10 Best Projectors (Review) In 2021

You’ll notice, as you read through this buying guide, that Vankyo Leisure 3 1080p Portable Projector isn’t in the same league as a lot of the other projectors we’ve featured. The reason is pretty simple – it’s much, much cheaper. At just over $100, you can’t expect movie theatre quality. The question is – is it worth buying as a cheap projector? We think the answer is yes, as long as you limit your expectations.

It supports 1080p resolution and provides a screen size up to 170″. The contrast ratio is 2000:1 (not a scratch on the other home theatre projectors in this list) and the brightness is around 60% better than other projectors in this price range. Honestly, though, you need to be in a totally dark room for the projected image to be bright enough. Remember, the bigger the projected image, the darker it looks.

You might be wondering why our Best Value product costs well over $1000. Well, the truth is, you’re going to have to spend that much money if you want one of the best projectors on the market. The BenQ HT3550 4K HDR Home Theater Projector is the top-of-the-line model in BenQ’s affordable projector range. We’ve picked this model in particular because it has all of the same video processing and color management capability that we’ve seen in more expensive BenQ projectors, at a fraction of the price. If you’re looking for a way to get a high-quality home theatre experience for as cheap as possible, this is the unit we’d recommend.

In terms of stats, you’re looking at 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) resolution provided by the 0.47″ DLP chip, 30,000:1 contrast ratio, and a six-segment RGBRGB color wheel. It also has five-position HDR brightness control and HDR-Pro Tone Mapping, which make it easier to get an accurate and colorful image.

If you’re looking for a projector that’s suited to gaming, the Optoma GT1080HDR is one of the best. Crucially, it has a response time of 8.4 milliseconds with a 120Hz refresh rate. That means you can play your favorite games on a 120″ projected image, with no input lag. The other benefit of the Optoma GT1080HDR is how short the throw is – it can project a 120″ image from just four feet away. That makes it perfect for so many situations – makeshift outdoor theatres (best outdoor extension cord), gaming in your bedroom, etc.

The other stats make for pretty impressive reading as well. It has a six-segment color wheel, 3,800 lumens, a 50.000:1 contrast ratio, and up to 15,000 hours of lamp life.

The BenQ HT2150ST 1080p Short Throw Projector is another short throw projector that you should seriously consider if you’re planning to use it for gaming. With an average input lag of around 17ms, this is a seriously fast projector. It’s safe to say, you won’t experience any noticeable lag when you’re gaming. So, how does the image stack up against competitors? Well, many expert reviewers think that the BenQ HT2150ST has a better picture quality overall than the Optoma 1080 we just looked at, and we’re in agreement. The 1080p image is helped along by a six RGBRGB color wheel that delivers vivid colors and sharp details. Overall, while the image can’t be compared to the BenQ HT2250 (later in the list), it’s a few hundred dollars cheaper, so you’re still getting plenty of bang for your buck.

The VAVA 4K UHD Laser TV Home Theatre Projector is one of the most impressive products on this list. If you’re used to old-school projectors, the ultra-short-throw of this unit is going to blow your mind. Place it 7.2 inches away from the screen (works best with an ALR screen) and it casts a 100″ image. That means you don’t need a complicated mounting installation and you won’t cast shadows when you walk in front of the screen.

The VAVA 4K UHD Laser TV Home Theatre Projector is one of the most affordable projectors of its type. Known as a laser TV, this technology is the latest in home theatre systems technology. With an integrated Harman Kardon soundbar and Android Smart TV interface (streaming apps built-in), you might never have to make use of the nine I/O connections. We also need to make a quick mention of the world-class picture quality. It’s bright enough to look great in a room with plenty of ambient light with your smart bulbs and when you turn the lights off the 4K resolution with HDR10 is enough to inspire awe from even the harshest critics of projector technology.

The Kodak Luma 150 is a projector that can literally fit in your pocket. It also costs a fraction of most of the other projectors on this list. If you’re not looking for serious image quality, short-throw projection, no input lag, or any of the other features that serious videophiles and gamers need, it’s a pretty good buy. We have to say that we were impressed by this little device. It has a USB and an HDMI and comes with the necessary cables to hook up your smartphone, laptop, or gaming console. The native resolution is 854 x 480, it has a contrast ratio of 1,000:1, boasts a 150-lumen lamp, and provides 16.7 million display colors. Those stats tell you that it’s not a serious contender to provide the best picture quality but for a pocket projector, it’s the real deal.

The Optoma UHD50 True 4k DLP Home Theater Projector is about as cheap as it gets for a serious 4K UHD projector. A couple of years ago, people would have thought you were practicing witchcraft if you talked about a 4K projector that is at this price rate. With a six-segment color wheel, so it’s great for people that tend to see the rainbow effect (RBE) in projected images. It offers around 2200 lumens, which means you need to control the ambient lighting or use it in a fully darkened room. It also has a 1.3x zoom, which means you throw a 130″ image from around 12-15 feet. So, it’s not the most impressive projector on this list but at this price, you really can’t complain.

We’ve already featured the BenQ HT2150 and the BenQ HT3550 on this list. Both of them are awesome projectors in their own right – the HT2150 for its price and the HT3550 for the sheer quality of the image. The BenQ HT2150 4k UHD HDR Home Theater Projector is the midrange model. Honestly, if you’re looking at buying the HT2150 and you can stretch a couple of hundred bucks, this projector is a big step up. It’s one of the cheapest 4K projectors on the market and boasts some pretty impressive stats – 8.3 million pixels, HDR10 support, 2200 lumens, and an RGBRGB color wheel.

When we’re creating these buying guides we always like to ask ourselves: ‘what would we choose if we had unlimited money?’ Well, the answer for this list is the Sony VPLVW285ES 4K HDR Home Theater Video Projector. When it came out, it was one of the first 4K projectors for under $5000, which, at the time, was considered ‘affordable’ And, even though it’s been around for a couple of years, it’s still one of the best projectors on the market. With three LCoS panels, 1500 lumens, HDR10 & HLG standard support, and full calibration controls, it’ super easy to get a world-class 4K cinema screen in your home. We could go on about how amazing this projector is for weeks but instead, you should just buy it and see for yourself.

The first thing that everyone notices about the LG HU80KA 4K UHD Laser Smart TV CineBeam Projector projector is that it doesn’t look like other projectors. The reason? It isn’t like other projectors. Instead of mounting it on the roof, you can put it on the floor, lift open the lid, and it will project a 150″ image onto the wall or screen. Granted, it’s not a short-throw projector, so you need a fair bit of space to make it work but it’s still a useful feature. One of the best things about the LG HU80KA is that it comes with all the same streaming apps as an LG smart TV. It’s about time projector manufacturers integrated this technology and we’re glad that LG is paving the way.