BenQ GV50

Introduction

The BenQ GV50 is the latest addition to BenQ’s lifestyle projector family, slotting in above the GV31, and rubbing shoulders with the GS50.

It’s a mains and battery-powered Full HD 1080p model aimed squarely at the casual movie-lover, gamer on the move, and the ‘let’s watch WWE RAW on the patio’ crowd.

Price

The GV50 sells for £629 in the UK, and $699 stateside. In Australia, you’ll need to fork over $1,119 AUD. In Blighty, that’s the best part of a £100 price premium over its GV31 sibling. Is it worth the difference? I’d argue that it most certainly is.

Design

• Rotatable, ‘cheese wheel’ form factor
• External power brick
• Carry loop

Circular and compact, with a matte white finish and shiny top plate, the GV50 isn’t anyone’s stereotypical projector. It sits in a cradle, anchored by magnets, that lets you tilt and rotate the projector with ease – 135° vertically, and 360° horizontally.

Sporting a jaunty tan carry loop, it screams approachability and mobility in equal measure.

This is a projector designed to be used anywhere: projecting onto walls, sheets, and even the ceiling above your bed. 50cm of drop-resistance will help it survive a modest fall, handy if you’re prone to knocking gadgets off bedside tables.

On-body controls include volume, power and a Night Shift mode, together with directional joystick-style menu navigation.

The GV50 comes with a creamy white remote control which includes a Google TV mic and fast-track buttons for YouTube, Netflix, and Prime Video. Unfortunately, given that this is very much a dark room projector, the remote isn’t backlit.

Connectivity

• HDMI with ARC
• Bluetooth speaker mode
• USB-C device charging

Side-mounted connections comprise an HDMI with ARC, USB-C and USB-A ports, and a mini headphone jack; there’s also a connection point for its exterior power brick.

The USB-C port can be used to charge the projector’s internal battery with a power bank – you’ll need a 30,000 mAh power bank or USB-C Power Delivery (PD) adapter that supports 20 V – 2.25 A to 5 A from 45 W to 100 W. It can also power any connected devices. 

Wireless support covers Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5. The latter allows the GV50 to double as a Bluetooth speaker. When engaged, the screen mutes, and you can stream audio from your smartphone. While the result is far from Hi-Fi, for a sleep-over, it performs just fine.

You can also pair Bluetooth headphones, for private listening, although expect some minor lag. The GV50 only allows one Bluetooth device to be connected at a time.

User Experience

• Google TV OS
• Sluggish
• Tactile operation

Built around the Google TV OS, there’s an inherent slickness to everyday use, however this is not the quickest projector I’ve ever used. Don’t expect ‘Instant On’ with this model. Navigation is a bit sluggish.

The GV50 feels much like a smart TV when up and running. The interface is stacked with the usual suspects: Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, YouTube, Freevee, ITVX, Channel 4, and Channel 5 (though no BBC iPlayer, which might frustrate some).

Top marks for the tactility of the projector’s design though. That 135° vertical tilt for ceiling viewing, and the two pop-out legs that give just the right angle on uneven surfaces, help compensate for niggles.

Being able to start a movie in the living room, and then continue watching on the bedroom ceiling, is the cherry on top.

Features

• 150 minute battery
• Auto keystone correction
• AirPlay and Chromecast support

There’s a host of Auto modes that reflect the projector’s lifestyle premise. Auto Keystone Correction and Screen Fit compensate for less than perfect projection angles, and avoid wall acne like light switches and picture frames.

The GV50’s wireless feature list is also solid, with support for AirPlay, Chromecast, and Screen Sharing, all underpinned by the Google OS.

A short throw ratio (1.2) means it doesn’t need much space to impress, just 2.4 metres to hit a 120-inch diagonal image, or around 1.5 metres for a still-large 80-inch picture. Sharpness holds up well at this size, with little visual pixel grit.

The built in 5800 mAh battery typically lasts around 150 minutes, making it good enough for one Marvel movie, at least. If you use the projector as a glorified Bluetooth speaker, sans video, you’ll boost that to 300 minutes.

Gaming

• Average input lag
• 60Hz Frame Rate

With a cited input lag of 22ms, the GV50 can be considered good enough for casual gaming, but hard core fraggers might want to look elsewhere – the projector doesn’t support High Frame Rate gaming.

If you want to while away an hour or two traversing Disney Dreamlike Valley, or building something in Minecraft, it more than holds its own.

Performance

• HDR compatible
• 500 ANSI lumens brightness
• 100,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio

For a lifestyle portable, the GV50 punches above its weight – if you’re prepared to manage the lighting in your environment. That native 1080p DLP chip and a laser light engine, produce crisp visuals and solid colour fidelity. Just don’t expect searing brightness.

The GV50 clocks in at 500 ANSI lumens, which is relatively modest. You’ll need a fully-dark room for the best results, but picture quality is impressive in the right conditions. 

Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam superhero actioner, confirms decent shadow detail and strong dynamics.

The movie’s monochromatic opening sequence exhibits exceptional contrast, while the shift to Kahndaq, in the modern age, is altogether more vibrant, with scenes of chaotic colour. The projector supports 92 per cent of REC 709, and looks all the juicier for it.

The projector may be 1080p, but it’s still HDR compatible. Supercell (Netflix) is dynamic and engaging in the HDR Vibrant picture mode, even if it doesn’t hit the eye-popping specular highs of a dedicated HDR TV.

Naturally, the projector offers the usual slew of picture modes, I found Vibrant consistently makes the most of what’s on offer.

The GV50 particularly excels with animated content; anime is eye-popping. There’s a high level of nuance and detail in its colour presentation. I noted no problems with banding, rainbow effect or motion interpolation blur.

However, when the projector runs on battery power, there’s a slight drop in screen brightness. This doesn’t affect its ability to project HDR, and subjectively, after a while it’s  actually difficult to differentiate its mains-powered imagery from battery-only.

Sound Quality

• 18W power output
• 2.1 speaker configuration

Audio comes via a 2.1 speaker system, comprising a pair of 4W squawkers and 10W woofer. The output is surprisingly robust, producing decent mid-bass for a unit this size.

Dialogue is clean, and there’s enough volume to fill a medium room, as well as drown out the hum of the projector (which to be honest is barely audible, anyway).

I found it perfectly adequate for a living room use, and late night ceiling film shows. We’re not talking home cinema audio, but that’s kind of the point. 

Should you buy it?

FAQs