The 3 Best Projectors Under $500 - Spring 2024 Reviews

The Epson Home Cinema 1080 is sold for slightly above $500 when not on sale, but when it's on sale, it's easily the best projector under $500 that you can buy. It has surprisingly good image quality for the price, as it projects a very bright 1080p image, so it can easily handle moderately lit rooms. It also looks bright and relatively punchy in dark rooms due to its okay contrast. Unfortunately, it doesn't have vibrant colors, but they're good enough for a pleasant viewing experience, and they're well-calibrated out-of-the-box. The projector doesn't support HDR, but HDR support on projectors tends to be sub-par anyway, so it isn't a great loss, especially at this price point.

It's only 5.9 pounds, so it's easy to carry around if you need to, but it's too big and unwieldy for you to throw it into a bag, and you need to plug it into an outlet. It has automatic vertical keystone correction, so it adjusts its image automatically if you change its projection angle, and its optical zoom lets you adjust the projected image's size without moving the unit further. The projector has two HDMI 2.0 ports and a USB-B port, allowing you to control the projector through a computer. Unfortunately, the unit doesn't come with a smart OS. However, it does have Wi-Fi 5 and Miracast for screen mirroring, so all it is missing for full streaming functionality is an external streaming dongle, which you can power through the unit's USB-A port.

If you're looking for the absolute best value under $500, look no further than the Epson EpiqVision Flex CO-W01. While it doesn't have any HDR support, it projects an extremely bright 1280 x 800 resolution image that is perfect for bright offices, and the projector's also no slouch for watching movies; its bright image makes content pop, and the projector looks great when watching content in a moderately lit room. Unfortunately, the projector's contrast is inadequate, so this projector is going to look its best when a few lights are on. Its color accuracy is decent out-of-the-box, certainly good enough for most people, but color purists can greatly improve it through the projector's 2-point white balance calibration.

Like the Epson Home Cinema 1080, this projector isn't made for portability, but it's light enough to be carried around, although you need to plug it into an outlet. Unfortunately, unlike the Home Cinema 1080, it lacks any auto keystone correction and autofocusing, so you must manually adjust the image if you wish to fix any geometry issues. It also lacks any smart OS and doesn't even have Wi-Fi, so an external streaming dongle is a must. It does have a USB-B port to let you control the projector with a PC, and you can project a few file formats through the unit's USB-A port, but overall, it's rather barebones when it comes to ports, especially as it has only one HDMI port.

If you're looking for a projector you can easily carry around, check out the XGIMI MoGo 2. The MoGo 2 is a very small projector, and it weighs only 2.4 pounds, so you can easily throw it into a backpack. While it doesn't have an internal battery, it supports external charging via power banks through its USB-C port. It has many image correction features: full auto keystone, autofocus, intelligent screen alignment, and obstacle avoidance. To round up the package, it comes with the Android TV 11 smart interface, with Chromecast and AirScreen support, and has Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0 capabilities.

Unfortunately, the projector is very dim. You need to turn off all the lights to get a pleasant image, and even then, it's not exactly the most vibrant viewing experience possible. Its contrast is mediocre but good enough to provide a passable dark room viewing experience. It also has a wide color gamut and HDR support, but it's not bright enough to take advantage of them. Ultimately, you get this projector because of its portability, not image quality. If portability is what you're looking for, then the MoGo 2 is the best option at this price point.