The Dangbei Atom has quite a few details to make it stand out, even if it looks similar to some other units out there. At $900, it is certainly a hefty investment, but is still much cheaper than other quality ALPD Laser projectors out there, but more expensive than some other more basic variants. All that means is that while it may feel expensive as you can likely buy a 75+ inch 4K TV for the same price, it is still holding its own against other projectors.

That said, the Dangbei Atom also manages to bundle a bunch of features into a unit to make it stand out. While we have the expected abilities like autofocus and auto-keystone, it also provides a fairly recent, fully capable and clean Android TV 11 based Google TV OS, paired with a well-designed Bluetooth remote to navigate it all. Dangbei also manages to include plenty of picture and audio presets alongside some customization capabilities. Combine that with the solid 800 ANSI Lumens real world brightness produced by the Laser ALPD display technology, and you find yourself with a pretty unique device.

The fact that the Atom allows for the exact same user and app experience as TVs is a welcome improvement as well. In other words the Dangbei Atom offers the exact same UX as any modern TV running the same OS, and it is good to see this gap finally bridged.

Unsurprisingly, much like other projectors from its direct competitors, its actual brightness claims can never be achieved, which is further complicated between the open conflict of two standards - ANSI and ISO. The first brand to openly list both values will get a big thumbs up. While the unit is not portable, its compact size makes it quite transportable so it is unfortunate that the power supply is larger and heavier than it needs to be. Then there is the fact that there is no built-in kickstand so you will end up trying to find creative ways to set it up at the right angle at your friends house, which dampens the overall user experience. That is something that could have easily been considered in the overall design of the unit.

While you may rightfully wonder why one would spend $900 on a projector instead of a large TV, the Dangbei Atom does provide those who want a projector with a sub-$1k entry point with Full HD and Laser ALPD basis. Traditional alternatives in that price range using similar technology tend to lack any smart elements, are much bulkier and don't offer an onboard OS, but do manage to be much brighter instead. So, in short we can recommend the Dangbei Atom if you are looking for an all-in-one unit that can be transported for casual viewing, while you may want to look at traditional alternatives for sunlit living rooms.