Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks
EDITORS’ NOTE
March 31, 2026: With this update, we added the Valerion VisionMaster Max as our Best Short-to-Standard-Throw Home Theater Projector, and the Epson Lifestudio Flex Plus as our new Best Sub-$1,000 Room-to-Room Projector. Also, we dropped the Xgimi MoGo 3 Pro (our former Best Mini Projector). Our remaining picks have been vetted for currency and availability. Since our previous update, we tested and evaluated 10 new projectors for potential inclusion in this roundup and our other projector roundups.
- 4K resolution (3,840 by 2,160) using TI’s XPR fast-switch pixel shifting
- With Anti-RBE feature activated, virtually rainbow-free
- Supports Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10, HLG, Filmmaker mode, IMAX Enhanced, and Full HD 3D
- Triple laser technology delivers a wide color gamut (range of colors)
- Anti-RBE feature raises the projector’s noise level slightly
- Somewhat expensive
The 4K Valerion VisionMaster Max’s $4,999 official list price puts it at the low end of the premium range for home theater projectors. However, its effective price is $3,999, and it’s sometimes discounted even further, so you might think of it as a budget premium model. But what earns it a place among our top picks is how much it delivers for the price. Strong points include high brightness, excellent image quality across the board, built-in streaming, and significant placement flexibility. The last is thanks to both a generous lens shift (for moving the image up or down without tilting the projector) and a large optical zoom, which runs from the high end of the short-throw range (useful if you need to position it close to the screen) to well into standard-throw territory (for positioning it farther away).
For those sensitive to rainbow artifacts—the red/green/blue flashes that DLP projectors tend to produce—the most welcome feature will be Valerion’s Anti-Rainbow Effect (Anti-RBE) technology. Based on our tests, turning Anti-RBE on virtually eliminates the flashes, even for viewers who see them fairly easily. It will certainly reduce the number you see, no matter how sensitive you are to them. So while the image quality and other features make the VisionMaster Max a solid choice for a near-premium home theater projector, the Anti-RBE feature makes it particularly attractive for what it doesn’t show you.
Most people who want to set up a home theater: Serious videophiles who see flaws most people miss might demand a still more capable projector, but for most people, the VisionMaster Max is an excellent choice for viewing in a traditional home theater setting, meaning in the dark, and ideally in a dedicated theater room with dark walls, ceiling, and seating to minimize reflections back to the screen.
People who want a TV replacement for big-screen viewing: The VisionMaster Max is also a top-tier pick for replacing a big-screen TV for home entertainment—potentially for far less than a flat-screen TV of the same size, depending on how large a screen you get with it.
Engine Type
DLP
Rated Brightness
2500 ISO Lumens (Equivalent to ANSI)
Native Resolution
3840 by 2160 using 1920 by 1080 DLP chip with XPR fast-switch pixel shifting
Maximum Resolution
3840 by 2160@120Hz, 1920 by 1080@240Hz; HDR; Full HD 3D
Inputs and Interfaces
HDMI 2.1, HDMI 2.0b, eARC, USB 2.0, USB 3.0, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Dimensions (HWD)
7.3 by 10.2 by 9.2 inches
Weight
17.6 lbs
Warranty
2 years
Learn More
Valerion VisionMaster Max Review
- 4K native resolution
- Short input lag (supports up to 120Hz refresh rate)
- Video modes for four categories of gaming
- Android TV 11 HDMI dongle included
- LED light source rated at 3,300 ANSI lumens
- Wi-Fi is the only network connection option
- Shows rainbow artifacts
- Hardware setup requires some tricky assembly
The BenQ X3100i is BenQ’s current flagship in its Immersive Gaming Series, representing a substantial update from the previous model, which was already our top pick for both 4K gaming projectors and gaming overall. It builds upon everything we liked in its predecessor, including a long-lasting LED light source, HDR10 and HLG support, and robust audio that can fill a large family room.
New features making this model even better are support for 1440p (2,560-by-1,440-pixel) resolution at 120Hz, which is a popular choice for gaming; a vertical lens shift to adjust image height without introducing keystone distortion; and a 10% boost in brightness, to 3,300 ANSI lumens, to make it even more of a light cannon. It also increases the number of predefined gaming modes to four, allowing you to tweak both image and audio settings for multiple types of games just by selecting the appropriate mode. The measured lag ranged from 16.9ms at 1080p/60Hz to 4.2ms at 1080p/240Hz.
Serious gamers: The X3100i is designed for those who want serious gaming punch from their projector. You can use it to watch movies and videos, and it comes with an Android TV 11 streaming stick to make it easy. But there’s little point in buying it if that’s all you’re going to use it for. If the 1440p support, short input lag, and predefined game modes are extras you don’t care about, you probably don’t need the X3100i. If you can’t do without them, though, this could be the gaming projector you’ve been waiting for.
Gamers who switch among different types of games: For SDR input, the X3100i offers six predefined (and customizable) picture modes, plus a user mode. Four of the six—role-playing game (RPG), first-person shooter (FPS), sports (SPG), and racing game (RCG)—are each designed to enhance the most important visual aspects of the type of game they’re named for.
Engine Type
DLP
Rated Brightness
3300 ANSI lumens
Native Resolution
3840 by 2160 using 1920 by 1080 DLP chip with XPR fast-switch pixel shifting
Maximum Resolution
3840 by 2160 HDR; Full HD 3D
Inputs and Interfaces
HDMI 2.0b, USB 2.0, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct
Dimensions (HWD)
8.4 by 10.7 by 10.2 inches
Weight
15 lbs
Warranty
3 years
Learn More
BenQ X3100i Review
- Epson’s 4K PRO-UHD technology delivers resolution equivalent to 4K
- Supports HDR10 and HLG
- Fully integrated Google TV
- Three-LCD chip design guarantees a rainbow-artifact-free image
- Low input lag suitable for casual gaming
- No 3D support
- No Dolby Vision support
Most room-to-room portables in the Epson Lifestudio Flex Plus’s price class—$999.99 list—offer 1080p (1,920-by-1,080) resolution. The Flex Plus ups the ante—not all the way to 4K, but close enough so you can’t tell the difference. As with some other Epson models, the Flex Plus offers 4K-class resolution, which translates to putting only half as many pixels on screen as are in a full 3,840-by-2,160-pixel matrix. But thanks largely to limits on human visual acuity, that’s enough to make its resolution, as defined by how much detail you can see, virtually indistinguishable from that of most 4K DLP competitors.
In addition to 4K-equivalent resolution, the Flex Plus delivers well enough on other quality metrics to offer an image that’s more than good enough for casual viewing, and notably better than some 4K competition. Combined with the low price—and fully integrated Google TV for streaming—that easily translates into good enough value to make the Flex Plus a strong pick for a budget 4K home entertainment projector, even though it technically isn’t one.
People who mostly watch movies in the dark: The Flex Plus’ relatively low brightness—rated at just 1,000 ISO lumens—makes it best suited to watch primarily at night or in rooms that get little light through the windows. With the settings we used for best quality, it lit up a 90-inch-diagonal screen nicely in both a dark room and a family room at night with lights on. For daytime viewing on a cloudy day, we dropped the image size to roughly 55 inches.
Casual gamers: The input lag is a touch longer than serious gamers might insist on, but easily short enough for casual gaming. We measured it with our Bodnar 4K Lag tester at 20.9 milliseconds for both 4K and 1080p input at 60Hz.
People who are bothered by rainbow artifacts: The three-LCD chip design guarantees that the Flex Plus can’t show rainbow artifacts. For those who are sensitive to these red/green/blue flashes, that alone is a strong argument for putting it on their shortlist.
Engine Type
LCD
Rated Brightness
1000 ISO Lumens (Equivalent to ANSI)
Native Resolution
Equivalent to 3840 by 2160 using Epson’s 4K PRO-UHD technology
Maximum Resolution
3840 by 2160 60Hz, HDR
Inputs and Interfaces
HDMI (eArc, ALLM), USB-A, USB-C (power only), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Dimensions (HWD)
9.7 by 7.5 by 7.5 inches
Weight
8.8 lbs
Warranty
2 years
Learn More
Epson Lifestudio Flex Plus Review
- 4K resolution
- Hybrid laser/LED light source
- Supports HDR10, HLG, and Dolby Vision
- Automated image adjustment for fast setup after moving
- Built-in handle for easy carrying
- Black level is high enough to hurt contrast in a dark room
The Anker Nebula Cosmos 4K SE isn’t cheap, but it’s not much more expensive than its 1080p competition. It’s also our Editors’ Choice pick for a low-cost 4K room-to-room portable. Key features include its laser-LED hybrid light source (rated at 1,800 ANSI lumens), its color gamut (rated at 123.3% of BT.709, the standard for HDTVs), and its support for Dolby Vision in addition to HDR10 and HLG HDR.
Other strong points include streaming using fully integrated Google TV, easy automated setup after moving, and robust audio, thanks to two 15-watt speakers that deliver both high volume and good quality. Most important, it delivered good color accuracy, shadow detail, and sense of three-dimensionality in our tests.
Shoppers who prefer function over form: The Cosmos 4K SE’s aesthetics can make it a poor fit if you want a sleek, consumer-electronics look. It resembles a tall car battery with a handle on top and could easily be mistaken for a piece of test equipment that belongs on a workbench. But if you care more about performance than appearance, the Cosmos 4K SE is a solid choice, scoring better on both image quality and audio than some of its more expensive competitors.
People who frequently move their projectors: The handle makes the Cosmos 4K SE easy to carry from room to room, out to the backyard, or beyond.
Budget-savvy buyers: If you’re looking for a 4K projector with a high-quality image and a budget-friendly price, put the Anker Nebula Cosmos 4K SE on your shortlist.
Engine Type
DLP
Rated Brightness
1800 ANSI lumens
Native Resolution
3840 by 2160 using 1920 by 1080 DLP chip with XPR fast-switch pixel shifting
Maximum Resolution
3840 by 2160 60Hz
Inputs and Interfaces
HDMI 2.1, HDMI (eARC), USB-A, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi Direct, USB Thumb Drive
Dimensions (HWD)
8.7 by 6.5 by 10.4 inches
Weight
9.9 lbs
Warranty
1 year
Learn More
Anker Nebula Cosmos 4K SE Review
- 4K resolution using TI’s XPR fast-switch pixel shifting
- Triple-laser technology delivers a wide color gamut
- HDR support includes Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10, and HLG
- Rated at 3,000 ANSI lumens
- Uses Google TV for streaming
- First UST projector with a Designed for Xbox certification
- Limited 3D support excludes 3D Blu-ray discs
- Out-of-box settings need minor tweaking to get good shadow detail
The PX3-PRO builds on the strengths of its predecessor (the PX2-PRO) and adds to them. Its strongest feature, and one key reason to put it on your shortlist, is its top-tier image quality for both SDR and HDR content, with HDR support for all four current HDR variations: HDR10, HLG, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision.
Another powerful lure for gamers: It’s the first UST projector to earn a Designed for Xbox certification, thanks to features including state-of-the-art low input lag and support for 1440p resolution, which is increasingly popular for gaming. It also delivers many additional features, including Google TV for streaming, a powered focus, and myriad useful settings options. All this makes it a triple winner: for image quality, feature set, and gaming.
Videophiles with home theaters: Suitable for both casual TV viewing and traditional home theater use in dark rooms, the PX3-PRO is for discerning videophiles who want the best image quality and don’t see (or don’t mind seeing) the occasional rainbow artifact that DLP projectors tend to show.
Gamers: It’s also an obvious choice for gamers who want the benefits of an ultra-short throw in a device designed with gaming in mind.
Engine Type
DLP
Rated Brightness
3000 ANSI lumens
Native Resolution
3840 by 2160 using 1920 by 1080 DLP chip with XPR fast-switch pixel shifting
Maximum Resolution
3840 by 2160 120Hz; 1920 by 1080, 240Hz
Inputs and Interfaces
HDMI 2.1, HDMI 2.0, eARC, Bluetooth, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, USB 2.0, USB 3.0
Dimensions (HWD)
4.8 by 21.7 by 11.7 inches
Weight
19.8 lbs
Warranty
2 years
Learn More
Hisense PX3-PRO TriChroma Laser Projector Review
- Unusually high brightness for its price class
- Delivers 1080p resolution at a low price
- Doesn’t show rainbow artifacts
- Able handling of HDR content
- Gimbal mount for easy vertical adjustment of picture height
- Severe loss of shadow detail using default settings
- No 3D support
What impressed us most about the Xgody Gimbal N6 Pro is how much it delivers for the price ($159.99 list, and widely available for less). Almost all the 1080p (1,920-by-1,080-pixel) competition in its price range is limited to a relatively low brightness—roughly 200 lumens in our tests in every case, even for models that claim higher ratings. The N6 Pro spec boasts a staggering (for the price) 700 ANSI lumens. It wasn’t that bright in our tests after we adjusted the settings for best image quality, but it was still impressively bright.
In a dark room, it delivered a highly watchable 90-inch image for both SDR and HDR input (did we mention it offers HDR support in software?), and in a family room with lights on at night, we saw a quite watchable 85-inch picture. The high brightness, backed by built-in streaming, reasonably good image quality (after tweaking), and a gimbal mount for easy setup, make it our top bargain-basement pick.
Budget-strapped shoppers who don’t mind adjusting settings: The one area where the N6 Pro falls short is its out-of-the-box image quality. With default settings, it loses so much shadow detail that it’s impossible to make out what’s happening in dark scenes, and even dark areas of brighter scenes are obviously darker than they should be. However, if you don’t mind digging into the settings, it can deliver a highly watchable image at a larger size than its closest competitors can at any given light level.
Buyers who want an inexpensive projector for ad hoc setup: If you want a projector that’s both bright enough to give you a reasonably large picture and light enough to move around for quick setup—in another room, or to the backyard for a movie night—the N6 Pro is a solid choice. (Note: You’ll still need to be in reach of a power outlet.) Even if you already have a more expensive model, you might want to get the N6 Pro specifically to tote around. Plus, the lower price means fewer worries when carrying it further afield.
Engine Type
LCD
Rated Brightness
700 ANSI lumens
Native Resolution
1920 by 1200
Maximum Resolution
1920 by 1080 @ 60Hz
Inputs and Interfaces
HDMI 1.4, USB 2.0, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Dimensions (HWD)
7 by 8.2 by 5.7 inches
Weight
3 lbs
Warranty
2 years
Learn More
Xgody Gimbal N6 Pro Review
- Roughly the size of a stack of Post-it Notes (and not much heavier)
- Built-in battery, rated at 90 minutes of use
- Autofocus and auto vertical keystone correction
- Wireless connections to video sources
- No settings to adjust image quality
- Pricey for a pocket projector
- Connection to HDMI devices requires optional dongle
The Aurzen ZIP Tri-Fold is pricey, but it’s small enough to fit in a pocket, bright enough to be genuinely useful, and packed with more features than any other pocket projector we’ve seen. It’s roughly the size of a stack of Post-it Notes (and not much heavier), plus it comes with a built-in battery rated at 90 minutes of use.
When unfolded, but pointing straight ahead to project on a vertical surface, it’s shaped like a Z when viewed from its left side. The bottom piece serves as a base, the middle piece becomes a stand, and you can pivot the top piece up or down to point at whatever you’re using for a screen. Nobody expects top-tier image quality or high brightness from a projector that’s this small, but in that context, the Aurzen ZIP does well enough on both scores.
People who need the smallest projector possible: If being small enough to fit in a pocket is a key requirement, the Aurzen ZIP Tri-Fold is the obvious pick. It easily outshines its competition and earns our top recommendation for a premium-priced pocket projector.
Big spenders: Although the Aurzen ZIP is the most impressive pocket projector we’ve seen, it’s also the most expensive.
Engine Type
DLP
Rated Brightness
100 ANSI lumens
Native Resolution
1280 by 720 using 640-by-360 DLP chip with XPR fast-switch pixel shifting
Inputs and Interfaces
Wi-Fi Direct
Dimensions (HWD)
1 by 3.3 by 3.1 inches
Weight
9.9 oz
Warranty
2 years
Learn More
Aurzen ZIP Tri-Fold Portable Pocket Projector Review
- 1080p native resolution, with support for 4K input and HDR
- Integrated Android TV 11
- Long-lasting, solid-state LED light source
- Resists water, dust, and drops
- Long battery life
- No optical zoom
- Battery status light can be distracting when watching from behind the projector
It may look like a car battery with a handle on top, but the Nebula Mars 3 is equally at home in a rough-and-tumble den full of kids, or out in the yard with gloomy weather threatening. Designed to survive, it features water, drop, and dust resistance. It doesn’t hurt that it also delivers native 1080p resolution, and that the built-in audio system is pretty good for this projector’s size. Also, the Mars 3 comes equipped with an internal battery, rated for two to five hours depending on the picture mode (full-power or Eco).
People who watch movies outside: The more often you plan to watch outside, whether on special occasions like backyard movie nights or regular TV watching by the pool on warm nights, the more appealing the water and drop resistance will be. (Double that if you have big dogs or young children who may be running around where they can jar, splash, or otherwise upset the Mars 3.)
People who like an all-in-one device: This projector can also serve as a large Bluetooth speaker and a power bank to charge other gear.
Engine Type
DLP
Rated Brightness
1000 ANSI lumens
Native Resolution
1920 by 1080
Maximum Resolution
3840 by 2160 60Hz
Inputs and Interfaces
HDMI 2.1, USB-C, USB-A
Dimensions (HWD)
9.8 by 6.3 by 10.2 inches
Weight
9.9 lbs
Warranty
1 year
Learn More
Anker Nebula Mars 3 Review
- Bright; rated at 4,600 ISO lumens
- Laser-phosphor light source
- Native 1080p resolution; accepts up to 4K input
- Three-chip LCD design guarantees no annoying rainbow artifacts
- No HDR support
- Middling contrast
- Not suitable for 24/7/365 operation
Epson markets the Epson Pro EX11000 as a portable projector and includes a carrying case. However, it’s at least as much a solid, 1080p business or education workhorse for permanent installation or setup on a cart. The laser-phosphor light source—rated at 4,600 lumens and meant to last the life of the projector—means you won’t have to spend time or money replacing expensive lamps, while the three-LCD chip design guarantees it won’t show any of the red/green/blue flashes known as rainbow artifacts.
Our testing shows the EX11000 delivers high enough brightness to stand up to ambient light using an image size suitable for a medium-to-large conference room or classroom. It also delivers top-tier image quality for presentations. Movies and videos are best described as watchable, which means they’re no match for even an entry-level home theater projector, but better than many business models can manage. There are also some notable extras, including a built-in option for two-way or four-way splits, which allow you to display images from up to four sources simultaneously. And of course, if you really want to, you can take advantage of the carrying case and actually use it on the go.
People who prioritize brightness over portability: If you’re willing to lug the 9.5-pound EX11000 around, its 4,600 lumen rating makes it an obvious choice if you need a seriously bright portable.
Presenters and teachers: This projector is an excellent fit for permanent installation in a conference room or classroom. Its crisp details make text easy to read, while its vibrant color palette can make graphics more compelling. And although it doesn’t offer the same high level of image quality for video and movies, it handles these content types better than most business projectors, should you need to display them.
Engine Type
LCD
Rated Brightness
4600 ISO Lumens (Equivalent to ANSI)
Native Resolution
1920 by 1080
Maximum Resolution
3840 by 2160 60Hz
Inputs and Interfaces
HDMI, Analog VGA, USB-A, USB-B (Direct USB Display)
Dimensions (HWD)
4.1 by 12.8 by 11.8 inches
Weight
9.5 lbs
Warranty
1 year
Learn More
Epson Pro EX11000 3LCD Full HD 1080p Wireless Laser Projector Review
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The Best Projectors for 2026
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Buying Guide: The Best Projectors for 2026
If you’ve read through our reasons for recommending each projector, you’ve probably noticed that they vary depending on several factors: what you plan to use the projector for, your budget, and even purely subjective considerations like whether you find rainbow artifacts annoying. You need to take all these issues into account, but a good place to start is with the types of images you plan to view.
There are two basic types of projected images to consider: data (which includes text and graphics) and photorealistic (such as photos, video, and film). Games typically incorporate aspects of both. Any projector can show any kind of image, of course, but a projector may handle one kind of image well without doing a good job with the other kind. You’ll want a projector that’s optimized at least for the kind of images you plan to view most often, and ideally for every kind you expect to view.
Data projectors, also known as business or education projectors, depending on their target market, are designed to display business graphics, line drawings, presentations, spreadsheets, and PDF files. They’re optimized for conference rooms and classrooms, producing a bright-enough image to stand up to ambient light on a large screen. Many can handle photorealistic images well enough to project short video clips in a presentation or even an acceptable image for, say, watching a movie in a classroom. But they are rarely good choices for full-length movies if you want anything approaching the quality you expect in a movie theater or when watching TV. They tend to favor brightness, which is important for standing up to ambient light, over contrast and color accuracy, which matter more for photorealistic images. They also tend to offer few or no options for adjusting color.
Home theater, home entertainment, and gaming projectors are so similar that one model is often marketed in two or all three categories. These home-use projectors prioritize color accuracy and contrast, often featuring controls to fine-tune color, reduce noise, sharpen images, and otherwise digitally enhance video and film.
(Credit: M. David Stone)
Models listed as home-theater projectors are typically optimized for traditional home theater viewing in a dark room. They tend to offer more accurate color, better contrast, and lower brightness than home entertainment projectors. Many don’t include speakers. The assumption is that you’ll get a better external audio system than any projector can fit into its case.
Home entertainment models are usually optimized for viewing in a family room or other space with ambient light. Many are also compact enough to easily move outdoors and create the perfect backyard movie night. Compared with home theater models, they tend to sacrifice some color accuracy and contrast in favor of higher brightness. They also typically include built-in speakers.
Until recently, people generally assumed that you needed an external sound system to get decent audio quality with almost any projector—even those with built-in speakers. However, that’s not always true today, largely thanks to two subcategories of home-entertainment models. One model we’ve dubbed “room-to-room portables” offers robust audio, so you can move the projector to another room for ad hoc setup without having to lug a sound system with you. These models—which are usually cube-shaped—are about twice as tall as traditional projectors and cram good-quality speakers into the extra space. In most cases, these speakers will pump out audio loud enough to fill a large family room with more-than-acceptable sound.
The second category with good audio sometimes gets billed as “laser TVs.” These are built around a laser light source, a smart-TV streaming feature (usually integrated but sometimes supplied as a dongle, particularly on older models), and an ultra-short-throw (UST) lens, which means they can project a 100-inch or larger image with the projector just inches from the screen. Mount a screen on a wall, and the projector can sit on a table or media console just below it. These laser-based UST models are wider than most other projectors, and virtually all offer audio that’s at least comparable to what you would expect from a large-screen TV. Many take advantage of their width to add what amounts to a soundbar on the side facing away from the screen.
Gaming projectors, meanwhile, are essentially home-entertainment models with significantly reduced input lag, enabling faster reaction times. Most are small enough to carry easily, and they usually include better-than-typical onboard audio for a projector. A few include separate gaming modes for different types of games—most often first-person shooters, role-playing games, and sports games—with each mode auto-adjusting the audio and video settings to optimize them for each type of game.
Do You Need a Portable Projector?
Consider how portable the projector needs to be. You can find projectors with sizes and weights ranging from small and light enough to fit in a shirt pocket to large enough for only a permanent (usually mounted) installation.
If you want a data projector to carry to business meetings for presentations, or a home-entertainment or gaming projector to take to a friend’s house or set up in your backyard for a movie night, be sure to pick an appropriate size and weight—which is to say, a portable projector. If you’ll be away from power outlets, check that the projector has a built-in battery or a battery option, and that the battery’s rated life is long enough for your needs.
What Resolution Is Enough in a Projector?
Projectors can scale images up or down, but this is usually best avoided, as it can introduce artifacts to the image. For any projector resolution up to and including WUXGA (1,920 by 1,200 pixels), you will generally get the best image quality by matching the projector’s native resolution (the number of physical pixels in the projector’s display) to the source you plan to attach it to most often, whether that’s a computer, video equipment, or a game console.
For projectors with 4K ultra-high definition (3,840 by 2,160 pixels), the rule is slightly different. Current projectors built around 3,840-by-2,160-pixel imaging chips are still too expensive for most applications, so the affordable alternative uses a technique called pixel shifting. It uses a native 1,920-by-1,080-pixel chip, generates multiple sets of pixels for each frame in the video stream, and shifts the position of each set. The result is more pixels per frame on screen than are on the chip. Two sets double the number of pixels; four sets quadruple the number to a full 3,840 by 2,160. When done well, just doubling the number of pixels can deliver images that are indistinguishable from quadrupling them, at least at normal viewing distances from the screen.
(Credit: Xgimi)
Full HD (1080p) projectors that accept 4K UHD input handle the 3,840-by-2160-pixel resolution reasonably well, since the higher resolution has exactly four times as many pixels as 1080p. The only loss in quality from scaling the image down will be an apparent slight softening of focus. Projectors that also support HDR improve image quality—even with 1080p resolution—but note that there are different HDR versions, and the projector must support the same version as the image source. Your favorite streaming services may offer HDR10, HDR10+, HLG HDR, or Dolby Vision, while the first two are standards for 4K movies on disc.
If you plan to display data images, consider the level of detail you need. For a typical PowerPoint presentation, SVGA (800 by 600 pixels) may be sufficient, and an SVGA projector will be significantly less expensive than one with a higher native resolution. For very detailed images, however, you’ll want to go up to 4K UHD.
For video, 4K UHD is generally the best choice, assuming you have a 4K UHD Blu-ray player, a 4K-capable streaming device, or another 4K UHD media source. But odds are you’ll be watching a lot of 1080p material for the foreseeable future—particularly if you own a library of 1080p discs—and may occasionally be watching at even lower resolutions. So, check how well the projector handles scaling 1080p input up to 4K.
Which Widescreen Format Is Most Important in Your Projector?
Most projectors today offer native resolutions that qualify as widescreen formats. You’ll generally want to match the aspect ratio (ratio of image width to image height) of the projector’s resolution to the images you’ll be watching most often. However, you can also view material in narrower or wider formats. As long as the projector can accept the input resolution—a detail you can check in the projector specs—it will either scale the image to the projector’s native aspect ratio, which means stretching or shrinking it as needed, or keep the image’s aspect ratio to avoid distortion and add letterbox bars (black bars above and below for wider formats or to each side for narrower formats). Almost all projectors today include aspect-ratio settings so you can choose which approach to use. (Fun fact: Adding black bars to the sides of an image is often called “reverse letterboxing” or “pillarboxing.”)
One way to get some extra flexibility: check out projectors that can display images with aspect ratios different from the projector’s native resolution. For example, you can use a native WUXGA projector, with its 16:10 aspect ratio, to watch movies or TV with a 16:9 aspect ratio. Keep in mind that if you set up a 16:10 projector to fill your 16:9 screen, you’ll need a sufficiently wide black border to keep the letterbox bars from appearing as brighter areas around the screen.
How Bright Should the Projector Be?
There is no single best level for projector brightness, and brighter isn’t always better. For a home theater projector you plan to use in a dark room, for example, 1,000 lumens or even less can easily give you a large, bright image, while 2,000 lumens may be so bright that it’s hard on the eyes with the same-size screen. On the other hand, for a portable data projector used in brightly lit locations or a home entertainment projector in your family room, a range of 2,000 to 3,000 lumens is generally suitable. For larger images and rooms with higher ambient light levels, you’ll want something even brighter.
For any situation, the ideal projector brightness depends on the ambient light level, the size of the image, and the material in the screen you’re using. If you’re setting up a projector for permanent installation, whether at home or in your office, your best bet is to buy from a knowledgeable seller who can help you pick a projector and screen material that will give you the right image brightness for the lighting conditions in the room at the screen size you want.
(Credit: M. David Stone)
If you’re trying to choose between two models, keep in mind that a small percentage difference in lumens—such as 2,000 versus 2,200—isn’t significant. The perception of brightness is nonlinear, which means a 10% difference is hardly noticeable, and you need far more than twice as many lumens for a projector’s image to appear twice as bright. Also, keep in mind that a projector’s true brightness is often slightly lower than its rated brightness, and image quality is generally best in modes that are typically set to 40% of the projector’s highest brightness.
Does Contrast Ratio Matter for Projectors?
Contrast ratio—the ratio between the brightness of the brightest white a projector can produce and the brightness of the darkest black—always matters, but the rating a company gives a projector usually won’t. All other things being equal, a higher contrast ratio produces more vibrant, eye-catching color, more shadow detail in dark areas on the screen (most important for video and film), and a more dramatic sense of three-dimensionality in two-dimensional photorealistic images.
However, contrast ratings are based on measurements in a dark room, so they don’t tell you much about viewing in ambient light, where the darkest black you can achieve depends on the amount of ambient light. A projector that delivers a high contrast ratio in a dark room, due to unusually dark blacks, will deliver much lower contrast in ambient light. But a brighter projector that has a higher black level in the dark and does poorly in a home theater may well deliver equal or better contrast compared with the first model in a living room or office. With ambient light, the high black level won’t be noticeable, while the higher brightness will let the projector both stand up better to the ambient light than the first model and deliver a higher contrast ratio—the ratio between the brightest and darkest areas on the screen.
Comparing contrast-ratio specs is somewhere between challenging and pointless. Different manufacturers use different approaches to measuring contrast, and some even measure it differently for different models. Complicating comparisons even further is that other factors can increase your subjective sense of how good the contrast is, but not affect objective measurements. These include video processing and auto-irises, for example, which change image brightness based on the content of the image. The best way to determine how good the contrast is for any given projector—short of seeing it yourself—is to look for reviews that discuss contrast under various lighting conditions.
How Do You Plan to Connect Your Projector?
To connect a projector to a video source, you obviously need to match the projector’s inputs with the source’s outputs. But given a choice, a digital connection is preferable to an analog connection.
Almost all current projectors include at least one HDMI port, which is the preferred choice for video sources and many computers, unless you plan to connect over a wired or wireless network. Many projectors still offer a VGA (analog) connector for computers and component video, but few new computers have VGA output ports, and few new video sources offer component video.
Keep in mind that the HDMI version matters. Later versions support higher resolutions and more features than earlier versions. Make sure the projector’s HDMI version supports the desired image sources, either by verifying it has the same HDMI version number as the sources or by confirming the manufacturer’s support for those specific features. You should also check the High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) level. Virtually all 4K UHD HDR movies, for example, require HDCP 2.2 on both the player and the projector.
(Credit: M. David Stone)
Note that some projectors’ HDMI ports support Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL), which lets you project from older Android devices. This is becoming less common, however, since most newer Android devices can connect directly to an HDMI port via a USB-C-to-HDMI cable. A more useful extra feature today: Many current projectors support ARC or eARC on one of their HDMI ports, allowing for connection to an external audio system.
Many models also have Wi-Fi connectivity built in or can provide it through an included or separately purchased wireless dongle that plugs into a USB or HDMI port. In addition, many support projecting directly from USB memory or memory cards.
A growing number of projectors include internet streaming features, either built in or through an included streaming HDMI dongle. You can also buy third-party dongles to add streaming to virtually any projector with an HDMI port. Some models, most often portables, offer USB-C ports, which can (but don’t always) support DisplayPort and HDMI protocols. Here also, check before buying to make sure you know what video support, if any, the USB-C connector offers.
Which Imaging Technology Is Best in a Projector?
Today’s projectors are based on one of four imaging technologies: digital light processing (DLP), liquid-crystal display (LCD), liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS), and laser raster. (Don’t confuse laser raster projectors, which actually draw the images using lasers, with the much more common models that simply use lasers as a light source for another imaging technology, like DLP or LCD chips.)
Most DLP projectors and some LCOS-based pico (aka pocket-size) projectors—including both data and video models—use only one display chip, and project their primary colors sequentially rather than all at once. This can lead to rainbow artifacts, in which bright areas on the screen break up into little red/green/blue flashes for some people when they shift their gaze or when something moves on the screen. Those who are sensitive to this effect may find it annoying, especially during prolonged viewing sessions. That said, note that as of this writing, one manufacturer—Valerion—has recently introduced a new Anti-Rainbow Effect (Anti-RBE) feature for all of its DLP projectors. In our tests, we found that it all but eliminates these rainbow flashes—so other manufacturers are likely working on replicating the feature on their own models.
Three-chip LCD projectors are free of rainbow artifacts because the three chips simultaneously project all three primary colors. However, they tend to be bigger and heavier than comparable DLP models. Standard-size LCOS projectors, which are also rainbow-free, offer the best-quality images. However, they tend to be larger and heavier than either DLP or LCD projectors, and significantly more expensive.
Note also that some inexpensive models use a single LCD with as many cells as there are in all three chips in a three-LCD projector with the same resolution. Adding a red, green, or blue filter on each cell lets these models project all three colors at once, making them rainbow-free as well.
There aren’t many laser raster projectors, so it’s hard to make general statements about them. But the one clear advantage of using a laser is that the image doesn’t require focusing.
What Kind of Light Source Is Best in a Projector?
Most newer projectors use solid-state light sources—LEDs, lasers, or both—so lamps, once the mainstay type, are becoming less common. However, they haven’t disappeared completely yet, and for the moment, at least, there are advantages to each of the three choices.
LEDs and lasers maintain a higher percentage of their initial brightness for a longer period. All light sources lose brightness over time, but lamps generally lose a large percentage in the first 500 hours of use and decline slowly thereafter. LEDs and lasers tend to lose brightness more evenly over their entire lifetimes.
The initial price for a lamp-based projector will be lower, but the total cost can be higher if you keep it long enough to need a replacement lamp. If you plan to replace your projector with every new jump in resolution or other image technology, buying a series of lamp-based projectors can be a more cost-effective option. But if you plan to keep your projector as long as it works, the better buy will be a model with an LED, laser, or hybrid light source. Virtually all of these models have lifetimes rated at 20,000 hours or more.
What Is a Short-Throw Projector? Do You Need One?
If you want to cast a large image at a short distance from the screen, either because the room itself is a little small or to minimize the chances of people getting in front of the projector and casting shadows, you’ll need a short-throw or ultra-short-throw projector. There are no universally accepted definitions for what counts as “short” or “ultra short,” but most short-throw projectors can cast an image about 78 inches wide from 3 to 6 feet away, while ultra-short-throw projectors generally need less than a foot, and often a lot less. By comparison, most projectors with standard throws need to be roughly 9 to 13 feet away from the screen for the same image size, and long-throw projectors have to be even farther away.
(Credit: M. David Stone)
The downsides of short-throw (and especially ultra-short-throw) projectors are that they are more expensive than traditional models with standard-throw lenses, and they are more likely to exhibit noticeable brightness or focus variations across the image. Ultra-short-throw models also require a particularly flat and stable screen. Even slight variations in the surface can distort the image and affect focus.
Does Your Projector Need Built-In Audio or 3D Support?
Not all projectors have onboard audio, and for those that do, the audio is sometimes all but useless—particularly with highly portable models. If you need sound for your presentations or videos, make sure the projector has built-in audio that’s clear and loud enough for your needs. If not, consider using a separate sound system—which is often a good idea for home theater or home entertainment use, in any case—or powered external speakers. If you already have Bluetooth speakers, check whether the projector supports Bluetooth.
Then there’s 3D. Showing images in 3D for educational, business, and home applications is well past the boomlet it enjoyed a few years ago. But if you’re a fan of 3D movies or have an application that requires 3D, it’s still easy to find projectors that support it.
Several 3D technologies are available, so ensure that any 3D projector you consider is compatible with the 3D source you intend to use. A “3D-ready” designation usually means it will work only with 3D generated by a computer. If you have a collection of 3D Blu-ray discs, the designation to look for is usually “full HD 3D.” And before you go shopping for 3D glasses, be sure to check which kind the projector supports. There are several types, including some proprietary versions.
Ready to Buy the Right Projector for You?
The product pick summary up top, along with our detailed spec breakout of the models, outlines our choices for some of the best projectors on the market for the most common situations and use cases. For full projector reviews and our latest coverage of the category, also check out our top projectors for home use, our favorite 4K projectors, and our top picks for portable projectors, as well as for both short-throw and ultra-short-throw models.
