Now, full disclosure, despite what my parents may think, just because I work on a website doesn't mean I'm down with all things tech-related. I don't have my home set up on a smart system, I still don't fully understand the Cloud, and yes — I tend to pick my tech based more on what it looks like, than what it can do.
It's for that reason that when I was faced with the prospect of buying a TV when I first moved into my new flat, I opted for a projector instead. Personally, I don't like the look of TVs, and hate the idea of arranging my living room to make it the focal point.
Now, my partner knows a lot more about tech than I do, but I know deals, so we bought the most basic — but good-looking — model on the market. I had no complaints with it, until Epson reached out and offered to let me test its new Epson Lifestudio Flex EF-72 Projector (available here on Peter Tyson, or on Amazon, too, on sale for Black Friday, and with a free gift of a Nespresso coffee machine on both sites)and I discovered the full extent of what the best projectors can really do.
If you take away anything from this review, let it be this: it has super crisp visuals, it's the only brand to have built-in speakers by Bose (and you can connect to them via Bluetooth and use them separately), it has ambient LED lights that let it double as a table lamp, and it's pretty pretty, thanks to a sleek, oak finish.
While beautiful, the Epson Lifestudio Flex EF-72 Projector is big (measuring 190 x 190 x 249mm) compared to others on the market. It's packed with features, though, including a Bose speaker, LED lights, and it basically sets itself up.
Plus, if you buy now, you'll also get a free Nespresso Vertuo Pop Coffee Machine (usually £86.16, currently £54.99 on Amazon).
If you're not particularly bothered by the oak finish, you can also get the Epson Lifestudio Flex EF-71 in Diamond White for £755.99.
First Impressions
Even though I'm not great with tech, I'm also a millennial, which means I never seem to have the patience to read instruction manuals. Luckily for me, the Epson EF-72 projector steps you through the setup process with relative ease. Features such as the zoom shift, auto-shape correction, and corner adjustments all helped.
The projector has quite a wide range of motion: it tilts upwards 90 degrees (should you want to project onto your ceiling?), downwards 15 degrees, and swivels 180 degrees.
When you dig deeper into the settings, you'll discover additional features such as the wall color correction, which helps if you're not using a screen like me and don't have pure white paint on your interior walls.
There's also a feature that shuts off the projection if someone walks in front of it, for safety, but, to be honest, I turned it off after a while because I kept walking in front of it (I like to have something — *ahem* reality TV — playing while I clean the house), and it means you have to press play again on the remote every time. It's a great feature if you have children, though, I'd say.
While, at first, I had it positioned on my coffee table directly in front of the wall it was projecting onto, I've since moved it to a high stool next to my sofa, tucked away in the corner to be more discreet, and it managed to auto-adjust to the diagonal cast with ease.
What Are the Features of the Epson Lifestudio Flex EF-72 Projector?
Style
Okay, I'm putting this first, because, as I've said, style ranks high for me when buying... well, just about anything. And when it comes to coffee table projectors, Epson's Lifestyle Flex EF-72 in Oak scores big on style.
Rather than a squat box, it sits proudly on a small stand (and you can buy a taller, adjustable floor stand too), has a stylish oak-veneer top, and is wrapped in fabric on the sides, which conceals the Bose speakers.
I must admit, compared to my Samsung Freestyle 2nd Gen Portable projector, this model is quite large and harder to conceal in your space, so thankfully, it makes an effort to look good.
Image Quality
Honestly, I am not the best person to run you through the ins and outs of the image specs, so instead, I'll show you. Above is a comparison of the same scene — yes, it's the "Pick Me" moment from Grey's Anatomy, of course — shown on my £499 Samsung projector versus the £1,149.99 Epson EF-72 model.
I have skylights in my living room, which makes it difficult to get the space dark enough for the best projector experience, but I found that the Epson EF-72 was able to handle it significantly better, with the image appearing much crisper and the colors more vibrant. The clever wall color correction setting also likely helped with that, as I don't have a dedicated projector screen in my space.
There are also three image settings: Vivid, Cinema, or Natural. I have personally set mine to Cinema, which I found smooth, slightly muted, and warm. Vivid was quite bright, white, and had a sharper contrast, and Natural felt warm and soft (and quite similar to Cinema). From each setting, you can also manually adjust everything from saturation to brightness, etc., so you can get super specific, if you know what you're doing.
Sound
This was a big selling point for me in the beginning: the fact that you can use the built-in Bose speakers not just as a part of your viewing experience, but separately as a Bluetooth speaker.
When watching TV on our Samsung projector, we would have to connect a separate speaker in order to really hear anything. That's not necessary with the Epson EF-72 — the built-in speaker does a great job. We don't have a huge space, but it fills the room easily.
There are also multiple audio settings to choose from: Standard, Music, Dialogue, or Cinema. Once again, I've set mine to Cinema, which felt louder (in a good way) and fuller. Music felt more muted (I presume it's best for when you're just using the speakers), Dialogue boosted the mid-range, which meant sharper dialogue, and Standard felt a bit flatter, but by no means bad.
Extras
Gently tap the top of the projector, and you'll switch on the ambient lighting, which glows from beneath the unit (meaning yes, it can double as a table lamp). Hold it down, and it dims; tap again, and it turns off. Once again, a really nice touch. I often use it as ambient lighting in our living room, even when the projector is off.
You can also buy Karaoke microphones that connect directly to the projector, if that's your kind of thing — it's not mine, personally, but it's there.
Is the Epson Lifestudio Flex EF-72 Projector Worth It?
Okay, the big question. Is the Epson Lifestudio Flex EF-72 projector actually worth its more than £1,000 price tag? I think if you're a true cinephile who knows what's what when it comes to all things tech, there is a lot you'll love about this projector. There are plenty of adjustments and settings to play with, plus, it looks really good.
If you're like me, there's also a lot to love about this projector. It can do a lot of the hard-lifting for you, and, if you want it to be, it can be quite a hands-off experience. Just plug and play. But, if that's your approach, it's likely you'll be just as happy with a far more affordable projector, so it's worth asking yourself how much you're really willing to pay for something, just because it's pretty.
