Best projectors Buying Guide: Welcome to What Hi-Fi?'s round-up of the best projectors – Full HD, 4K, portable and short throw – that you can buy in 2022.
The smell of the popcorn, the hush of the auditorium, the lights go down and on goes the film; there's nothing quite like the cinema. Making one's own private movie house can be a lot easier than you think. Spend the right kind of money on the best set of products and you could even make something better than your local theatre. The key to the experience, of course, is choosing one of the best projectors that money can buy and that's what we have for you right here.
With picture sizes often up to 300 inches, the best projectors are the only way to get that genuine big screen feeling.
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We've rounded up our favourite projectors, including Full HD and native 4K models, which also support HDR, and some short throw projectors too for those with smaller spaces. There are even one or two portables that would make an excellent bring-along addition to a garden party for an outdoor cinema experience. The only question is how much do you have to spend?
Naturally, a great 4K projector will cost more than a Full HD one, and real, actual native 4K costs even more than those that use pixel shifting to spoof that top-end resolution. Fear not, though, we've got something for all budgets in our best projector list below. Just remember to save some money for the projector screen and the popcorn!
How to choose the best projector for you
There are a multitude of factors to consider when choosing the right projector to suit your needs. Whether its budget, resolution, screen size or even the type of lamp, all of these factors can drastically alter the performance of a projector.
It's important to recognise the differences between projector lamp technologies, as different options give you different performance. Laser-based projectors are quick to reach optimal performance after booting up, they produce more accurate colours and have longer lifespans due to not requiring a bulb to power the picture. However, they tend to be more expensive than DLP (Digital Light Processing) LED and LCD projectors, which in turn have their own benefits and caveats.
Ultimately, the goal with a projector is to encapsulate the cinematic feeling of a theatre at home, so this is where screen size and resolution are important. Ideally, this is where a 4K projector would be best for crisp and clear visuals. As you'll notice, almost all of our top picks are either native 4K projectors, or achieve a 4K-like image through clever trickery for a higher picture quality.
While resolution is a pivotal aspect of the picture quality, it's almost equally important counterpart is colour. Projectors can often struggle when it comes to colour, especially when it comes to projecting darker shades. Contrast is key here to ensure that black depth is the best it can be, although no projector will be able to live up to an OLED TV in this regard.
Within the mix are also some ultra short throw projectors. These can project a big, clear image onto a wall from a very short distance away, making them ideal for space saving set ups or for those wanting to avoid wall- or ceiling-mounting their projector.
Then there are portable projectors, which are ideal of taking on the go or using outside to create a grab-and-go cinema experience. They might not match up with the performance of dedicated home cinema projectors, but you're paying for the experience and versatility here – you can't beat an open air cinema experience under the starry night sky after all.
We do often recommend that you budget for a speaker when shopping for a projector, as although many options here include on-board speakers, they are invariably pretty poor. Similarly, while some projectors do now feature built-in streaming platforms, they're often a bit patchy in terms of performance and app selection, so it's often worth keeping some cash aside for a dedicated streamer.
It's a shade pricey for an entry-level device but, make no mistake, this is the king of affordable 4K projectors. It’s easy to set up and install, and produces a picture that’s reminiscent of what you'll get at the cinema.
You'll get a great image right out of the box without needing to be any kind of expert at tinkering with the settings. All the preset modes are very well judged and it gives an excellent level of black depth and dark detail for a projector at this price. Colours are balanced and motion is naturally smooth.
That said, it's as much the convenience of this machine that makes it so good. Bluetooth allows for direct connection with a wireless speaker or soundbar, and the high luminance means that it's usable in moderately lit rooms. In other words, an AVR, speaker package and home cinema room are not entirely necessary. How's that for a superb family projector?
Read the full Epson EH-TW7100 review
BenQ divides its consumer projector range into quite specific categories these days. There's premium ‘CinePro’, mid-range ‘CinePrime’ and entry level ‘CineHome’ home cinema models, as well as more general purpose (usually brighter and more affordable) home entertainment models, laser TV models, and dedicated gaming projectors.
The W1800 sits squarely in BenQ’s CineHome section, where its focus on serving up a cinematic experience on a budget serves it extremely well.
The BenQ W1800’s pictures immediately struck us as genuinely cinematic as soon as we clapped eyes on them – and while deeper scrutiny uncovers a limitation or two, our first impressions hold well throughout our time with the W1800.
BenQ’s decision to focus with the W1800 on what we guess could be considered good old-fashioned home cinema values has paid off handsomely. Its pictures might not be the showiest around, but they’re refined, natural, authentic and, to use that word again, cinematic.
Read the full BenQ W1800 review
This big, brassy projector is as good as you'll get before forking out for the beauty of native 4K projection. The detail may not be as stunning as its brethren in those upper echelons but for colour accuracy, subtlety of contrast and HDR handling, it's a real corker.
The result is a picture more involving than you'll find anywhere else at this price point with a sense of depth so absorbing that you'll pick up detail from your favourite films that you'll have always missed on smaller screens.
It's also a dream in terms of practicality. Its 50-300-inch image size can be thrown from a good range of distances and the motorised lens means you can set it all up from the comfort of your sofa using its superb, backlit remote. Just sit back and enjoy some cinematic greats.
Read the full Epson EH-TW9400 review
This is Sony's replacement for the excellent VW270ES. Now armed with the X1 for Projector picture processor, and features such as Super Resolution Reality Creation and Dynamic HDR Enhancer, it resets the standard for the entry-level native 4K projector.
Like the rest of the native 4K Sony series, the 290ES uses Sony's SXRD, 4096 x 2160 resolution, D-ILA panels which combine the best of LCD and DLP technology. This results in this case in a sharp picture that draws an excellent balance between HDR punch and tonal detail.
As with most projectors, there's no Dolby Vision support, but Sony's own dynamic HDR technology can still provide a frame-by-frame HDR analysis for the best possible picture at all times.
Even with SDR material, the results are quite astonishing. There's little want for detail when upscaling from HD and there are bags of carefully shaded nuance with both contrast and colour.
Read the full Sony VPL-VW290ES review
Sony has supplied the market with a fair few native 4K projectors over the last few years – all high-end, all highly commendable.
In many ways this particular Sony is an irrefutable showboat. Its colour palette is more focused on vibrancy and eye-catching saturation, and its shading favours the dramatic to the subtle, but there's a definite appeal in that approach too.
Detail at 4K is outstanding and there's a very good texture and realism to every part of the on-screen image. Tonal detail in light and dark areas is excellent, even in scenes of mixed lighting, thanks to some pinpoint contrast control with help from the Dynamic Iris. There's also the very hard to beat bonus of Sony's superb motion processing.
Set up is relatively straightforward, and once you have it up and running you'll be rewarded with pictures that will keep your eyes glued to the screen.
Read the full Sony VPL-VW590ES review
Despite only having a Full HD chip, the Epson still supports 4K and HDR content thanks to its clever '4K-enhancement' tech. It can't quite match the best native 4K projectors, but they tend to cost a lot more and it still delivers an exceptional picture for the money.
There's sharpness and colour in spades and the Epson also does a great job delivering punch and dynamism. It digs out plenty of detail in dark scenes too, and it's also easy to operate thanks to the motorised lens and handy remote control.
If you want something bigger than a flatscreen TV but more affordable than a native 4K projector, this is a great middle-ground solution.
Read the full review: Epson EH-TW7400
Anyone who’s into home cinema appreciates the value of a really big TV screen. But they’ll also be all too aware of how much really big TV screens cost. As soon as you step up to screen sizes above 80 inches the cost of TVs explodes, leaving the vast majority of households having to limit their home theatre dreams to 75 inches at the very largest.
Unless, that is, they go for a projector. But then, of course, projectors aren’t usually a convenient fit for living rooms. Cue Samsung’s The Premiere LSP9T: a projector designed from the ground up to deliver an epic TV-like experience for a fraction of the cost.
Thanks to its uniquely (by projector standards) potent audio and the remarkable colour range and brightness made possible by its tri-laser lighting system, the Premiere LSP9T really does get closer than any other projector to date to making you believe you’re watching a king-sized TV. Which is pretty handy considering that it’s going to be many, many years (if ever) before you’ll be able to get a 130-inch TV for anywhere near its asking price.
Read the full Samsung The Premiere LSP9T review
For native 4K projectors, the devil is rarely in the detail. The Sony VPL-VW890ES, and top-end machines like it, specialise in transcribing every crumb of picture resolution from source to screen.
Sony has an excellent track record for resolution and colour with its SXRD projectors and the VW890ES has both in spades. This is one of the sharpest pictures we’ve ever seen – a corner-to-corner level of detail that’s simply breathtaking.
Compared to the lower-end SXRD projectors in the Sony range, the VPL-VW890ES really is next level. It produces the kind of picture that will rival your local multiplex and have you wanting to watch disc after disc of your favourite films so that you can enjoy finding new details in them that you could never appreciate before.
Read the full Sony VPL-VW890ES review
f you’re on the hunt for convenient and accessible home cinema solutions, ultra-short-throw (UST) projectors such as the Xgimi Aura can seem like an obvious choice. The Xgimi Aura puts in a thoroughly entertaining big-screen performance that’s more impressive than the sum of its parts and almost makes us forget its flaws.
It throws big with a dramatic, vibrant picture bolstered by streaming smarts and the best quality sound system we’ve yet to hear in any projector. It may be bulky, but if it fits into your home, the Xgimi Aura offers a quality UST performance that undercuts its competition.
Read the full Xgimi Aura 4K review
Household projectors fall into two types. There are those for discerning enthusiasts with dedicated space for entertainment, and there are those for more casual viewing that offer a portable all-in-one home cinema but without the picture refinement of a more purist design.
In recent years, companies such as LG have focused on improving these smaller, more everyday models. The increasing affordability of laser technology means that manufacturers are now starting to produce slimmed-down long-throw projectors such as the LG HU810PW that aim to deliver excellent picture and functional flexibility.
With a crisp, detailed picture, punchy colours and smooth motion handling, the HU810PW delivers a lot of value and, despite its limited contrast range, it performs well both as a flexible all-in-one system and install model.
Read the full LG HU810PW review
The Optoma UHZ50 is the company’s latest stab at an entry level all-in-one DLP 4K laser projector. It comes with everything you need to get started with a home cinema set-up including integrated speakers, the ability to stream apps and HDR support.
That’s a useful array of abilities that makes this projector an appealing proposition for those after a fuss-free solution to their projection needs.
As a package, the Optoma feels like a good deal if you’re after a plug and play solution that you can dive straight into watching, but it would certainly benefit from an external sound system and a streaming device.
While the UHZ50 might not be quite up to class-leading standards, it still produces a sharp, clean and punchy image, making it a solid choice if you’re in the market for a 4K projector.
Read the full review: Optoma UHZ50
As a relatively nascent product category, high-quality ultra-short-throw (UST) projectors that can project images above 100 inches tend to be pretty pricey. These all-in-one home cinemas have to tick many boxes, delivering advanced optics, onboard streaming and integrated sound within a single compact package designed to be used flexibly.
So when it comes to models at the more affordable end of the market, such as the Epson LS300, we’re inherently sceptical about the prospect of it producing a well-rounded and immersive big-screen experience. Which makes it all the more satisfying to find that it does.
It may not have the highest spec, but Epson’s LS300 brings convenient big-screen projection to a price point that is far less prohibitive than is usual for its class. It is less detailed and vibrant than its pricier 4K counterparts, but at this price it's hard to quibble with what is an authentically rendered, bright, big picture and the onboard streaming smarts it comes with. Just be sure to also budget for a soundbar.
Read the full Epson EH-LS300 review
The Freestyle, Samsung’s diddy new LED-based projector lives up to its name by enabling you to take projection to places it’s never really been able to go before. Literally. Even the usual power cable ‘tether’ doesn’t have to hold The Freestyle back from doing its thing in even the most inaccessible corners of your home.
The sheer extent of its flexibility actually makes its performance feel better than we arguably have any right to expect, though. So if you’re prepared to show it the sort of love it needs, the Freestyle has the potential to be your home’s new best friend. Right up until the point where you end up squabbling over whose turn it is to use it, anyway.
Read the full review: Samsung The Freestyle
Epson's 3LCD projection system is squished down here and housed in a very tidy 14 x 18 x 18cm, 2kg box. While not quite as serious for brightness and picture quality as the company's more traditional home cinema machines, it still has a way with contrast and shading that's beyond the reach of most portable projectors.
What's more, its sound system is streets ahead of almost all others on this list. It's a 2 x 5W set-up that's been tuned by Yamaha. It's remarkably expressive with just enough precision to hold its own even in scenes with heavy action.
There's no iPlayer, Netflix or All 4 apps on the smart platform and we'd like Epson to have fitted an internal battery too but these are relatively minor gripes and nothing that neither a media streamer nor an extension cable can't solve. Definitely one for your portable projector shortlist.
Read the full Epson EF-12 review
This is Anker's best Nebula projector to date and also a very, very good portable in its own right. Feature-wise, it's got almost everything one could need in an outdoor projector. There's an excellent smart platform, a three-hour battery life, a good degree of brightness and plenty of source material options.
What tops it off, though, is some really rather impressive picture quality. There are brighter machines out there but, for this price, there's a great blend of both punch and subtlety to the image. In the right setting, it's just the ticket.
The onboard speakers are a touch weedy but the quality and spread of sound from them is good.
Do be warned that the app platform is missing a few of the UK catch-up services, iPlayer included, but otherwise, this feels like one of the best projectors out there for taking on your travels. It's small, convenient and very well appointed.
Read the full Anker Nebula Solar Portable review
Like the LG other Nebula above, the Mars 2 is a smartbox style portable projector that offers both convenience and a good dollop of fun. It's an excellent pick up and put down mini-movie night in which ever room of the house you happen to be.
It offers a picture size of up to 150 inches (you'll need very low lighting to appreciate it) and it'll run for four hours on its internal battery before it needs plugging in again – not bad for a summer evening's outdoor cinema, then. It also has a 2 x 10W speaker system built in.
Obviously, it's not the last word in picture quality but it delivers enough of the goods to be worth your while.
Read the full Nebula Mars 2 review
How we test projectors
Testing projectors involves taking the time to explore their capabilities fully through lots of options-tweaking and content-watching. This includes checking every item in the settings menu, and individually tweaking picture features to ensure the projector is giving us the best visual performance it can.
We conduct these tests in our state of the art testing room in Bath, which is outfitted with a 100-inch screen and a plethora of external sources to hook the projectors up to, including 4K Blu-ray players, video streamers and games consoles. This is also where each of these projectors meets its rivals, as every product is tested side-by-side with the competition to ensure it meets expectations and so that its place in the market is considered as a whole – no product exists in a vacuum after all.
We test using a wide range of content from 4K Blu-rays, to streaming services, video games and standard definition DVDs to make sure all kinds of content are put through these projectors. This helps us find the strengths and weaknesses of each projector.
At the end of this process, a verdict is reached by a team of reviewers who work closely together in order to ensure that each projector is tested fairly, and to avoid the possibility of any personal preferences creeping in. This is also to make sure our reviews are consistent and thorough, and so that no feature or flaw is missed within our testing process.
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