Smartphones have become quite capable, but an iPhone or Android device can't project the display using an app. These hand-sized devices are capable of transferring data at high speeds over a 5G network, taking super clear images even at night, and playing demanding video games at maximum graphics settings. Companies are also often experimenting with the limitations of these devices.

For instance, popular Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi created an all-screen smartphone called Mi Mix Alpha. Although it looked gorgeous and generated a lot of hype, it never made it to production. For some time, Nokia's Lumia series of smartphones shipped with a Windows-based operating system and large camera sensors on the back. However, that approach didn't work out either.

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To project an image or a video on a screen, a device must have the right equipment. Firstly, it would need an LCD display or a DMD chip to generate moving images with the required colors. The image is then projected on a large screen with the help of an optical lens. While the image generator and lens are the basic parts of a projector, modern-day projectors like Samsung's Freestyle are equipped with other parts, such as auto-focus sensors, ambient light sensors to adjust the screen brightness, and more. Since a regular iPhone or Android device does not have any of this equipment, it cannot be turned into a projector by simply downloading an application. However, some companies have showcased their ambition for innovation by fitting portable projectors inside smartphones.

Smartphones With Built-In Projectors

phone with projector

Back in 2014, Samsung launched a smartphone called the Samsung Galaxy Beam 2. The smartphone had a 4.66-inch display and ran on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. While these specifications sound ordinary, the device had a 20 lumens projector with 800 x 480 resolution built in to its top panel. Then there's the Movi Phone which features a 50 lumen, 1280 x 720 resolution projector along with a 5.5-inch FHD IPS display and a 13MP rear camera. Lenovo also created a smartphone with a built-in projector, called the Lenovo Smart Case.

The smartphones mentioned above have a dedicated screen and lens setup for projecting images on a surface, unlike the iPhone 13, Samsung Galaxy S22 and other current smartphones. However, due to obvious limitations of size, the projection equipment on these devices was more of a gimmick than an actual feature, and the companies eventually stopped production on these devices. While there are applications that can help users connect their iPhone or Android phone to a projector, there are no apps that can turn a smartphone into a projector.

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Source: Samsung, Movi Phone