Verdict
Uniquely transportable, this compact 4K projector can bring bright big screen images to any room
Pros
- Compact form factor
- Bright, detail pictures
- Built-in webOS smart platform
Cons
- Onboard audio is puny
- Noisy fan
- No built-in battery
-
Transportable designReassuringly compact, the CineBeam Q has a carry handle that cleverly doubles as a projector stand -
Wireless cinemaBuilt around the webOS smart, key streaming services are built in and ready to entertain -
HDMI inputWhile this bijou beamer is designed to stream, you can still hook up a games console if you fancy a wall-sized frag fest
Introduction
The LG CineBeam Qube is a portable 4K projector that can be used pretty much anywhere. It’s bright enough for daytime sports, goes well with movies and popcorn, and is certain to keep the kids entertained when bad weather makes a trip to the cinema too onerous a prospect.
The projector sports a 360-degree rotatable handle that doubles as an angled stand, and comes with helpful Auto Screen and Auto Focus adjustment. The projector requires no expertise to set up, although as it lacks a battery, so you will need an external power supply
Availability
Available now, the HU710PB sells for £1299 in the UK, and US$1299 in the US. In Australia, you can pick one up for AUS$2499. This places it at the affordable end of the 4K projector market. In many ways it’s similar to the (cheaper) Samsung Freestyle projector, but that model is HD resolution only.
Design
- Ultra-compact
- Built-in 3W sound system
- Single HDMI
Measuring just 80 x 135 x 135mm, this model is sit-on-your-coffee-table-and-you’ll-hardly-notice-it small, and weighs just 1.49kg.
The most notable aspect of its design is the rotating handle, which doubles as an angled stand. It’s this that enables you to get the picture pointing just where you need it, be it a convenient wall, pop up screen or the ceiling. The projector’s speaker fires from the rear. The finish is a smart silvery grey.
Manual controls are notable only by their absence. Auto keystone correction combats any picture distortion, if the projector is on the wonk, while Auto Focus holds everything in sharp relief. There’s no zoom, instead image size is dictated purely by its distance from wall or screen. Place 2.66m from a wall, and you’ll be able to cast a 100-inch image.
When it comes to physical connectivity, there’s an HDMI input with eARC, useful to hook up a games console or media streamer.
Perhaps oddly, given the portable design, there’s no battery built into the HU710PB. The power supply is actually a separate brick, one key reason why the thing is so tidy. The good news is the projector can also run from an external power bank, via USB-C.
Features
- webOS smart
- Apple AirPlay 2
- Standard IR remote
The CineBeam Q is built upon the popular webOS 6.0 smart platform, and is operated much like any webOS smart TV. However, the projector doesn’t come with a TV-style LG Magic Remote. Instead you get a standard, compact zapper with dedicated buttons for Netflix, Disney Plus and Prime Video, and a directional keypad, with Home button, Volume and input selection. Unfortunately, I found this controller not particularly responsive; it often took several deep presses to engage the OSD.
There’s no inbuilt tuner, but you will find a selection of big name streaming services, including Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, Rakuten TV, Apple TV Plus and YouTube on hand. While this webOS iteration looks familiar, it doesn’t have the same number of apps as the average LG webOS TV.
Navigation is straightforward. There’s a Trending Now rail, followed by the installed app bar, and content recommendations.
The CineBeam Q can also mirror smartphones and laptops over Wi-Fi, using either MiraCast for Android, or AirPlay 2 for Apple kit.
Performance
- RGB Laser light source
- 3W mono sound system
The CineBeam Q’s picture is pleasingly punchy. Brightness is rated at 500 ANSI lumens, but this rather undersells the viewing experience. The projector is bright enough to watch in a moderately lit room, and comes into its own in a fully dark environment.
Lights dimmed, the image appears bright and colour rich, offering deep reds and luscious yellows. There’s a tendency to oversaturate primary hues, but this is a projector that wants to make an impact, not seduce its audience with cinematic nuance.
Black level performance is fine but not outstanding. The projector ostensibly supports HDR10, however the notion that the HU710PB can present peak HDR highlights proves a tad fanciful.
While there’s a limit to how much detail is held in deeper blacks, the picture certainly doesn’t give the impression of being flat or overly hollowed out. Contrast ratio is quoted at 450,000:1.
The bright sunlit exteriors of Greek mythology show Kaos (Netflix, 4K HDR) present plenty of opportunities for the CineBeam Q to shine: the viridescent foliage in Zeus’ garden, and the bright tracksuit that he wears as he saunters through, really pop.
Similarly, Bad Monkey (Apple TV +), with its bright Miami setting, is a blast. The projector revels in the show’s sun-baked colours. LG quotes 154% of DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage. The projector’s 3-channel RGB Laser engine has a separate light source for red, green, and blue.
Picture modes include Standard, Cinema Home, Cinema, and Vivid. There’s also a Game Optimizer setting. There’s not a great deal of difference to be had between them.
My two preferred settings were Standard and Cinema. The former has the edge in brightness. Motion handling is via TruMotion. The best options here are Cinematic Movement, and Natural.
Operational noise is constant and noticeable, at 29dB, but not overbearingly loud. You can drop this down by running in Energy Saving Max mode, to around 25dB, but there’s a price to be paid in picture brightness.
While the Cinebeam’s pictures may be large and sharp, the audio it produces is small and soft. Even when volume is cranked all the way up to 100, I struggled to hear what was going on over the internal fan, and the various sound modes (AI Sound, Standard, Cinema, Clear voice, Sports, Music) make precious little difference given the monophonic nature of the built in speaker.
While the HU710PB’s sound system is basic you can upgrade the listening experience over Bluetooth, pairing the projector with either a wireless speaker or headphones. Helpfully, it has a dual audio output.
Alternatively, you can take advantage of the eARC HDMI connection and route audio out to a pair of active wireless speakers or soundbar.
Latest deals
Should you buy it?
If you want easily displayed, super large images, then the CineBeam Q is tailor made
Requiring precious little effort to set up, this diminutive beamer entertains with big, bold images. Aim it a large white wall and you’ll soon find yourself engulfed by its imagery.
If you want a home cinema projector
If you’re looking for a serious home cinema projector, this transportable really isn’t up to the job. It lacks the accuracy and dynamics a cinephile would demand
Final Thoughts
The CineBeam Q may not be a projector for AV enthusiasts, but it is a lot of fun. You can set it up anywhere (provided there’s a power supply handy) and browse YouTube, or binge a show. It impresses with its colour vibrancy. The audio is best described as functional, but there are ways around that. Recommended.
How we test
We test every projector we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
Tested for more than a week
Tested with real world use
FAQs
According to LG, the CineBeam Q’s laser output can last as long as 20,000 hours, which if you were to watch it non-stop, would be 833 days.
Verdict
Uniquely transportable, this compact 4K projector can bring bright big screen images to any room
Pros
- Compact form factor
- Bright, detail pictures
- Built-in webOS smart platform
Cons
- Onboard audio is puny
- Noisy fan
- No built-in battery
-
Transportable designReassuringly compact, the CineBeam Q has a carry handle that cleverly doubles as a projector stand -
Wireless cinemaBuilt around the webOS smart, key streaming services are built in and ready to entertain -
HDMI inputWhile this bijou beamer is designed to stream, you can still hook up a games console if you fancy a wall-sized frag fest
Introduction
The LG CineBeam Qube is a portable 4K projector that can be used pretty much anywhere. It’s bright enough for daytime sports, goes well with movies and popcorn, and is certain to keep the kids entertained when bad weather makes a trip to the cinema too onerous a prospect.
The projector sports a 360-degree rotatable handle that doubles as an angled stand, and comes with helpful Auto Screen and Auto Focus adjustment. The projector requires no expertise to set up, although as it lacks a battery, so you will need an external power supply
Availability
Available now, the HU710PB sells for £1299 in the UK, and US$1299 in the US. In Australia, you can pick one up for AUS$2499. This places it at the affordable end of the 4K projector market. In many ways it’s similar to the (cheaper) Samsung Freestyle projector, but that model is HD resolution only.
Design
- Ultra-compact
- Built-in 3W sound system
- Single HDMI
Measuring just 80 x 135 x 135mm, this model is sit-on-your-coffee-table-and-you’ll-hardly-notice-it small, and weighs just 1.49kg.
The most notable aspect of its design is the rotating handle, which doubles as an angled stand. It’s this that enables you to get the picture pointing just where you need it, be it a convenient wall, pop up screen or the ceiling. The projector’s speaker fires from the rear. The finish is a smart silvery grey.
Manual controls are notable only by their absence. Auto keystone correction combats any picture distortion, if the projector is on the wonk, while Auto Focus holds everything in sharp relief. There’s no zoom, instead image size is dictated purely by its distance from wall or screen. Place 2.66m from a wall, and you’ll be able to cast a 100-inch image.
When it comes to physical connectivity, there’s an HDMI input with eARC, useful to hook up a games console or media streamer.
Perhaps oddly, given the portable design, there’s no battery built into the HU710PB. The power supply is actually a separate brick, one key reason why the thing is so tidy. The good news is the projector can also run from an external power bank, via USB-C.
Features
- webOS smart
- Apple AirPlay 2
- Standard IR remote
The CineBeam Q is built upon the popular webOS 6.0 smart platform, and is operated much like any webOS smart TV. However, the projector doesn’t come with a TV-style LG Magic Remote. Instead you get a standard, compact zapper with dedicated buttons for Netflix, Disney Plus and Prime Video, and a directional keypad, with Home button, Volume and input selection. Unfortunately, I found this controller not particularly responsive; it often took several deep presses to engage the OSD.
There’s no inbuilt tuner, but you will find a selection of big name streaming services, including Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, Rakuten TV, Apple TV Plus and YouTube on hand. While this webOS iteration looks familiar, it doesn’t have the same number of apps as the average LG webOS TV.
Navigation is straightforward. There’s a Trending Now rail, followed by the installed app bar, and content recommendations.
The CineBeam Q can also mirror smartphones and laptops over Wi-Fi, using either MiraCast for Android, or AirPlay 2 for Apple kit.
Performance
- RGB Laser light source
- 3W mono sound system
The CineBeam Q’s picture is pleasingly punchy. Brightness is rated at 500 ANSI lumens, but this rather undersells the viewing experience. The projector is bright enough to watch in a moderately lit room, and comes into its own in a fully dark environment.
Lights dimmed, the image appears bright and colour rich, offering deep reds and luscious yellows. There’s a tendency to oversaturate primary hues, but this is a projector that wants to make an impact, not seduce its audience with cinematic nuance.
Black level performance is fine but not outstanding. The projector ostensibly supports HDR10, however the notion that the HU710PB can present peak HDR highlights proves a tad fanciful.
While there’s a limit to how much detail is held in deeper blacks, the picture certainly doesn’t give the impression of being flat or overly hollowed out. Contrast ratio is quoted at 450,000:1.
The bright sunlit exteriors of Greek mythology show Kaos (Netflix, 4K HDR) present plenty of opportunities for the CineBeam Q to shine: the viridescent foliage in Zeus’ garden, and the bright tracksuit that he wears as he saunters through, really pop.
Similarly, Bad Monkey (Apple TV +), with its bright Miami setting, is a blast. The projector revels in the show’s sun-baked colours. LG quotes 154% of DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage. The projector’s 3-channel RGB Laser engine has a separate light source for red, green, and blue.
Picture modes include Standard, Cinema Home, Cinema, and Vivid. There’s also a Game Optimizer setting. There’s not a great deal of difference to be had between them.
My two preferred settings were Standard and Cinema. The former has the edge in brightness. Motion handling is via TruMotion. The best options here are Cinematic Movement, and Natural.
Operational noise is constant and noticeable, at 29dB, but not overbearingly loud. You can drop this down by running in Energy Saving Max mode, to around 25dB, but there’s a price to be paid in picture brightness.
While the Cinebeam’s pictures may be large and sharp, the audio it produces is small and soft. Even when volume is cranked all the way up to 100, I struggled to hear what was going on over the internal fan, and the various sound modes (AI Sound, Standard, Cinema, Clear voice, Sports, Music) make precious little difference given the monophonic nature of the built in speaker.
While the HU710PB’s sound system is basic you can upgrade the listening experience over Bluetooth, pairing the projector with either a wireless speaker or headphones. Helpfully, it has a dual audio output.
Alternatively, you can take advantage of the eARC HDMI connection and route audio out to a pair of active wireless speakers or soundbar.
Latest deals
Should you buy it?
If you want easily displayed, super large images, then the CineBeam Q is tailor made
Requiring precious little effort to set up, this diminutive beamer entertains with big, bold images. Aim it a large white wall and you’ll soon find yourself engulfed by its imagery.
If you want a home cinema projector
If you’re looking for a serious home cinema projector, this transportable really isn’t up to the job. It lacks the accuracy and dynamics a cinephile would demand
Final Thoughts
The CineBeam Q may not be a projector for AV enthusiasts, but it is a lot of fun. You can set it up anywhere (provided there’s a power supply handy) and browse YouTube, or binge a show. It impresses with its colour vibrancy. The audio is best described as functional, but there are ways around that. Recommended.
How we test
We test every projector we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
Tested for more than a week
Tested with real world use
FAQs
According to LG, the CineBeam Q’s laser output can last as long as 20,000 hours, which if you were to watch it non-stop, would be 833 days.
