BenQ W1080ST+ review

Best projector under £1000, Awards 2015. This budget projector delivers a brilliant big-screen picture Tested at £850

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

BenQ is on to another winner with this hugely entertaining compact projector

Pros

  • +

    Bright, punchy and crisp picture

  • +

    Balanced and nuanced colour palette

  • +

    Smooth motion

  • +

    Good sound quality

  • +

    Easy to use

Cons

  • -

    Nothing of note

Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.

When BenQ gave us a £1000 projector to test last year (the W1400), it ended up winning an Award. Will the new BenQ W1080ST+ follow in its footsteps?

It’s certainly possible – as this may just be the best big-screen picture we’ve seen at £1000 so far this year.

Performance

The picture is bright, crisp and clear, but it’s the subtlety with which colours are delivered that really impresses. BenQ claims there are 1.07 billion colours on display, and we’re inclined to believe them. Colours are rich and punchy, but they don’t cross the line into overblown.

Even the green skin of our CGI heroes in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are shaded, mottled and textured enough to look realistic. Human skin tones are nicely balanced and look natural, too. Whites and highlights are clean and shine bright, while blacks go inky deep without swallowing finer detail.

We have to commend BenQ’s abilities when it comes to dark scenes; you can clearly see the lush, deep-green foliage against the pitch-black forest scene in Godzilla, where rivals such as the Optima HD50 aren’t quite as discerning with shadow detail. The picture’s depth makes for a captivating watch.

For fans of 3D films, the BenQ’s 3D glasses are comfortable to wear, and the picture is just as smooth, bright and dynamic as in 2D.

Motion is smooth and flicker-free too, and the W1080ST+ is decent at upscaling DVDs, albeit with some fuzziness and drop in colour subtlety. But watching The Grand Budapest Hotel on DVD never feels frustrating – it’s still enjoyable.

There’s a 10W speaker inside the projector, and it sounds pretty good. Voices are loud and clear, explosions and engines rumble pleasingly, and there’s a sense of space and width.

There’s satisfying weight we usually don’t hear from projector speakers at this price, but of course really you’ll need external speakers or a 5.1 speaker package to fully appreciate a movie soundtrack.

Build and design

This well made projector is compact and light enough to be moved around. It has a short throw, so you can place it closer to the screen than most of its rivals. There’s plenty of adjustment to allow you flexibility with positioning.

One tiny niggle is that the entire projector wobbles when you adjust the focus. Other than that, the W1080ST+ is easy to use. The menus are basic but they operate smoothly, and the remote control is intuitive to use in a dark room thanks to responsive backlit buttons.

You can plug your Blu-ray player or AV receiver into either of the projector’s two HDMI inputs. There’s support for MHL, too, so you can watch HD videos from compatible Android devices.

It has a PC input for streaming movies and TV shows, and a separate wireless module is available to minimise cable use.

MORE: Best Blu-ray players 2015

Verdict

The BenQ W1080ST+ is excellent value for money and great to use. It delivers an entertaining picture and even sounds rather good.

If you are looking to set up your first home cinema room, you can’t really go wrong with this BenQ.

MORE: Best projectors to buy 2015

See all our projector reviews

What Hi-Fi?

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.

Read more about how we test