The Epson PowerLite 1785W is a lightweight, ultra-portable WXGA (1280×800) 3LCD projector built for professionals on the go—whether for business travel, classrooms, or anyone needing a big impact in a small package. Priced at $899, it delivers 3,200 lumens of color and white brightness, making it ideal even in rooms with plenty of ambient light.
Wireless connectivity makes setup fast and easy—just connect to your network or even directly from your smartphone. That’s a huge plus in today’s world, where presentations often live on mobile devices instead of USB drives.
The 1785W is part of Epson’s PowerLite 1700 series, known for being ultra-slim and portable. Epson leads the market with a huge lineup of projectors, and this series is a great example of why. The 1785W has a few close siblings:
PowerLite 1795F – Full HD 1080p, $999
PowerLite 1781W – Same resolution as 1785W, black cabinet, $799
PowerLite 1780W – Same resolution, 3,000 lumens, $749
In this review, we’ll give you a quick overview of what the 1785W can do, highlight its special features, take a look at the hardware, and talk about its picture quality and performance across various modes. In the end, we’ll wrap it all up to help you decide if the Epson PowerLite 1785W is the right fit for your portable business or education projection needs.
| Epson 1785W Specs | |
|---|---|
| Price | $899 |
| Technology | 3 LCD |
| Native Resolution | 1280×800 |
| Brightness (Manufacturer Claim) | 3200 |
| Contrast | 10000:1 |
| Zoom Lens Ratio | 1:20:1 |
| Lens Shift | No |
| Lamp Life | 4,000 Hours |
| Weight | 4.0 lbs |
| Warranty | 2 Years |
Overview
The Epson PowerLite 1785W is a 3LCD projector with 3,200 lumens of brightness and a WXGA resolution (1280×800). One of the things I really like about 3LCD technology is that it delivers equal color and white brightness, so your images stay vivid and balanced. Of course, colors can’t ever be quite as bright as pure white due to how light works, but they get pretty close! We tested the brightness ourselves and also tried it in a room with some daylight coming in (windows open, lights off)—we’ll share how it performed in that environment on the performance page.
Bright, vivid yellows shine thanks to 3LCD technology in this scene from The Last Reef: Cities Beneath the Sea, projected by the Epson PowerLite 1785W.
The Epson PowerLite 1785W Portable Projector delivers accurate colors in this projected image.
Its ultra-slim design is a huge plus—no one wants to carry around a bulky projector when you can get wireless networking, vivid colors, high brightness, and HD quality in something as compact and light as a laptop.
It also has automatic vertical and horizontal keystone correction, making it super easy to get a perfectly framed image—great if you’re moving it between classrooms or meeting rooms.
While it has only a few physical connectors, the wireless options let you connect a wide range of devices. It supports Miracast streaming, so you can easily turn any display into a smart screen, with sizes from 30” up to 300” diagonal.
That said, this is a small, portable projector. Although it can technically fill a 300” screen, realistically, you’d likely stick to 120” or 150” max unless you have excellent lighting control. On my 90″ screen, which is a typical size for this projector, the image looked fantastic!
Highlights
3,200 White Lumens
3,200 Color Lumens!
WXGA Resolution (1280×800)
3LCD Technology
Wireless Connectivity
10,000:1 Contrast Ratio
Good placement flexibility for a compact projector
Supports Miracast for easy screen sharing (works with many phones and computers)
Compatible with Chromecast, Roku, and MHL devices
PC-Free Presentations
Gesture Presenter
Instant Off feature
Built-in 1 Watt speaker for basic sound
Epson Extra Care: 2-year rapid replacement warranty
The Epson PowerLite 1785W is a WXGA (1280×800) 3LCD projector designed for professionals on the go, classrooms, or anyone needing a portable, easy-to-use projector. Priced at $899, it offers bright and vivid images with 3,200 white and color lumens — perfect for rooms with some ambient light.
Its wireless connectivity makes setup quick and easy, letting you connect directly from your smart device — ideal for today’s students who usually store presentations on their phones instead of flash drives.
The 1785W is part of Epson’s PowerLite 1700 series of ultra-slim portable projectors. Epson leads the market with the widest range of projectors available. Other models in this series include the 1795F (a 1080p HD model for $999), the 1781W (similar to the 1785W but in black, priced at $799), and the 1780W (3,000 lumens, $749).