Review: Epson EX9200 Pro

Introduction

As the latest addition to Epson's EX line of projectors, the EX9200 Pro ($799, £528, AU$1,091) is an impressive option for those looking for great picture quality in light and compact projector.

As far as features and size go, the EX9200 Pro occupies the same space as the more expensive BenQ HT4050 ($1,399, £906, AU$1,960). However, at 5.7 pounds (2.58kg), the EX9200 Pro is much more portable than BenQ's offering, which weighs 9.26 pounds (4.2kg).

If you're looking for something a little more portable, the ViewSonic PLED-W800 ($693.31, £455.57, AU$851.26) weighs quite a bit less at 1.98 pounds and takes up less space. Still, the EX9200 Pro bests the ViewSonic in terms of features, including built-in WiFi.

Design

The Epson EX9200 Pro is composed of a glossy black exterior with a slightly texturized top. The texture feels pretty good, and helps to cut down on potential finger smudging, not to mention providing some extra grip if you're moving the projector around. Being full black with very little flourish, it feels like the EX9200 is meant to go largely unnoticed, which is a good thing.

The top of the EX9200 Pro is where you'll find the meat of the controls for the projector. An Epson logo takes center stage in the middle, with a grid of control buttons filling out the space below. In fact, you can control nearly every facet of the projector from these buttons without the help of the included remote control. Finally, you'll also find controls for the focus and screen size in front of the Epson logo and above the lens, along with a slider for opening and closing the lens cover.

On the front of the EX9200 Pro, the lens sits recessed behind the sliding cover, flanked on the left side by another Epson logo along with some fan cutouts. Just below the lens sits a convenient little kickstand that you can use to prop the projector up a bit.

The sides of the projector are nondescript, with the right side simply featuring an intake for the fan. At the back, however, you'll find the bevy of ports you can use to cast your content to the wall.

As far as dimensions are concerned, the EX9200 is surprisingly portable given its dimensions. The projector weighs in at 5.7 pounds, which isn't exactly super light, but it's made much more bearable with the included padded carrying case. Measurements come in at 11.7 x 9.6 x 3.2 inches.

Specs

The EX9200 Pro certainly isn't lacking in connectivity options. On the back of the projector, you'll find two HDMI ports, one of which supports MHL, a VGA port, composite video and RCA audio in ports. Additionally, there are two USB ports, Type A and Type B, respectively. Finally, the EX9200 Pro sports wireless features, allowing you to push content from your laptop or mobile device over WiFi.

Inside of the EX9200 Pro, there's a very bright 3200 lumen bulb powering content, with a contrast ratio of up to 15,000:1. The projection system itself is DLP with a native resolution of 1,920 x 1,200 and a projection size ranging from 30 to 300 inches.

Below is the Epson EX9200 Pro configuration sent to techradar:

• Projection System: DLP
• Resolution: 1920 x 1200 native
• Brightness: 3200 lumens
• Contrast ratio: 15,000:1
• Projection size: Up to 300"
• Inputs: 2x HDMI, VGA, Composite video, RCA audio in, USB Type A, USB Type B, WiFi
• Dimensions: 11.7 x 9.6 x 3.2 inches (WxDxH)

Performance

Overall, the picture quality from the EX9200 Pro looked great in my testing. After some initial fiddling with the focus and adjusting screen size, the projector performed admirably. The settings default to Presentation Mode, which, as you'd expect, looked great when I threw documents onto the screen. Text was easy to read, with good contrast between the text and the background.

Performance

There are a few other picture modes you can switch to, including Cinema, sRGB, Blackboard, and Dynamic. However, outside of Presentation mode for documents, I found Cinema to look the best for most uses, and most users will probably stick with either of the two. That being said, video looked fairly crispy with good blacks and bright colors, so kicking back for a movie or two with the EX9200 Pro isn't out of the question.

Thanks to the powerful 3200 lumen bulb in the EX9200 Pro, finding a good environment to set up the projector shouldn't be too hard either. Of course, in a pitch black room, everything looked excellent, but even dim to somewhat bright rooms were workable with the bright bulb. The only potential catch would be viewing dark video in a bright room, but that goes without saying for the most part.

One qualm I have with the EX9200 Pro is with its sound options. The projector comes with a 2-watt mono speaker, which can definitely serve most basic needs. The speaker should be loud enough for small or medium sized rooms, but I ran into issues with sound breaking up a bit at middling volumes. For presentation purposes and short videos, the speaker should be alright. However, without any audio out ports, you're stuck with the on-board speaker, which is bad news for any extended viewing sessions.

Aside from having plenty of ports, including the ability to plug in a USB flash drive for quick access to files, the EX9200 Pro also features some pretty great wireless connectivity. Setting it up is a little tedious, involving the installation of an Epson app and fiddling with WiFi settings, but it everything works great once it's set up properly. Even better, in addition to pushing photos and documents from a mobile device or laptop to the projector, you can also use your device as a remote control.

It's great to see wireless connectivity built into the EX9200 Pro, especially considering a lot of competing projectors require additional accessories to get the same options. And as tedious as the process may be, Epson's included step-by-step instructions, along with a convenient QR-code based setup make what could be a frustrating procedure fairly easy.

Of course, if you'd prefer a plug-and-play wireless option with a bit more flexibility, using a Miracast dongle or Chromecast is always an option with the HDMI ports. This will allow you to push content from a number of apps using their native interface, with the added benefit that your phone can be used as a clicker for presentations.

Verdict

The EX9200 Pro seems like a great option for most general uses. Not only does the projector strike a balance between a good feature set and portability, but image quality is great, and the price represents a great value proposition.

We liked

Thanks to the Epson EX9200 Pro's 3200 lumen bulb, the picture is bright enough for most rooms, and color reproduction is fantastic. Presentations and documents look crisp, and video is looks pretty great as well.

Connectivity options are also fantastic on the EX9200 Pro. The ports included on the back of the projector should fit most people's needs, and WiFi connectivity is a superb option that helps set Epson's offering apart from a number of competing projectors.

Finally, the projector's size and weight are an ideal middle ground, allowing fairly easy portability along with a form factor that will also fit right into a permanent setup.

We disliked

There's really only one minor negative point to touch on with the EX9200 Pro. The audio situation is a little disappointing considering the projector does so well in every other area. The included speaker will do well for most presentation purposes, but anything involving heavy media consumption could be better served by a more robust setup. Unfortunately, without any audio out options, this is a hard one to get around. There are certainly accessories, like HDMI audio extractors, that could ease this problem, but setting these up may not be worth the trouble.

Final verdict

At $799, the EX9200 Pro represents a fantastic balance between price and features. Picture quality certainly measures up to more expensive projectors, and is great for presentations and documents. The BenQ HT4050 most likely beats Epson's offering out for video content, thanks to its impressive color reproduction, but it's also quite a bit more expensive and much less portable.

In the end, however, if you're looking for a projector that performs exceptionally well for presentations, is fairly portable, and doesn't break the bank, Epson's EX9200 Pro is definitely worth a look.

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