The BenQ X3000i is a 4k HDR10/HLG 4LED projector primarily meant for playing video games. It projects a 100" image at a distance of 8.4 to 10.9 feet, 120" at a distance of 10 to 13.1 feet, and a very large 150" at a distance of 12.5 to 16.3 feet. The projector comes with auto vertical 2D Keystone technology to eliminate trapezoid effects when it's installed at an angle. It has two HDMI 2.0b ports for 4k @ 60Hz or 1080p @ 240Hz gaming and one internal HDMI 2.0b port that's reserved for the included Android TV 10 QS01 dongle. The dongle brings Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2 support, casting capabilities with Google Cast, and support for Google Assistant and Google Voice Search. Finally, the projector has two integrated 5W chambered speakers.
Our Verdict
The BenQ X3000i is very good for watching movies. Its native contrast is good, and its brightness is very good, leading to deep blacks and a bright image when watched in a dark room or when a few lights are on. It's bright enough to emphasize its wide color gamut and has excellent color accuracy pre-calibration.
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Good contrast for deep blacks in dark rooms.
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Bright enough to look vibrant in dark rooms, and can even handle rooms with a few lights.
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Wide color gamut.
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Excellent pre-calibration accuracy.
- 7.9 Movies
- Updated Jun 03, 2024: We mentioned the newly-reviewed BenQ X3100i in the Compared To Other Projectors and Differences Between Sizes And Variants sections of this review.
- Updated May 21, 2024: Updated text throughout the review according to Test Bench 0.9, mainly in the Verdict, Compared To Other Projectors and Contrast sections.
- Updated May 21, 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.
- Updated Feb 16, 2024: Review published.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We bought and tested the BenQ X3000i. This projector has a newer and better model, the BenQ X3100i, which has slightly better brightness, contrast, and colors, supports 1440p at 60Hz and 120Hz, and comes with a newer Android TV 11 QS02 dongle with Bluetooth 5.0 and Wi-Fi 6 support.
| Model | Bluetooth | HDR10+ | Native Netflix | Wi-Fi | Dongle USB passthrough | 1440p @ 120Hz |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BenQ X3000i (QS01) | 4.2 | No | No | Wi-Fi 5 | No | No |
| BenQ X3100i (QS02) | 5.0 | Yes | Yes | Wi-Fi 6 | Yes | Yes |
Our unit was manufactured in September 2022; you can see the label here.
Compared To Other Projectors
The BenQ X3000i is a very good projector that excels in its versatility. It's very capable for gaming with its 1080p @ 240Hz support and low input lag, and it's no slouch for movies with its good contrast, very good peak brightness, and excellent pre-calibration color accuracy. Its successor, the BenQ X3100i, is slightly better overall, although the biggest differences between them are due to their respective streaming dongles; the QS02 dongle included with the X3100i is more advanced than the X3000i's QS01. You can, however, upgrade the X3000i's dongle; look up instructions for this here. Otherwise, if you don't care about gaming or smart features, the Epson Home Cinema 3800 is better for watching movies at a slightly lower price.
Check out our recommendations for the best 4k projectors and the best projectors for home theater. If you'd prefer to shop for a cheaper product, look up the best projectors under $1,000 instead.
The BenQ X3100i is a slight but noticeable upgrade over the BenQ X3000i. The X3100i is slightly brighter, has better contrast, and has a wider color gamut. The X3000i is somewhat more accurate out of the box, but the X3100i is still excellent. The biggest difference between the two is in the inclusion of the QS02 streaming dongle with the X3100i, which has significantly more features than the QS01 dongle included with the X3000i. Thus, if you care about streaming features, the X3100i is better, although you can buy an upgrade pack to install the QS02 dongle on the BenQ X3000i.
The BenQ X3000i is better than the XGIMI HORIZON Ultra. The XGIMI is a bit brighter, but the BenQ has slightly better contrast and noticeably better color accuracy. The BenQ is also better for gaming with its 1080p @ 240Hz support. While neither projector is particularly portable, the XGIMI has full auto keystone support with object avoidance and autofocus, making it the easier of the two to set up. The XGIMI has more modern features, as it has Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, and Android TV 11, while the BenQ's included Android dongle is limited to Android TV 10, Wi-Fi 5, and Bluetooth 4.2.
The BenQ X3000i is better than the BenQ TK700STi, although the TK700STi is smaller and lighter and is a short-throw projector, so you can place it closer to the wall or screen. Still, the X3000i is brighter, has better contrast, is much more accurate, and has a wider color gamut. They both support 4k @ 60Hz and 1080p @ 240Hz, so they're equally great options for gaming.
The Hisense C1 and the BenQ X3000i are both great lifestyle projectors, though the BenQ is better suited to gaming thanks to its low input lag gaming mode. The BenQ also gets brighter, making it a better fit for moderately lit rooms, while the Hisense's edge in its contrast makes it better suited for dark rooms. The BenQ's optical zoom also gives you more flexibility with placement. Conversely, the Hisense is better for HDR content, with a wide color gamut and Dolby Vision support.
The BenQ X3000i is much better than the XGIMI HORIZON Pro. The BenQ is brighter, has deeper contrast, and is much more accurate than the XGIMI. They're both capable of projecting up to 4k @ 60Hz, but the BenQ is better for gamers due to its 1080p @ 240Hz capabilities. The XGIMI is, however, the smaller and lighter product with a full suite of image correction features and two full USB data ports. The BenQ is limited to keystone correction on the vertical axis and has no data USB ports, making the XGIMI easier to move around.
The BenQ X3000i is a better-value option than the Optoma UHZ50. Both projectors support low input lag for gaming, but the BenQ projects a brighter overall image and has significantly better color accuracy at a much lower price point.
The BenQ X3000i has more features than the Epson Home Cinema 3800, but the Epson is slightly better for watching movies due to being brighter and having better contrast than the BenQ. The Epson is barebones regarding features, as it doesn't come with Wi-Fi or a smart interface, while the BenQ comes with an Android TV 10 dongle for smart apps, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth support. It's also better for gaming with full 1080p @ 240Hz support.
The BenQ X3000i and BenQ HT4550i are marketed for different uses, with the X3000i meant for video games and the HT4550i for home theaters, but they're similar, with the HT4550i having a very slight edge in image quality. The HT4550i has better peak brightness and a wider color gamut, although the X3000i is the more accurate of the two out-of-the-box. They're a match for gaming, both having 4k @ 60Hz or 1080p @ 240Hz support with low input lag. They both come with Android smart dongles, but the HT4550i comes with the better dongle, which has Android TV 11 and Bluetooth 5.0, versus Android TV 10 and Bluetooth 4.2 on the X3000i.
The Epson Home Cinema 5050UB offers slightly better image quality than the BenQ X3000i due to its wider color gamut and better contrast. However, the BenQ is much smaller and has significantly more features. The Epson is a barebones projector without any smart or wireless features, while the BenQ comes with the QS01 streaming dongle, which has Android TV, Bluetooth, and Chromecast built-in. The BenQ also has more features for gamers, as it can project a 4k @ 60Hz or 1080p @ 240Hz image, while the Epson is limited to 4k @ 60Hz. Thus, if you're going for pure image quality, the Epson is better, but the BenQ is more versatile.
The BenQ X3000i is much better than the Samsung The Freestyle 2nd Gen, but they're very different. The Samsung is a small portable projector with a tilting stand and full auto keystone image correction. The BenQ is a bigger product, although it's not huge. It has auto keystone correction on the vertical axis, so you can move it if you wish, but it's not as portable as the Samsung. Otherwise, the BenQ offers vastly superior image quality with better brightness and contrast and projects a sharper image due to its pixel-shifting technology. It also offers more to gamers with its 1080p @ 240Hz capabilities.
The BenQ X3000i is much better than the XGIMI Elfin, although the XGIMI is a much smaller projector that is much easier to carry around. The XGIMI even comes with full auto keystone and autofocus technologies, making it much easier to set up. Otherwise, the BenQ is much brighter with slightly better contrast, is noticeably more accurate, and has more advanced gaming features with its full 1080p @ 240Hz support.
The BenQ X3000i is much better than the XGIMI HORIZON. The BenQ is brighter and has better contrast, and it also projects a sharper image due to its 4k pixel-shifting technology. The BenQ has a 1.3x optical zoom, so you can adjust the projection's size without moving the projector. The BenQ is also vastly more accurate than the XGIMI before and after calibration. Finally, the BenQ has advanced gaming features, as it can play games at either 4k @ 60Hz or 1080p @ 240Hz with low input lag.
The BenQ X3000i is better than the Formovie THEATER, although the Formovie is better for watching movies in dark rooms due to its superior contrast. The BenQ is smaller and lighter and has auto keystone correction on the vertical axis, while the Formovie is bulky and has no image correction features. The BenQ is easier to move around if needed. The BenQ has much better brightness and color accuracy and has more gaming features than the Formovie due to its 1080p @ 240Hz capabilities. However, the BenQ isn't a UST projector, so you must install it further away from the wall or screen than the Formovie.
The BenQ X3000i is a bit better than the Epson EpiqVision Ultra LS800. The Epson is the brighter of the two, but the BenQ has the better overall contrast. The BenQ is the vastly more accurate projector, both out-of-the-box and after calibration, and it also has a wider color gamut. The BenQ has more features for gamers, as it's capable of up to 4k @ 60Hz or 1080p @ 240Hz on its two HDMI ports, while the Epson can do 4k @ 60Hz or 1080p @ 120Hz on one port and 4k @ 60Hz on the other two. However, the Epson is easier to place in a room due to its Ultra Short Throw capabilities.
Test Results
The BenQ X3000i is a decently big projector without an integrated battery, so you must plug it in. The projector has auto keystone correction, but only on the vertical axis, so you have to center it horizontally. It also doesn't have autofocus, so you must manually adjust that to get the clearest image possible. Its feet are slightly adjustable, and it comes with a set of extra extender feet to increase the vertical angle of the projector. Finally, the projector has two 5W integrated speakers.
This DLP projector uses an LED bulb as its light source, so you likely won't ever have to worry about replacing it; the manufacturer claims the bulb lasts anywhere from 20,000 to 30,000 hours, depending on the selected eco mode. It's not a true 4k projector, as it uses pixel shifting to create a higher-resolution image. This offers better quality than a pure 1080p projector but isn't as good as a native 4k projector. It has a 1.3x optical zoom, allowing you to adjust the projection distance without moving the projector.
This BenQ X3000i's peak brightness is very good. Its brightness uniformity is great, and the projector is otherwise bright enough to look good in a moderately-lit room. It's also bright enough to make some colors pop, especially when the lights are dimmed.
This projector has good native contrast, leading to somewhat deep blacks in a dark room.
The BenQ X3000i has excellent pre-calibration image accuracy, with only minor issues in its white balance and color accuracy. The projector is, however, slightly overbrightened in all scenes, but thankfully, its color temperature is almost exactly on the 6,500K target.
The projector has a full-color calibration mode and a 2-point white balance calibration. After calibration, the color accuracy is fantastic. Colors still have very minor accuracy errors throughout, but the white balance is very near perfect, and the color temperature is right on target.
The projector has a very good color gamut. It covers most of the Rec. 709 color space used with SDR content and does a decent job with the wider Rec. 2020 color space.
- Power cable
- Remote control
- Extra feet
- 2x AAA batteries
- Mounting screws
- User documentation
This projector runs the Android TV 10 smart interface on its included QS01 dongle and is fully cast capable. The dongle also supports Google Voice search and Google Assistant. You can watch Netflix using the dongle by following BenQ's instructions here. The projector also has two 5W integrated speakers.
The projector has a 12v trigger out port to connect your screen to it; this allows you to signal the screen to unfold when the projector powers on and inversely retract the screen when it's powered off. The projector has one extra HDMI port behind the top cover reserved for use with the bundled BenQ QS01 Android streaming device. It supports Google Cast with the QS01 dongle, and the projector supports Bluetooth 4.2. The USB port is a service port that you can use for power delivery.