The BenQ HT3560 is a 4k HDR home theater projector with advanced gaming features. It has a 1.3x optical zoom, letting you adjust the projection distance without physically moving the unit; it projects an 80" image at a distance of 79 to 102 inches, up to a 200" image at a distance of 197 to 256 inches, depending on the zoom level. 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. It has two USB 2.0 ports and three HDMI 2.0 ports, with eARC support, for up to 4k @ 60Hz or 1080p @ 240Hz gaming. It doesn't come with a smart OS or any wireless features. Finally, it has two integrated 5W speakers.
Our Verdict
The BenQ HT3560 is decent for watching movies. Its brightness and contrast are both okay; good enough to offer a pleasant viewing experience in dark rooms, but nothing exceptional. The projector's real strength lies in its excellent out-of-the-box color accuracy; this is a projector that color purists will be satisfied with without feeling the need to have it calibrated. It also has a wide color gamut, although it's not quite bright enough to make its colors pop.
- Wide color gamut.
- Excellent out-of-the-box color accuracy.
- 4k @ 60Hz/1080p @ 240Hz support, with eARC and HDCP 2.2.
- No smart OS or wireless features.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We bought and tested the BenQ HT3560. It is the highest-end model in BenQ's mid-tier HT3550/3550i/3560 line of projectors. While it doesn't come with the BenQ QS01 Android TV dongle (which you can buy separately) like the BenQ HT3550i does, the HT3560 has three HDMI ports instead of two and has eARC support instead of simply ARC. Each HDMI port also supports up to 4k @ 60Hz or 1080p @ 240Hz, while the other models are limited to 4k @ 60Hz. Strangely, the HT3560 has two USB 2.0 ports, while the HT3550 and 3550i both have a USB 3.0 port alongside a USB 2.0 port.
|
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 February 2024; you can see the label here.
Popular Projector Comparisons
The BenQ HT3560 is a decent 4k HDR projector for watching movies in a dark room. It's extremely accurate out-of-the-box but offers only 'alright' image quality due to its okay brightness and contrast. Still, it's competitively priced for what it offers, as it has advanced features for gamers and movie aficionados alike, with HDCP 2.2 support on all three HDMI ports, eARC support, and up to 4k @ 60Hz and 1080p @ 240Hz. If you don't care about image accuracy, the ViewSonic PX701-4K is cheaper, has similar gaming features, and has slightly better image quality. If you don't care about gaming features but would like the projector to have a smart OS and wireless features, the XGIMI HORIZON Pro is a less accurate alternative.
See our recommendations for the best 4k projectors, the best cheap projectors, and the best projectors for home.
The BenQ HT3560 is better than the BenQ HT3550. They're extremely similar, but the HT3560 is vastly more accurate out of the box, making it the superior product for anyone who cares about image accuracy. It also has three HDMI ports instead of two and has eARC support instead of ARC. The HT3560 is also capable of up to 4k @ 60Hz or 1080p @ 240Hz, while the HT3550 is limited to 4k @ 60Hz. The latter has one USB 3.0 port and one USB 2.0 port, while the HT3560 has two USB 2.0 ports.
The ViewSonic PX701-4K is better than the BenQ HT3560 if you don't care about image accuracy; if you do, then the BenQ HT3560 is the better option, as the ViewSonic is very inaccurate and can't be improved much through calibration. The BenQ has a much wider color gamut, but neither projector is bright enough to make their colors pop. They both support 1080p @ 240Hz for gamers, alongside 4k @ 60Hz through pixel shifting.
The BenQ HT3560 is a bit better than the Optoma UHD35, especially if you care about image accuracy, as the Optoma isn't very accurate and can't be improved much through calibration. The Optoma does have slightly better contrast, offering a better dark room experience if you don't care about image accuracy. Another advantage of the BenQ is that it has more ports overall, with three HDMI ports, eARC support, and two USB ports; the Optoma doesn't have any USB data ports, no ARC/eARC support, and only two HDMI ports.
The BenQ HT3560 is a bit better than the XGIMI HORIZON Pro, although the XGIMI comes with a smart OS and wireless features, while the BenQ doesn't. Still, the BenQ has slightly better contrast, is vastly more accurate, and has 1080p @ 240Hz support for gamers, making it somewhat more well-rounded; just make sure you get a streaming dongle if you care about watching content from streaming apps.
We've independently bought and tested over 80 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.
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