The Best Projector Deals | PCMag
It’s been a pretty great year for movies so far, and you can watch all of the Oscar winners in the comfort of your own home. But if your humble TV isn’t giving you that cinema-quality feeling, you might be ready to upgrade to a home projection system. Digital projectors are better than ever, with 4K resolution, smooth, crisp motion and HDR-quality color and contrast. We’re seeing big discounts on some of our favorite digital projectors that are great for sports, gaming, movies, and more, and we’re bringing them to you.
If you haven’t sat down with a digital projector recently, don’t worry at PC Labs we’ve been testing projectors for years.
Prepare to be dazzled at how good their image quality has become. Whether you’re interested in a high-end model with vivid colors and sharp contrast that’s fast enough for console gaming, or something more affordable and portable with slightly diminished specs, major brands have high-quality projectors available at deep discounts. Here are the best deals we can see (so far) in March.
The Best Portable Projector Deals
Let’s start our offers off with a solid $70 price cut on a crossover projector that works for both home entertainment and work presentations. In our review, contributing editor M. David Stone praised the EpiqVision Flex’s “high brightness and good color accuracy,” noting that its 2,700-ANSI-lumen rating makes it easily viewable even in lit rooms. The three-LCD chip image array paired with a traditional bulb helps minimize the artifacts other budget projectors suffer from. While it doesn’t deliver the kind of contrast and quality that home theater cinephiles demand, at this price, it’s a solid option for budget shoppers looking to add a projector to their arsenal.
With a built-in battery, this is a capable portable projector at a nice discount that’ll only last while Best Buy has it in stock. You can see how it compares to the other models on our list of the best portable projectors, but the specs on the Ion are solid: 1,280-by-720 video resolution with 100 ANSI lumen brightness, coupled with two hours of battery life for video and 10 hours for audio. The built-in 70-watt speakers feature dual 3-inch drivers and 1.5-inch tweeters for surprisingly robust sound. You can even use it as a karaoke machine with two included 1/4-inch mic inputs.
This somewhat pricey LG projector earns its keep with exceptional 4K resolution and surprising brightness in a pint-size package. The retro-styled housing is just five inches high and weighs 3 pounds, making it easy to set up anywhere. Able to project up to a 120-inch maximum screen size, the tri-color RGB laser provides exceptional contrast, and the unit delivers realistic, vibrant hues. LG’s built-in WebOS platform gives you native access to streaming services, and you can also play content through Apple AirPlay, USB-C, or the HDMI input. Right now, Amazon has it for 14% off.
Portable projectors let you take movie night on the go, and the Miroir L710S strikes a fine balance between price and functionality. Weighing in at just four pounds, it’s easy to transport and set up, features native 1080p resolution at a maximum clear image size of 100 inches with automatic focus. The two built-in 5-watt speakers aren’t cinema-quality, but are powerful enough to get the job done. The built-in Synq TV app lets you link up to your streaming services without additional setup, and you can also stream content through HDMI and USB inputs. Right now Best Buy has this one on sale for $50 off retail.
In terms of image quality, this portable projector from GPX isn’t going to top the charts. It delivers 1,280-by-720 resolution with 1000 ANSI lumens of brightness, with a maximum screen size of 150 feet on the diagonal. That’s all perfectly acceptable, especially for a model in this price range. You can run input through HDMI or USB, or you can stream video from a MicroSD card. It even has a built-in DVD player so you can enjoy your old physical media. There’s no built-in speaker, but the GPX has a Bluetooth transmitter for easy audio. Right now, it’s $53 off. See how competing models fare on our list of the best portable projectors.
Recommended by Our Editors
The Best Non-Portable Projector Deals
This is a spendy one, but if you need the absolute best 4K performance, it’s our Editors’ Choice pick that even comes with its own screen. In our review, we praised the Hisense L9H for its gorgeous wide color gamut with support for Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG picture modes. One thing that differentiates this unit from other models is that it has fixed focus locked to the screen size, so there’s no need to fiddle with lens positions. You just position the unit so the image fills the screen and you’re good to go. Setup is simple, and you can pull images through three HDMI ports, Ethernet, Wi-Fi and even coaxial input. A pair of built-in 20-watt stereo speakers sound good and are loud enough to fill a room.
It’s pricey, but the picture quality of the Vista T4 will dazzle you. We reviewed this model, praising its cutting-edge triple-laser design that delivers incredible color quality and sharpness. It’s a heavyweight unit, clocking in at over 37 pounds, so it’s best suited for a permanent place in your home theater. With a maximum image size of 150 inches on the diagonal, it’ll easily dominate whatever room you install it in. It even supports 3D images (glasses not included). An included 60-watt Dolby Audio speaker gives you cinema-quality sound, and a $1,000 discount is nothing to sneeze at.
More Projector Deals
*Deals are selected by our commerce team
What Are the Different Types of Projectors?
Digital projectors create images using three primary types of technology. The most basic, DLP (Digital Light Processing), has an array of minute mirrors inside the lens to transform white light into other colors. 3LCD projectors use a trio of LCD screens, one for each primary subtractive color. LCoS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon) uses an active-matrix display on a silicon backplate for the most accurate colors, although it is significantly more expensive.
What Should I Look for in a Projector?
The two most important metrics for a projector are brightness and resolution. Brightness is measured in lumens, with a larger number being better. However, projectors typically have two distinct brightness numbers, one for white light and one for color. Images may appear dull if the color rating is lower than the pure white rating. Resolution determines the number of pixels the projector uses to create the image. 1080p high definition is the most common. For best results, match your projector resolution to the image source.
Do I Need a Screen for My Projector?
The projector deals above don’t come with an included screen. In general, although you can cast an image from a projector on any wall or surface, it’s not going to look as good as if you use a non-reflective white screen designed for that purpose. There are many different types of screens on the market, including some that are inflatable for easy setup and storage. While they’re not strictly required, they definitely make your viewing experience better. Here’s our handy guide for how to choose the right screen for your projector.
What Is the Best and Cheapest Projector?
We’ve put together a robust rundown of the best projectors on the consumer market, covering a wide range of uses, from large units to anchor a home theater to portable models for movies on the go. Overall, we rate the Vankyo Performance V700W as the best all-around cheap projector. It’s fast enough for casual gaming and bright enough for movies, and it even has surprisingly decent built-in speakers. In our review, our expert said that it was “a highly capable choice for home use,” and it often sees price drops.
Why Are Mini Projectors So Cheap?
Hardware size keeps shrinking in the projector market. In our rundown of the best portable projectors, we examine why these mini-projectors are often so cheap. The most typical compromise that’s made in a small projector is bulb brightness.
Pico-size models, which fit in a pocket, usually cap out at around 100 ANSI lumens of brightness, which can get washed out in ambient light. Image resolution is also often lower than you’d get in a more expensive model. 720p is more common among mini projectors. That said, they’re more than enough for most casual uses.
How Do We Test Projectors?
The short answer? Thoroughly. When we test projectors, be they data projectors, home entertainment projectors, or home theater projectors, we perform both video and data tests, as well as give the units a 30-minute warm-up time while running through preliminary setup steps. And that’s just the start! Dive into any of our reviews to see how deep we go.
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About K. Thor Jensen
Contributing Writer
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