Philips Screeneo UL5 UST projector Review

Introduction

While TVs seem to be getting bigger and bigger, projectors are getting smaller – case in point, the Philips Screeneo UL5.

As an alternative to one of the best TVs, the UL5 takes up less space but can offer a screen size of up to 120-inches, dwarfing the screen sizes even the biggest (and most expensive) TVs can offer.

There are things a projector can’t do as well as a TV, but if you’re short on space and fancy a big screen experience without the baggage of a TV hogging what space you have, the Philips Screeneo UL5 is here to deliver home cinema in a small package.

Design

• Space-saving size
• Vertical or horizontal positioning
• Mains power delivery

The Screeneo UL5 is comfortably the smallest I’ve tested. At 206 x 94 x 86.6mm (HWD), it’s smaller than my size 11 Adidas trainers.

It’s initially confusing which way to orient the projector but the UL5 works both in vertical and horizontal placements. If you’re beaming onto a wall you’ll want to place it horizontally (lengthways), and as an ultra-short throw projector it can go close to a wall, saving space in the process. If you want to project an image on the surface the Screeneo UL5 sits on, then place it vertically.

Aesthetically it’s a smart looking projector, the white plastic meshes neatly with the grey fabric on its sides. There’s a grille on either side for ventilation (and I imagine it’ll help push sound away from the UL5 too), while dotted around the speaker are physical connections with HDMI 2.1, USB-A and two USB-C inputs (one of which is the power supply).

Powering the Screeneo UL5 can be done through either the button on the projector or the remote control, although regardless of which you use, it takes two presses to get the UL5 up and running (or powered down). There’s no built-in battery so the UL5 is reliant on mains power.

The remote itself is packed with all the buttons you’d need from keystone configuration to brightness, volume, source selection and others. The remote’s buttons aren’t backlit, which isn’t helpful in a dark room.

Interface

• LuminOS
• US-centric focus on apps

The Screeneo UL5’s interface is not powered by Google TV, Fire TV or any other major provider you may know of but by LuminOS, which is Android-based.

It is its own thing and keeps things simple with just two sections: Home and the App Store and that makes the interface easy to traverse. In terms of latency there isn’t an issue other than when the Screeneo UL5 is left idle for a few minutes it requires a second press to respond.

The main settings can be accessed through the remote, and the settings themselves are relatively simple. In most cases it’s a choice of on / off or choosing between presets.

Where things start to get odd about the LuminOS is with its selection of apps. What’s provided leans heavily toward the Americas with apps such as Claro TV+ (Latin American), Hulu and HBO Max (not Max, but the HBO Max version).

The UK catch-up and on-demand apps are not built-in (but BritBox makes an appearance), although for the technically more gifted they could be sideloaded as APK files or downloaded from the APK Updater app.

There are heavy hitters in the form of Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, and Apple TV+; but that brings me to a few more awkward aspects with the LuminOS interface.

At the time of review Disney+ wasn’t working, with error code 83 popping up whenever I logged in. A check online revealed that the Screeneo UL5 was an incompatible device. A fix was in the works when I asked in early December 2024, the problem originating from the latest Disney+ app update.

Another issue is that the Netflix app requires turning the remote into a pointer and mouse control (there’s a button on the remote to switch), and it makes navigating the app impractical.

The app itself is a condensed version of Netflix, so it doesn’t have all the features of the TV app. But even trying to find my ‘My List’ was a painfully slow experience. If you’re based outside the US the app selection is not especially convenient.

Features

• HDR10 support
• Full HD resolution
• Triple laser RGB light source

The Philips Screeneo UL5 does not support 4K resolution, making do with Full HD (1920 x 1080p) instead. There is HDR10 (and apparently HLG) support but no Dolby Vision or HDR10+. I was told any app that supports HDR on Android will be supported on the Screeneo UL5, so expect the likes of Prime Video, YouTube to have HDR, although that courtesy doesn’t extend to Netflix.

The light source is a triple laser RGB, which Philips says is able to deliver “deep contrast and bright image in any conditions”, though I don’t agree with the second part of that statement (I’ll get to why in the next section). The throw ratio is 0.23:1, which allows the Screeneo to sit close to a wall, while the lifespan of the laser source is 30,000 hours. Suffice to say that’s a very long time.

Philips claims the best performance is had at around 80-inches, and also claims it can reach 120-inches in a dark room. The wall I used for testing was only big enough for 60-inches, but I felt that was fine enough.

According to Philips, the Screeneo UL5 Smart is the world’s first mini RGB laser ultra-short throw projector that can produce images that cover 100% of REC2020, 200% of REC709, and 150% DCI-P3 for a colourful image. There’s also 3D support but you’ll need to purchase 3D DLP Link glasses.

Keystone Correction is included and can be changed either automatically or manually. The image was slightly curved on my wall and playing around with the Keystone didn’t alter it for the better but the end result was still watchable.

Brightness hits 550 lumens – more than the Anker Nebula Capsule Max’s 200 and exactly the same as the Samsung Freestyle 2^nd Gen. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2 are supported and the latter helps if you’re adding a Bluetooth speaker as the built-in sound system only yields 6W of power.

Performance

• Colourful, bright images
• Up to 120-inches screen size
• 6W built-in audio system

Few projectors are capable of matching the HDR performance of a TV, and at the price the Philips Screeneo UL5 Smart is at, you’re not getting that same level of contrast or precision with HDR highlights. But as long as you’re not expecting that level of performance, there’s much to like about the Screeneo UL5.

It’s not the sharpest image at 60-inches, and given that I’m projecting images onto a textured, yellow coloured wall, that doesn’t help detail levels either. But the Screeneo UL5 draws its lines and the defines edges well – outlines of characters or objects don’t look jagged or fuzzy – and it boasts a strong sense of colour with images that are punchy, rich and saturated.

It’s a bright-looking image too, though dark room conditions fare better as if you watch it during the day the image will appear blown out. Contrast, highlights, colour – everything is affected by ambient light.

So close the curtains and dim the lights and I think you’ll find that the Screeno UL5 is capable of pretty good black levels (with SDR – standard dynamic range content) and decent shadow detail, so you’re seeing most of what’s in the darkest parts of the image without being affected by black crush (which removes that detail).

With HDR content I find the Screeneo UL5 is capable of strong blacks that avoid looking grey with the Fallout TV series on Prime Video, but potentially at the expense of some dark detail.

The Standard and Movie modes aren’t much different from one another but across testing I found it depends on what you’re watching. With Fallout I couldn’t see much of a difference but with The Mitchells vs the Machines on Netflix (in SDR), the Movie mode offered stronger blacks and colours looked more accurate while in Standard it was brighter and colours appeared richer.

Highlights in general suffer but the Screeneo UL5 delivers an agreeable sense of contrast. Bright objects look bright, and black levels are solid. Playing with the brightness, and I didn’t go above 60% as that caused the image to look washed out.

The audio performance was a surprise for me. For such a compact device, the soundstage is big and spacious. There’s decent crispness to the highs and dialogue is naturally reproduced. Bass is flattened but for whatever reason I didn’t notice the lack of if. You can add a Bluetooth speaker to give it more oomph, or with the HDMI input you could consider adding a soundbar or even an AV amplifier to hook the Screeneo UL5 to a surround sound system.

Should you buy it?