I just tried this foldable projector that fits in the palm of your hand — and it's one of the coolest gadgets of the year

(Image credit: Future)

There is a lot of tech on the floor at MWC 2025, and if I’m being totally honest a lot of it is pretty samey.

There’s only so many times you can go past a booth with phones offering AI innovations, or with suspiciously familiar-looking phones from brands you’ve never heard of, before it starts to blur together.

But if you look hard enough there is some really innovative stuff. Like this very cool folding projector, the Aurzen Zip.

What caught my eye wasn’t the projector’s small size, it’s the fact it has a tri-folding design. The Zip is essentially its own stand, and it's super simple to set up.

Super compact design

The size is also pretty important. The Zip measures just 3.3 x 3.1 x 1-inches, and weighs 0.62 lbs. Considering it fits in the palm of my hand pretty comfortably, it’s well suited for traveling or for those of you that don’t have space for larger TVs and projectors.

Just be sure not to drop it like I did. It seems that my inability to keep hold of gadgets is one of the major trends of MWC 2025.

If you want to go truly portable, the Zip’s 5,00 mAh battery will apparently last up to 90 minutes, with support for 24W USB-PD for all your recharging needs.

There’s also a built-in speaker, and the ability to project images up to 80-inches in size. Which is pretty incredible for such a small gadget, if you ask me.

Stream from your phone

aurzen foldable projector mirroring a smartphone — (Image credit: Future)

My favorite part is the fact Zip has built-in casting support, letting you connect your devices to the projector without needing a Wi-Fi connection.

I actually saw this in action at MWC. The Zip was projecting a mirror image of a nearby phone, and it was able to keep the projection up to date without much noticeable lag.

It’s capable of supporting vertical and horizontal video too, so if you want to watch videos from the Tom’s Guide TikTok channel on a big screen you can.

Aurzen zip foldable projector at MWC 2025 — (Image credit: Future)

The downside is that there’s no option to have a wired connection — it’s all done wirelessly. So for devices that don’t natively support the Cast protocol, like games console, you’ll need to purchase a separate wireless HDMI dongle.

The other issue is that the picture is limited to 720p. Which is far from ideal, but I’m not sure what you could really expect from a device this small.

The Aurzen Zip is currently available to pre-order on Kickstarter, with shipping scheduled for sometime later this month. The projector on its own will cost you $299, but a $399 bundle is available with the CastPlay wireless HDMI dongle, a magnetic charging stand and a magnetic mount

More from Tom's Guide

See more TVs News

TOPICS

Tom is the Tom's Guide's UK Phones Editor, tackling the latest smartphone news and vocally expressing his opinions about upcoming features or changes. It's long way from his days as editor of Gizmodo UK, when pretty much everything was on the table. He’s usually found trying to squeeze another giant Lego set onto the shelf, draining very large cups of coffee, or complaining about how terrible his Smart TV is.