REVIEW | LUMOS DAYSTAR Projector Detailed & Honest Review
Saturday, December 27, 2025
One of the biggest drawbacks with using a projector for watching movies is that you can only decently use it in a dark room; during the evenings, when you can turn off all the lights, or in the mornings if you have heavy drapes that can cover your windows. Well, not anymore. LUMOS has recently released a projector designed for use even during the daytime, and they aptly call it the LUMOS Daystar.
In this review, let’s see if the LUMOS Daystar projector is indeed bright enough that it can decently project content even during the daytime.
| LUMOS DAYSTAR REVIEW TABLE OF CONTENTS ~ WHAT’S INSIDE? |
OUT OF THE BOX
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| THE LUMOS DAYSTAR, UNBOXED |
The LUMOS DAYSTAR comes in a pretty hefty box measuring 34.5 x 31.5 x 19.5 cm and weighing about 2.5 kilos. The size is a bit intimidating, but the unit itself is smaller with a size of 32 x 25 x 10 cm.
The package contains a remote control, a power cord, a protective lens cap, a readable instruction manual, and the projector. Unlike other LUMOS projector versions—like the LUMOS RAY and LUMOS FLOAT—it doesn’t include a female RCA to AV 3.5mm jack cable (for external speakers) nor an HDMI cord (to connect laptops).
But like the previous LUMOS projectors I have, the package is heavily and securely padded, so you can rest easy about handling concerns during shipping.
LUMOS DAYSTAR SPECS & PRICING
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| THE DAYSTAR PROJECTOR CAN BE USED DURING THE DAY |
Most LUMOS projectors have two versions—a regular and a smart one. The former is a simple projector without Wi-Fi and no apps, and the latter has built-in connectivity and apps that you can instantly use. LUMOS DAYSTAR is a bit unique in this aspect; it only has one version—a smart one—which means it has internet connectivity and apps you can use to watch content on the net. It also comes in one color—silver.
LUMOS DAYSTAR can be purchased directly from the LUMOS official website for a discounted price of ₱15,999.00.
Here’s LUMOS DAYSTAR’s full specs:
MOVIE SESSION: THE LUMOS DAYSTAR HOME THEATER EXPERIENCE
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| FRIYAY MOVIE SESSION WITH THE WIFE |
As is our custom, we tested out the LUMOS DAYSTAR projector during our weekly Friyay Session with the wife. Here are my observations:
THE BUILD
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| THE LUMOS FLOAT COMPARED TO THE DAYSTAR |
The build actually feels very solid. The LUMOS DAYSTAR, weighing 2.5 kilos, is quite heavy. If you’re looking for a compact project that you can bring with you, this is not it. This projector is something you can actually install in a permanent location, say in a living room or bedroom, or even in a dedicated home theater room.
It does not have an adjustable metal brace similar to those in LUMOS FLOAT, but what it has is a simple bottom screw located on the middle front part of the unit, which you can adjust to tilt it upwards if the surface you’re placing it on is a bit low. I find this to be a tad limited, though, when I place the unit on a standard one-meter table, so I had to put something higher out front to tilt it further up.
The DAYSTAR can actually be mounted on a standard projector mount, which you can attach to four bottom screws.
TURNING IT ON FOR THE FIRST TIME
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| THE DAYSTAR AUTO-TUNING ON START-UP |
The LUMOS DAYSTAR is a darling for first-time use. Upon pressing the power button, the projected image quickly adjusted on its own—tuning both focus and horizontal and vertical keystone orientations automatically to a perfect rectangle. No more fussing for focus and orientation; you can directly start watching. Move the unit, and it also automatically adjusts its projection. Super sweet.
I then connected the DAYSTAR to our home’s wi-fi and proceeded to update its time and date settings. I usually just set it on Automatic Date & Time, letting it connect to the interweb for the correct time. Always ensure the projector’s time is correct for all the apps to work smoothly.
THE REMOTE CONTROL
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| INTUITIVE REMOTE CONTROL |
The remote control looks classy and has a premium feel. As with the two previous LUMOS projectors I’ve tried, it is light, intuitive, easy to remember, and responsive. I don’t even have to directly point the remote control at the unit for it to work—which is a tendency with projectors, since users tend to point it towards the screen instead.
THE INTERFACE
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| THE INTERFACE IS A BIT TOO CLUTTERED FOR ME |
The LUMOS DAYSTAR runs on an Android 9 OS using a Whale TV Launcher. It has a similar interface to LUMOS FLOAT. It’s divided into six category tabs—Search, Home, Apps, Video, Music, and Settings.
The SEARCH tab is for searching anything on YouTube. HOME lists down popular TV apps, plus those that you recently used. APPS has all the popular apps, and if you click the last arrow, all the apps installed on the device. VIDEO has categories you can choose that search through YouTube once you click them. Similarly, the MUSIC tab also performs this way, and also on YouTube. And finally, the SETTINGS is where you can tinker with stuff like Network, Bluetooth, Projection, Language, Date, System, and Application.
I’m not really a fan of this interface, finding it to be too flashy and cluttered for my taste—though I can see how this type of interface can appeal to certain markets.
CUSTOMIZING THE INTERFACE
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| I LIKE THIS CUSTOMIZED LAYOUT BETTER |
I tried looking through the settings and can’t find any option to customize the DAYSTAR interface.
My previous solution to this, which I used on my LUMOS FLOAT projector, was to install a different launcher. So, off I went to the Google Play Store—which is already pre-installed on the DAYSTAR—and downloaded the Projectivity Launcher. It downloaded but failed to install. It seems some third-party apps may not be compatible with the LUMOS DAYSTAR.
I tried DAYSTAR’S default App Store and found a lone launcher, TVLauncher—finally, a simple, customizable, and uncluttered layout! Unfortunately, it can't override the default Whale TV Launcher. It reverts to the old interface upon resetting the device or when you turn it on the next time. The only option for now is to click on the Launcher app after turning the DAYSTAR on.
TV APPS
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| EXPLORING THE APPS ON THE DAYSTAR |
The LUMOS DAYSTAR comes with pre-installed apps. Some of the pre-installed ones are YouTube and Netflix. Some of the other apps, like for Disney+, Facebook, and Spotify, would install upon clicking on them.
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| WATCHING NETFLIX ON THE LUMOS DAYSTAR |
One of the most important apps for viewing movies and TV series, Netflix, works flawlessly. Upon signing in, I was able to continue the original Evangelion series I was watching on my phone without a hitch.
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| BROWSING THROUGH YOUTUBE ON THE DAYSTAR |
I encountered a problem on YouTube using the LUMOS DAYSTAR. Upon clicking on the YouTube icon, it directed me to a “YouTube is not supported on this device” error. I tried updating the YouTube app using the Google Play Store, but again, I can’t install anything from the Play Store. I turned to the default App Store and found a YouTube update. I installed and opened it, but got the same error.
I contacted LUMOS support, and they quickly advised me on a fix for the YouTube issue with a new update patch. Simply connect the LUMOS DAYSTAR to the Internet, and restart it twice within 10 minutes. The good news is that periodic software patches are automatically pushed for the projector. You only need to restart the projector for the update to take effect—completely hassle-free.
I followed their instructions, and, lo and behold, I finally got YouTube to work.
The DAYSTAR claims it can project decently during the daytime, so there’s a WPS Office app bundled with it. This is perfect for those who wish to use it as a presentation tool in school and work.
There are also mirroring apps like Miracast available. I quickly tried it and found it to be easy to use and lag-free. Perfect if you want to theatrify your gaming experience!
THE PORTS
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| LUMOS DAYSTAR’S PORTS |
The LUMOS DAYSTAR has four ports located on its back portion—an HDMI port, a 3.5 mm headphone audio port, a USB port, and an RJ45 Internet port for a faster LAN Ethernet connection. The IR sensor is also located on the back plate.
Previous LUMOS projector versions have a separate AV port for external speakers; it has since been removed on the DAYSTAR version since you can actually use the headphone audio port to do the same thing.
The HDMI ports can connect not only your laptop for work, but also your PlayStation or Nintendo Switch gaming consoles if you want a larger-than-life gaming experience.
Plugging a thumb drive into the USB port, I tested various videos encoded in varying formats using the stock video player and found that it can play popular MP4 and MKV videos encoded in H264 and H265 codecs. AV1s, which are more space efficient, are still not supported on LUMOS projectors.
I downloaded VLC and MX Player, which are both available on the stock App Store, and got the same result. I retained the VLC player, though, since it has a volume booster for low-volume videos and an audio delay feature to sync for Bluetooth latency—it’s when the lips don’t sync with the dialogue, for non-tech talk.
SOUND QUALITY
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| PRETTY GOOD SOUND FOR THE DAYSTAR |
The LUMOS DAYSTAR has two 3W speakers (4Ω3W x 2) that the LUMOS RAY and the LUMOS FLOAT have. These sets of speakers sound great on the LUMOS RAY but sound tinier on the LUMOS FLOAT.
On the DAYSTAR, it actually sounds louder. This might be due to the larger build of the unit. It is enough for a small room, even with ambient noise, without needing a separate external wired or Bluetooth speaker. For a quiet room, it sounds thunderous.
The stereospatial sound, however, leans more to the right—probably due to the position of the speakers inside the unit. If you’re not a hi-fi audio nut, the sound quality is more than sufficient. But if you want a more cinematic experience, it’s easy enough to connect the DAYSTAR to your favorite speakers—be they wired or wireless—and enjoy a theater-like experience inside your room.
I connected mine to a pair of 18-watt Edifier MR3 powered monitor speakers, popped some popcorn, and I’m set.
BLUETOOTH CONNECTION
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| CONNECTING TO THE DAYSTAR’S BLUETOOTH |
Sporting a Bluetooth 4.0 connection, using Bluetooth devices on the LUMOS DAYSTAR presented no issues. I connected my speakers and headphones to it easily, and it easily remembered them and reconnected upon disconnecting and reconnecting.
LUMOS PROJECTORS, however, still cannot connect two Bluetooth devices simultaneously. My wife and I still can’t watch a movie together using two separate headphones. This would have been particularly useful when viewing movies late at night, with your toddler sleeping beside you.
Audio latency is expectedly present when using headphones on movies. Again, this can be fixed by simply adjusting the audio delay on your chosen media player. If you’re watching on Netflix or YouTube, however, there’s really no fix since it has its own media player. Or, you can simply turn on the subtitles so your eyes are glued more to the subtitles than the character who’s talking, lol.
PICTURE QUALITY
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| CLEAR, CRISP, AND VIBRANT DISPLAY |
The picture quality is where the LUMOS DAYSTAR literally shines. While there’s no literature indicating its lumens levels, the manual simply says that it's suitable for daylight usage—a few sites claim it to be in the 1,000+ ANSI lumens range—it has a 5000:1 contrast ratio, native 1080p resolution, and a maximum projection size of 200 inches.
Its projection brightness is easily apparent upon use.
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| USING THE DAYSTAR INDOORS DURING THE DAY |
I tried it indoors during the day with the windows open, and the picture quality is clear and decent—both for viewing movies and presentations. This would be perfect not only for home use but also for office and school presentations and even viewing displays at live events and commercial spaces, like, say, a café.
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| USING THE DAYSTAR OUTDOORS DURING THE DAY |
I also tried it outdoors during daytime on a covered area beside a condo’s poolside area—to the cheers of kids on their swim break—and found the picture quality to still be decent, though already markedly lacking in contrast due to the bright environment. Well, it was probably an extreme case of using the projector outdoors, lol.
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| USING THE DAYSTAR DURING THE EVENINGS |
For indoor, nighttime use, the LUMOS DAYSTAR is a star. The projected picture quality was just amazingly bright and crisp. And that’s on a projected wall with gray paint—sorry, we don’t have an open white wall large enough to project to, lol.
Again, as with previous LUMOS PROJECTORS, even lower resolution videos (720p, 480p) still look clear and crisp using the DAYSTAR.
Its LED lamp life is expected to last for 30,000 to 50,000 viewing hours. That’s about four to six years of non-stop continuous use—three times the lifespan of ordinary projectors.
IMPROVEMENTS & WISHLIST
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| NEED BETTER TILTING MECHANISM |
There are only a couple of things I wish the LUMOS DAYSTAR could improve upon.
First, the tilt-screw for tilting the unit up could do with a better design. Maybe a similar brace to the one used on the LUMOS FLOAT, but sturdier. To be fair, the DAYSTAR is really designed to be used in a permanent location.
And second, the interface; I understand how being flashy sells, but there are people like me who like things simple and clean. An option to enable interface customization or even the use of third-party launchers can easily fix that.
And that brings us to the Google Play Store installation issue, which, no doubt, will be addressed in future updates.
AFTER-SALES SUPPORT
The LUMOS DAYSTAR has a full one-year warranty from the date of purchase. They have local support in the Philippines, and you may contact them at support@lumosprojector.ph or through their FB Messenger Chat via their Facebook Page.
FINAL THOUGHTS
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| WATCHING OUR FAVORITE SHOW, THE AMAZING RACE, ON THE LUMOS DAYSTAR |
After testing and using the LUMOS DAYSTAR for a couple of weeks, I returned the LUMOS FLOAT in its box and set the DAYSTAR as my go-to projector—even with its larger size and heavier weight. I love how bright, clear, crisp, and large its projected videos are. It’s the closest to a cinema experience I’ve had inside our home so far.
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