The Epson EpiqVision Mini EF12 is a compact 1080p LCD laser projector primarily meant for portability and streaming content. It's capable of projecting content up to a 150" size. It has full auto horizontal and vertical keystone correction to eliminate trapezoid effects when installed off-center or at an angle and also includes automatic focus correction. It has two HDMI ports—one of which is an ARC port—with 1080p @ 60Hz support and two integrated 5W Yamaha speakers. It has Bluetooth and Wi-Fi support and comes with the Android TV smart interface with full Chromecast integration.
Our Verdict
The Epson EF12 is passable for watching movies. Unfortunately, its native contrast is inadequate, and its brightness is middling, so it doesn't excel in any particular lighting condition. The projector doesn't have a wide color gamut, but it doesn't matter, as it's just not bright enough to make colors pop. Thankfully, the projector has great pre-calibration image accuracy, so it's a solid choice for those who care about accurate colors. Even though it has no white balance or color adjustments, a slight adjustment to its color temperature gives it fantastic overall accuracy.
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Great image accuracy pre-calibration, and it is fantastic after only slight tweaking.
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Small size makes it easy to carry around.
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Not bright enough to deal with any lights.
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Inadequate contrast makes its blacks look gray when viewed in dark rooms.
- 6.3 Movies
- Updated Jun 27, 2024: We previously stated that you could use the projector's mini USB port to control the projector with a PC, but it's actually a service port. We adjusted the Inputs & Connectivity section accordingly.
- Updated May 21, 2024: Updated text throughout the review according to Test Bench 0.9, mainly in the Verdict, Compared To Other Projectors and Contrast sections.
- Updated May 21, 2024: We've converted this review to Test Bench 0.9. We've overhauled our Contrast tests, as we now measure contrast at various average pixel levels (APL). You can see the full changelog here.
- Updated Feb 13, 2024: Review published.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We bought and tested the Epson EF12. This projector has no variants, but Epson has other projectors in their EpiqVision line, like the Epson EpiqVision Flex CO-W01 and Epson EpiqVision Ultra LS300.
You can see the label here.
Compared To Other Projectors
The Epson Mini EF12 is a decent portable projector. It straddles a fine line between quality and portability; it has better image quality than most smaller and more portable projectors and worse image quality than heavier projectors. It's hard to beat if you need a projector that you can easily bring to your friends' basements to project some streaming content, but it's a bit expensive for what it offers. The Epson EpiqVision Flex CO-W01 is cheaper and provides better image quality, but it's bigger and heavier. Inversely, the XGIMI Elfin looks almost as good as the EF12 but is smaller, lighter, and cheaper.
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 $500 instead.
The Epson EpiqVision Mini EF12 and XGIMI Halo+ have different strengths. They're both small and light projectors, but the XGIMI is even smaller, and it has an integrated battery, making it more portable than the Epson. Regarding image quality, the XGIMI has better contrast and a wider color gamut than the Epson, but the Epson is the vastly more accurate projector. Thus, the XGIMI is better suited for contexts where image accuracy doesn't matter as much, like projecting on the side of a van when camping. The Epson is better if you can access an outlet and project on a good-quality screen.
The XGIMI HORIZON is a bit better than the Epson EpiqVision Mini EF12, but they have different use cases. The XGIMI HORIZON is a slightly bigger and heavier projector than the Epson, but it is also brighter, making it easier to place in various lighting conditions. The XGIMI has eARC support, while the Epson is limited to ARC, so the XGIMI supports advanced audio formats. The Epson, however, is vastly more accurate than the XGIMI, so it's the better option for image accuracy purists.
The Epson EpiqVision Mini EF12 is better than the Samsung The Freestyle 2nd Gen. The Samsung is much smaller and lighter, so it's much easier to carry around, but the Epson is also quite portable. The Epson is significantly brighter than the Samsung and is vastly more accurate pre-calibration, although both projectors are very similar post-calibration. The Samsung has a wider color gamut than the Epson, but it doesn't matter, as it's just not bright enough to make colors pop. Finally, the Epson has significantly better connectivity.
The Epson EpiqVision Mini EF12 is better than the XGIMI Elfin, but the XGIMI is easier to carry due to its smaller size. Otherwise, the Epson is a bit brighter (but they're both pretty dim) and has much better pre-calibration image accuracy, although the XGIMI closes the gap somewhat after calibration. The XGIMI has a wider color gamut but isn't bright enough to make its colors pop.
The XGIMI HORIZON Ultra is much better than the Epson EpiqVision Mini EF12, but the Epson is smaller and easier to carry around. Still, the XGIMI is much brighter, has a wider color gamut, and has slightly better contrast. The XGIMI also projects a sharper image with its pixel-shifting technology, while the Epson is limited to 1080p.
The Epson EpiqVision Mini EF12 is better than the XGIMI MoGo 2 Pro. The Epson is noticeably brighter and vastly more accurate than the XGIMI. The XGIMI has slightly better contrast, but the extra brightness of the Epson will make its image look better than the XGIMI's, even in pitch-black rooms. The XGIMI is, however, more portable, as it's smaller and lighter than the Epson, but the Epson is no slouch in that area; it is called the 'Mini' for a reason.
The Epson EpiqVision Flex CO-W01 is better than the Epson EpiqVision Mini EF12. The Mini EF12 is a bit lighter and smaller, so it's easier to carry around, and it has full auto keystone correction and autofocus, so it's faster to set up. It also has Android TV integration with full Chromecast support and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, which the Flex CO-W01 lacks. The Flex CO-W01 is, however, vastly brighter than the Mini EF12 and bright enough for rooms with lots of light. The Mini EF12 has better contrast and looks better in a completely dark room.
The ViewSonic PX701-4K is better than the Epson EpiqVision Mini EF12. The ViewSonic projector is good for gamers with its 1080p @ 240Hz support. It's also brighter and has better contrast, but the Epson has vastly better color accuracy. The ViewSonic can also deliver sharper images through 4k pixel shifting, while the Epson projects a much lower 1080p image. The Epson has significantly more smart features, has an integrated smart interface with full Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support, and is more portable.
Test Results
The Epson EF12 has a compact design and weighs 4.7 pounds, making it easy to carry around, but it doesn't have an integrated battery, so you still need to have it plugged into an outlet. It has full auto keystone correction and autofocus, so it's easy to set up, and you can adjust the projector's angle with its adjustable front foot.
This 1080p LCD projector uses a laser light source, which requires no maintenance and will last for 20,000 hours or more. You likely won't ever have to worry about replacing it. As it's a 1080p projector, it's limited to a 1080p @ 60Hz resolution.
This projector has middling brightness, although it has good brightness uniformity. Close the blinds and turn off the lights when using this projector, as it's not bright enough for anything but a dark room.
The Epson Mini EF12 has inadequate contrast, so its blacks look gray when viewed in a dark room.
This projector has great pre-calibration accuracy. It's slightly too dark, but it's not noticeable. The white balance is very good, with minor accuracy errors, and its color accuracy is excellent overall. Its color temperature is a tad on the warm side, but otherwise, it's almost exactly on the 6500K target.
The Epson EF12 projector's image accuracy is fantastic after calibration. It doesn't have color calibration or white balance calibration, but adjusting the color temperature improves the white balance and color accuracy. Of course, this comes at the cost of a worse color temperature, as it's then too cold.
The Epson EpiqVision Mini EF12 has an okay color gamut. It does a good job with the Rec. 709 color space used with SDR content but struggles with displaying the wider Rec. 2020 color space.
The Epson EpiqVision Mini EF12 Smart Streaming Laser projector has Android TV built-in and is smooth and fast to use. The projector is cast capable through its Chromecast integration, so you can play content from your phone directly on the projector. Finally, the projector has two integrated 5W Yamaha speakers.
The Epson EpiqVision EF12 has two HDMI ports, one of which doubles as the ARC port. It also has two USB ports: one USB-A port and one mini USB port, the latter of which is for servicing only. The projector has a Kensington lock to prevent theft. It also supports Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.