Sony’s Xperia Touch projector presents an intriguing proposition; combining the benefits of a projector with the interaction of a touchscreen user experience, all powered by Android.
Here are five things you might want to consider before picking up this £1400 offering; good and bad.
Sony Xperia Touch Projector: It works on walls
Before you utter a derisive ‘duh’, it makes perfect sense that the Xperia Touch can be used to throw an image up on a wall. In fact, the projector can cover anywhere between a 23-inch and 80-inch area, which paired with internal speakers, makes it a great all-in-one home entertainment device.
To interact with the Xperia Touch you’ll typically have it aimed at a table or flat surface in front of you, but provided you’ve set it flush against your wall, the same laser-based touch interaction is possible when it’s upright as well.
In our experience, you need to make sure that it’s firmly against your wall, as even the slightest gap may throw off the touch system, making interaction difficult, if not impossible.
A software update also promises gesture-based interaction, using the Touch’s 13-megapixel camera. We’re yet to test this feature out, as it wasn’t available when we spent time with the Touch. However, if it works as promised, it might make for the most convenient way to use the projector when it’s throwing out a larger image.
Sony Xperia Touch Projector: It has its own assistant
As the Xperia Touch is powered by Android, you have the convenience of Google’s Assistant and the “OK, Google” wake command at your disposal. But Sony has also included its own voice control software that can be used to access Xperia Touch-specific features.
You can ask for the weather or your upcoming calendar appointments as you would Google’s Assistant but you can also state commands like, “make a call” at which point the Touch should initiate a video call using Skype.
You can also use it to set timers, look up routes, search the web, play music, launch specific apps and more.
Sony Xperia Touch Projector: The cable is way too short
The Xperia Touch connects to a power source via USB-C and comes complete with an in-box adapter. However, considering that it’ll likely be spending a lot of time in a central location or fairly high up in a room in order to throw out an image for everyone to see, the included power lead is woefully short. It measures in at under a metre long (we checked) and as such, couldn’t plug into any of our standard plug points.
If you’re going to be using the Touch on the regular, you’re going to need to pair it with an extension lead.
Sony Xperia Touch Projector: It has a battery
Thankfully, despite the awkwardly short tether, the influence of Sony’s Mobile team has meant that the company saw fit to squeeze a battery into the Touch too.
It’s 1200mAh, which is smaller than we would have liked, granting around an hour’s worth of use before needing to return to the wall plug. Short, yes, but still of use if you need to pull off a presentation on the fly or fancy an impromptu outdoor cinema session.
Sony Xperia Touch Projector: You can plug in external sources
Despite running Android and supporting all of the first and third-party streaming services you can find on the Play Store, the Touch does also accept external physical sources.
Provided you manage to pry off the excessively secure back panel, you’ll see that next to the USB-C power port sits an HDMI-D/Micro HDMI connector. It’s a seldom-encountered connection type, so chances are you won’t have the right cable just lying around, but its inclusion is nonetheless appreciated.
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