It's a colorful film, and HDR made it even more beautiful. It looked best in Standard mode. The TruMotion motion interpolation setting defaults to Natural in this mode, which looked odd to me, so I turned it off and that improved the way the movie looked. There are a few other options for TruMotion, and if it were going to be on, I'd choose the Cinematic Movement option, which seems to be the tamest of the settings.

The 4K UHD disc yielded a sharpness that showed every texture in detail. The 1080p version looked excellent as well, though there is a definite visual difference between the two, as mentioned in a previous paragraph. Lacking HDR, the 1080p version didn't achieve the deep black levels of the 4K version, but it did have remarkably good dark shadow detail. Laser speckle, which can be a problem with RGB laser projectors, was visually detectable in large areas of solid color, particularly reds. It wasn't awful and you might not notice it if you don't know what to look for. It wasn't distracting from the content.

Jurassic World Dominion in 4K HDR also looked fantastic in Standard mode, though a tad cool. The skin tones were still accurate and whites are vibrant in this mode. With a bit of color tweaking, it could be a great option for watching films when you need higher brightness. Both Cinema and Filmmaker Mode looked a bit flat compared to either Standard or Vivid, but Vivid can cause the whites to be blown out a bit, like how it looks when overexposing a photo. Dark scenes in Filmmaker can be a bit difficult to see, and while black levels are impressive, dark shadow detail could be better. The color was quite nice and warm—something that nearly always looks great on skin tones. Laser speckle was much more difficult to detect in these modes, however. I'd still probably choose either mode to watch live action films, even with the issues I mentioned. Filmmaker Mode was a lot better when projecting the same film in 1080p, with more contrast than its 4K counterpart.

I saw more contrast while projecting Dune in 4K in Filmmaker. Dark scenes can still be somewhat difficult to see—not too bad, but worth mentioning. Perhaps you wouldn't want to watch the final episode of Game of Thrones 7th season in Filmmaker Mode, or Solo, for that matter. Those are already underexposed, so the added difficulty could render them unwatchable in either Filmmaker or Cinema mode. Standard mode can absolutely be used, but it will be cool, as mentioned. You get a larger spectrum between the dark and light colors. Projecting in 1080p rather than 4K improved this film in the same way that it did for Jurassic World.

Gaming. The HU710PB has Game Optimizer mode, which has a low latency setting to improve input lag. It does do this, but not in a way that would permit the projector to be used for anything other than casual gameplay. I have more to say on the matter in the Input Lag section at the bottom of this review.

Game Optimizer mode slightly adjusts blacks and whites based on the type of game being played. The options for that are Standard, FPS (First-Person Shooter), RPG (Role-Playing-Game), and RTS (Real-Time Strategy). You can change the settings within the full Game Optimizer menu and enable or disable AI Sound.

I played a couple games to test the quality. I recently started playing Outer Worlds, a first-person RPG that feels like Fallout in space, which looked incredible when projected by the CineBeam Q. The sharpness of the projector was particularly noticeable when viewing text on the loading screens or in the menus. The color was vibrant, the textures clear, and it was an all-around enjoyable experience. I still have no idea what I'm doing in the game, though.

Hogwarts Legacy is a beautiful game on its own merit, and the Q did a stellar job projecting it. I have spent much more time in this game across many different TVs, monitors, and projectors, and know what it ought to look like. The LG reproduced it highly accurately, with some of the colors being perhaps deeper and richer than I'm used to seeing. I noticed it most on the HP bar, the spell casting wheel, and in the menus.

Ghost of Tsushima, another gorgeous game, was one I had trouble with on this projector. The color was quite dark, so much so that it was difficult to see what I was doing. That was with RPG selected in Game Optimizer mode. Changing it to FPS improved it a bit, but what truly needed to be done was to change the Black Stabilizer and White Stabilizer settings. Upping the Black Stabilizer to 20 (its max), and White Stabilizer to 17, I was able to get an image that made playing both possible and aesthetically pleasing.

Audio Quality. The 3-watt speaker is tiny and relatively underwhelming in terms of volume or any real bass. It's about as good as you can expect from a projector this size and sufficient for enjoying films, TV shows, or games, though an alternate sound system like a Bluetooth speaker is the better choice. At least there are several sound modes to choose from for various types of content: AI Sound, Standard, Cinema, Clear Voice, Sports, Music, and Game Optimizer.

AI Sound will allow you to set the sound once and let the projector change the audio settings for each type of content you watch, whether that's movies, TV, sports, online videos, or even music.

Standard mode was the best mode for watching regular TV programming or TV shows. It gives a loud boost that Cinema does not have, though Cinema is much more balanced and will likely be a first choice for those who watch cinematic TV shows or films.

Clear Voice dramatically increases the volume of dialogue, so may be desirable for content like political speeches, sports commentary, cooking shows, or other content where the only important sound comes from people's voices. The exception was music, which sounded abysmal. Sometimes, a Clear Voice filter makes a positive difference when applied to music, but that wasn't so in this case.

That's nothing to fret over, however. LG's Music mode is the best mode for listening to music, as it has the most balanced sound to encompass bass, mid, and treble frequencies without sounding too tinny. It sounds good when listening to everything from pop music to classical compositions and video game soundtracks. Though it doesn't have a ton of bass (as to be expected from such a small, on-board speaker), it is absolutely useable.

Game Optimizer mode is the best audio mode for gaming. Its sound is similar to Cinema, but a bit sharper, which catches all the nuances of a game's soundscape, voice acting, and action.

As mentioned, audio can further be improved by pairing a Bluetooth speaker, soundbar, or personal headphones. This LG allows for the connection of up to two devices at a time. I connected my Bluetooth speaker, and my viewing experience was elevated instantly. Whether you've got a nice Bluetooth sound system already or you're buying a $20-50 Bluetooth speaker that can be taken outside, it should provide a great boost in the projector's volume and sound quality.

Conclusion

The LG CineBeam Q HU710PB projector is a small wonder with surprisingly good picture quality for its class. Its 4K sharpness and the saturated colors from its wide gamut RGB laser light engine make for an impressive image. And its inclusion of the polished webOS smart TV platform, with all the key streaming apps (including Netflix) makes it even more attractive.

The CineBeam Q does have its caveats, especially at its regular $1,299 price. It lacks brightness with only 500 ANSI lumens, which limits its ideal image size and restricts it to dim or dark environments. Furthermore, its audio system won't win any awards for sound quality. But if you are looking for a portable projector for travel, backyard movie nights, or to fit a tight space at home where a full size TV won't work, it'll be hard to find something so well built, in such an attractive package, with as good a picture out of the box as you'll get here.

For more detailed specifications and connections, check out our LG CineBeam Q projector page.

To buy this projector, use Where to Buy online, or get a price quote by email direct from Projector Central authorized dealers using our E-Z Quote tool.