Recommended Ultra-Short Throw Projectors

September 26, 2026

  • XGIMI AURA 3 Max

    Best Overall
    MSRP:
    $4999.00
    Common Price:
    $2399.99
    Link:
    https://xgimi-tech.kckb.me/hatqd10729
    Looking at all the individual scores combined and double weighting the dark room and bright room ranking, it should be no surprise that the XGIMI Aura 3 Max came out on top. To be completely frank, it’s incredible. Even if we ignore the 4K120Hz display, it still has the best color accuracy, best color gamut coverage, highest native contrast, and 2nd highest brightness along with excellent laser dimming and dynamic iris. The unfortunate truth for every other projector manufacturer right now is that unless you need your UST right now, there’s no reason to even consider anything other than the XGIMI Aura 3 Max given the deposit Kickstarter price of $2199. Even at the regular Kickstarter price of $2399, there’s nothing that even comes close to its performance, and even when the Aurora Pro MKIII, L9Q Pro, and AWOL LuxVision eventually come out, they’re not going to come close to that price.
    More information:
    https://youtu.be/d0kBQdMMHtk

  • AWOL Aetherion Pro

    Runner-up for Dark Room Projector
    MSRP:
    $3499.00
    Common Price:
    $2499.00
    Link:
    https://amzlink.to/az0mLjUwNhV2K
    In bright SDR scenes, the Aura 3 was considerably brighter, but both were very color accurate, while in HDR the Aetherion Pro was noticeably less color accurate in addition to not being as bright. However, using the beta dynamic iris for the Aetherion Pro, the black level performance is extremely good and in general EBL laser dimming from AWOL is slightly faster than DBLE from XGIMI, which not only means it’s quicker to decide to dim, but also that it recovers faster. Based strictly on dark content, I would give the slight edge to the Aetherion Pro after the new dynamic iris update. However, the Aura 3’s considerable brightness advantage in moderately lit scenes combined with much better HDR color accuracy makes all the difference when displaying bright colorful objects where it seems like the Aetherion Pro needs to pick between being either bright, or saturated, but not both. For lights on viewing, the Aetherion Pro didn’t really stand a chance when I tested it without the brightness enhancer on, and turning it on low helped to close the gap a little bit, but at the expense of color accuracy, which is why the XGIMI Aura 3 Max is still my top pick for light and dark room viewing, but the Aeherion Pro is a strong contender for dark room viewing.
    More information:
    https://youtu.be/d0kBQdMMHtk

  • Epson LifeStudio Grand Plus

    Runner-up for Bright Room Projector
    MSRP:
    $3799.99
    Common Price:
    $3732.81
    Link:
    https://link.amazon/B09EY28af
    I’ve picked Epson projectors as the best bright room projectors for the last two years, so I put the LifeStudio Grand Plus in Dynamic mode and turned on the lights, and my initial impressions were that the Aura 3 looked a lot better, but just to be sure, I brought in my wife who uses our projector every Saturday during college football season to watch four games at a time in quad view for 12 hours straight. We deliberated for about 10 minutes before and, in the biggest upset so far, my wife and I both agreed that the Aura 3 Max’s colors and extra sharpness made up for the difference in brightness, giving it another win for both dark room and bright room viewing. But the LifeStudio is a strong runner-up if bright room watching is a must-have.
    More information:
    https://youtu.be/d0kBQdMMHtk

  • JMGO O2S Ultra

    Best Temporary Setup
    MSRP:
    $2999.00
    Common Price:
    $2499.00
    Link:
    https://amzn.to/3PF4teu
    In a completely new category that I never expected this year, the JMGO O2S Ultra is the first viable portable ultra short throw that I’ve ever seen. It’s small, has a super short throw ratio, and mind-blowingly cool automatic setup features that make it possible to project onto a non-tensioned screen or white wall. The O2S Ultra was also the 3rd brightest projector after calibration with respectable native contrast and low input lag, and I’m guessing the frame packed 3D compatibility is just a bug that can be fixed easily in a firmware update.
    More information:
    https://youtu.be/OG-UTMriJT8

  • Formovie Cinema Edge

    Best Under $2000
    MSRP:
    $2499.00
    Common Price:
    $1799.00
    Link:
    https://amzlink.to/az0i5BpsfTGw6
    Last, the Wemax Nova Pro, which for $1799 actually performed pretty well, finishing 4th for dark room viewing with a single laser light source that’s not likely to produce laser speckle or metamerism, and a nice small compact form factor. But there’s one big problem, and that’s that the Wemax Nova Pro and Formovie Cinema Edge that I selected last year as my overall budget option, are the same projector, except the Formovie Edge got a firmware update last December that fixed its 3D compatibility and the Formovie Edge and Wemax Nova Pro are currently the same price. I’ll update the pinned comment if Wemax is able to push that same firmware fix to the Nova Pro, in which case you should just get whichever projector is less expensive, but for now the software on the Formovie Edge makes it the clear pick over the Wemax Nova Pro.
    More information:
    https://youtu.be/OG-UTMriJT8