The 4 Best 4k Projectors - Black Friday 2024

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, as it focuses 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 truly immersive 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. The 3800 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. 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, or if you just want to place it near your screen, you'll benefit from a short-throw projector like the BenQ X500i, which can project large images from short distances. With its 4k pixel-shifting technology, it delivers a crisp 60-inch image from just three feet away, expanding up to 120 inches from a distance of six to 7.2 feet. Its contrast performance is impressive, especially in darker scenes, though it still holds up well in brighter content. The wide color gamut provides a vibrant experience, though it might not be bright enough to make those colors truly stand out, so stick to darker rooms for the best possible experience. The real kicker here is the projector's top-notch image accuracy, to the point that even video purists won't need to calibrate it.

The BenQ X500i is feature-rich as well. It includes BenQ's Android TV 11 QS02 streaming dongle, offering full casting support via Google Chromecast and Apple AirPlay. The dongle features Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, HDR10+ compatibility, and native Netflix support. The projector itself comes with two HDMI ports, including a hidden one under the top cover, all capable of 4k @ 60Hz and 1080p @ 240Hz for gaming. One of the HDMI ports also serves as an eARC port. Additionally, it features a USB-C port with DP Alt Mode, allowing you to project content directly from compatible devices. All in all, it's easily the best value short-throw projector on the market.

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. It's decently bright, certainly bright enough to look punchy in a dark room, and its contrast is good even though it doesn't have very inky blacks. It supports HDR10 and HLG, but its color gamut and output brightness aren't good enough to project a pleasant HDR experience. 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.

When it comes to ports, 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 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 and is a good budget pick for some home theater enthusiasts or gamers, but it's not for color purists.