Galaxy projectors can vary from playful novelty designs to educational planetarium projectors and everything in between. In this guide we will compare three very different models and name which one is best overall, best for children, and the best for those who enjoy stargazing and mood lighting. If you’re completely new to the idea, check out our 'What is a Galaxy Projector' post here.
How These Projectors Were Compared
The three projectors here are the ones we currently sell in our store due to their high popularity and variety of features. We will compare each of the products listed features and effects.
Image quality. Here, we will consider how convincing the projected image is of the star’s nebular clouds, constellations, and general lighting effects if applicable, and how convincing these are.
The level of customization and the controls. This will cover just how much control the user has over the projector and how much they can change such as the colours, effects, settings, timers etc.
Ease of setup. No one likes stress and hassle; we’ll look at how quickly we can go from unboxing the projector to displaying a constellation on the ceiling.
Coverage area. We’ll take a closer look at just how well the projected distance is designed to fill a room. We’ll see what the range is, how bright it is, the sharpness, and finally, the focus of the projected images.
At the end, we’ll look at the value for money each projector offers against its features. Given every buyer is looking for different things, we won’t offer a single projector to win in every category, but we will cover the core strengths and weaknesses in the sections below.
Three Projectors Compared
Best Budget and Kids’ Pick: The Astronaut Star Projector (£24.99)
Our Astronaut Star projector is one of the most playful projectors on the market, with its novelty shaped astronaut body it works wonders as a decoration, even when switched off. This makes it a perfect fit for a child’s bedroom shelf or desk. It is also one of the best value projectors that we offer, making it lower risk for anyone buying a galaxy projector for the first time or as a last-minute gift to someone else.
Simplicity it’s one of its key appeals. Novelty projectors like this are generally designed to be switched off and left running with minimal settings to implement or learn. This suits the younger audience well, or anyone who wants a fuss-free starry soft glow on their ceiling.
The biggest trade-off to having a simple setup and easy to use projector is the lack of functions and depth. At this price it doesn’t have a comprehensive suite of features and effects but has fewer controls. Also, the visuals are generally more atmospheric or fun rather than realistic.
If you’re someone who’s wanting a detailed adjustable scene or is looking for accurate recreations of the solar system, then you may outgrow this projector quite quickly. But for children, gifting, or for casual use, it easily earns its place as the best budget projector.
Best for Realism: The Cosmos Planetarium Projector (£49.99)
The Cosmos Planetarium projector is a much more traditional, educational, galaxy projector. Rather than relying on simple light displays or starry templates, it uses interchangeable discs - each of which is designed to project a different view of the night sky or solar system accurately. As the name implies, this model comes closest to a miniature planetarium.
The disc system is one of its greatest strengths, swapping the discs gives the projector a brilliant variety - you’ll have a selection of over 10 different solar system/galaxy images to admire and learn about. The recognisable cosmic imagery here makes a perfect fit for families, curious children, or anyone who’s looking to learn more about our Galaxy/Solar System - rather than abstract colours and mood lighting.
The biggest trade-off to this disc system is that there’s much less customisation allowed, you’re unable to tweak the colours or images as you are with say, a digitally controlled projector. However, this is still by far the best option you can pick if you are interested in stargazing and learning more about our solar system The mid-range price here is a perfect place to start for this kind of projector.
Best Overall and Most Customisable: The Galaxy Projector Halo (£59.99)
The Galaxy projector Halo is one of our most comprehensive flexible projectors in our store, especially at this price point. One of its key defining features is its app control - this lets you adjust the display from a phone rather than having to rely on physical buttons on the unit itself or having to make sure you always have access to the remote control. The greatest strength of the Halo is that it’s highly customisable and this is what sets it apart from the other two.
This level of flexibility is very important as you can use just one projector to serve many moods. You can create a calm, starry night sky for winding down in the evenings and limit the brightness, or, you could create a more vivid scene for a gathering such as a party/get together with friends. The ability to keep changing and adapting the projector to suit your needs gives it a longer lasting appeal than projectors with a fixed display or limited options.
However, there are still some trade-offs. With it being an app-controlled projector, it means you will need a phone to get the most out of it which some buyers will find less convenient than a simple on or off switch/disc. It’s also the most expensive of the three, but keep in mind, for anyone who values control, creativity, variety, and future-proofing it does offer the best overall package.