HY300 PRO+ 2026 Review: a cheap mini projector that does the job (with a few compromises)

I’ve been using the Technyon HY300 PRO+ at home for a couple of weeks, mostly in the bedroom and sometimes in the living room for casual movie nights. I bought it knowing it was a budget, no-name brand projector, so I didn’t expect miracles. The Amazon page throws around stuff like 12000 lumens, 4K support, Android 11/14, gaming-ready and all that. On paper it sounds like a high‑end machine for the price of a takeaway.

In reality, it’s a small, very portable projector with a native 720p image, around 170 ANSI lumens, basic speakers, and a built‑in Android system that lets you install apps like Netflix and YouTube directly. So if you’re honest about what it is – a cheap entry‑level projector – it actually makes more sense. I used it on a plain white wall and also on a cheap 100" screen, and I tried it with an Xbox, a Fire Stick, and screen mirroring from my phone.

Overall, I’d say it’s good value if you keep your expectations in check. It’s clearly not on the same level as a £400+ projector, but for casual use, kids’ rooms, or occasional outdoor movies in the dark, it gets the job done. You just need to accept some limits: brightness, fan noise, and the fact that the built‑in Android is a bit sluggish at times.

If you’re thinking of using this as your main TV replacement in a bright living room, you’ll probably be disappointed. But if you want something cheap, portable, and simple to plug in and watch Netflix or YouTube on a big wall, then it starts to make sense. I’ll break down what worked for me and what clearly didn’t, so you know what you’re really buying.

In terms of value for money, this is where the HY300 PRO+ actually makes sense. Several Amazon reviews mention prices around £40, and at that level, it’s hard to be too harsh. For that amount, you get a projector that can throw a 60–100" image, has built-in Android with apps, WiFi, Bluetooth, auto keystone, and all the basic ports (HDMI, USB, AV). If you just want a big screen for occasional Netflix, YouTube, or kids’ movies in a dark room, it’s honestly a pretty good deal.

Where it can feel a bit misleading is if you take the marketing literally and expect true 1080p, super high brightness, and pro-level gaming performance. Then you’ll be disappointed. The native 720p resolution, the 170 ANSI lumens, the short warranty, the average speakers, and the fan noise are the main compromises. But again, at this price, you won’t find a projector without some trade‑offs. Compared to more expensive projectors I’ve used (in the £300–£600 range), the difference is obvious in brightness, sharpness, and sound, but those cost many times more.

Where I think it really shines in value is for entry-level users: students, kids, or anyone who just wants to test the projector experience without sinking a lot of money into it. Also for secondary setups: bedroom projector, occasional garden movie night, or something you don’t mind lending or moving around. If it gets a scratch or doesn’t last five years, it’s not the end of the world at this price.

So in my opinion, the value is good, as long as you accept it for what it is: a budget, no-frills projector that does the basics decently. If you’re picky about image quality, brightness, and sound, you should save up for something more serious. If you’re fine with “good enough in the dark”, this one gives you a lot of features for not much money.

The HY300 PRO+ has this cylindrical, compact design that’s actually quite practical. It’s light enough that you can easily grab it with one hand and move it from room to room. I usually keep it on a bedside table and sometimes move it to the living room coffee table. It also has a tripod mount, which is useful if you want to project on a higher wall or even on the ceiling. One of the Amazon reviewers mentioned using it for wall-to-ceiling projection, and I did the same – it holds its position reasonably well once you adjust it.

The controls on the unit are basic, so you’ll mostly rely on the remote. The remote is nothing fancy but works fine as long as you point it vaguely at the projector. The interface is straightforward: a home screen with apps, settings, and inputs. The auto keystone correction is a nice touch at this price. When you move the projector a bit, it tries to straighten the image automatically. It’s not perfect, but it saves time compared to full manual adjustment, and for casual use it’s good enough.

Now, the downside: fan noise. The cooling system is clearly working overtime. The fan is always audible; in a quiet bedroom you’ll notice it right away. It’s not so loud that it’s unbearable, but if you use only the built-in speakers, the fan competes with the sound. With a Bluetooth speaker, the noise is much less of an issue because the audio drowns it out. Also, the projector gets warm fairly quickly, so you really want to keep it in an open space, not stuck in a narrow shelf.

From a pure “living with it every day” perspective, I’d say the design is practical and compact, with the main trade-off being the fan noise and the need for good ventilation. It’s not a premium object, but it doesn’t look ugly either, and it blends into the room easily. For something this cheap, the overall design is pretty solid, even if a bit rough around the edges.

One thing that’s not obvious from the product page if you skim too fast: there is no built‑in battery. This is not a self-contained, go-anywhere projector like some more expensive portable models. You need it plugged into a power socket at all times for it to work. One Amazon reviewer mentioned they only realised this after buying it, and I can see how people might assume it’s battery powered because it’s marketed as “portable” and “travel-ready”.

In practice, what “portable” means here is: it’s small and light, easy to move between rooms or to throw in a backpack, but you still need power wherever you go. The included power cable is about 1 meter long, which is on the short side. If your plug is not close to where you want to project, you’ll almost certainly need an extension lead. For my setup in the bedroom, I ended up using a multi-plug extension right next to the bed so I could place the projector where the image fit the wall properly.

If you’re thinking about camping or outdoor use, you’ll need some kind of external power source: a power bank with AC output, a generator, or a long extension from the house. The projector itself doesn’t draw a massive amount of power (30–60W depending on how you read the specs), so a decent portable power station could handle a movie night, but that’s extra cost and gear to manage. Out of the box, don’t expect to just plop this in the garden with no cables.

So on the “battery/portability” front, my feeling is simple: it’s portable to move around the house or between houses, but not standalone. If you really want a projector you can use anywhere without hunting for a socket, this isn’t it. If you just want something easy to carry that you plug in wherever you land, then it’s fine, just plan for an extension cable.

In terms of build, the HY300 PRO+ feels light and mostly plastic, which is expected at this price. It doesn’t feel super fragile in the hand, but it’s clearly not built like a premium unit. The buttons have a slightly cheap click, and the remote is very basic. That said, after moving it around a bunch of times and adjusting the angle regularly, nothing feels like it’s about to fall off. The rotation mechanism holds its position fairly well, which is important if you’re projecting at weird angles or on the ceiling.

The spec sheet claims 50,000 hours of LED life, which is the usual number everyone throws around. Realistically, you’ll probably change projectors before the lamp dies, unless you’re running it several hours a day for years. What worries me more is heat management. The fan runs constantly and the case gets warm quite quickly. One reviewer even recommended not leaving it on while sleeping, and I agree – not just for safety, but also because of the noise. I always make sure it has plenty of space around it so the vents aren’t blocked.

The 6‑month warranty is a bit short. Many brands offer at least a year, sometimes more. That doesn’t mean it will fail quickly, but it does tell you something about how confident the manufacturer is. If you get a faulty unit, you’ll probably notice within that time anyway, but it’s not super reassuring. Given the Amazon rating (around 4.2/5 with 500+ reviews), it seems most units are fine, but I still wouldn’t treat it roughly.

Long story short: durability seems okay for light to moderate use, but I wouldn’t use this as a heavy-duty business projector that runs all day. For a few movie nights a week, kids’ cartoons, or occasional gaming sessions, it should be alright. Just keep it ventilated, don’t drop it, and don’t expect premium build quality. It feels like what it is: a budget gadget that, if treated decently, will probably last long enough to justify the price.

Let’s be blunt: this is a 720p, 170 ANSI lumen projector. In a dark room, the picture is quite decent. Colors are reasonably vivid, text is readable, and cartoons and movies look fine up to around 80–100 inches. I pushed it to around 120–130 inches on a white wall; it’s watchable, but you clearly lose sharpness and brightness at that size. If your wall or screen is decent and you sit a few meters back, it’s honestly OK for Netflix, YouTube and casual films.

In terms of sharpness, there’s a manual focus wheel. It’s a bit sensitive: a tiny touch and you go from slightly blurry to oversharp. Once you find the right spot, it stays there, which is at least good. There’s no autofocus, and you do notice a bit of softness at the edges compared to the center, but that’s expected at this price. One reviewer mentioned their more expensive projector had autofocus and clearer sound; I had the same feeling: once you’ve used a higher-end model, you see the gap. But judged on its own, the HY300 PRO+ is fine for casual use.

For brightness, don’t bother using it with strong ambient light. In the evening with curtains closed, it’s fine. With a dim lamp on, it’s acceptable. With daylight coming in, it’s pretty washed out. If your plan is outdoor movies, you’ll need to wait until it’s properly dark. The claimed 12000 lumens is basically marketing; the 170 ANSI spec is the one that reflects reality. Contrast (2000:1) is okay but nothing crazy; dark scenes in movies tend to look a bit greyish rather than deep black.

On gaming, I tested it with a console and some casual games. Input lag is not horrible, but it’s not super fast either. For single-player games, racing, platformers, it’s fine. For competitive online shooters, I wouldn’t choose this as my main screen. Also, because it’s only 720p, text in some games can look a bit soft. So yes, you can game on it and it’s fun on a big screen, but don’t expect the same clarity and responsiveness as a proper gaming monitor or a higher-end projector.

On the listing, the HY300 PRO+ is sold as a 1080p Full HD WiFi projector with 4K support and 12000 lumens. In practice, the native resolution is 1280 x 720, which is HD, not Full HD. It can accept a 1080p or even 4K signal, but it will still display it at 720p. For a cheap projector, that’s pretty normal, but the way it’s advertised can be misleading if you don’t read the specs properly. For movies and cartoons, 720p is fine at around 80–100 inches, especially if you’re not sitting too close.

Brightness is another thing where the marketing goes wild. It says 12000 lumens, but the spec list shows 170 ANSI lumens, which is much more realistic. In simple terms: it’s usable in a dark room, barely OK with dim lights, and pretty bad in a bright room. I mostly watched in the evening with curtains closed, and in that context, the image looked decent. During the day with light coming in, it washed out quickly, especially on light scenes.

Feature-wise, you get WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, HDMI, USB, AV, built-in Android, and auto keystone correction. The Android system is actually handy: I installed Netflix, YouTube and a couple of other apps and mostly watched directly from the projector without needing a Fire Stick. It’s not super fast, but once a video is playing, it’s fine. Bluetooth works well enough to pair a speaker or soundbar, which is almost mandatory if you care about sound.

So, if I had to sum it up, I’d say: this is a cheap 720p projector with smart features and enough brightness for dark rooms, nothing more. The marketing about 4K and huge lumens is mostly noise. As long as you see it as an entry-level toy for casual viewing, the feature set is actually pretty solid for the money.