The 10 Best Projectors in 2027

This is the projector we'd buy to replace a TV, and real brightness is why. Its 5,700-lumen rating only holds in a loud, green-tinted mode, yet Projector Reviews still measured about 3,300 to 3,500 lumens in Movie and Dolby Vision, the modes you'll actually use. Colors stay rich with the room half lit, and calibrated color is very accurate.

Say the kids want a film at 3 p.m. on a Saturday and the blinds only half close. You set it on a bookshelf off to one side, nudge the motorized lens shift and zoom, and the 110-inch picture lands square without digital keystone.

Google TV has Netflix built in. The box holds the projector, power cord and a backlit remote, but no screen or mount. Gamers get 240Hz at 1080p, though 4K stops at 60Hz.

But in a fully dark room its blacks look charcoal, sensitive eyes may catch rainbow flashes, and de-judder drops the picture to 1080p. There's also just one HDMI 2.1 port and no Ethernet. So would we buy it? For a lit living room, yes. For a dedicated dark theater, the Valerion VisionMaster Max (#4) is the better buy.

A regular projector needs room behind the couch: the BenQ X3100i (#6) wants about 8 feet for a 100-inch picture. The PX3-PRO doesn't. It sits on your media console, 4.7 to 18.1 inches from the wall, and paints an 80 to 150-inch picture. ProjectorCentral measured about 99.8% of DCI-P3 and a near-perfect grayscale before any calibration, so movies look right on day one.

Picture a one-bedroom where the sofa backs onto the kitchen counter, so there's no shelf behind you.

The projector takes the TV stand's spot, Google TV has Netflix and Disney+ built in, and the 50W Harman Kardon system handles dialogue without a soundbar. Turn on DLP Turbo and lag drops to 14 ms at 120Hz and 7 ms at 1080p/240, at the cost of keystone and 3D. The box has a backlit remote, but no screen.

And that screen matters. With roughly 2,700 to 3,200 measured lumens, it needs an ALR screen for a lit room, and very sunny days still win. Hisense now sells the newer PX4-PRO above it. Is it worth it? For a TV-style setup, yes. On a tighter budget, the Formovie Cinema Edge (#9) costs less.

If your movie nights move between the living room and the backyard, this is the one to get. It's a 4K triple-laser projector with a gimbal and a retractable handle. Projector Reviews measured about 2,750 to 3,330 lumens in normal modes and native contrast near 4,700:1, which is rare for DLP.

So picture a July evening. You carry it to the patio, plug it into the outdoor outlet, and the gimbal, 0.9-1.5:1 zoom and auto focus aim the picture at the screen on the fence.

Google TV plays Netflix in 4K, and 40W of speakers cover a small yard, with Nebula's optional satellite speakers adding more. The box has the projector, power adapter and remote, while the carry case comes only in bundles.

The downsides are real, though. It weighs 13.7 pounds, has no battery, and menus can lag. Reds look oversaturated until you adjust them, and saved positions don't always recall correctly. Nebula now sells the brighter X1S above it. So would we buy it? For mains-powered movie nights, yes. Camping without an outlet? Take the XGIMI MoGo 4 (#7).

Got a room you can make truly dark? Then this is the picture to beat. Its Enhanced Black Level mode gave HDTVTest the inkiest blacks it had seen from DLP, and color covers about 99% of DCI-P3 and looks accurate without calibration. The fan barely rises above the room, so quiet scenes stay quiet.

Imagine a Saturday night epic on a 150-inch screen in the basement. Put it on a back shelf, and the 0.9-1.5:1 zoom and big vertical lens shift line it up without digital keystone. If rainbow flashes bother you, RBE Reduction nearly hides them, though it can add a faint whine.

The two 12W speakers play from the back of the room, so budget for a real sound system.

Here's the catch. Several ProjectorCentral commenters, owners among them, point out that High Refresh mode and 4K pixel shift can't run together, so 4K/120 gets downsampled. Bright scenes lose depth, and the cheaper VisionMaster Pro 2 comes close, so the Max pays off when you'll use its lens shift, iris and RBE Reduction. For a living room with daylight, get the XGIMI Horizon 20 Max (#1).

Want 4K without spending TV money? This is where we'd start. It's a tiny triple-laser projector with a carry handle and a built-in gimbal, and its contrast punches well above its price. The fan is so quiet you'll forget it's on.

Say it's a rainy Sunday and you'd rather stay in bed. Tilt the gimbal straight up, let auto focus and keystone square the image, and a film plays across the ceiling with nothing propped under it. Google TV runs Netflix natively, and the box includes the gimbal stand, a power brick and a remote that isn't backlit.

Get the Upgrade Version, the brighter current model, which RTINGS measured at about 1,400 lumens.

That's still modest, so this is a dark-room projector. Colors run oversaturated outside Movie mode, motion looks choppy with no judder removal, and sensitive viewers will spot rainbows. Lag on the original model measured 35 to 40 ms, well above JMGO's 17 ms claim, so keep gaming casual. So would we buy it? For a bedroom, yes. If your room stays lit, the Epson EpiqVision Flex CO-FH02 (#8) is brighter.

Gaming comes first here, and it shows. ProjectorCentral's lag numbers matched BenQ's own: 5 ms at 1080p/240, 9 ms at 1080p/120 and 17 ms at 4K/60. Color is accurate out of the box, and about 2,950 lumens in Bright mode means a lamp or two can stay on.

Picture a late-night shooter on a 120-inch wall. Every flick of the stick lands on time, and the image stays sharp because you aimed it with the 1.3x zoom and vertical lens shift. Skip keystone here, since it costs about a frame of lag.

The QS02 Android TV dongle with licensed Netflix comes in the box and tucks inside the projector, along with a remote and power cords. It replaces the older X3000i.

Here's the trade-off. Contrast is weak, so dark movie scenes look gray, and the dongle sends everything in BT.2020, which oversaturates regular shows until you switch its output to 8-bit. Bright mode also runs hot and loud. Should you buy it? For a console setup, yes. Gaming on a tighter budget? The ViewSonic PX701-4K (#10) is the cheaper route.

No outlet within reach? That's where the MoGo 4 earns its spot. It's a 2.9-pound 1080p projector with a built-in battery, a stand that turns 360 degrees, and Google TV with licensed Netflix, so there's nothing else to pack.

Say the kids want a backyard sleepover. Clip a bedsheet to the clothesline after dark, point the MoGo 4, and auto focus and keystone square it up, though you may need a manual touch-up. Plan on about two hours per charge: just under two in Standard, about two and a half in Eco.

So a kids' film fits and a three-hour epic doesn't. The Harman Kardon speakers are loud enough for a small group. The box has two remotes and the Sunset filter, while the PowerBase Stand costs extra and stretches play to about five hours.

But it's dim. About 400 lumens measured means dark rooms and nights only, and dark scenes lack contrast. Would we pack it? For after-dark movies anywhere, yes. If you can plug in and want brightness, the Nebula X1 (#3) is the step up.

Can't make your room dark? Then brightness matters more than anything, and this is the most affordable way to get it on our list. Three separate reviews measured about 2,000 to 2,100 lumens, including 2,094 in CNET's run of the fairly accurate Cinema mode, and Dynamic mode reached 3,261. Color stays natural, too.

Picture a weeknight movie while someone cooks dinner and the kitchen lights stay on. The picture holds up, and auto vertical keystone makes setup quick.

The bundled Android TV stick, with Chromecast built in, tucks behind a side panel, and the box also has an HDMI cable and two remotes, one for each device.

Here's what you give up. Blacks look gray, lag measured 50 to 80 ms, and the stick takes the only HDMI port, so a console means swapping cables. Audio out is Bluetooth only, and it uses a lamp that will need replacing someday. It also launched in 2022, so it's an older model. So is it for you? For a lit room on a budget, yes. For a dark bedroom, the JMGO N1S 4K (#5) looks better.

Want the ultra short throw setup for less? The Cinema Edge is our cheaper way in. Its 0.23:1 lens sits about 19 inches from the wall for a 150-inch picture, and Mondoprojos measured native contrast above 3,000:1 on the European model, so evening films have real depth.

Say your den is shallow and the only flat surface is a low cabinet under the screen. That's exactly where this goes. Google TV has native Netflix, and three HDMI 2.1 ports, one with eARC, leave room for a console and a soundbar.

Plan on an ALR or Fresnel screen, which costs extra, and a level console, since only the front feet adjust.

But it isn't the PX3-PRO. There's no Dolby Vision or HDR10+, color looks drab next to triple-laser USTs, and default color needs calibration. Google TV is slow, motion smoothing is on by default (set it to Low or off), and Game mode lag measured about 47 ms. Measured brightness came in under the claim, so dim rooms suit it best. Is it the right UST for you? On a budget, yes. For daylight and Dolby Vision, get the Hisense PX3-PRO (#2).

If lag is the only number you care about, this is the least expensive way to a big, fast screen on our list. RTINGS measured single-digit lag at 1080p/120Hz and 240Hz, and ProjectorCentral got about 17 ms at 4K/60. It's bright too, at about 2,580 lumens in Brightest mode.

Picture an online match on a 100-inch wall in a dorm common room with the overhead lights on. The image stays bright, the 1.1x zoom and auto vertical keystone keep setup simple, and your controller feels connected.

There's no smart OS, Wi-Fi or Ethernet, though, so plug in your own streaming stick, which a USB port can power.

And movies are its weak spot. Contrast is poor, color is washed out by default, and five ProjectorCentral commenters saw a yellow tint after copying the review's calibration settings, which the editor blamed on a firmware update. It's also an older lamp model from 2021. Worth it? For cheap gaming, yes. If you want better color, the BenQ X3100i (#6) is worth the step up.