The Dell 1510X ( at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) is an easy-to-use, portable data projector with a solid port selection, and image quality suitable for typical data presentations. It’s not a good choice if you show mideo video in your work, but it gets the job done for PowerPoint, Excel, and other data presentations for businesspeople on the go.

The handsome if boxy 1510X is matte black, with glossy black and gray trim. It’s reasonably compact at 3.4 by 11.7 by 8 inches (HWD) and quite portable at 5.2 pounds; it comes with a soft carrying case. The DLP-based 1510X has XGA (1,024 by 768) native resolution. Its light engine is rated at 3,500 lumens, on the bright side for its price and weight.

The 1510X has a decent set of connections for a portable projector: HDMI; two VGA-in and one monitor-out; S-Video; 3 RCA jacks for composite audio/video; audio-in and audio-out; microphone; Ethernet; and a USB port for connecting with a PC to provide remote mouse control. It lacks a USB type A port that would enable you to run a presentation from a USB thumb drive (or connect a Wi-Fi adapter).

Data Image Quality
The Dell 1510X threw an image that filled our test screen (about 55 inches on a diagonal) from about 8 feet away. It stood up well to ambient light.

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In our data image testing using the DisplayMate (Opens in a new window) suite, the 1510X’s image quality proved average for a DLP projector, and suitable for typical business or classroom presentation. There was some mild greenish tinting in some gray or white backgrounds. Colors, especially reds and yellows, were somewhat dull. Text quality was average, with white-on-black text blurred at the two smallest sizes, and black on white readable though not sharp at the smallest size.

All DLP projectors are potentially subject to the rainbow effect, in which little red-green-bllue flashes may appear, especially in areas of high contrast. People vary in their sensitivity to this effect (I seem to be of average sensitivity). Rainbow artifacts were evident in images that tend to bring them out, but the effect is generally not a problem in data presentations and shouldn’t be with the 1510X.

Video and Audio
The rainbow effect was apparent in video, more so than with an average DLP projector, and people mildly sensitive to it may be distracted by rainbow artifacts. There was significant posterization—abrupt shifts in color where they should be gradual. Video quality is okay for short clips as part of a presentation, though it’s not ideal for use in a business setting.

Its 8-watt speaker is loud enough to fill a small to mid-sized room, but its audio had a bottom-of-a-barrel echo effect that was apparent at higher volumes. Audio sounded better at half volume, though there was still some distortion.

The Dell 1510X has similar specs and port choices as the BenQ MX720 ($1,050.51 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) , another DLP-based projector with XGA resolution and 3,500 lumen rated brightness, and is more than a pound lighter. The MX720 has better data image quality, and its video quality is unusually good for a DLP projector.

The 1510X’s 3,500-lumen brightness is matched by the Editors’ Choice Epson PowerLite 1835 XGA 3LCD Projector ($988.98 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) , which has superb data and video image quality; as an LCD projector, it’s free of rainbow artifacts. The 1510X lacks the Epson 1835’s USB type A port (for running PC-less presentations or connecting via Wi-Fi when used with an optional dongle). But the 1510X costs less, and the Epson 1835 is more than 2 pounds heavier.

The Dell 1510X is significantly brighter than the Editors’ Choice Epson PowerLite 93+’s 2,600 lumens. Though the 1510X can’t match the Epson’s image (for both audio and video) or sound quality, it is more portable, and its data image quality is solid enough for typical use.

As a portable projector, the Dell 1510X offers a reasonably compact frame and modest weight. It’s easy to set up and to use, and has a fairly good port selection. Its solid data image quality makes it suitable for road warriors, provided that they don’t use much video in their presentations.