The 5 Best 4k Projectors - Summer 2024 Reviews

If you're in the market for the best 4k projector, consider the BenQ X3100i. This projector stands out for its adaptability, offering advanced home theater capabilities while catering to gamers and streaming app aficionados. Thanks to its 4k pixel-shifting technology, it delivers a clear image that performs well under various lighting conditions, as it's sufficiently bright for moderately-lit rooms, and its excellent contrast and wide color range ensure a delightful viewing experience in dark rooms. It's highly accurate right out of the box, so even those who are particular about color accuracy will be largely pleased with this unit's performance without feeling the need to have it calibrated. Its compatibility with HDR10+, HDR10, and HLG further enhances its versatility, making it a truly flexible product.

It's not just about display capabilities; it's also a standout when it comes to streaming content. The included Android TV 11 QS02 dongle supports Google Cast and Apple AirPlay, making it fully capable of casting, and it offers Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 support. It's a great choice for gamers, with two HDMI 2.0b ports that can handle 4k @ 60Hz, 1440p @ 120Hz, and 1080p @ 240Hz signals. The third HDMI port, concealed behind the top cover, is intended for use with the dongle but can also accommodate any HDMI device. All in all, this is the most adaptable 4k pixel-shifting projector we've evaluated.

Are you looking for the best 4k home theater projector? Consider instead the Epson Home Cinema 3800. This model is single-minded: it's light on features, instead focusing on delivering the best possible image quality. It's incredibly bright, enough to be used in well-lit rooms. However, it truly excels in darker rooms due to its great contrast ratio. The Epson's out-of-the-box accuracy is excellent, and for purists, the extensive calibration features allow you to improve the unit's accuracy further. However, while its color gamut is decent overall, it isn't good enough to provide a pleasant HDR experience. If HDR is what you're after, you might instead prefer the more colorful Epson Home Cinema 5050UB, although it's not worth the price bump over the 3800 for most people.

The Home Cinema 3800 doesn't have Wi-Fi or a built-in smart OS, so if these features matter to you, you'll need to invest in an external streaming dongle or opt for the BenQ X3100i. It includes a 2.0A USB port primarily for powering a dongle, which helps address the unit's connectivity needs. The two HDMI 2.0 ports let you connect external devices to the projector, and they're both capable of accepting a 4k @ 60Hz signal. A 12V trigger-out port facilitates the automation of projector screen deployment. Overall, the Epson is slightly brighter, with better contrast, than the more expensive BenQ. This makes it a tremendous choice if you're looking for a home cinema projector, although you're losing out on the BenQ projector's wide array of features and wide color gamut in the process.

If you're hoping to install your new projector in a smaller room, you'll likely benefit from a great short-throw projector like the Epson EpiqVision Ultra LS800, which can project large images from very short distances. It can display an 80-inch image on the wall or screen from a mere 0.9-inch distance, almost touching the wall. If you desire a larger image, it can project up to 150 inches from a distance of 9.9 inches, which would still be close enough to the screen to fit on some larger desks. However, due to its size and heft, this unit takes up a fair amount of room. Projection distance isn't the only thing it's good at; it's one of the brightest projectors we've tested, so you don't need to dim the lights. It also delivers decent performance in completely dark rooms due to its satisfactory contrast. Its color range and accuracy are both commendable, making this a well-rounded projector when it comes to image quality.

It's also loaded with features, including built-in Android TV with full Chromecast integration. In terms of ports, it offers a nice variety: two USB 2.0 data ports, a 3.5mm audio jack, an optical out connection, and a 2.0A DC Out USB port. It also has three HDMI ports, including an ARC port. All HDMI ports can accept a 4k @ 60Hz signal, and the third one can also project a 1080p @ 120Hz signal, which is excellent for gamers. The projector also supports Bluetooth 5.0 and comes with Wi-Fi 5. Ultimately, the EpiqVision Ultra LS800 is the most comprehensive short-throw projector we've tested, but it's very expensive.

If you're shopping for a versatile projector bundled with great streaming features and don't need it to have the best possible image quality, then the XGIMI HORIZON Pro is a decent cheaper option. The XGIMI comes fully featured with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support, alongside the Android TV smart OS with Chromecast and AirScreen built-in for casting. It does, however, have worse image quality than the top picks. While it has impressive brightness uniformity, its peak brightness is just okay. Its contrast is good, so it offers a pleasant viewing experience when watched in a dark room, but it's just not as good as the top two picks. Furthermore, its pre-calibration accuracy is inadequate, and most of its colors are oversaturated out of the box. Thankfully, you can improve its accuracy with some light calibration.

Its two HDMI ports are limited to 60Hz signals in 4k or 1080p, but one of them is also an eARC port, so the unit can pass through advanced audio formats from DTS and Dolby. Overall, it offers features similar to those of the BenQ X3100i and Epson EpiqVision Ultra LS800, but at a much lower price. Still, if you're willing to buy a 1080p projector instead of a pixel-shifting unit, the base XGIMI HORIZON is a better value overall, as it offers image quality that is almost as good as the Pro but for a much lower price.

When it comes to cheap 4k projectors, your options are rather limited. 4k pixel-shifting projectors are inherently more expensive than 1080p models. Still, the ViewSonic PX701-4K is a decent budget option, offering the worst image quality on this list, but it's adequate enough considering the price point. This model has two HDMI ports capable of accepting 4k @ 60Hz or 1080p @ 240Hz signals, which is a great gaming feature at this price. It's decently bright, certainly enough to look very vibrant in a dark room, and its contrast is great even though it doesn't have very inky blacks. Unfortunately, this unit has one big flaw regarding image quality: its color accuracy is very poor out of the box, and you can barely improve it through calibration.

It's the lightest projector on this list, and at 6.2 pounds, you can move it easily if needed, although it still needs to be plugged into an outlet due to the lack of an internal battery. It even has automatic vertical keystone correction, so it can fix any geometry errors automatically on the vertical axis. While it supports HDR10 and HLG, its color gamut and output brightness aren't good enough to project a pleasant HDR experience. It also lacks any smart OS or wireless features, so connecting an external streaming dongle is necessary if you want any streaming features. Thankfully, the unit has a USB service port that you can also use to power the dongle, removing the need for an external power source. Overall, this model does offer a ton of performance for the price, but it's not for color purists.