The BenQ HT3550 is a 4k HDR projector primarily meant for watching movies. It projects a 100" image at a distance of 8.2 to 10.7 feet, 120" at a distance of 9.9 to 12.8 feet, and a very large 150" at a distance of 12.3 to 16 feet. The projector comes with auto vertical keystone technology to eliminate trapezoid effects when installed at an angle and includes a lens shift feature of up to 10% on the vertical axis. Finally, it has two HDMI 2.0b ports, one with ARC support, for 4k @ 60Hz gaming and two integrated 5W speakers.
Our Verdict
The BenQ HT3550 is alright for watching movies. Its native contrast is decent, and its brightness is alright, leading to pleasant blacks and a bright enough image when watched in a dark room. The projector has a very wide color gamut, but unfortunately, it's just not bright enough to make its colors look vibrant. The projector's color accuracy before calibration is poor, so you need to calibrate it if color accuracy matters to you.
- Very wide color gamut.
- Projector isn't bright enough to project vibrant colors.
- Poor pre-calibration accuracy.
Changelog
-
Updated Feb 25, 2026:
We previously stated that the unit supports ARC in the text, but our toggle was set to 'Off' in the Inputs & Connectivity section. We updated that section and the introduction to clarify the projector's ARC support.
- Updated Aug 07, 2024: Mentioned the newly-reviewed BenQ HT3560 in the Differences Between Sizes And Variants and Compared To Other Projectors sections of this review.
- Updated Aug 05, 2024: Updated text throughout the review according to Test Bench 0.9, mainly in the Verdict, Compared To Other Projectors and Contrast sections.
- Updated Aug 02, 2024: We've converted this review to Test Bench 0.9. We've overhauled our Contrast tests, as we now measure contrast at various average pixel levels (APL). You can see the full changelog here.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We bought and tested the BenQ HT3550. This projector has two higher-end models: the BenQ HT3550i, which has Bluetooth and Wi-Fi and comes with the BenQ QS01 Android TV dongle, and the BenQ HT3560, which doesn't come with a smart dongle but has 1080p @ 240Hz on its three HDMI ports, plus eARC support.
|
Model |
Streaming dongle | ARC/eARC | 1080p @ 240Hz | USB ports | HDMI ports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BenQ HT3560 | No | eARC | Yes | 2 x USB 2.0 | 3 x HDMI 2.0 |
| BenQ HT3550i | Yes | ARC | No | 1 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 2.0 | 2 x HDMI 2.0 |
| BenQ HT3550 | No | ARC | No | 1 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 2.0 | 2 x HDMI 2.0 |
Our unit was manufactured in December 2022; you can see the label here.
Popular Projector Comparisons
The BenQ HT3550 is an okay mid-tier 4k HDR projector for watching movies in a dark room due to its decent contrast and very wide color gamut. However, there are better options, with the ViewSonic PX701-4K being almost as good for a lot less money. It also has a higher-end model, the BenQ HT3560, which is much more accurate out of the box and has both 1080p @ 240Hz and 4k @ 60Hz support on its three HDMI ports, making it a much better value for gamers. Plus, the newer model has eARC instead of ARC. You'll still need to get a streaming dongle if you want a smart OS and wireless features, but overall, the newer model is a noticeable improvement over the HT3550.
See our recommendations for the best projectors, the best cheap projectors, and the best projectors for home.
The Epson Home Cinema 5050UB is much better than the BenQ HT3550. The Epson is much brighter, with significantly brighter and saturated colors due to its brightness and excellent color gamut. It's also vastly more accurate before calibration and has fantastic accuracy post-calibration. The BenQ is smaller and lighter and has auto keystone correction on the vertical axis, so it's easier to carry around and faster to install.
The BenQ HT2050A is slightly better than the BenQ HT3550, though the HT3550 is a more recent release with 4k HDR support, while the HT2050A is an older model limited to 1080p and lacking HDR. The HT3550 also has a much wider color gamut, although neither projector is bright enough to make colors pop. Still, the older HT2050A has much better contrast and slightly better peak brightness, so it's more capable in a variety of lighting conditions than the sharper HT3550.
The Epson Home Cinema 3800 is much better than the BenQ HT3550. The Epson is much brighter and has better contrast with significantly brighter colors. It's also vastly more accurate before calibration and has near-perfect accuracy post-calibration. The BenQ is smaller and lighter and has auto keystone correction on the vertical axis, so it's easier to carry around and faster to install.
The ViewSonic PX701-4K and BenQ HT3550 are about equally as good, although the ViewSonic is much better for gaming due to its 1080p @ 240Hz support. Otherwise, both projectors are 4k pixel-shifting units, with the BenQ having a much wider color gamut. Ultimately they're both capable in a variety of contexts, but the ViewSonic is better if you're hoping to game, while the BenQ has the slight edge for content consumption due to its wider color range.
We've independently bought and tested over 75 projectors and published detailed results for each, so you can decide which one to buy. These have all been tested under the same standardized methodology, allowing you to compare them side by side. We still have all these projects in our lab, so we can continually go back and compare them to ensure our reviews are still accurate. All our test methodologies are also public on our website, so you can validate the results yourself.
Throw Calculator
Global Controls
Test Results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
