Pico Genie A100 Smartphone Projector

February 12, 2016

Pico Genie A100 Smartphone Projector

Post Christmas tablet envy got you down? That 3.5in screen on the iPhone 4, 4S and iPod Touch just doesn't quite cut it anymore, does it? Hurtling to the rescue is the Pico Genie A100, an iPhone case with a built-in Mini Projector and charger. Small but clever we like it already.

Pico Genie A100 (build)

We didn't mind lugging the extra weight of the Pico Genie around as it's a good-looking, if bulky, iPhone “case”. It gives you between 1.5 and 3 hours playback and can add up to 3 hours to your battery life. It’s probably best to turn the Pico Genie on only when you want to use the projector function, though, as it does heat your iDevice up rather a lot.

Pico Genie A100 projector (picture)

This is the 'wow' factor considering it looks little more than a rugged iPhone case we got a clear and bright projection just shy of the promised 60 inches once we'd turned out the lights and shut the blinds, that is. The Pico Genie pumps out just 12 lumens, so it’s no good in bright sunlight, but it is enough for impromptu office presentations or just showing off last night's drunken iPhone vids. Take that, iPad.

Pico Genie A100 (sound)

The 2W speakers are noticeably louder than the iPhone's and should easily fill the room our only niggle with the Pico Genie's sound is that when it's laid down flat, the speaker is muted and angling it on the ceiling or walls gets annoying before long.

Pico Genie A100 (verdict)

The Pico Genie won't replace your home cinema anytime soon but it's easy to use and mega portable, plus the picture quality will surprise your audience every time. So if you're fed up of tacky lenses and cheap cases and want to commit long term to a worthy peripheral, the Pico Genie might just slot nicely into your iPhone accessory cabinet.