Epson EpiqVision Flex CO-FH02 Full HD 1080p Smart Streaming Portable Projector

First things first, this is a great looking unit. Elegant, clean, diminutive. And it is bright, with great color even mid day in my office with lots of sunlight coming in the open windows (not direct though). And I am still projecting on the wall, I haven’t even had a chance to mount the screen yet :). The projector is pretty simple to use and work out, which is great. There is just one hdmi in, but that is fine with me since I am connecting to my receiver, and that keeps even the input plug hidden under a door to keep this clean design. I really appreciate the effort to make it look this good and perform this well. Overall I am very happy with my purchase.

A few nits of course:
– Ceiling mount: It does not seem to have ceiling mount points? I have a ticket out to Epson and will also ask a question about this on Amazon questions after I finish this review. If it really doesn’t have any, and the Epson mount I just bought on Amazon also is not going to work, Epson needs to make that very clear as it is important to know about. No mention of it on Amazon or Epson.com at time of writing, though a third party reseller listed it as universal mount, but I think that must have been presumptive or default??? Maybe a 3rd party will come out with a mount for it as it is so compact and clean, I would rather have it on my ceiling than most other big projectors.
– 2 Remotes to power up, 1 down: To turn it on with the included Android tv dongle attached, you have to push power on the infrared Epson remote and only then can you power up the Android tv with its separate remote. I get that one is infrared and one is rf, but this is really awkward including two separate remotes, neither of which can even power the other one on. The builders did make it so when you power down the Android TV, the projector shuts down too, which is convenient.
– Can’t log in to Advanced Protection Google account on the included dongle Android TV. I think this will get fixed, and I will come back and edit it. I think it is probably just a launch hiccup where an API token didn’t get persisted correctly or something between a couple different calls, but right now I can not log in to my Google account because I have advanced protection turned on. So if like me you work for a place that uses a hardware key to access your google account from a new device, you might have to wait for this to get fixed before you can log into google play on the Android TV dongle.

All in all, a really nice little unit. Nice bright performance and great color. And considering these things tend to hang out in plain sight on your ceiling (if I can get it mounted there :), both the super clean lines and design as well as the tiny size and weight are pretty amazing at this price point. It is actually so small and clean it almost warrants a new ceiling mount bracket that hides the two connection wires inside a tiny post since it weighs so little. All in all an easy keeper and would have been 5 star if I could log in and there was a ceiling mount workaround. If I could 4.5 star it I would 🙂

Im very happy I went this route.
I did alot of research on which projector I should get with a price point of between $500-$1k.

Full HD 1080P and 3000 lumens is more than enough for my family to watch outdoors for an afternoon movie night.

The pictures and video were taken today indoors around 2:30p and its bright inside my living room.

Android TV is awesome. Connected to wifi and I just logged in and played youtube TV in minutes.

Tested chromecast and it works. Added this to my google home setup.

You can download apps: disney, youtubeTV, VLC, netflix etc…

Perfect for halloween holographic projections. Will use this to project Halloween videos from atmosfx.

Wish lists:
Included android TV dongle was separate- i wish it was built-in then I can have a free HDMI input available.
The included android dongle is connected to the only HDMI input.

Or… keep the dongle separated but at least give us two HDMI ports

Either scenario would work better.

Only one 5W speaker- two speakers would be better.
But if you are adding an external bluetooth speaker then this does not matter.

I wish there was just one remote. This package came in with two remotes. One for the projector and one for the android tv dongle.

(advantage of separate android TV dongle) Now im thinking that the dongle is separated and you can use this and connect to your TV instead if projector was not working. Or connect to any other projector.

Full integration of Google android TV and Epson projectors would be best scenario in my opinion.

Overall happy with this purchase! 5-Stars!
This was just recently released in September 2022. (Last month) so you are getting the lastest and newest model.

I highly recommend this model from Epson if you have a budget of less than $1k.

Dont buy the other projectors on amazon that are less than $200 since they are not reliable in terms of actual ANSI lumens and not reliable if its a full 1080P.

1080P is good enough because theres not much 4k available from youtubeTV netflix or amazon anyways. If more and more shows are on 4k then go the 4k route but for now 1080P is good enough for me.

No, i did not buy the protection plan.
If this projector lasts for three years at least then I’m happy.

Hope this review helps you. Good luck.

My next purchase in the future will be the 4k laser short throw LS800 from epson.

I’m going to start off by saying that even though my review shows a 4 Star.. I would say its more like a 4 and a 1/2 star out of 5 for me. It has a lot of good things going for it except for a couple of minor annoyances. Lets talk about the good things first. It comes with a dongle which turns the projector into a “smart” Android TV projector. I’ve noticed a lot of projectors coming with dongles like this. I’m not sure why, but it is what it is. So when you first take the projector out of the box, you’ll have to open it up the side door and plug the dongle into the HDMI and USB port before booting it. Or.. you can use the single HDMI port that this projector has. The included Android TV dongle is very snappy and responsive. I did not notice much lag at all with the Home Screen and user interface. It is Android 10, so it is a couple of updates behind. Perhaps it will get updated in time, but for now.. It works.
The built in 5w speaker is loud enough to fill a bedroom, or even an apartment living room with sound. The bass lacks a little but it is very usable. I am totally ok with just using the built in speaker for watching movies and TV shows. The lamp is very bright! Epson claims 3000 lumens. I have no way of measuring this, but I can assure you that it is definitely one of the brightest projectors I have ever gazed eyes upon. You can expect to get 12,000 hours of Lamp life in “eco” mode, which is plenty bright. I kept mine in eco mode all the time, since I only noticed a slight difference in brightness when turning the brightness to High. Lamp life drops down to 7,000 hours and the fan noise from the projector becomes audible when in high brightness mode. I also connected my xbox series X to the projector for a few rounds of Overwatch 2. The projector handled gaming surprisingly well, and the reason why I would almost give it a 5 star rating. I am an avid gamer so having a projector that I can game on is a huge bonus. I did not notice input lag when gaming. I don’t have the tools to measure that either, but I was able to play first person shooter games and racing games with the projector. If I had to guess, I would say that it is under 30 ms. Probably in the 10-20ms range. It range just as good as any TV in game mode. The projector maxes out at 1080P and 60hz, so keep that in mind if you plan on using it for gaming. Color output is very nice and the included presets all look pleasing to my eyes. If I had to complain about anything about the picture quality, I would say is the contrast ratio. Blacks aren’t the deepest Ive seen, but its a budget projector.
This projector has NETFLIX! I own several projectors, and this is the first one that includes Netflix! Thank you Epson for getting this installed into Android TV. Netflix seems to keep their app off a lot of projectors for whatever reason, so the fact that it comes preinstalled is a very nice bonus.

Cons: This thing only has 1 HDMI input. And it gets used up by the included Android dongle. I feel like this projector has enough space to include at least 2 HDMI ports. Sucks that they didn’t include a second port, you’ll have to disconnect the included Android dongle if you want to use any other device to game or watch a movie.

2.) This projector does not have any screw holes for installing a mount. So you won’t be able to hang this from your ceiling. The only way to “mount” this projector is on a shelf or table / flat surface. It at least has a built in kick stand, so you can adjust the height a little.

3.) It could be me, but at very large screen sizes.. I would say close to 100 inches. It was hard to get a clear focus. I zoomed in digitally so adjust the picture and even though the center and right side of the screen were in focus, the left side looked a little blurry and soft. I had to zoom out and move the projector physically and adjust the focus slider some to get a better focus. Maybe its user error, but focusing the lens can be a little finicky.

Lastly, there is no AUX or Optical audio output on this projector, so you’ll only get to use the built in 5w speaker or connect a bluetooth speaker. So keep that in mind.

All that being said.. Its hard to bash the projector on the couple of “cons” I listed because it seems to be meant to be a portable projector. Or at the very least, an easy to set up / user friendly starter projector for anyone. All in All, I am very impressed with this projector and I can recommend it to anyone looking for a budget projector. It is quite easy and quick to setup. You won’t need to bring any additional hardware if you want to chill and watch a movie or play a video on a Huge screen. I wish the contrast was a little better, and the speaker had just a little more oomph but
out of the 5 or so budget projectors I have owned in my life, This one is definitely top 2.
4.5 Stars! Would Recommend.

I have been viewing content with the Epson EpiqVision FH02 for nearly a week. If you have ever wanted or needed a massive screen for media content. Epson has made an affordable option to get a screen size most of us would have to go outside to create. Indoors, at 9 feet from the wall/screen, I get an image a bit bigger than 4×8 foot (112+ diagonal inches). The projected image is a detailed, crisp, bright and colorful picture. Movies, presentations and general streaming content all are easily watchable at home or on the go with the included Android TV dongle.

First and foremost I think this is a projector that does almost everything well, but not perfect. At this price it offers far more options and features than I have seen from others in this price range. Presentations will be very bright and easily viewable with ambient light. And if you want this for movies, basic gaming and streaming content. It is more than capable of family movie night. Epson included a dongle that brings Android TV and an included Bluetooth voice remote for easy access to your favorite content providers. With plenty of lumens even on the nearly silent eco mode. Indirect ambient light from several windows is not a problem, seriously its that bright. You will get the best results from this or any projector from a darkened room. Contrast ratios are not as high as the lumen count. Colors pop, but black levels will be a little lacking. Tip: Turn the Color Saturation way up, then dial in the Contrast ratio for nicer images.

Another plus, the built in speaker is really good and decently loud. ( be sure to use white remote to max out volume first, then use the black remote to lower volume where you want it.) I did try 2 Bluetooth speakers to see how well it handled external sound. Turns out some apps had spotty audio (YouTube) while others (Prime) were fine. A stable connection was made. Not sure if its the Bluetooth or the dongle. Maybe an update will help. Just note there is only 1 HDMI port and no optical port, if you choose a sound bar or surround setup for external audio.

Overall, Its an excellent value for a quality name branded projector. Epson makes some of the best projectors and while this model is trying to be a bit more budget minded. It will be very easy to live with for multiple uses at home or on the go.

Notables for others to know.
High Color Saturation level yielded nicer images and helped dark scenes.
No carrying case or bag
There is an elevation leg at the front, but no rear leg(s) adjustment for keystone help. There is some auto keystone, most will need remote for digital keystone and zoom.
Not ceiling mountable. No mounting holes and will only sit upright on shelf.
The white remote signal (infrared) is finicky. Mainly used to setup projector. Be sure to max out the volume with this remote. The Bluetooth black remote volume level only goes as loud as where the white remote left off.
No upscale for older content not already at 1080p or 4K.
Only 1 HDMI port and it has the dongle plugged in by default. The USB port seems to be power only.

I love the fact that you can adjust the picture vertically and horizontally. You can also zoom in and out to crop the picture.
The only thing you cannot do is resize the picture image with the border as well so even if you shrink the picture you will still see the black light from the original size which can be annoying for some people but I do not mind it personally.
One thing that also bothers me is that even. If you connect a Bluetooth device like a sound bar,whenever you turn on the projector again, even if the device is still connected you will have to manually disconnect and reconnect the device (pretty easy to do but it’s annoying that I have to do this every time) or you will only have sound coming from the projecter itself.
Other than this,the picture quality is great and the brightness is also perfect to me because I can still watch my shows and series with daylight coming through the blinds as well as the lights being on.
The software that comes with the projector in order to watch your streaming shows pre enabled or also smooth and there’s no lag so far.

The Epson Flex CO-FH02 is an excellent general use projector at a good value. It’s lightweight and compact enough to comfortably carry in a suitcase or backpack. It’s bright enough to use in ambient light, and it only takes about 9’ to cast a 92” image. This makes it great for mobile business presentations, because it’s easy to pack and travel with and you don’t need to completely darken the room for people to see what you’re presenting. This also makes it good for tradeshow use, and of course it also works well for the home theater. The built-in speaker is ok in a pinch if the room is fairly silent. It’s reasonably loud and clear for dialogue, and would be fine in a quiet meeting room, but I highly recommend using it with a bluetooth speaker for most other purposes.

The one major downside to this projector is that it only has 1 input, which at least is HDMI. The problem is that it comes with a Chromecast/Android TV stick that turns it into a “smart” projector, but it uses up the only input available, so you’ll have to unplug it if you want to hook another source up to it like a PS5, Xbox, or laptop. Fortunately, Android TV works well and is very easy to set up if you already have a Google account. I stream Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime, YouTube, HBOMax, ESPN+, Starz, Showtime Anytime, and Epix with great results and 1080P picture quality. The menu system can be snappy at times, but also starts to lag a bit if you’re changing between a lot of apps rapidly. It also comes with Kodi installed, which is fantastic if you know how to use it. However, the 4.3GB of internal storage fills up quickly and there doesn’t seem to be any way to hook up an external hard drive or to expand the internal one. At least wirelessly streaming media from my Android phone to the projector is an easy affair with Chromecast. It even comes with an Android TV remote that has a built-in mic for Google voice searching programs. I’ve only used it a few times, but it works well and is way more convenient than typing on a digital keyboard.

Overall, this is an excellent portable smart projector that’s good for general use, but the portability and brightness make it great for business and trade show presentations. It’s bright enough to use in ambient light and casts a sharp picture with good color rendition. I do wish there were more than 1 input, but the Android TV streaming works great and at least the price point won’t break the bank. Highly recommended.

PROS
– 3,000 lumens
– Relatively light and compact
– 92” picture from 9’ distance
– Excellent brightness, good in ambient light
– Easy to fit in a suitcase or backpack
– Built-in speakers are somewhat usable
– Rated up to 300” picture
– Chromecast remote control with Google voice command
– Works great with Android phones
– Sharp 1080P picture
– Good color
– Easy to setup and use
– Works well with bluetooth speakers and soundbar
– Can upload your own custom image/logo for the start-up screen

CONS
– Only 1 input (HDMI)
– No lens cover
– Menu system can freeze when switching between too many apps rapidly
– 4.3GB hard drive is surprisingly not enough
– No external hard drive input

Picture is crisp, bright, and clear. Setup is a breeze. The fan’s a little loud, but not ridiculously so (more on that in a minute), and the form factor is pretty portable, if not nearly as portable as some of the modern pico-projectors. The price to quality ratio is excellent. So: why a 3 star review? Because the hardware/case designers nerfed a key feature even though the software and tech team included all the elements to make it work.

As you can see from my photos, the projector’s menu includes the option to run upside down, projecting from either the front or the back. It literally says “ceiling” for that setting once you’ve chosen it. And it does a great job of it, automatically getting the keystone pretty close, with easy adjustments from there.

But there are **no mounting holes for setting it up on a ceiling mount**. WTF?

That means that it’s a mediocre option at best for setting up a home cinema (ceiling mounting both gets the visual clutter out of the way, and gets the fan noise up and away from you), or for use in a classroom or conference room setting where you might not want sticky fingers getting a hold of your $500+ machine.

I could hypothesize about why Epson decided not to include ceiling mounting holes; they certainly have plenty of holes in the bottom.

But ultimately, the why doesn’t matter; all you’ve got to know is, if you want to set this up on the floor or on a table in front of you, or bring it along with you to parties or presentations, it’s great. If you want to ceiling mount it, not a possibility.

Boo. ??

Epson team, if you’re reading this, please fix this issue in your next revision. Meanwhile, I’m packing up what would otherwise be an awesome purchase for return, and trying to figure out if there’s a competing product worth buying.

The specs on this projector are impressive, but be aware that the bulb in this projector is not replaceable. So after roughly 3000 hours, this projector will only be good as a door stop. Epson, what were you thinking?

Excellent product, and excellent value. Only ding is that it doesn’t support Bluetooth speakers. The speakers on this projector are pretty weak, and only “barely” adequate for outdoor movie viewing, which is our primary use.

Pro:
Low price
Real 1080P
Twice the brightness as DLP projector at same price.

Con:
No mounting hole
Not enough interface to connect an external speaker
Speaker not clear enough, loud fan noise