Unihertz Mars: Portable mini projector can be powered by a smartphone

Unihertz is already selling various smartphones under the 8849 brand, and now a projector has joined the lineup. The connection between projectors and phones might not seem obvious at first glance, but in fact, some 8849 handsets like the Tank 3 Pro (from $629 on Amazon) actually come with a built-in projector. Therefore, Unihertz already had access to the corresponding technology as well as corresponding suppliers.

This mini projector is named Mar and is now available for preorder directly from the manufacturer for $179 plus shipping and potential import fees. Shipping to US customers is scheduled to kick off next week, between May 15 and 20 to be more exact.

This new Unihertz projector measures just 3 x 3 x 0.73 inches and weighs 6.3 oz. The metal chassis should offer some kind of protection, but an official IP certification is not mentioned. The portable 8849 projector has a 720p resolution, which is probably not native but achieved via pixel shifting. As usual with these compact and portable projectors, the Mars has a very limited brightness of just 100 lumens, which means that rooms need to be very dark. That said, a magnetically attachable stand simplifies the setup.

According to the official spec sheet, the 8849 Mars offers a projection size of up to 100 inches. For a 40-inch image, it needs about 3.3 ft of distance to the projection surface. In contrast to some other projectors, the Mars lacks several rather important features. For example, it cannot transmit image signals wirelessly and needs an external source or media player. It doesn’t sport a built-in battery either, so the projector has to be powered via USB Type-C devices, such as a smartphone.