15 October 2026
Why we chose a built-in projector
A phone with a projector sounds like a gimmick until you've actually been somewhere without a screen in sight — a tent, a hostel room, the back of a van. A 6.5" display is fine for scrolling, but it's useless for sharing a map with three people or watching something together.
Pico projectors — the tiny kind used in portable projectors — have gotten small and cheap enough in the last few years that fitting one into a phone's back is realistic, without turning the phone into a brick. Exactly how much extra thickness it adds is still unconfirmed — that's the bet behind Vortex: trade some thickness for a feature that actually changes what you can do with the phone when you're away from a TV or monitor.
The honest tradeoffs: a projector this small won't be as bright as a dedicated projector, it'll work best in a dim room or after dark, and exact brightness is still being confirmed with suppliers — which is why it's listed as "to be confirmed" on the specs page rather than a fixed number.