The Best 4K Projectors Will Help You Level Up Movie Night

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Let’s be clear: When it comes to immersion while watching movies or shows, it’s hard to top a movie theater experience. But a high-performance 4K projector can come close. The best 4K projectors can deliver a visually stunning picture on a much larger screen (or a wall) than any conventional TV. Most can produce a picture that’s 100 inches or bigger. And compared to a Full HD projector, a 4K-capable model will significantly improve image quality by displaying four times as many pixels, allowing movies like Dune and Tenet to look like they did on opening night.

While the prospect of bringing the theater experience to the living room of your favorite movie buff (or yours, if you’re gifting for yourself) is enticing, there’s a lot you need to know before buying a 4K projector. Home projectors generally can’t match the brightness or HDR support of a high-quality OLED TV, though the gap is closing. Meanwhile, the best 4K projectors can be expensive, making a 4K TV a more accessible option. But if you want a theater experience in your home, these 4K projectors will provide you with the ultimate movie night. Read on for the quick list of the best, followed by important things to keep in mind and in-depth reviews of these and more.

The Best 4K Projectors

• Best Overall: BenQ HT4550i

• Best Value: Optoma UHD35x

• Best Upgrade: Epson Home Cinema LS11000

• Best for Gaming: BenQ X3000i

• Best Portable: Anker Nebula Cosmos Laser 4K

What to Consider

Home theater projectors come with some important caveats. They are generally not suitable for brightly lit rooms, and, for the best experience, you or your giftee should use them with a dedicated projector screen. Meanwhile, their lamps have a set lifespan, with the most expensive models lasting up to 30,000 hours. Some models have built-in speakers, but we recommend bundling them with a high-quality home theater audio system for the best results. You should also consider factors like I/O connectivity, installation difficulty, and lens zoom, which makes it easier to adjust the image to fit on your wall or projector screen. Here’s everything you should know before buying a 4K projector.

Projector Type

There are a few types of projectors that use different light technology, and what you choose can impact brightness, color accuracy, and lamp life. The most common types of light technology you’ll find in projectors include LCD (liquid crystal display), LCoS (liquid crystal on silicon), and DLP (Digital Light Processing).

LCD projectors divide white light into primary colors using mirrors or prisms. The light is then projected onto a screen, creating a multicolored image. LCD technology is widely used across the industry, including in TVs, offering excellent color accuracy and brightness. However, LCD projectors may struggle to achieve the same contrast level as other light technology.

LCoS projectors are a hybrid of LCD and DLP technologies, using liquid crystal chips with a mirrored backing. Projectors that use the technology tend to be expensive — from a few thousand to over $10,000—but offer excellent sharpness, color accuracy, and contrast.

Most projectors in movie theaters use DLP technology, utilizing tiny mirrors to reflect light toward the screen. DLP projectors can use a single- or three-chip design; a single-chip uses a color wheel to cycle through red, green, and blue, while a three-chip design features separate chips for each primary color.

Resolution

Many affordable 4K projectors approximate the higher resolution despite using a lower-resolution imaging chip. This process is commonly known as pixel-shifting or 4K enhancement. The technology simulates a near-4K image by rapidly shifting the pixels in the image, creating a resolution that appears higher. While pixel-shift technology can create a picture that looks sharper and more detailed, it’s not the same as native 4K resolution.

Native 4K projectors, which can cost several thousand dollars, have imaging chips with a resolution of 3840x2160 or 4096x2160 pixels. Projectors that use pixel-shift technology are generally more affordable, at $2,000 or less. The picture quality created by good pixel-shift technology can be imperceptible to native 4K resolution. That said, a 4K projector with pixel-shift technology won’t look as good as a 4K TV.

Lamp Life

The life of a lamp in your 4K projector will vary based on the lamp technology and usage conditions. Affordable 4K projectors utilize lamps with an estimated usage life of 4,000-6,000 hours in maximum brightness (more when you use an eco mode). The more expensive laser projectors have a light source that can easily last for 20,000 hours. Consider the lamp life as part of the overall cost of ownership—a shorter lifespan will require you to replace the bulbs and perform more maintenance. Although projectors that use LED or laser lamp technology may have a higher upfront cost, they last longer than a traditional UHP (Ultra-High Pressure) lamp.

Brightness

The brightness of a 4K projector, measured in lumens, can significantly impact the quality of your viewing experience — and brighter doesn’t automatically equal better. In a dark room with little or no ambient light, a brightness of 1,500 to 2,500 lumens should give you a vibrant, well-saturated image with excellent contrast and color accuracy. A projector with more brightness — 2,500 to 3,500 lumens — can work in a living room with more ambient light. However, a brighter picture may struggle to display detail and image depth in darker scenes. While brightness level is essential, the light in your room, whether artificial or natural, is just as crucial.

How We Selected

To select the best 4K projectors, I researched the top brands in the projector space, considering the best-selling options available. I drew on my expertise in home entertainment products – I’ve written about TVs, audio equipment, and technology for Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, and CNN Underscored. I built on that experience with information from reviews by critics and customers, with every projector on this list averaging four stars out of five. Additionally, I tapped into our past home theater coverage on Best Products to inform my picks.

HT4550i 4K Projector

The HT4550i is a new addition to the company’s lineup, offering excellent performance and features. It provides a brightness rating of 3,200 lumens, support for HDR10+, and covers 100 percent of DCI-P3, a color space standard that allows the projector to deliver a color-accurate picture the way filmmakers intended. The projector also includes an integrated Android TV streaming dongle and supports vertical and horizontal lens shift options. Additionally, it has dual HDMI 2.0 ports and the ability to project an image up to 150 inches.

UHD35x 4K Projector

The UHD35x is a high-quality 4K projector at a far more affordable price. For around $1,000, you get a projector that delivers a bright picture with excellent contrast. It also supports HDR10 and a 240-hertz (Hz) refresh rate for lag-free gaming. While it doesn’t boast lens shift or an extensive zoom range, it does feature a decent throw distance that will allow you to enjoy movies in 4K on a screen up to 100 inches.

Home Cinema LS11000 4K Projector

The party piece of this Home Cinema LS11000 is that it uses lasers to deliver a bright, detailed image, HDR10+ support, and features that cater to cinephiles and gamers. The laser light source has a lifespan of 20,000 hours and, as a bonus, allows the projector to turn on and off more quickly than other 4K models. The LS11000 also features an all-glass lens that provides a sharper, clearer image and a 120-Hz refresh rate, making this an excellent choice for anyone planning on using it with an Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5. While Epson’s projector is expensive, the laser array light source and advanced pixel-shifting technology give you an excellent picture with impressive brightness and contrast.

X3000i 4K Projector

With low input lag and virtual 3D surround sound, the X3000i is an excellent option for gamers. You can choose between three resolution and refresh pairings — 1080p at 240Hz, 1080p at 120Hz, or 4K at 60Hz — and enjoy high-contrast content with support for HDR10. This projector is also flexible when it comes to installation, allowing you to mount it to a ceiling or place it on a tabletop or shelf. It also comes with an Android TV dongle for streaming shows and movies when you’re not gaming.

Nebula Cosmos Laser 4K Projector

Most high-end projectors are meant to stay in one spot, but the Nebula Cosmos Laser 4K is different. While this projector isn’t battery-powered (and so you’ll still need an outlet or portable power station handy), the light design and sturdy handle make it easy to move and set up almost anywhere, whether for watching a movie in the living room or backyard. The projector has built-in speakers and can upscale lower-resolution content — even live TV broadcasts. Like other options on this list, the Nebula supports Android TV, allowing access to streaming apps out of the box.

VPL-XW5000ES 4K Projector

Sony’s VPL-XW5000ES is for those serious about converting a guest bedroom into a home theater. It uses wide-dynamic-range optics and Sony’s proprietary algorithm to produce contrast that outperforms what other projectors on this list provide. And unlike the other 4K projectors we recommend, this one offers native 4K, providing an incredibly sharp, detailed picture. While there’s a lot to like about the VPL-XW5000ES, it lacks HDMI 2.1 inputs, which means you can’t take advantage of 4K, 120-Hz gaming. Still, it delivers impressive image processing and fluid motion, making it an excellent option for fast-moving action.

UHZ50 4K Projector

Like the pricier Epson, this UHZ50 produces a bright, detailed image thanks to its laser light source. It offers 3,000 lumens of brightness and up to 30,000 hours of life, which should more than cover the projector’s lifespan. Beyond brightness, the projector has excellent contrast and a refresh rate up to 240Hz for low-latency gaming. There are also myriad connectivity options, including three HDMI ports, three USB-A ports, and Ethernet for a wired internet connection.

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