I’m sure I’m not alone in thinking the right gadgets can make a real difference in touring life. However, the discerning ‘van owner knows space is fairly limited when on tour and picking out the items that are actually worth the room – and the money – is easier said than done. Something that many campervanners will do is take a TV on tour with them, with the majority of models nowadays acting as smart TVs, letting you watch your favourite apps. However, once you’ve bought it, you’re stuck with the screen size you opted for, which is not always ideal if you upsize your ‘van or decide you want to move the screen elsewhere. Even if you downsize, you could find your screen is too big for your new home-on-wheels.
That’s where owning a projector can come into its own. Here, I’m testing the Nebula Mars 3 Air, which is produced by Anker, a name you’re likely to be familiar with if you’ve considered buying one of the best portable power stations for ‘van life. It offers 1080P projection, 400 ANSI Lumens of brightness and auto keystone correction, but it’s the battery which I think makes it a particularly appealing prospect for campervan owners – I’ll come back to that later.
Practical Motorhome is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more
Practicalities of the Nebula Mars 3 Air
I think this is a good alternative for ‘van owners who want something different to a traditional TV. This is because the Mars 3 Air can work like one of the best motorhome TVs, thanks to Google TV. This, essentially, makes it a smart TV, allowing you to access a range of streaming services, including Netflix and Prime, simply by downloading the relevant app through the Google Play store. You can even use it with voice control thanks to Google Assistant.
After connecting it to WiFi and signing into my Google account, it was incredibly straightforward to set up, as was downloading the various apps I wanted to try out, including YouTube and Netflix.
Size and portability will be important considerations when picking the accessories to take on tour, and it will be no different with a campervan projector. The Nebula Mars 3 Air is both small and lightweight, weighing only 1.7k. Portability is provided by a handle which I found reassuringly sturdy, ideal if you want to move it from your bedroom to the kitchen to the awning.
The compact dimensions of the projector are also a bonus for campervan owners, meaning, it should be no issue to find a suitable place to store it or set it up. It looks smart too.
There’s the option of buying a tripod, with the projector having a metal tripod screw hole on its base. While this would definitely make it easier to angle to the right position, I didn’t find it a problem positioning it on a chest and projecting it onto the wall.
I thought there was a good selection of ports, including a HDMI port, useful for connecting to your laptop or console. An auxiliary port and a USB-A are also included, with the latter ideal if you want to hook the projector up to a portable hard drive. However, you’ll have to make do without a USB-C.
Using the Nebula Mars 3 Air
The most important factor with a projector will be its image quality, particularly if you’re thinking of using it instead of a TV. I thought the Mars 3 Air offered an excellent display when I used it in a darker room, with a crisp image as it scaled up to 150-inches. However, something I had learnt during setup (and knew for subsequent use), was to not project it onto a wall or similar surface which would be in daylight, as this, unsurprisingly, impacted image quality.
I then tried it in the evening, with the blinds down and the light on, with the projector plugged in (so not in Eco Mode). This time, the screen was perfectly clear.
I was particularly impressed with the Autofocus feature. This quickly – and automatically – refocused the screen when the projector was moved, ensuring the image stays sharp even as the auto screen feature sees the screen size adjust to fit your space. I was impressed by the speed with which it did this too.
I thought these would be particularly useful features for ‘van owners who may want the freedom to move the projector around for use in different locations.
What gives it a further edge over a TV is the battery. This allows you to charge it up and then move it to your awning to watch a film or even set up some camping chairs and project onto the side of your ‘van if the lighting outside permits.
Nebula advises the battery will last for 2hrs 30mins in Eco Mode (it automatically switches to this when you unplug it and start relying on the battery). To test this, I sat down to watch Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which, including the beginning of the credits, came to 2hrs 26mins. By this point, there was still 37% of the battery remaining. This battery life should provide plenty of flexibility for ‘van owners, easily allowing a movie night or a couple of episodes of the current TV binge without being plugged in and is the type of versatility that, I think, could really enhance the enjoyment of a tour.
It’s straightforward to follow how well the battery is doing too, with four lights indicating its current level on the top of the projector. Alternatively, go into the Settings menu and navigate to the battery menu or press the power off button to see the exact percentage remaining. If you’ve decided not to rely on the battery, simply plug it into hook up or a suitable portable power station and you’d be ready to go.
Image quality was excellent as I watched but I was also interested to see how it would fare with more modern shows. I tried scenes from House of the Dragon and Minions Rise of Gru, as I wanted to see how it would cope with more vivid scenes while projecting at close to 150-inches. I was impressed – it was more than capable of dealing with Minions Rise of Gru, and, beyond the odd stutter when there were sudden sharp movements in House of the Dragon, it was comfortably up to the challenge.
The sound quality was impressive too. Here, the two 8W Dolby Digital Plus Audio Speakers provided an amazing sound experience. There is the option of connecting Bluetooth speakers to it but I couldn’t see that being something I would want to do – I found the inbuilt speakers were more than enough.
The remote control runs on two AAA batteries which are helpfully included with the projector. It includes dedicated Netflix and Prime buttons, and generally worked effectively, although there was an occasional delay sometimes from pressing a button to seeing it follow through on screen. I also downloaded the Nebula Connect app on my phone and found that a simple way to navigate the projector – it basically turns your phone’s screen into a mousepad.
Screen mirroring is also highly useful, allowing me to connect my iPhone to it so I could use it as a speaker for Apple Music.
Verdict on the Nebula Mars 3 Air
For ‘van owners who are looking for a portable smart TV-style gadget for watching films and TV shows, I think this will be a highly attractive prospect. It’s very portable, the sound quality is excellent and I was impressed by the sharpness of the picture quality as it scaled up, as well as the speed with which it refocused.
Ease of use is also a big factor when I’m buying a gadget and I had no complaints with getting to grips with it either, despite the occasional lag from pressing a button on the remote to seeing the action on screen. A lack of USB-C could also be a factor for some, especially if that’s how you charge the majority of your devices.
However, it’s very versatile and is also easy to move around your ‘van. I love the battery life too, which would be more than adequate for watching a film from a full charge. Putting this all together, I think this would make a worthy addition to any touring experience.
Specification of the Nebula Mars 3 Air
- Dimensions: 17.8 x 12.2 x 13.3cm (L x W x H)
- Weight: 1.7kg
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080p
- Brightness: 400 Ansi Lumens
- Screen size: 30-150 inches
- Power consumption: 90W
If you’ve enjoyed reading this article, why not get the latest news, reviews and features delivered direct to your door or inbox every month. Take advantage of our brilliant Practical Motorhome magazine SUBSCRIBERS’ OFFER and SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER for regular weekly updates on all things motorhome related.
