Let's face it frankly: the look of this retro projector (and not retro projector, mind you) is among the most extravagant you can find on the market and to get it the Chinese company JMGO has created a mix of a classic system as it could be a model to mount your super-8s (with double tape winding support) with the latest electronics that includes an android operating system, a series of inputs typical of a modern projector and controls and finishes that are in the balance between kitch and steampunk .
How it's done
The distribution of the electronics is designed according to the needs of reconstruction of an object with a totally dissimilar “analog” operation: the body of the projector is positioned on the side with the front which, instead of being horizontally, is vertical and this despite the device weighs several kilograms greatly reduces the footprint and, thanks to the massive base, has no stability problems.
The vertical arrangement also allows the projection lenses to be raised above the support surface and this can greatly facilitate placement on a small table or stool without having to resort to electronic correction of the Keystone with +/- 45 °.
As we will see, the zoom is not optical but electronic and it is possible to position the projector at a distance of about 4 meters by reducing the image in percentage and lowering the quality a little. In reality, the optimal position to fully occupy the 100 “diagonal screen we use for our tests is about 2 meters away.
The package: there is no intermediate package and if you want to keep the box pay attention to the external paper 
The projector is well protected inside and already fully assembled with the “tapes” installed 
The projector as extracted from the package 
View on the other side 
Side full 
Back 
all accessories in a row 
Here they are extracts. European socket, remote control, power supply, cleaning cloth 
Detail of the original remote control 
The remote control , the plate, the large potentiometers (mostly useful for aesthetics) 
Detail of the potentiometers 
Front view 
Manual focus detail 
The power switch and the input selector 
The physical inputs 
Controls on the reels 
advancement and play-stop 
Tone adjustment
In the package that we unfortunately opened a bit hastily we find the projector with a standard power cable, a power adapter and the remote control supplied without batteries as well as a manual completely in Chinese that we practically need to understand which are the functional keys and which ones the aesthetic “embellishments” as well as providing us with an indication between the optimal projection distance and the diagonal of the screen without resorting to the “digital” reduction of the screen mentioned above. We said about the dimensions the whole system is included in a volume of 47.97 × 36.20 × 16.50cm and the weight is 4.5 Kg. Two meters away we have a diagonal of 80 “while at the maximum distance we have a diagonal of 300”.
At work
Once connected to the network, the projector immediately shows its ability to illuminate the screen even in not completely darkened environments, the 1200 lumens seem really effective and definitely constant over the whole area.
A lot of physical controls, simulated or not, make the approach with the projector very strange: the input selector is not the classic button, it is a lever that allows switching from HDMI to AV to USB, so video playback can be activated or pause or can have advance or return through the central buttons positioned in the spool pins. Finally, the bass, medium and high controls are manageable by three potentiometers which curiously have neither a beginning nor an end stroke.
In the end, the only standard and somewhat reassuring element is the focus ring on the front which has a stroke perhaps a little too short but which nevertheless never gave us problems.
Finally, the heavy base shaped like a pyramid connected to a rectangular base works as an excellent balancing system: a screw in fact allows you to manage the inclination of the projector itself without resorting to the classic thicknesses and trusting in the electronic correction of the trapezoid (both vertically and horizontally ).
Noise and sound
We must say that compared to the economic projectors of Chinese origin that we tested here we are faced with a project designed for the comfort of the viewer: the fan in echo mode is perfectly acceptable (the noise level is about 29-30 dB with any type show and even in films with a long pianissimo is not annoying and does not make us worry about the overheating of the device which also has a good dissipation system.
The audio is truly amazing for the size of the projector and you can see a good balance and a sound without annoying vibrations and “box-like” audio that we have also found in quality projectors of high-level brands.
Connectivity
We talked about the HDMI and Video (composite) inputs, the system manages up to 1080p native and accepts 4K signals but most of the projection material, at least the one protected with HDCP such as TV and DVD movies, cannot enter through the HDMI port unless use some artifice that we cannot recommend here.
The only way to watch more Netflix movies is to use the streaming app available on the parallel Aptoide store with APK that you download at your own risk. If the material is not protected by HDCP and you want to show your films and your images you will have no problem as there are no problems to use it for presentations even with connection to the Mac via direct HDMI or with adapters.
A very interesting plus is the ability to connect via Airplay (actually with a compatible program) with Mac, iPhone and iPad and wirelessly also with Android, very convenient for presentations where the projector is far from the source and perhaps using 5GHz wi-fi that allow for greater speed in the open field.
Behind the possibility of duplicating the source connection via Wi-Fi there is a system with 2 GB of Ram and 16 GB of ROM expandable up to 64 GB. The audio has a dedicated output but also the possibility of connection with Bluetooth 4.0. As we said inside there is an Android engine with a Quad Core processor and the possibility to download software through Aptoide with all the pros and cons of using an unofficial app store: you will be sure that they will run on your projector but security checks may leave something to be desired.
In any case, you will find fundamental apps such as VLC, games and utilities of all kinds and you can decide to start the projector directly with a specific application.
The physical inputs 
Screen selection with favorite apps 
Airplay for Mac 
Airplay for iPhone and iPad 
Here we try iPad Pro on the big screen 
Access with keys and central memory: there is still an Android inside 
Aptoide and its Apps 
Division by themes 
Apple's video podcasts accessed from Kodi
The controls
The remote control has a relatively odd shape but is comfortable enough even if the keys are a little hard to press. From here we have access to the interface that allows us to choose the source (regardless of the lever seen before) to manage the image format, keystone correction and digital zoom as well as some basic image quality settings that do not understand how it happens in almost all pro projectors, gamma management or a minimum of color correction.
In practice you have to trust the manufacturer's standard settings and we must say that, at least in the conditions of use of our test with a neutral screen, the balance was absolutely pleasant. With the remote control you can also access the Android interface with a basic but efficient navigation, at the same time it is advisable to use a remote control with keyboard, an air mouse or a peripheral with greater control capabilities especially if we want to take advantage of the applications included in the basic equipment. which also include an alternative “office”.
Overall, the interface is minimal and comfortable: calibration freaks will be disappointed while newbies who are afraid to change the basic settings will be thrilled.
The projector as out of the box Checks on the reels advancement and play-stop The power switch and the input selector Back Adjustment of tones 
Manual focusing 
Detail of the remote control 
The back 
The keystone correction is done electronically 
Convenient image controls but there is no advanced color management 
Aptoide and its Apps
The projection quality
Having said the excellent basic settings, we tried to evaluate different sources: for Apple TV and Prime Video we could only view the trailers since the films are protected by HDCP, while for Netflix we used the Aptoide app by entrusting it with a test account of the 'streaming application and “running” some series and documentaries originally available in 4K.
We have viewed a series of images and videos taken with iPhone 8 and then projected some presentations made with PowerPoint and Keynote from Mac and iPad Pro. In general the image is very bright, well detailed (especially if you do not use the electronic reduction of the dimensioi) and with a good balance. This somehow makes us regret not having been able to try it all with our favorite movies all protected by HDCP.
Solid colors and consistent even with moderate ambient lighting Great for playing FortNite on the big screen in company
Photo taken with the mobile phone but the quality of the full HD projection is evident
Conclusions
JMGO 1895S is an extravagant looking projector intended for an audience that on the one hand does not want big thoughts in adjusting the image and on the other has a personal film archive without the need to project on the screen those of the main streaming sources or capable of trust stores like Aptoide to run Netflix.
Great for projections of presentations, games and own material stored on Mac, iPhone, iPad. It is not a projector for everyone but in its market niche and for lovers of steampunk gadgets it could combine extraordinary aesthetics with good technical performance with a surcharge that you have to decide for yourself for its relevance.
Pro
Versus
Retail price
JMGO 1895s costs the public 1074 Euro including VAT with shipping from the European warehouses of GearBest. The coordinated cherry wood easel costs 148 Euros including VAT.
