From work to school to social engagements to parenting and so on, you’re a busy person. When you’re on the go, you probably don’t want to be draining your tablet or phone watching movies or reading a book when you have no guarantee you’ll be able to charge your devices anytime soon.
Maybe you go on a lot of road trips with your children, and you’re getting tired of them using your phone to play games and watch movies. You’re fine with entertainment in the car, so long as it doesn’t keep you from your productivity.
You’ve probably been looking at portable DVD players for a little while, but there are so many options and bells and whistles to choose from, it’s getting a bit tedious. If you’re in the market for a quality portable DVD player suited to your travel needs, you’re in the right place.
I understand that you’re a busy person. That’s why I have worked to find high quality tech for you, like the wireless earbuds, so you don’t have to spend your valuable time researching something. Now, I’ve taken the time to round up the best portable DVD options available today, so you can review the 7 options, skim the gist, order what works for you, and move on.
Whether for car rides, airplane rides, on-the-go entertainment, or a multitude of other purposes, you’ll find the best portable DVD player here to suit your needs. Furthermore, I’ve made sure that each of these products isn’t simply the “cheapest” of its category, but that it is cost-efficient and still highly reviewed.
Best Portable DVD Player 2022
1. SUNPIN 11″ Portable DVD Player with 9.5 inch HD Swivel Screen
2. UEME Portable DVD CD Player with 10.1 Inch LCD Screen
3. DBPOWER 10.5″ Portable DVD Player With Rechargeable Battery
4. PUMPKIN 10.1″ Car Headrest DVD Player With Free Headphone
5. NAVISKAUTO 10.1″ Portable Blu-Ray DVD Player
6. 10.1″ Dual Portable DVD Players for Car
7. COOAU Portable DVD Player 11.5″ With Game Joystick
These DVD players aren’t here for the bells and whistles. They’re functional, well made, highly reviewed, and easily understood. Here are the best regular portable DVD players.
Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
1. SUNPIN 11″ Portable DVD Player with 9.5 inch HD Swivel Screen – Best Price Portable DVD Player
SUNPIN has created a well-rounded, convenient portable DVD player with multiple functions at a low cost. Not only can this device be synced at home and used with two headphones at once, but it is very positively reviewed on Amazon and can be handheld or mounted in the car.
The main highlight for this great option is its low cost and good quality. Many portable DVD players of this same quality hover around the $100 mark, and this one even comes with more attachments and functions than many of those.
Here are the specifics:
- Screen Size: This option comes with a 9.5-inch swivel screen in HD.
- Supported Formats: SD Cards, USB, CD, DVD, and multiple disc formats, as well as being attachable to TVs through an AV cord.
- Weight: 2.9 lb
- Remote Included: The SUNPIN Portable DVD Player does come with a remote. This remote is not necessarily easy to use, with 44 smaller buttons on it.
- Battery Type: Lithium
- Mountable: Yes
- Main Highlight: Great price
This mini DVD player comes at a great price with great reviews, but there are many features which make it a considerable option for road trips with younger children:
- HD swivel screen
- Two headphone jacks so each child can have headphones
- Headrest mount holder
- Increased brightness
- Remote included
- Several color options
- Five-hour play time
- Car charger and power adapter included
- Cost-effective price
There is almost always a low-cost-low-review correlation with portable DVD players, but this one is well priced with several decent reviews. However, here is a short compiled list of both pros and cons the reviews on Amazon mentioned for this great option:
- Great price
- Quality image
- Great customer service
- Easy compatibility
- Great for kids
- Great for road trips
- Quality for price is fantastic
- Reduced battery life
- Screen can easily break in certain conditions
While this isn’t the highest-quality portable DVD player available on the market, it’s a great addition to any road trip and comes at a superb price. Generally, this has 5-star reviews and easy-to-work-with customer service if expectations are not met.
2. UEME Portable DVD CD Player with 10.1 Inch LCD Screen – Best Reviewed Portable DVD Player For The Car
This portable movie player is fantastic with high reviews, a good price range, functionality, and ease of use. Its main selling point is that its screen is 10.1 inches and also swivels 180-degrees. This feature is useful, because it can be handheld easily or adapted into a tablet-style DVD player to be mounted easily on the back of a headrest.
With everything you need included at a great price and a comprehensive remote paired with a high-quality DVD player, you’re getting a lot of bang for your buck.
Here’s a breakdown:
- Screen Size: This comes with a 10.1-inch screen able to swivel 180-degrees and fold over into “tablet mode” for easy holding and viewing mounted. HD 1024*600 resolution.
- Supported Formats: DVD, CD, USD, SD card, AV cord
- Weight: 2.2 lb
- Remote Included: The remote includes 40 easily-understood rubber buttons.
- Battery Type: Lithium
- Mountable: Yes
- Main Highlight: 180-degree swivel head/good reviews
Some of the key features for this great portable DVD player include:
- Anti-shock design
- Lightweight
- Wall charger and car (cigarette lighter) charger included
- Saves movie spot when it turns off
- Mountable canvas case for headrests
- Remote included
- Convenient price
- 180-degree swivel screen for tablet mode
- Connects to TVs
- SD card slot
As with any technology, there are ups and downs in the design, function, and reliability of the product. Curious to know how this one stands in the eyes of its buyers? Here are the pros and cons you can take into account based on some mentions within reviews:
- Easy to use
- Durable (even with toddlers)
- Good battery charge
- Great product
- Customer service is easy to work with
- Big screen
- Worth the money
- Great overall product
- Need to remove from mount to insert a DVD
- Difficult to plug in for charge sometimes
- Included power cord could be longer
3. DBPOWER 10.5″ Portable DVD Player With Rechargeable Battery – Portable DVD Player With Great Reviews
If you’re looking for a great product with thousands of 5-star reviews and features to enjoy, we’ve got you covered.
As our highest-reviewed option of the regular portable DVD players, DBPower’s player comes with a rechargeable lithium battery (which is unique and convenient).
It also has a large screen, a great price, and plenty of positive reviews and recommendations. What more could you want?
In case you’re wondering, here are the details:
- Screen Size: This fantastic product comes with a 10.5-inch, 270-degree rotation swivel screen in HD 1024*600 resolution.
- Supported Formats: DVD, CD, 32GB USD, SD card, AV cord. It can also be connected to TVs using the AV cable for a larger view of the movie, in case you’d like to use this versatile option as a regular DVD-player occasionally.
- Weight: 3.55 lb
- Remote Included: Easy-to-understand remote in three button colors.
- Battery Type: Rechargeable Lithium
- Mountable: Yes (mount not provided)
- Main Highlight: Best reviews/excellent quality for price
While this may seem to be a decent option, there’s actually more to it (making it a great option for a portable DVD player). Here are the selling points:
- Thousands of high reviews
- Easy-to-understand remote
- Great image quality
- Big screen
- SD card and USB enabled for digital movies
- Car charger & power adapter included
- Rechargeable lithium battery
- Region-free (supports DVDs from different countries)
- Great volume
- Power-off/Startup in same movie scene feature
- Great price
- Swivel & rotate screen
With so many customer reviews to read through, we thought we’d simplify things for you and summarize some key pros and cons:
- Good quality
- Courteous customer service
- Functional DVD player
- Bright and clear screen
- Good for the price
- Great for kids
- Can have a low humming sound while running
- Player can skip if device is moved around a lot
4. PUMPKIN 10.1″ Car Headrest DVD Player With Free Headphone – Best Portable DVD Player For Car Headrest
Some of the options before this were not necessarily top of the food chain as far as mountability goes…and that’s partially because this one is. It has everything you need for the best mounted portable DVD experience: convenient mounting, great playback, ease of switching DVDs, and more.
While it’s still building in reviews, the high praise it has been given thus far is a pretty good sign that this mountable DVD player has everything you need for a conveniently stress-free trip and happy kids who have their headrest-mounted movies on the go.
Some of the need-to-knows:
- Screen Size: This easy-to-mount screen is 10.1 inches with high resolution in HD.
- Supported Formats: Multi-region (many formats), DVD, HDMI, SD card, USB port
- Weight: 5.1 lb
- Remote Control Included: Convenient remote for controlling the screen from the front or back of a vehicle with no reaching or stress.
- Battery Type: Lithium
- Mountable: A convenient headrest mount is included with instructions for setup.
- Main Highlight: Excellent mounted headrest DVD player
Curious about the features of this high-quality mounted movie player? Here you go:
- HDMI connection
- Great mount/easy to understand instructions
- Easy access to DVDs for switching movies (clamshell design)
- Power-off/startup in same movie scene feature
- Headphone port
- Free wireless IR headphones
- Easy-to-use remote control included
- Car charger and wall charger included
- Great reviews
The pros and cons of a mountable-only portable DVD player are pretty varied, but here are some things past customers have stated about this product:
- Held securely to headrest
- Great design
- No issues, excellent picture quality
- Fast and easy to use and install
- Great customer service
- Highly recommended
- Great battery life
- Overall perfect DVD player
- Occasional sound issues/DVD skipping
5. NAVISKAUTO 10.1″ Portable Blu-Ray DVD Player – Portable Blu-Ray Player
Many portable DVD players are just that…DVD. Not Blu-Ray. Fortunately, Naviskauto and a few other companies are catching on that the beloved, high-quality images that Blu-Ray discs offer are also in demand for on-the-go customers.
This portable DVD player is in a higher price range than the ones previously listed, and that’s because it’s for use with Blu-Ray discs and all they entail. The durability, quality, and ease of this movie player will have you quickly leaving your beloved gaming laptops at home and instead letting your children watch on something meant to play movies on the go.
Here are the need-to-knows about this particular Blu-Ray portable player:
- Screen Size: This one has a 10.1-inch screen in full HD 1080P file decoding for clear, Blu-Ray-quality support wherever you go.
- Supported Formats: DVD, CD, Region-free (many formats), Blu-Ray, HDMI, AV cable, USB, SD card enabled
- Weight: 4.21 lb
- Remote Included: Convenient, comprehensive remote control.
- Battery Type: Rechargeable Lithium
- Mountable: Yes (mount not included)
- Main Highlight: Blu-Ray player/great quality
If you’re curious about some more features offered with this device, here they are:
- Car and wall charger included, AV cable included
- Can connect to TVs (convenient alternative to Blu-Ray player)
- Remote included
- Dolby audio
- Great reviews
- Great price
Here are some pros and cons to take into account, as mentioned by past customers:
- Outstanding device
- Excellent customer service
- Fantastic price for high quality
- Sturdy build
- Recharges well
- Fantastic image quality
- Enjoyable product
- Great on-the-go
- Plastic case picks up fingerprints/smudges easily
- House charger doesn’t have as long of a charge
- Can’t close mini Blu-Ray player if connected to TV (closes movie)
Best Dual-Screen Portable DVD Player
We’ve all had the struggle of children whining about not being able to see the screen when they’re watching a movie in the car. Sometimes it seems like they just each need their own in order to have some peace and quiet on the trip. But it doesn’t make sense to buy them each their own mini DVD player…
So how about getting one that comes with two screens? Thankfully, technology is meeting the everyday struggles of busy parents, and now we have dual-screen options for portable DVD players. Some of these come with their own headphones, can play separate movies to eliminate arguments over what to watch, and overall are ingenious.
6. 10.1″ Dual Portable DVD Players for Car – Can Play Different Movies
One step above having two screens for children is being able to have two different movies playing. How many times have dual screens come in handy and relieved your travel headache…until one child disagrees with the other about which movie to watch?
Luckily, this excellent option on my best portable DVD player list has the ability to play two movies at once. It’s pretty much two-for-one.
Here’s a breakdown:
- Screen Size: This player has two 10.1-inch screens in HD quality.
- Supported Formats: DVD, CD, Region-free (many formats), AV cable, USB, SD card
- Weight: 6.23 lb
- Remotes Included: Not only one, but two remotes for convenience, as well as control buttons on the actual DVD players within easy reach as they are mounted.
- Battery Type: Rechargeable Lithium
- Mountable: Yes (mount straps included)
- Main Highlight: Ability to play two movies at once
Here are some killer features to help you understand the quality of this product:
- Play two movies at once or sync one movie
- Wall Charger, Car charger, and AV cord included
- Five-hour play time per screen
- Excellent image quality
- Fantastic company and customer service
- Great reviews
- Earphone compatible for reduced noise in car
Here are some pros to consider while looking at this sleek, convenient option:
- Great customer service, easily resolves problems
- Easy to use
- Kids love it
- Picture and sound quality are really good
- Great seller
- Love these
- None
However, this overall product and the unique features it offers are enough to make kids completely overlook a couple odd angles.
Best Portable Gaming Option
Some kids need a little more interaction than simply watching a movie or TV series. Many of them prefer to have their hands busy during a trip (or all the time), and if a Rubix cube doesn’t suffice this craving for activity, maybe having a portable gaming console for traveling is a good option.
Not everyone is dropping $300+ on the Nintendo Switch or other gaming projects; many are purchasing portable DVD players which can double as gaming systems. This is an excellent, versatile option which can keep children entertained on larger screens and for longer time periods.
7. COOAU Portable DVD Player 11.5″ With Game Joystick – Good Reviews Gaming Option
This great portable DVD player also offers tons of those innocent, classic arcade-style games we envision from the 80s.
The build and overall design of this product is durable and made of quality materials, and you can expect long-term fun watching movies on an eye-protective screen and playing fun, harmless games on the go.
Here’s a general breakdown for your convenience:
- Screen Size: This product has a 9.5-inch screen in brightness-enhanced HD quality. It can also swivel 270 degrees. Furthermore, its screen is build to be eyesight-protective.
- Supported Formats: DVD, CD, AV cable, USB, SD card, Region-free for many formats (Mini games included)
- Weight: 2.98 lb
- Remotes Included: A remote control is included, as well as a DC power adapter.
- Battery Type: Rechargeable Lithium
- Mountable: Yes (not included)
- Main Highlight: Over 100 classic games included (with joystick)
If it sounds too good to be true (a harmless video game console and DVD player wrapped up in one glorious package), here are some other features to ogle:
- Excellent reviews
- Fantastic price
- 180 miniature classic arcade-style games
- Great audio quality
- “Break point” (turns back on where movie left off)
If you don’t believe the awesomeness of this portable DVD player, check out some of the pros and cons which hundreds of reviewers on Amazon have mentioned:
- Lightweight
- Practical
- Great battery life
- Helpful customer service
- Good image quality and clarity
- Easy-to-follow instructions
- Multiple color options is great
- Perfect for long car rides
- Great as a gift
- Volume-adjusting buttons make sounds
Buying Guide
Purchasing a $200 portable DVD player for travels isn’t necessarily a good idea when there’s only one big road trip in the foreseeable future. You also probably don’t need to buy two dual-screen DVD players if you have more than two children. Maybe you don’t even have children, and you’re looking at purchasing a portable DVD player for other purposes.
Whatever your goals are, here are some general tips and suggestions when it comes to picking the right portable DVD player for you and your family.
Screen Size
It doesn’t seem like a big deal until your four-year-old sitting in the back of the minivan is complaining that the screen is too small for a six-hour car ride.
Make sure the size of the screen and the quality of the images is acceptable for your family. If you have a younger child or toddlers, one big screen might work well. If the kids have a problem with others in their “personal space”, maybe getting a couple of smaller screens would be ideal.
Remotes
Some portable DVD players come with convenient remote controls, and others are simply controlled via the player. If you have two or three (or more) children who would fight over the remote, it’s maybe better to have a couple of screens controlled without remotes.
Also, a remote can be very convenient for younger kids who start to cry when they can’t hear the movie, but it might be frustrating to lose said remote at times. Take all of these little factors into account when considering the best portable DVD players listed. Not all families like remotes.
Battery Life
Mainly the DVD players on this list (and most portable options out there) will function on a full charge for four to six hours. However, this can also be extended if they are being used while plugged into the car. Some of these options have built-in batteries which make it difficult to charge the movie player while it’s being used.
If your family goes on regular trips averaging about five hours, a portable DVD player with around four hours is a sufficient option. That’s enough time for one movie, charging time, and time to color or listen to music. If you travel for longer periods of time regularly, try investing in a portable DVD player which can be charged while watching.
Mountability
Children like to snack during car rides. Who doesn’t? But sometimes sticky fingers and grabbing hands can damage the portable DVD players, and it can also cause arguments if one child is holding the system in a way so that the others can’t see.
This is why portable DVD mounts were invented to go on the back of headrests, so that movies could be watched in a car similar to how they’re watched on planes. However, there are some differences to consider for mountability.
For example, some players are built in to the headrests (either by the factory or self-installed), some are made to mainly be strapped to chairs for viewing convenience, and some have cases allowing them to be held or mounted.
Normally, the mounted options are more convenient and can help avoid some arguments and frustrations on the viewer’s part. However, older children might feel frustrated because they could control the volume, brightness, movie, etc., if it was a handheld device. Decide which of these options suits your needs best.
Who’s Watching?
Is this mini DVD player for your children on car trips? Maybe it’s for older kids in the 11-16 range. Perhaps you want to bring your own movies on airplanes or long trips around the world, and this DVD player is for you and/or your partner.
This is another large factor into deciding which kind of portable DVD player is best for you. Higher-quality, larger storage, and better imagery is probably better for older children and adults who are using these on-the-go. Children who are constantly growing and changing interests will do great with easy-to-use, more basic portable DVD players which are less breakable.
Other Uses
Other uses you may want to keep in mind are gaming and music. If your children get tired of movies quickly, but they’re fans of listening to music, there are a lot of portable options which can play CDs as well as DVDs.
There are also a number—outside of the best portable DVD players listed here—which can play old-fashioned or regular video games as well. Take into account whether you mainly want a DVD player, or if music and games are a selling point for you.
Family Movies To Watch On Road Trips
There are some movies which will simply make any car trip better. Of course Disney classics are always a go-to, and old cartoons like “Tom and Jerry” are also winners, but I thought I’d provide some other movie suggestions which can be brought along in a convenient DVD case.
- Zootopia
- UP
- The Princess Bride
- The LEGO Movie
- The Pagemaster
- Narnia
- The Iron Giant
- The Adventures of TinTin
- The Sound of Music
- Big Hero 6
Laptops And Tablets: Why DVD Players Are Better For Playing DVDs
Many people wonder if portable DVD players still serve a purpose these days. After all, you can simply download a movie on your laptop or tablet and be done with it, right?
Actually, there are several reasons portable DVD players are still in style and will be for a long time. Here’s why investing in them is a headache-saver:
- Mountability. Even your beloved iPad isn’t easily attached to the back of your headrest to keep your children occupied. Trying to make a makeshift tablet mount for the duration of a trip which will withstand constant movie-changing, sticky hands, and bumps along the road is quite a challenge, and it isn’t a durable option.
- Storage Space. Downloading movies and Netflix TV series can definitely come in handy, but you can only download so many before your laptop or tablet freezes up and leaves it to you to keep everyone in the car happy. Not to mention, constantly installing movies before trips and then uninstalling them later when they grow tiring is… well, tiring.
- DVDs. No matter what, physically picking out a DVD of your favorite movie is a little satisfying. Your children may prefer scrolling through movies on a screen at home, but in the car it’s a kind of entertainment in itself to flip through a DVD case and pick a great movie. Some of these cases can hold up to 180 DVDs and CDs.
- Durability. Laptops, tablets, and smartphones are breakable. That’s just a fact. If you’re worried about constantly telling the children to “be careful with that”, it’s probably time to get a portable DVD player. While there’s still a chance they could be broken, they’re not nearly as costly as your serious, every-day use devices. Furthermore, keeping the portable DVD players mounted is a great way to keep them from being damaged.
- Price. Portable DVD players aren’t really that costly. Not when you think about their convenience, the headaches they save, the phone cracks they prevent, and the sticky laptop keys they keep at bay. Some portable DVD players can last for years without having any issues, and they keep bigger cost issues from ever happening. Also, most of them are very budget-friendly, as are DVDs.
- Versatility. Not only are portable DVD players convenient because they save you some storage space and technology hassles, but also because many of them today support digital movies on USB flash drives and SD cards.
Conclusion
Whether you’re embarking on a long-planned family vacation to Disney World, or you’re in the habit of visiting grandparents who live hours away, portable DVD players come in handy and will continue to be of service for a very long time. My favorite is the SUNPIN 11″ Portable DVD Player for its combination of affordability and features.
Even in an era of digital and streamed movies, DVDs and Blu-ray players serve a purpose. When connections go bad, downloads halt, and data speeds simply can’t play the movie and get your children to calm down, portable DVD players (and all they offer) are there.
Choosing one of the 7 Best Portable DVD Players listed here can save you a lot of time scrolling through endless descriptions and jargon when you could be spending family time with your kids and planning an epic adventure. Enjoy movies anywhere with these fantastic and highly-reviewed picks.
Last update on 2023-03-30 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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