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Imagine home cinema projectors were the same size as your smartphone. That's what's promised by this diminutive new projector from Sony, which can create 120in images and even runs off its own power source. Does that sound too good to be true?

It is. Arriving a few years after the penchant for pocket-sized 'pico' projectors that ultimately failed to offer enough brightness to replace 'proper' projectors, Sony is trying again with the MP-CD1. In terms of brightness, it's technically the best effort yet. Its maximum claimed output of 105 Lumens equates to an image that's always watchable, though the promise of 120in images is overblown. That's partly because of a lack of brightness (you won't want much in the way of ambient light), and partly because the MP-CD1's lower-than-hoped resolution of just 854 x 480 pixels – not even HD – noticeably degrades the image the larger it gets. So the MP-CD1 is at its best projecting an image of about 80in from 2.3m from a screen/wall. There's automatic keystone correction software that works on a basic level, but the manual focus slider is less precise than it could be.

At least once it's setup, the MP-CD1 is incredibly easy to use. It connects to anything via HDMI, including phones and HDMI dongles from the likes of Google (Chromecast), Amazon and Roku. It runs off its own 5,000mAh battery, which lasts for between two and three hours, and can also be used to recharge a phone when on-the-go. The MP-CD1 also has an integrated speaker, although this is rather harsh-sounding.

There's no doubting the MP-CD1's convenience, but this well designed portable projector lacks in quality where it really counts.

HCC Verdict: 3.5/5

Sony MP-CD1
£400 
www.sony.co.uk