Recommendations – Projectors
Below you will find my most current recommendations for each product category. As always, these are NON-SPONSORED recommendations based on as much empirical information and testing as I can gather.
Last Updated: March 11, 2025
Sub $100 Projectors
Most Well Rounded Projector
Happrun H1 Projector
MSRP: $109.99
Common Price: $69.99
Link: https://amzn.to/4i0bXll
For the third year in a row, I think that the Happrun H1 is the best projector for most people. It has higher than average brightness, contrast, sharpness, and uniformity, it finished fourth overall in the side-by-side testing, it’s got acceptable input lag for casual video gaming, speakers that are loud enough and of acceptable quality, and fans that aren’t too terribly loud or distracting. And most importantly, it can often be found on sale for less than $50 which makes it by far the best value.
Best Projector for Gaming
Vamvo VF320 Portable Projector
MSRP: $89.99
Common Price: $71.99
Link: https://amzn.to/3OFvOsZ
If you’re looking for something smaller or focused on gaming, the Vamvo VF320 is compact with good brightness, contrast, and above average brightness uniformity. It’s got great input lag numbers for gaming and loud speakers that sound surprisingly decent, with the downsides being a louder fan that clocks in at 47.3 decibels, and 720p native resolution, though that didn’t stop it from finishing third overall for picture quality.
Quietest Option
ONOAYO AY2Pro Mini Projector
MSRP: $185.75
Common Price: $149.99
Link: https://amzn.to/3V2VL9i
If gaming isn’t as important to you and you want the quietest projector with good picture quality, the ONOAYO finished second overall in the side-by-side testing, had the highest contrast of any of the projectors I measured, and had a quiet fan that I measured at just 41.3 decibels.
Brightest Option
Groview JQ818C Projector
MSRP: $219.99
Common Price: $139.96
Link: https://amzn.to/3YXJnZn
If you want the brightest option under $100, that’s the Groview JQ818C which is over two times brighter than the next brightest projector and consequently finished first in the side-by-side testing. The Groview also had the loudest speakers and acceptable input lag numbers for gaming. But all that brightness comes at a cost, because the fan is louder than most at 48.4 decibels and the Groview is roughly three times as big and uses 3x as much power as the rest of the projectors in the video. Still, almost 500 ANSI lumens for $99 is pretty incredible.
Most Flexible Placement
BeeJovial HY300 Portable Projector
MSRP: $69.99
Common Price: $75.99
Link: https://amzn.to/4fYCIVs
If you want a little flexibility in placement, I also admit to kind of liking the TikTok famous HY300 due almost entirely to its little aiming stand and short throw ratio, and it also has 4 point keystone and a 44.4 decibel fan. But be aware that people have reported issues with the Android operating system freezing, it uses a Netflix app that’s designed for cell phones, and it has almost 200 ms of input lag which means gaming, but it is kind of neat for $50, especially if you’re just watching YouTube.
More information on Sub $100 Projectors: https://youtu.be/p7pcVKvtgCE
Mid-Priced Projectors ($100-$500)
Best All-In One
Elephas W1K
MSRP: $499.99
Common Price: $247.48
Link: https://amzn.to/4kAbvMh
The Elephas W1K is definitely the most well-rounded, finishing first in the viewing experience testing due to its great tone mapping and image processing combined with its 735 ANSI lumens and 2883:1 contrast ratio. The Elephas also has a very tolerable fan noise at 42.6 decibels and the built-in speakers are not the highest quality but are plenty loud and it would be acceptable for most people to watch an entire movie. The Elephas also had the lowest input lag of these three projectors, but it was still close to 50 ms, which isn’t ideal. The Elephas also had higher than normal power use, drawing 153.2 watts while outputting 735 ANSI lumens for an efficiency of 4.8 lumens per watt.
Best All-In One: Runner-up
Dangbei N2
MSRP: $499.00
Common Price: $199.00
Link: https://amzn.to/4kFjGqt
If you’re looking for something a bit smaller and quieter, the Dangbei N2 finished fifth in viewing experience despite having a much lower brightness at just 419 ANSI lumens and a 1980:1 contrast ratio, and the N2 had the quietest fan of any projector in the video at just 34.8 decibels. For speaker quality, it didn’t have the same peak volume as the Elephas, but the speakers were higher quality with more low end and would be more than sufficient for a movie night. In my testing, the Dangbei N2 drew 98 watts but only output 419 lumens, meaning it is actually the least efficient of these three at 4.28 lumens per watt, and it also had the worst input lag at 98.9 ms.
Best All-In One: Third Place
Alvar F505
MSRP: $399.99
Common Price: $189.99
Link: https://amzn.to/4kFjUhj
The Alvar F505 finished second in viewing experience and had very similar raw brightness and contrast numbers to the Elephas at 724 ANSI lumens and 2841:1 contrast ratio, but the F505 had a significantly louder fan at 48.2 decibels and though it did have slightly more balanced sound with more bass, the speakers were overall quieter than the Elephas. The Alvar also had nearly double the input lag at 82.5 ms, so even though it was more efficient, drawing just 123.6 watts with an efficiency of 5.86 lumens per watt, I wouldn’t recommend picking the Alvar over the Elephas.
Best “Dumb” Projector
Nexigo PJ40 Gen 3
MSRP: $319.99
Common Price: $239.99
Link: https://amzn.to/4ixTMTM
However, all three of those projectors use the NetRange store and operating system, which other than full Netflix support leaves a lot to be desired. I want to make another argument for just getting a projector with no smart OS and adding a FireTV stick or Roku for streaming. The Nexigo PJ40 Gen 3 finished third overall for viewing experience with 692 ANSI lumens and 3173:1 contrast ratio, and importantly if you want to play video games, it also has a game mode with less than 20ms of input lag. The PJ40 has an adjustable fan, which is admittedly very loud at max brightness measuring in at close to 49 decibels, but the fan can be adjusted down along with the maximum brightness of the light source, and it can get all the way down to 34.7 decibels if that’s what you’re going for. At maximum brightness, the PJ40 draws 150.5 watts to output 692 lumens for an efficiency of 4.6 lumens per watt, which is slightly lower than the Elephas, and in addition to not having a SmartOS, the PJ40 also lacks motorized focus, and doesn’t have a Bluetooth remote. But combined with a streaming stick it’s the only projector in the video that would check all of my boxes in terms of image quality, input lag, and focus uniformity.
Highest Value Projector
Wemax Vogue
MSRP: $999.00
Common Price: $423.99
Link: https://amzn.to/4bF6YUJ
If contrast isn’t your end-all be-all stat, I feel 100% confident saying that the Wemax Vogue is WAY more projector than you would typically be able to get for your money. A DLP projector with a 4LED light source putting out 1404 measured ANSI lumens for $423 new just doesn’t line up with the rest of the market, and similar projectors from Dangbei and XGIMI are in the $700-800 range. In addition to the more robust DLP projection system, the Wemax’s built-in speakers were also in a completely different league with loud, balanced, full range stereo sound. The Wemax also has the advantage of projecting with 100% offset, which means it’s easier to mount on the ceiling or project from a table, and if you do need to position it to the side of your screen, the DLP projection system maintains better focus uniformity when using keystone. It also had a fan noise of just 37.4 decibels when outputting its full 1404 lumens and it drew just 152.3 watts for an efficiency of 9.2 lumens per watt, by far the highest in the video. If the Vogue had decent input lag it would be the easiest recommendation I’ve ever made, but at 53.3 ms it’s not quite as tempting since it’s not great for gaming.
Budget Short Throw
Magcubic HY450
MSRP: $199.99
Common Price: $149.99
Link: https://amzn.to/4bKpET5
An honorable mention has to go to the Magcubic HY450 for doing something completely different. I love the short throw and 100% offset and I think it would make a great projector for someone looking to build a budget golf simulator and would be perfect for doing projection holiday decorations. At $139, it’s the most lumens per dollar of any of the projectors in the video, but I think I’d recommend paying the extra $10 to get the NetRange version of the projector instead of the Android version like I tested. Be aware that it does have a decently loud fan at 47.2 decibels and the speakers are usable, but definitely not great.
More information on Mid-Priced Projectors ($100-$500): https://youtu.be/vHmy8sobWEc
4K Laser Projectors
Best Overall
Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2
MSRP: $3999.99
Common Price: $3999.99
Link: (pre-order) https://www.valerion.com/product/valerion-visionmaster-4k-rgb-triple-laser-projector?model=Max
The Valerion Vision Master Pro 2 has basically no weaknesses. I’ve reviewed hundreds of projectors, and I can usually find something wrong with them, but other than some maybe overzealous contrast claims that are only achievable with full black and white patterns, the Valerion is absolutely exceptional. The Valerion had the highest usable brightness, the highest color accurate brightness, the second highest native contrast, and by far the highest dynamic contrast. It covers 99.5% of the DCI-P3 color space with an SDR color accuracy of 3.12 average delta error. It supports 24p, all types of 3D, Dolby Vision, and IMAX enhanced, it has exceptionally low input lag, 1.2x optical zoom, great clarity, great auto focus and keystone, a built in aiming kickstand and optional gimbal mount, a useful remote, snappy processor for its GoogleTV operating system, and most importantly, it finished first in the side-by-side viewing experience testing. Honestly, the final round versus the Hisense C2 Ultra wasn’t even close.
Best Value
Nexigo TriVision Ultra
MSRP: $1899.00
Common Price: $1399.00
Link: (pre-order) https://shrsl.com/4qicb
The Nexigo TriVision Ultra was the other standout in this video, based strictly on its price versus performance ratio. 2400 usable ANSI lumens with 1550:1 native contrast ratio and 95% DCI-P3 color space coverage for the $1099 pre-order price is unheard of, and even at a full MSRP of $1899 it would still be the best value of anything currently on the market.
Best Currently Available
Hisense C2 Ultra
MSRP: $2497.97
Common Price: $2497.97
Link: https://amzn.to/3YXZcR6
XGIMI Horizon S Max
MSRP: $1899.99
Common Price: $1899.99
Link: https://amzn.to/48IRnlB
But if I absolutely had to choose a projector that could be delivered right now in November 2024, I’d either pick the Hisense C2 Ultra or XGIMI Horizon S Max. I honestly feel a little bad because if these Hisense, XGIMI, or JMGO projectors were in last year’s show down, they would have easily won.
More information on 4K Laser Projectors: https://youtu.be/ClIboELoz74
Ultra-Short Throw Projectors
Best Overall
Hisense PX3-Pro
MSRP: $3497.97
Common Price: $3497.97
Link: https://amzn.to/3YAJ1J0
The real standout, and the projector that I’ll personally be switching to, is the Hisense PX3-Pro which finished 2nd for dark room viewing, and 4th for bright room, but suffered in the overall not passing the RTING 24p test and 3D that’s definitely not working correctly yet, and I’d never suggest buying a product based on updates that may or may not happen, but it seems like both of those things could easily be fixed in a firmware update.
Best Dark Room Performance
Nexigo Aurora Pro
MSRP: $2699.99
Common Price: $2699.99
Link: https://amzn.to/3zZO908
For purely dark room viewing, the Nexigo Aurora Pro is still unbeatable, and top left corner focus seems to still be its only downfall. Even though this unit was better than my last one in that regard, it was still much worse than all the other projectors in the video. I had expected to also like the Aurora Lite since it has all the same features and the same excellent contrast of the Aurora Pro, but I thought the lowered brightness had a significant effect on the ability to make highlights pop, and even at the discounted price, I think I’d recommend saving up the extra $500-700 for the Aurora Pro instead.
Best Bright Room Performance
Epson EpiqVision LS650
MSRP: $2499.99
Common Price: $1799.99
Link: https://amzn.to/4fenECU
For purely bright room viewing, the Samsung LPU9D came out slightly on top of the LS650. If you’re made of money and bright room performance is all you care about then you should go for the Samsung, but at less than half the price of the Samsung, there’s a lot to like about the LS650 which is also $500 cheaper than the LS800 that I tested last year but was actually brighter in dynamic mode according to my measurements. Combine that with good speakers, decent input lag, and zero rainbow effect and the LS650 makes for the perfect man-cave projector for watching big screen sports. The biggest difference between the LS650 and LS800 is their throw distance where the LS800 needs just 4.5” from the wall for a 100” screen vs 11.5” for the LS650, but the less extreme throw does make it easier to lineup the LS650 without keystone. So, if you’re looking for a light cannon to watch sport, pick whichever Epson has a better throw distance for you.
Best Budget Option
Formovie Cinema Edge
MSRP: $2499.99
Common Price: $1799.99
Link: https://amzn.to/4f998fW
For purely bright room viewing, the Samsung LPU9D came out slightly on top of the LS650. If you’re made of money and bright room performance is all you care about then you should go for the Samsung, but at less than half the price of the Samsung, there’s a lot to like about the LS650 which is also $500 cheaper than the LS800 that I tested last year but was actually brighter in dynamic mode according to my measurements. Combine that with good speakers, decent input lag, and zero rainbow effect and the LS650 makes for the perfect man-cave projector for watching big screen sports. The biggest difference between the LS650 and LS800 is their throw distance where the LS800 needs just 4.5” from the wall for a 100” screen vs 11.5” for the LS650, but the less extreme throw does make it easier to lineup the LS650 without keystone. So, if you’re looking for a light cannon to watch sport, pick whichever Epson has a better throw distance for you.
More information on UST Projectors: https://youtu.be/M-vQKcsd03A
Portable Projectors
Best Overall
BENQ GV50
MSRP: $799.99
Common Price: $799.99
Link: https://amzn.to/3TwPwK3
If I had to pick one projector to do it all, the BENQ GV50 is an easy pick. It’s got great picture quality, 500 lumens of usable brightness, a 685:1 contrast ratio, a built in battery with nearly 2 hours of unplugged playback, plus the ability to extend that using a power bank via USB-C. It’s got great speakers, low input lag, an awesome built in aiming system, good keystone, low power draw, low fan noise, and great app compatibility, and at $599 it doesn’t completely break the bank, and I honestly don’t have anything bad to say about it, other than I guess it could be brighter.
Highest Overall Score
JMGO N1S
MSRP: $999.00
Common Price: $799.00
Link: https://global.jmgo.com/products/jmgo-n1-s
If you do need something brighter to contend with ambient light, I think both the JMGO N1S and Dangbei Atom are pretty good picks, but the JMGO has nearly twice the contrast and slightly better speakers, albeit for $300 more. When you compare all the stats, there’s no question that the JMGO is better, but I’m not sure it’s $300 better or even $250 if you also get the Dangbei Gimble stand, which is another plus for the Dangbei since you can remove that stand and make it the perfect slim travel projector to throw in a backpack or laptop bag for presentations or just movies on the go.
Affordable Ultra Bright
Dangbei Atom
MSRP: $899.00
Common Price: $699.00
Link: https://amzn.to/3Xo8kMI
If you do need something brighter to contend with ambient light, I think both the JMGO N1S and Dangbei Atom are pretty good picks, but the JMGO has nearly twice the contrast and slightly better speakers, albeit for $300 more. When you compare all the stats, there’s no question that the JMGO is better, but I’m not sure it’s $300 better or even $250 if you also get the Dangbei Gimble stand, which is another plus for the Dangbei since you can remove that stand and make it the perfect slim travel projector to throw in a backpack or laptop bag for presentations or just movies on the go.
Best Outdoor & Camping Projector
Nebula Mars 3
MSRP: $1049.99
Common Price: $899.99
Link: https://amzn.to/4enoHQx
My last recommendation is the Nebula Mars 3 which has a completely different use case than every other projector in this video. As I said before, the Mars 3 is the ultimate outdoor camping or backyard projector. Its 185 watt hour battery can project 1000 ANSI lumens with screaming loud audio for 2 hours, 400 ANSI lumens for over 5 hours, or it can be your Bluetooth speaker for an entire weekend without even challenging its battery life, so you can feel free to use the USB-A and USB-C charging outlets, and the convenient LED light whenever you want. On top of that it’s water, dust, and drop resistant, but keep in mind that it is pretty giant and weighs over 10 pounds.
More information on Portable Projectors: https://youtu.be/jmmGQOSAReI
Premium Home Theater Projectors
Best “Dark Room” Traditional Home Theater Projector
JVC NZ500
For a traditional dark room theater with dark colored walls, ceiling, and carpet, JVC has always been the king of black levels, and the NZ500 is no exception. With a native contrast ratio over 29000:1 without any laser dimming tricks, tons of zoom and lens shift options, and excellent tone mapping and color accuracy, the NZ500 has all the markings of a traditional high end home theater projector at a fraction of the price.
Best “Multi-Use” Home Theater Projector
Epson QB1000
If you need or want more brightness, I was also very impressed with the Epson QB1000. While $7999 is still a lot to pay for a pixel shifter with 1080p panels, the performance is on par with other projectors at and above that price point. So, if your theater is more of a multi-purpose room without black walls and ceiling, or if you just want to project a massive screen, you’ll appreciate the extra brightness of the QB1000 over the NZ500.
Best “Bang for the Buck” Projector
Valerion Pro 2
MSRP: $2999.00
Link: https://amzn.to/44jz1aq
If you need or want more brightness, I was also very impressed with the Epson QB1000. While $7999 is still a lot to pay for a pixel shifter with 1080p panels, the performance is on par with other projectors at and above that price point. So, if your theater is more of a multi-purpose room without black walls and ceiling, or if you just want to project a massive screen, you’ll appreciate the extra brightness of the QB1000 over the NZ500.
More information on Premium Home Theater Projectors: https://youtu.be/B4_MhHsZvkU
Gaming Projectors
Best Overall
BENQ X500i
MSRP: $1699.00
Common Price: $1499.00
Link: https://amzn.to/4drwDkd
No matter what your budget is, the BENQ X500i seems to be the best gaming projector on the market with the ViewSonic X2-4K close behind, and looking at the projectors themselves and their stats I actually wouldn’t be surprised if they had almost the exact same internal parts. That said, the BENQ seems quite a bit more polished from a software and tuning perspective and it also includes BENQ’s QS02 streaming stick which has full Android TV 10 with Netflix support, while ViewSonic’s smart OS platform is basically worthless. So, if you can get past the XPR motor noise at 4K 60Hz the X500i is not just the best gaming projector, but probably the best all-around projector I’ve ever tested.
Runner-Up
ViewSonic X2-4K
MSRP: $1599.99
Common Price: $1599.99
Link: https://amzn.to/3QEELnE
No matter what your budget is, the BENQ X500i seems to be the best gaming projector on the market with the ViewSonic X2-4K close behind, and looking at the projectors themselves and their stats I actually wouldn’t be surprised if they had almost the exact same internal parts. That said, the BENQ seems quite a bit more polished from a software and tuning perspective and it also includes BENQ’s QS02 streaming stick which has full Android TV 10 with Netflix support, while ViewSonic’s smart OS platform is basically worthless. So, if you can get past the XPR motor noise at 4K 60Hz the X500i is not just the best gaming projector, but probably the best all-around projector I’ve ever tested.
Best All Around
Nexigo Aurora Pro
MSRP: $2699.00
Common Price: $2699.00
Link: https://amzn.to/4dwBKzy
If you’re looking for better ambient light performance and your budget is a bit higher, like $3500, I still think the Nexigo Aurora Pro with a Fresnel screen is a nearly unbeatable combo, and I’m continually amazed at how it performs as a jack of all trades, master of many. Tri-Laser Color Performance, Dolby Vision, 3D, and fully functioning 1080p 240Hz at 9.1ms of input lag is just crazy.
More information on Gaming Projectors: https://youtu.be/biXPgm-pxiU
Golf Simulator Projectors
Best Overall
Optoma ZK608TST
The new Optoma ZK608TST is the best all-around golf sim projector money can buy. It’s got 5879lm of peak brightness in “Bright” mode with less than ideal but still usable color accuracy, and 4600lm in “Vivid” mode with vibrant and accurate colors. It has one of the shortest throw distances I’ve ever seen as well as optical lens shift and digital image shift. It’s quiet, dust proof, has a relatively low power draw for its brightness, a very high native contrast ratio, supports HDR content and 3D, has low input lag, and it’s just barely larger than a typical home theater projector. The only downsides I can see are that it doesn’t have any optical zoom and at $5999 it’s not going to fit most people’s budget.
Best Value 4K
BENQ TK710STi
MSRP: $1999.00
Link: https://alnk.to/8EJKBbG
The BENQ TK710STi is also a great all-around projector for a third of the price at $1999, but it also has half the usable brightness and while I was actually able to measure higher than BENQ’s claimed 3200lm in “Bright” mode, it wasn’t particularly usable, and “Living Room” mode gave the next highest brightness at 2448lm while maintaining accurate colors. Like the Optoma, the BENQ TK710STi is a particularly good option for someone looking for a multipurpose projector since it has good contrast, low input lag, and supports HDR and 3D formats. You’ll just need to keep the lights in your sim a little dimmer.
Best Budget Option
Epson EpiqVision Mini EF12
MSRP: $999.00
Link: https://amzn.to/3WEfk7U
As for the Epson EF12, it is what it is. If your budget is $500 and you want a very usable short throw projector that’s easy to set up, has a long lasting laser light source, is super small, has low power draw, great speakers, and good digital zoom image shift options, the EF12 works. But don’t expect much wow factor and be prepared to play with most of your lights off.
More information on Golf Simulator Projectors: https://youtu.be/c42W02UF_nI